Harkonnen: My point is though, that kids should just not be allowed in the store during school hours. I'd rather see that than have the demo units switched off. It not only sends a clearer message, but means I get to play all the fucking Shadowrun I want, which is approximately no Shadowrun.

Most criminals drank milk as well. Oh, and had a mother and father. So, take away milk and either the mother or father and our chances of preventing criminals is increased.

Sound logic.

How about you hire more truancy officers and post them near places where truants congregate?

And then beat them. With clubs.

I like my plan better.

That are just some jackasses who are thinking too loud...

to ban kids means WORK. nobody wants ANY work or responsibility. its just the easiest way. in my shop they handled it that way for years. before 3 pm everything is turned off. we found a way to play guitar hero 2 on the ps2 nonetheless. we took of the plastik tip from the tremolo and with that "extension" we were able to turn on the ps2. lol let me tell ya, the people there dont linke that kind of tricks (lol although we ware 22).

@Hipple:

Then prevent them from skipping school, don't affect businesses and/or society, which impacts more than just delinquents, to prevent just this one element. Their logic is not really strong in this regard since the logical step would be to support getting and keeping the kids in school rather than making everything outside of the school too boring for kids that they'd rather be at school since that would also affect the adult population as well.

Hey Jim, I hate to break this to you, but yes, it's only a bunch of douchebag teenagers who cut class and go to GameStop during the day to play retail demo units.

How do you spot them? Well, the shirt 20 sizes (no joke), too large for them, with their plastic spiderman backpacks (wtf, why not go all the way and rock hello kitty?)

Oh yeah, and they're trying to shoplift half the time.

Ths report is kind of on the point. I don't think it's necessarily that every kid who cuts class is going to play some PS3 demo station in a store somewhere, but the notion that if you don't stay in school, the probability for crime increases is accurate.

My guess is, the only thing that will happen if they kill the demos is that game sales will go up 20%.

Here's the catch, if the kid has a legitimate, non-infectious reason to be out of school (recouping from an injury that doesn't affect mobility for example), then they should by all rights be allowed to enter a store and check out the demos.

Then you have the fact that some schools open later than others, or get out earlier than others. You'd have to use a blanket effect, once again keeping kids who by all right should be able to enter the store and play the demos out.

On top of that (depending on which country you're in), there's the option of home schooling. Unless Germany has an extremely strict educational system, I can't see this working by either suggestion (Germany's or Jim's).

As a former gamestore employee this really burns me up. No one has mentioned the fact that the demo units are not there to be used as a daycare center for absent or shopping parents. Damn neighbor kids AAARRRRGH! [has seizure]. Yeah, actually the reason for the demo kiosks is so that PAYING CUSTOMERS can try out the equipment or games to see if they want to buy something. If there's some little wanker on there making the controller smell like chinese food after 3-4 hours of hogging it, then when some actual customer comes in to oh, I dont know... BUY a PS3, he cant very well test drive it first, can he? We simply had the machines turned on, but showing videos, and when someone wanted to try it, we asked for their drivers license or credit card, which we would hold on to behind the cash until they were done playing. (This method also makes sure that big-sized wanks don't wander far with the wireless Wii controllers.) All ya have to do is enact something like that and Bingo!, no more pint-sized hassles. And as far as it being a pain to enforce rules, when it came to this...we liked it.. let McDonalds funland nursemaid those kids. The worst was on the off occasion when they bought something, they always got buyers remorse real bad and returned everything. And by everything, I mean they return the game, and the buy another game, and then they return that one too. When they come back the third time we tell them that we ain't blockbuster video. Im going to go have a nice relaxing beer, now. Glad I quit.