Columnist calls video games 'crack cocaine'

by Alexander Sliwinski { Dec 13th 2007 at 4:00PM }

A columnist in Canada has called video games "crack cocaine," bluntly proposing to readers: "Don't play video games." Writing for the conservative National Post, Father Raymond J. de Souza (pictured) explained that he "learned the truth" about video games the hard way -- he hasn't touched one after deleting Tetris. De Souza went on to label video games as "dangerous," blaming them for fat kids and missed pockets in time. Just about what you'd expect from "the crack cocaine of the electronic world."

As if approaching Godwin's Law wasn't enough, Father de Souza also insisted that too many games celebrate graphic violence, multifarious delinquency and borderline pornography. We guess Father de Souza will be missing out on the joys of Peggle too, what with Tetris being "deadly enough" for him.

[Via GamePolitics]

Tags: canada, conservative, desouza, national-post, souza, Tetris

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

RKN2K @ Dec 13th 2007 4:04PM

Wow.

Zootittles @ Dec 13th 2007 5:01PM

OH EXPLOITABLE

Bloo @ Dec 13th 2007 5:05PM

@Obie
Are you actually replying to RKN2K or did you just need to get you comment near the top of the page?

JonFitt @ Dec 13th 2007 5:29PM

How dare the games industry produce something that people actually like doing.

They should produce something that people avoid doing, like going to church.

Remember kids: If it's fun the Catholic Church is against it.

Catholicism: If you don't feel guilty, you're doing it wrong.

GRANTED @ Dec 13th 2007 10:44PM

I'd say he got it about right...
I'm going through some kind of withdrawal waiting for my crack coburnoutparadise to download.

Jake @ Dec 14th 2007 7:24AM

Games make people fat. Crack cocaine makes people skinny and crazy like this guy. He does mention crack a lot. Must be on his mind.

SGT Grumbles @ Dec 13th 2007 4:06PM

Oh lawd...

wait in the car @ Dec 13th 2007 4:08PM

Hmmm... which is worse: being addicted to video games or being addicted to crack?

Also, video games don't make kids fat. I think that has more to do with overeating and lack of exercise.

zlionsfan @ Dec 13th 2007 4:17PM

If anything, video-game "addiction" should result in underweight kids, not overweight kids. If you have one hand free to eat or drink, you're not an addict.

Also, you never catch the dragon.

Trev (Completely Normal Human Defense Force) @ Dec 13th 2007 4:32PM

It could be argued that the lack of exercise comes from a devotion to sitting in front of the television to play, but the same could be said for DVDs and TV broadcasts. It's just easy for the ignorant to rag on games because they watch TV and movies and they need to pick something they don't do. Its the same reason liberal shit hippies can be all for banning cigarette smoking in public because smoking is so bad for you, but also try to make a case for legalizing weed. Regardless of which you want to call worse, breathing in smoke is bad for you; people just get uppity about the one that doesn't require them to change their lifestyle. In this case, its videogames. If you sit on your ass and eat doritos in front of ESPN or sit on your ass and eat doritos in front of Halo, you're still on your ass eating doritos.

Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 13th 2007 4:43PM

A pat on the back for you Trev, well played.

David @ Dec 13th 2007 5:26PM

He indicated that TV is bad for you too. I think video games and TV alike suffer from being "passive entertainment" as described in the article -- but video games much LESS so than other forms of entertainment. In fact, I liken video games more to a form of intense meditation.

Jack @ Dec 13th 2007 5:34PM

@Trev

Well to the hippies defense, they never said they wanted to smoke it in public.

wait in the car @ Dec 13th 2007 4:09PM

...unless, of course, the kids are eating the games and/or snorting them up their noses.

gonk @ Dec 13th 2007 8:14PM

they can just collect the dust after blending their copies of halo 3

danny. @ Dec 13th 2007 4:11PM

I agree. He missed out on the similar wallet-reducing effect that crack and video games have. As well as the strain that constant use puts on a relationship. I need some Rehab-Hero right about now (not a crack head)...

HOBBER @ Dec 13th 2007 4:15PM

This guy is basically God, he's got to be right!

CJC @ Dec 13th 2007 4:14PM

Tetris is murder! Rows of blocks have feelings too.

Every row you clear brings you a bit closer to the bottom... of HELL.

Szu @ Dec 13th 2007 4:51PM

Well played, I've never looked at Tetris that way. It's block genocide, pure and simple.

DBuck_Eye @ Dec 13th 2007 4:14PM

Those conservative catholic ___holes strike again! No wonder Clinton is a shoe-in for president.

hvnlysoldr @ Dec 13th 2007 4:30PM

Or it could backfire like Vote or Die resulting in all of them going to the polls to ly,.. err keep her out...

kinshadow @ Dec 13th 2007 4:41PM

It's too bad that she is just as bad (or worse) of a game Nazi.

