NDS-- A Threat to kids

[OutlawAdidas]

Feb. 14, 2006 - We have an important warning for parents. Today marks the three-month anniversary of the launch of the Nintendo DS Wireless Connection. But Action News has learned this popular gaming system could put kids in harm's way.
Parents buy the system so their children can play video games. But we have made an alarming discovery. Strangers can use this toy to lure unsuspecting children to dangerous places.

Nintendo's hot new creation markets primarily to children. It even comes complete with playmates. The handheld gaming system is like a mini computer. It has built-in wireless capability. That allows kids to battle fellow Nintendo DS players across the room or across the world.

"They can play somebody they've never met."

All you need is a home wireless network or a Wi-Fi hot spot. And the game is catching on. Just this week, Nintendo announced more than 850-thousand users have logged on since the service's launch last November.

"It's a great thing for kids to have - they love it."

But as Theresa Keel learned, that revolutionary wireless capability also comes with a potentially dangerous problem..

"It could be putting your children at risk."

Theresa's 11-year-old daughter, Emily likes to doodle so she's using the Nintendo DS Pictochat feature. Pictochat puts you right into a chatroom and let you send messages wirelessly - and on this day we are in one of Philadelphia's many Wi-Fi hotspots.

Theresa Keel/Center City: "This screen name pops up and asks her what her name is and how old she is, and she answers."

Emily Keel/Center City: "And I just felt a little scared and confused."

This has happened to the Keel's once before. But this time the screen name is so offensive, we can't even show it to you.

"It frightened me. It really did."

The stranger asks Emily: "Hey what's up? Are you still here? My name's Jud. What's your name?" "But it was scary to me as a parent that someone I don't know is talking to my child over what I consider a toy." And Jud is persistent. When Emily won't tell him where she lives. He says, "Why won't you tell me? Don't want to chat? Why not? Are you afraid?"

Keith Dunn/Internet Safety Expert: "Predators are using Nintendo DS anywhere in the world. And it's going to be really hard to track down those individuals because of course, they're on a wireless network from a hotspot such as a coffee shop. Or if they're in a wireless environment, say a coffee shop or whatever, they jump on the wireless network so now you have predators who are trying to get at our kids."

Internet safety expert Keith Dunn says parents need to teach their children to apply stranger danger rules to every and any situation.

"Don't talk to strangers in game rooms if you don't know they're your friends. Don't talk to anyone. Just stop talking. Stop chatting in the game room."

Dunn also says parents should educate themselves.

"Parents really need to pay attention to what they're purchasing, ask a lot of questions, and really find out more about the game, what's involved - other than the video game aspect of it. Can you talk to other people? Can other people connect to my son's or daughter's mini game system?"

Now Theresa and Emily are on alert. They don't plan on taking any chances.

"And eventually I got really scared that I shut the thing off without responding back."

Nintendo confirms what happened to Emily is possible but the company claims that person must also be using another DS system and be within 65 feet. Like our expert, Nintendo also warns parents to educate their children not to talk to strangers even on their gaming system. Also, beware, there are other wireless gaming systems made by different manufacturers and they may have similar issues.



*sigh*

[Phoenix]

Yes, they can talk to people they've never met over Mario Kart with its ZERO chat and Animal Crossing's friend code requirements.

[Lynk Former]

I think they mean Pictochat XD

[Derrick Barra]

As soon as I read that the kid was using Pictochat online I stopped reading. This is another piece of complete bullshit being spewed out of the mouths of the media.

[Lynk Former]

After all of Nintendo's efforts the DS may end up being slated as a pedophiles gaming machine.

Fuck *shakes head*

[Mathx]

Theresa's 11-year-old daughter, Emily likes to doodle so she's using the Nintendo DS Pictochat feature. Pictochat puts you right into a chatroom and let you send messages wirelessly - and on this day we are in one of Philadelphia's many Wi-Fi hotspots.

The article falls on it's face right there... If she knew anything about the system, she could just look around and see who it was that was using their DS... why does she just play pictochat anyways?

[Teh Roxor!]

This is pretty funny, but also quite infuriating.

[Hylian-Advocate]

stupid....you have to be close by to use pictochat.....which just means that that stalker was close by and wouldn't have to aske where she is really... but anywho

Any internet thing is just as bad. this was a dumb article in my oppinion.

