We all know that there are some scary people out there, both in the real world and in the many online worlds we inhabit. While most adults know enough to look out for themselves, children may not have been taught the dos and don’ts of online gaming. Thankfully, the Internet Crimes Task Force is here to help! Andy Anderson, a member of the force, is helping parents be on the lookout for “interactive video games” (are there non-interactive video games?). Particularly, he has an eye on Animal Crossing: City Folk, so you better look out. Who knows what kind of seedy folk you’ll find in that city?

Forget the fact that Nintendo has the most stringent requirements for adding friends, particularly for this reason, and that in Animal Crossing, you can only visit the towns of those whose friends codes you have, after they add yours as well, making it impossible to come across real random people unless they have somehow tricked you into adding them. That’s not relevant right now. What is relevant is the implication from Force member Andy Anderson that anyone over the age of 18 who has City Folk is a pedophile: “There is no reason an adult should have this game.”

If that’s the case, then at least a handful of us here at Gamervision HQ (myself included) have all kinds of creepy ulterior motives. It doesn’t matter that I’m 25 and the people on my friends list are in their 20s, right? Look, I know this Anderson guy means well, but this is just another case of someone talking about video games with absolutely no research or knowledge on the subject. Of course I believe that kids should be careful who they talk to, and that parents should keep an eye on what their children are doing on the internet and when gaming. But making a broad (and incorrect) statement like that is just offensive to those of us who just like to relax, have a cup of coffee, and talk to some friendly animals.

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