Thanks guys
I've also emailed this to Nine's Today:
Dear the Today crew,
After being told of MLP Nick Xenophon's campaign against the gambling functions in Tamagotchi (Generation 2, in particular), I watched your video on the interview, and could not believe how uninformed this MLP was. He is making a serious campaign against an innocent toy line that should, really, be left alone.
Firstly, Mr Xenophon stakes his concerns on the issue of gambling in toys. Mr Xenophon has been making this No Pokies campaign since 1997. What comments did Mr Xenophon have to make when the Pokemon games, all ranging from 1995's Red and Blue versions to the latest Emerald version, featured gambling? None, if I recall correctly. If he really is concerned about gambling, he should make allegations against Nintendo for incorporating gambling games into their Pokemon series, and should be giving the OFLC a bit of a smack for only giving it a G8+ classification when he wants all references to gambling to be given R ratings (according to The Australian:
https://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/commo...5E1702,00.html), when the OFLC's classifications on games and toys only range from G to MA15+. Of course, it must be taken into consideration, that Pokemon has many more features of gambling than Tamagotchi can ever have, with the Game Boy Advance screen is capable of 32,000 colours compared to the Tamagotchi's boasting of 2 colours, and has a much bigger screen than the pixel-based toy. Oh, and Mr Xenophon, you cannot, repeat, CANNOT, exchange points between two Tamagotchi. You can have two Tamagotchi become best friends, swap presents, fall in love, and have children, but you cannot exchange the points earned on each individual Tamagotchi.
Secondly, Mr Xenophon mentions the recent merge with "the company" that makes Tamagotchi with "another company" that makes Pokies machines. Yes, it is true that Bandai (Tamagotchi makers) merged with Namco (Poker machine makers), but this only happened in May, well after the Generation 2 Tamagotchi were put into production. Because of this, there is no way Namco could have influenced Bandai's addition of the Slot Machine game in the Tamagotchi. This logic is also flawed as well - Konami, also producers of Poker Machines, also produced the hit dancing game Dance Dance Revolution (Or the Dancing Stage series for Playstation 2 and Xbox) that is battling obesity in children head on. So should we be banning such dancing games as well?
I am a disgruntled and frustrated university student that has grown up with Tamagotchi and Pokemon. I played Pokemon when it first came out. I, very occasionally, played the Pokemon gambling games to win certain Pokemon. This was part of my life for nearly 9 years - I am not sitting in front of a gambling machine wasting my life savings. Instead, I'm sitting in front of text books, tutors and lecturers striving toward a university degree. I have also been playing Tamagotchi since they came out in 1997, and I still have some of my old toys from back then, which I keep for fond nostalgic reasons. Pokemon did not teach me gambling was good. If anything, Pokemon taught me how to use my brains for strategic and fast thinking, which has improved my quick decision making today. Tamagotchi has not taught me to gamble. Tamagotchi have taught me to take my own responsibilities on board, to look after and nurture creatures around me, and with a hint of emotional attatchment, pet's lives cannot be ended with the Reset button just because you are sick of a particular creature.
I have already emailed Mr Xenophon about this, as I am hurt and frustrated that, instead of parents communicating more effectively with their children and deciding whether they want their child playing a particular toy or game for their own family's benefit, they are more willing to simply campaign to ban the whole toy line in the name of "good parenting," and ruin the fun and games for us all. Several members of popular Tamagotchi forums are already expressing dismay at their favourite toy being taken from them. Surely, mums and dads of Australia would rather their child be happy than taking a fun toy from them, just because it may cause gambling addictions. Mr Xenophon needs to focus on the parents that are already abandoning their children for the Poker machines rather than preventing children from learning about responsibilities. Mr Xenophon needs to stop trying to suppress the social aspects of Tamagotchi and our nation's parents need to research more into the products they buy for their children if they truly believe that their children can be influenced so easily.
My name's Catherine Ring, I'm 19 years old, I love my Tamagotchi, and I'm glad millions of other children do too. My email is
[email protected], and I don't want this to be the last message to parents that they simply cannot ban a toy in the name of good parenting.
Kindest regards,
Catherine Ring
')
I like it.
I've also emailed this to Nine's Today:
