Cheats-Area.com

   I don't usually trust priests, especially if they're Shadow specced. But when The Pope takes the stage, I guess it's worth taking the time to listen. Especially if he has something to say about video games - which, mind-boggling as it may sound, is actually what happened this week during Pope Benedict XVI's public message themed around the 41st World Communications Day. That's right, His Holyness touched upon the issue of violent, anti-social and sexually explicit games, among other forms of "entertainment" deemed "repulsive" by the Roman Catholic Church (and we suspect many other curches as well).

   Gamasutra reports that the theme of the Pope's message was "Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education", and further implies that Ratzinger may have been influenced by recent controversies relating to abusive games in Europe. They go on to comment:
In his message, Benedict specifically singles out "commercial competitiveness compelling communicators to lower standards", continuing: "Any trend to produce programmes and products - including animated films and video games - which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray anti-social behaviour or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion, all the more repulsive when these programmes are directed at children and adolescents."

(...) His message then concludes: "Again I appeal to the leaders of the media industry to educate and encourage producers to safeguard the common good, to uphold the truth, to protect individual human dignity and promote respect for the needs of the family."    Ever wondered what would happen if the Ten Commandments would be applied to our virtual worlds? Thou shall not pickpocket... Thou shall not gank... Thou shall not /sexy at your guild-mate's succubus... That would be such a boring world to play in. Much like real life.