DSR7997 @ Dec 13th 2007 5:18PM

I don't think "shoe in" is as certain as you think it is.

DBuck_Eye @ Dec 13th 2007 6:14PM

When you say she is a shoe in, do you mean that Hilary Clinton isn't a shoe in (possible), or the Democratic Party's candidate isn't a shoe in (highly improbable)?

Mr.ESC @ Dec 13th 2007 4:16PM

What you know priests don’t dig fat children. Another benefit of being obese Oh Crap heart attack!!!

Boffo the Sock @ Dec 13th 2007 4:21PM

I remember back in 2000 I was in such a bad way that I was blowing the guy at the arcade for tokens to play Tekken Tag Tournament. I was so bad that I would sneak off into the bathroom at work to feed my Tamagotchi.

Courtney @ Dec 13th 2007 4:18PM

Sign him up for a WoW account. Regular games are addictive, but I can and do walk away from them. Weeks and months of my life disappeared thanks to MMOs (which is why I don't play those anymore).

Of course, I'm also addicted to that dirty thing called reading books.

shamgar03 @ Dec 13th 2007 4:57PM

I actually find books way more addictive and more mind altering. People who say game effect people in a way completely different from anything else should consider that in books you literally think each word as you read it. Maybe I'm alone but if I read a particular author enough my thoughts start to match the writing style of the author. I love books but I have to be just as careful about when I pick up a book as I do about when I pick up a video game. You have to be prepared to drop a lot of hours either way.

deaftly @ Dec 13th 2007 4:22PM

GodIsAMyth?

Mr Khan @ Dec 13th 2007 4:46PM

Oh he would've shit himself with glee (or rage) about this

Bluey @ Dec 13th 2007 4:23PM

Taken in moderation, video games are fine. The problem is when they take over your life and family, health, relationships, work, study, etc suffer.

I dont think it is helpful at all to promote banning them. If anything, that approach would be counter productive to the message he is trying to send.

Mr.ESC @ Dec 13th 2007 4:26PM

Well seriously yeah videogames are addictive but I believe that concerns more to the grown up people that have money to buy whatever they want than the kids or teenagers that receive money from their parents and that unable to buy lots of videogames like working adults but they can do whatever they want I mean hey have employees, is their fault if they can’t pay the rent of that month because they bought a PS3.

Now if you want to know something that is more addictive than crack try card games,10x more expensive than videogames. Hell once I met a guy that bought 5,000 in lord of the rings cards. I’m serious he bought like 10 boxes or something; the floor was filled by open booster packs.

Korova @ Dec 13th 2007 4:27PM

Pwned by Tetris! Wow. Yeah, dude, stay away, Tetris is totally violent, delinquent porn.

sucker

Zootittles @ Dec 13th 2007 5:04PM

Well, it's a fact that 3 out of the 7 Tetris pieces are quite phallic in appearance.
(5 out of 7 if you count mutants)

Mr.ESC @ Dec 13th 2007 4:27PM

That guy looks like a pedophile to ya?,I would say yes.

Bertrand @ Dec 13th 2007 4:34PM

Well, video games are a drug and priests are pedophiles. 15 all.

xFenixKnightx @ Dec 13th 2007 4:34PM

Hi,

My name is "Fenix" and my friends and I pull all nighter crack sessions....and I'm not ashamed about it damnit!!!

StarFoxA @ Dec 13th 2007 4:38PM

Tetris is deadly, children: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnwRio0VM30

AoE @ Dec 13th 2007 4:36PM

Freeway EA Ross huh?

What's being "stepped on" to make video game crack-cocaine I wonder? 100% pure Columbian videos?

Rob Accomando @ Dec 13th 2007 4:36PM

If Video games are so bad... then I MUST be going to hell.

Zootittles @ Dec 13th 2007 5:00PM

If video games are so wrong, I don't wanna be right.

Rob Accomando @ Dec 13th 2007 6:10PM

I was gonna write that first. heh. :)

Zertoss @ Dec 13th 2007 4:37PM

In related news:

Blog Commenters Call Father Raymond J. de Souza 'Moron'

Blazur @ Dec 13th 2007 4:37PM

That man deserves to be fragged.

Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 13th 2007 4:38PM

Haha, what a dick. Yes, some videogames are too addicting (I'm looking at you WoW), but to say something like that about ALL videogames just shows his ignorance. Some games end dipshit, do your research.

As for kids getting obese... I guess TV, internet, and fat food have nothing to do with that right? Noooo... it's the videogames. God damn scapegoating son of a whore.

Video games are to relax, and if you get hooked and play much more than you should, it says a lot more about your lack of self control than it does about video games.