PSX5Central
Non Gaming Discussions => Off-Topic => Topic started by: luckee on September 03, 2002, 03:10:44 PM
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http://news.com.com/2100-1040-956357.html
In Greece, playing a shoot-\'em-up video game could land you in jail.
The Greek government has banned all electronic games across the country, including those that run on home computers, on Game Boy-style portable consoles, and on mobile phones. Thousands of tourists in Greece are unknowingly facing heavy fines or long terms in prison for owning mobile phones or portable video games.
Greek Law Number 3037, enacted at the end of July, explicitly forbids electronic games with "electronic mechanisms and software" from public and private places, and people have already been fined tens of thousands of dollars for playing or owning games.
The law applies equally to visitors from abroad: "If you know these things are banned, you should not bring them in," said a commercial attaché at the Greek Embassy in London, who declined to give her name.
Internet cafes will be allowed to continue to operate, providing no games-playing takes place. If a customer is found to be running any sort of game, including online chess, the cafe owner will be fined and the place closed.
The Greek government introduced the law in an attempt to prevent illegal gambling. According to a report in the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Greek police will be responsible for catching offenders, who will face fines of 5,000 to 75,000 euros (about $4,980 to $74,650) and imprisonment of one to 12 months. "The blanket ban was decided in February after the government admitted it was incapable of distinguishing innocuous video games from illegal gambling machines," the report said.
The Greek gaming community has reacted with a mixture of shock, disbelief and anger. One Web site, http://www.gameland.gr, has started a news service about the ban and opened a petition to protest it. In addition, it is posting English translations of the law and messages of support from around the world.
A test case is to come before the Greek courts next week, and the Greek gaming community is already planning protests in the event that the defendant is convicted.
"We are trying to organize a protest against this law," said Petros Tipis of Thessaloniki-based gaming company Reload Entertainment, which has had to cancel a gaming tournament that was to be held this week.
If the prosecution of the defendant next week is successful, said Tipis, the Greek gaming industry will take the case to the European Court.
In the meantime, Tipis told ZDNet UK, a lot of people in Greece are very worried about the new law. "They are taking it very seriously," he said. "It even affects the games that come with Windows. This law isn\'t the right one," he added. "It is unfair. It was introduced too quickly."
Reload\'s tournament, which was to be held Fridah, was a qualifier for the CPL Oslo 2002 gaming tournament. "Now we are trying not to lose the two slots we were given from CPL for the tournament," Tipis said. "This was the first time for a qualifier (for this tournament) in Greece."
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If thats not retarded I don\'t know what is.
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INCREDIBLE !!! REDICULOUS !!! SHOCKED !!!!! NOT RIGHT !!!! DISGUSTING !!!! ABUSE OF POWER !! are all things that come to my mind !!! :boom:
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Next they should ban cars.
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Does it matter if its a shoot \'em up?
Because I dont really see how they can ban Mario.
American may not be that bad...for now at least
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Huh clowd?
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Originally posted by Clowd
Does it matter if its a shoot \'em up?
Because I dont really see how they can ban Mario.
American may not be that bad...for now at least
You didnt read all of it did you?
Bozco..the whoring is strong with you today. (https://psx5central.com/community/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.clubsi.com%2Fimages%2Ficons%2Flaugh1.gif&hash=7fc5256f199ef7215c903975930688a9b2b5eae1)
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That is rediculous! How can playing games harm a country? Silly greek laws.
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Back in the 80s I was at a supermarket once playing Donkey Kong when an old lady walked in and started having trouble removing her shopping cart from the storage line of carts. I glanced over at her, but of course I couldn\'t leave my game. She made some hurrumph sound and said "Too busy gambling!"
I thought it was strange that she thought I was gambling, but later I learned how stupid old people can be. Now she\'s probably dead and I\'m still gambling for all she knows. :)
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It is only the beginning!
(https://psx5central.com/community/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.penny-arcade.com%2Fimages%2F2001%2F20010718l.gif&hash=63d3245f74203bb8c83a235706607518cb9a6983)
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Originally posted by Majin Prince
That is rediculous! How can playing games harm a country? Silly greek laws.
Do you live there? No.
So you dont know exactly why they did it.
So dont call it silly.
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Originally posted by Clowd
Do you live there? No.