[Viral Mutation]

I can see a rapist 30 feet away...

Chatting with me on a DS

Im so scared, where is he?

[OutlawAdidas]

oh noez, a rapist.........

















lets trade friend codes

[SuperLuigiBros]

If she likes drawing, she should just do it at home, not at a hot spot. What a noob. I bet the drawings were crap anyway.

[Phoenix]

It doesn't matter where she was, Picto Chat is completely offline.

[Sovereign]

Thats gay. I was playing a PSP and the battery life raped me if that counts.

Who the hell wrote that?

[tonic]

I find it funny that this was "Action News".

[DankHero]

i think a letter should be wrote to whoever published that article and fill them in that they are in fact, half retarded.

[IEatFriedPikmin]

no one should be complaining about anything till at least metroid hits(due to voice chat).... but even then, a child cannot independently connect his/her DS online without parents being aware.

[Zeep]

SEND THEM A COMPLAINT! (http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=stationinfo&id=3293957)

People have been sending in complaints ever since it was originally posted on GameFAQs. It doesn't have to be long, just tell them that pretty much everything they said was wrong.

This was my letter:

To whom it may concern:

I just finished reading your article about the Nintendo DS and the internet privacy and safety concerns involved with it. I'm going to be frank with you: as a frequent internet users, I've heard some bullshit stories before, but this takes the cake.

Let me point out the first two errors in this article. Right in the first paragraph, you introduce Nintendo's WiFi service. Just a hint, ABC, when you're writing an article all about one specific product or service, you should at least start by KNOWING the name of that service. It's called "Nintendo WiFi Connection." If you can't even use the correct name, why should I bother reading your crap anyways? Oh, right, because as a concerned Nintendo fan, I need to be able to tell you what sort of shit you're trying to pull.

Another thing: the article focuses on the DS's built-in "PictoChat" feature. However, as you are very apparently NOT aware, PictoChat uses a local-range wireless connection, meaning that you can only chat with someone who's less than 100 ft from you, and they also have to be waiting to chat in PictoChat at the same time. Because of this, most people only use the feature when they're PLANNING to chat with friends, so the chances of meeting up with a random stranger in PictoChat are infinitesimally small. And even when you do, you have to be so close together that if you look around for anyone with another DS system, that's probably the person you're talking to. Also, because PictoChat does not use the internet, that means that you're primary source of information, one "Keith Dunn/Internet Safety Expert," is an irrelavant souce who knows little to nothing about the subject matter. Yes, I understand that the writer of this article probably has very strong credentials in the field of writing and journalism. But even in my freshman year in high school I was well educated enough that you NEVER try to make a point in an article by using a quote from someone who is not an expert on the subject of the article, which in this case, is NOT internet safety.

but, as long as we're talking about internet safety, let me tell you a thing or two about Nintendo's internet safety. So far, there are three really popular games playable over Nintendo's WiFi service. If you still don't know the name of this service, please re-read my first paragraph. One of these games, Mario Kart DS, allows NO communication between players at all. Two to four people are matched up automatically, they race, and then they are disconnected. In another game, Animal Crossin: Wild World, you can chat with other players, but only using text. Here's the little catch, though: you can only play against people if you've exchanged a certain code with them. If you don't have theirs or they don't have yours, you can't play together at all. Meaning there is a zero percent chance of ever chatting with a stranger. And in addition, the chat has a built in word filter to censor offensive words. The last game, Metroid Prime Hunters, allows voice chat over the internet, but only before and after a match. and again, though this game does allow you to play with random strangers, you can only CHAT with players if you have exchanged codes.

Nintendo has always made their best effort to protect their customer's safety, yet here you sit, attacking them without any real knowledge of the sucject matter. Hell, as I've already explained, I don't even think you know what the subject matter IS. Let me point somehting out to you: ever heard of a videogame called Halo? Microsoft's Xbox Live online service allows 100% unregulated voice chat with anyone else you're playing against, in all online-enabled games. Why hasn't anyone called out Microsoft over children's online safety?

ABC, reading this article has made me completely confident that your news team is 100% incompetent, and will rely solely on two totally unreliable sources without doing any of their own investigation. If you ever, EVER want to regain any miniscule shred of credibility you might have, I demand that you not only remove the previous article, but post a retraction apologizing for reporting information incorrectly, clearly without doing any of your own research into the subject of the article. I know you may think that one reader doesn't matter, but I also know for a fact that there are a LOT of people who actually know something about this subject, and I also know that many of these people have been sending in similar complaints about this article.

