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ABC17 News has reported that the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force has linked Nintendo's Animal Crossing: City Folk with pedophilia. Andy Anderson, from said task force comments, "There is no reason an adult should have this game." ABC17 added, "Anderson says adults playing 'Animal Crossing' and similar games are likely doing it for the wrong reasons."

This is just crappy reporting based on fear mongering. The article starts with, "If your kids play interactive video games, like the Nintendo Wii, be on the lookout." The article says very little about the game and fails to mention that millions of people without criminal tendencies -- adults included -- have purchased it and its forerunners.

Anderson is just an ignorant man that knows nothing about gaming or the people that buy games. He paints a negative picture, simply because he's incapable of doing proper research. If he's going to be ignorant then I'll be ignorant, too -- I'll assume that Anderson's idiocy is a result of generations of inbreeding.

Have pedophiles used Animal Crossing as a tool? They probably have, but it has nothing to do with the game and everything to do with sick, deranged people. Pedophiles have also used the Internet for their disgusting deeds, but does that make the Internet evil? Again, millions of people that have not committed a crime have enjoyed the game.

Seriously, these kinds of stories make me sick. I remember when news stations were responsible for informing people about important issues. ABC17 is using that modern and unfortunately all-too-common tactic of dressing up fear-based reporting as a public service.

Source via Game Politics