So you dont know exactly why they did it.
So dont call it silly.
(https://psx5central.com/community/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.club3g.com%2Fmembers%2Fblackbird%2Fsmiles%2Fdienewbie.gif&hash=4f53939e5d423e4dc21ebdc388dcf5b24169d3c8)
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Sucks to be Troglodyte.
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Clowd is a genius.
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maybe that\'s why we haven\'t seen trog in a while....he\'s now a gaming martyr
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I see him online every other day :) Pimpwar 0wnZ j00
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Maybe I\'ll try and IM him or something. That Greek law is so stupid. It will get overturned eventually.
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Maybe Trog is that guy on trial.
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it could be the evil undercover Greek government posing as him, hoping to get info from you about other Greek Gamers...
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I repeat..pimpwar 0wnZ j00 and him...Ill send your regards
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Originally posted by luckee
I repeat..pimpwar 0wnZ j00 and him...Ill send your regards
I thought Greeks couldn\'t play video games :confused:
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luckee is an accompolice, I think we need to extradite his ass.
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"I\'ll go down in a hail of gunfire before I surrender"- R. Lee Ermey
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You hold him down, I\'ll do what needs to be done.
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Luckee, the quotes thread is ------> way. ;)
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Thank God Cyprus does not belong to Greece.
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wtf???!!!!
i swear i wrote in this earlier....
this is just so stupid...... man id hate to live in greece....
i didnt relise that is where trog was from??!!!!
free trog!!!!
starts a human wall around prison trog is in
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YOU BONEHEADS
Troglodyte lives in Athens, Ohio, or maybe it was Athens, Georgia. Not sure but it was in the United States
Not Greece
I thought he straightened that out while he was here.... :rolleyes:
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Lol @ Coredweller.
:laughing: @ the rest of you baffoons. :D
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He goes to the University of Georgia you bunch of idiots.
I had no clue what you dorks were talking about. I was thinking he actually was greek. Forgot you total dolts may have thought he lived in Greece.
It\'s good to be the king.
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The sad part was that I knew the whole time and didn\'t say a thing.
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^^
yeah, ok....
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I had talked with him about it before. And if you notice I didn\'t play along with it.
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well i just read from this thread , and though ive always thought he came from america, but as i read, i thought there must be a reason why peep keep saying he is in greece..... so kinds went different to what i thought
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Originally posted by Coredweller
YOU BONEHEADS
Troglodyte lives in Athens, Ohio, or maybe it was Athens, Georgia. Not sure but it was in the United States
Not Greece
I thought he straightened that out while he was here.... :rolleyes:
I thought he said he was in Athens Greece :confused:
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i didn\'t know where the hell he was from, but like kopking, since so many people said he was from Greece I assumed it was a well known fact.
oh well
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hell I just posted this ... didn\'t see this one
this is extrmely _UCKED up
Do what you can to support Greek gamers cause this is ludicrous
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If someone can link me up with a petition(s), I\'ll sign it.
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This so called law probably wont last that long. I mean, Greece will be hosts for the next Summer Olympics...can you imagine how many tourists are gonna be in Greece that summer? Also there\'s gonna be more than likely all sorts of handheld, laptop, and videogames being played during the olympic "games" there. And also people from all over the world will be there and if they\'re still instituting such an absurd law like that on all the people...the olympic experience would prolly not be as fun for the people. :cool:
/End of Rant. :)
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Yeah, EA Sports will probably do an Olympic tie-in game of some sort. Can you imagine the confusion when the Greek government informs them that they can\'t promote their product at the games "because... well.... videogames are illegal here!"
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A law banning games in Greece??. OMG that is so freaking dumb. Now what are they supposed to do for entertainment. Go outside?!?!? *GASP*. lol but seriously that is ridiculous. Something like that would never happen in the United States. I mean come on. How the hell did that happen anyways. I\'m sure people are going to protest against that kind of law. I mean drugs, alcohol, that makes sense. But videogames? come on. :rolleyes:
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:laughing::laughing::laughing:
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Poor Trog, did they let you out of jail? ;)
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well you see he rub his had together till they were sore ( saw, he cu the table in half, 2 halves make a whole (hole) climbed out he whole, anc called for his hoarse came(horse)