I am myself a journalist in the video game industry, and I have written many articles on the subject of video games, many relating specifically to the Nintendo DS. but would I dare write an article about sports, or politics? Absolutely not, becuase I am aware that I don't know anything about these fields. Oh, and I don't think I mentioned: I'm only 16. If your combined news team doesn't have enough common sense to not post an article on a subject you know nothing about, I don't know why you even bother reporting any news.

I would very much like to recieve your response.

Sincerely,

Connor Graham

I already posted it on GameFAQs and I know it's not perfect, but it gets the point across.

[Phoenix]

I know it's entirely necessary, but they tend to ignore angry letters.

[Zeep]

Not if they recieve over a hundred of them.

[ScratchedAt]

I'm sending... I really suggest everyone who cares does.

[Red_Wing]

Well, it really doesn't seem as bad once you've read the closing paragraph.

Nintendo confirms what happened to Emily is possible but the company claims that person must also be using another DS system and be within 65 feet. Like our expert, Nintendo also warns parents to educate their children not to talk to strangers even on their gaming system. Also, beware, there are other wireless gaming systems made by different manufacturers and they may have similar issues.

Although I'm still a little peeved at how this article comes across within the first paragraphs. The initial impression is that the Nintendo wi-fi service is not safe for kids, when in fact they're talking about pictochat, a local network program that you have to be in range of someone else, who too has a ds to be a threat. And if he is, he would be in perfect range for a parent or guardian to kick his ass.

[Zeep]

the fact that that paragraph says "...the company CLAIMS that person must also be etc..." makes it seem like abc doesn't believe that Nintendo is telling the truth, which is even worse.

Me: Breaking news! The sky is green!

Person with common sense: No, it's blue.

Me: The sky is green! (But that guy over there thinks it's blue, lol.)

[Phoenix]

If only they really DID say "lol" in the article...

[OnBake Platinum]

I often use pictochat for silent sex. I'd draw stick figures to show what position I want to do next, etc.

[Khaos]

zeep, WOW! I sent your letter to them; to increase a chance of reply.... noobs..... we should have everyone bombard them with that letter; its GREAT! and they would be forced to reply, wouldnt they?

then we can burn buildings and throw rocks and start stampedes liker the muslims did over some cartoons,.,,

[Markopolo356]

Wow...... I think sony is in some way or another behind this. Because I dont think anyone can be that retarded. And like what zeep said, why are they carping at nintendo? Why not Microsoft or Sony? They obviously have hatred towards nintendo. That or the article is fake...

[Vishus]

It's a media thing like it always has been.

[Phoenix]

Wow...... I think sony is in some way or another behind this. Because I dont think anyone can be that retarded. And like what zeep said, why are they carping at nintendo? Why not Microsoft or Sony? They obviously have hatred towards nintendo. That or the article is fake...The media very easily can (and usually is) this retarded. I seriosuly doubt Sony would do something like this.

[venomv]

The question is why would Sony want to do that, if the DS is unsafe for kids the PSP defenetly is, and this article is bound to be repeated with every possable spin on it, including the PSP being bad too.

It's a retarded article though, how could the DS possably be worse then anything else in this regard.

[Moses]

After all of Nintendo's efforts the DS may end up being slated as a pedophiles gaming machine.

Fuck *shakes head*

:quagmire: :thumpsup:

Ah, who cares? Let the parents not buy their 6 year olds DS'. If you thought Nintendo was kiddie aimed, now this only shows that it is also aimed at (creepy) adults!

[TheGreenElf]

What's funny is Pictochat cant be used over WIFI Connection...

[dead718]

Where I completely agree with you, Zeep, is that Xbox Live has completely uncensored VOICE communication with anyone anywhere. The DS is completly safe. The only way a kid could be tracked down by a pedophile, is to exchange a code online in forums and get information via AC:WW.

This is retarded, could some one give me an adress to which I could send the letter?

[Zeep]

SEND THEM A COMPLAINT! (http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=stationinfo&id=3293957)

People have been sending in complaints ever since it was originally posted on GameFAQs. It doesn't have to be long, just tell them that pretty much everything they said was wrong.