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Back in May we posted an article saying that the Greek government was considering a bill to ban all sorts of video games simply because they couldn't figure out how to tell the difference between video games and illegal gambling (which, you'll note, was already illegal - hence the word "illegal" before "gambling"). It seems that this law has now passed and video games are illegal in Greece. Well, there go those vacation plans.
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Okay
Okay, speaking as someone who has both played video games and been to Greece...
1) Okay, obviously the Greek government is a bunch of morons
2) You are a bigger moron if you go to Greece for vacation and play video games, illegal or not!
:-) I wonder if Canada will be next...
msykes
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WTF?
This is so bad it's funny! I'd love to see the world reaction to the first mass-solitaire bust. Perhaps I'll start some offshore Pac-Man cruises!
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Re: Okay
I don't entirely agree myskes, I know quite a few gamers who have struck Greece from their possible vacation list, not because they don't wish to visit without gaming, but in support their Greek gaming bretheren. There is a lot of competition in the tourism industry these days, and although Greece is a beatiful, unique destination, this law won't help their reputation.
I can imagine if this law continues, a lot of young people in Greece who are interested in gaming and/or working in the industry will be trying thier darndest to emigrate. Does Greece want to lose some of their best and brightest young adults? Imagine if they tried this with movies, or books....bah..this idiotic ruling surely won't last long.
Can it?
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No Subject Given
The law is fucking idiotic and now all the greek are left with for entertainment is to small plates and hopefully over the heads of the government
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No Subject Given
The law is fucking idiotic and now all the greek are left with for entertainment is to smash plates and hopefully over the heads of the government
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Re: Okay
you are all total morons if you believe these URBAN LEGENDS--what the law specifically prohibits is those forms of electronic games (video, arecade PC.or cell) that can easily be converted from games of skill to games of luck that include gambling.
The law SPECIFICALLY states that all electroic games that are and remain RECREATIONAL in nature are excluded, and the imposement of FINES pertains to "manipulating software" so that the game can be turned into a gambling game either by the owner of the internet cafe...or...the private citizen who gambles through an online network..
If all the other URBAN LEGEND BS was real..dont you think hundreds of customs agents would have been assigned to airports to confiscate cell phones from innocent tourits??????? get real you fools...greece or any other country has more important things to worry about than the SNAKE game on your NOKIA
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Re: Okay
I haven't seen the law but my understanding is that it forbidsany kind of electronic games, because all of them can be easily turned into "evil gambling units".
And you can -in principle- be arrested for playing snake in your mobile phone. Now I don't think that
the Greek goverment is so stupid as to try to enforce that aspect of the law, but on the other hand you can never overestimate stupidity :).
And talking about urban myths, this law is NOT
an overeaction caused by moral concerns. Gambling
in Greece is legal, there are casinos and quite a few card playing clubs are licenced for gambling (not to mention lotteries etc). This law is about illegal (i.e. non tax-paying ) gamling. It's all about the money...
nea
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Re: Okay
Urban Legends you say, check the results I suggest: 2 arrest to Internet Cafe owners for having installed CS in some of their PCs (note that the "illegal" PCs were those that had games installed and not those used for Internet surfing http://users.auth.gr/~mkargas/omfgd/omfgd.htm ) The strange thing is that (as many of you may know) piracy is very high in Greece so the consumers are not affected by the law since they ignore it (as they ignore the copyright law by buying copies)... The arrested Internet Cafe owners were procecuted because they had games installed in their PCs and NOT BECAUSE THOSE VERSIONS WERE NOT ORIGINAL!!!! CRAZY COUNTRY... ...with great sun & islands though ;-)
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Re: No Subject Given
The law is certainly idiotic but so is your stereotyping. At the end of the day it's just a law, not more idiotic than many of the laws that still currently exist in the US in various states or have existed at times. And the vast majority of people who go to Greece will not be going to play games but to go out and have fun.
This law will not last much like the law on shops closing early did not last, despite previous attempts of this government (the equivalent of Labour in Britain - the opposition is a very respectable and able party, unlike in Britain).
To give some credit to this government, we must not forget that not only it behaved very normally over the mass hysteria of the brits over the "12" plane-spotters (who had claimed they had joined a Greek club that had never heard of them and been in connection with the Turkish secret intelligence) but it also managed to crack down one of the worst terrorist groups, 17N, by catching everyone: whereas neither the US _ which is in fact fostering terrorist organisations _ nor the UK _ with their continuing problems with IRA _ has managed to do.
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Banning Video Games in Greece
As a resident in this country, I should inform you that video games are not banned by any type of law in Greece. I don't know here you got the information from1
Anyway, as for those holiday plans you suggest should be put off, I should reassure you that if someone comes to Greece, they are after the nature, the sun and the sea and tnot after the video games:-)
So do come and have fun!
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This GREECE thing . Has the World Gone insaine.
This GREECE thing . Has the World Gone insaine.
What do you mean u cant play mario or counterstrike anymore.. Not even ya ps2 or dreamcast???? i understand the need for Greece to take a firm grip to the illegal stuff but were talking about something as harmless as T.V?
PLEASE i just dont understand...
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Re: Okay
Don't listen to this stupid twit. She's about 4'10" and 225lbs, and just pissed at the whole world in general. She has a face like an old mildewed dishrag, and she smells worse.
She has nothing intelligent, usefully or constructive to add to this discussion.
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Re: Re: Okay
ur right
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