Does Anet promote alcohol abuse?

i think they do. here is my argument

in every event they hold (halloween, new years, st patricks day, etc) alcohol is a major part of that event. it drops and/or you can trade or buy it.

they have not 1 but 2 titles that requires your character stay drunk for hours on end (technically minutes but you can do the math).

how many people have you come across wanting to buy or sell alcohol so their characters can get drunk?

numerous children and people under the age of 21 play this game and see that it is OK to abuse alcohol.

the government currently regulates the sale, consumption, and advertising of controlled substances.

look...i understand this is just a game, but actions like this can and will influence people. i believe that ultimately it is up to parents to monitor the actions of their children, but does Anet not share in this responsibility?

i know i will get flamed for this so let me say a few more words.....

1. would you have any problem if monsters dropped packs of cigarettes and/or a smoking title was created?

2. no Anet does not condone killing people or monsters or whatever for loot. yes, most people are able to distinguish between real life and fantasy, but the abuse of alcohol blurrs that line.

now...this is what i want to know....

do you agree with my statement?
should anything be done about this?
is Anet at fault for anything? does the ESRB rating go far enough to protect children?

i believe that Anet can do more to protect our children from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse. will i stop playing the game because of it? no....i just choose not to engage in the binge drinking.

plz state your age when you reply. i believe that this will be a major factor in your viewpoint.

Yes, they do. Let's sue them for it.

No i dont agree with your statement, if you can't seperate fantasy(in this case a game) from what you do in real life, then you my friend have a serious problem, doesn't the ESRB rating state on the game Teen for Fantasy violence and Alcohol Consumption? if you're not mentally capable to distinguish the two then dont play

age 15 :O

1. Not everyone lives in America. Other countries don't care about drinking ages.

2. Kids in America drink when they're like 12 nowadays.

3. Maybe ANet should up the age requirement. Oh wait, I doubt that will do anything anyways. Kids will just get someone to buy it for them if they want.

I'm 19 and straightedge anyways.

Dooh!!, i'm still waiting on the day they bring Bacardi Cola in the game :P

Personally I'd be more concerned about the effects of gaming addiction than the dangers of virtual alcohol. GW itself can be a very addictive drug.

Cheers!

i don't think there is a single mmorpg that doesn't have beer of some sort in it. In runescape there are several quests where ur character gets so hammered he gets kidney failure and i don't hear of any kids drinking because of that. i think GW is just being funny and continuing a tradition of alchohol in mmorpgs.

how in the world did u use that smiley?

Here's my thought...

If everyone, when they turned 15, learned how to brew beer there would be dramatically less alchohol abuse in the world. Ignorance breeds abuse whereas knowledge promotes intelligent use.

Trust me... when you've had good homebrew, you will no longer desire to get wasted on Bud Light. You learn to appreciate beer for it's taste, not the effects.

So no, I don't think they promote alchohol abuse by including alchohol.

I'm 42, btw.

The game does include a sort of "warning", "excessive alcohol consumption will result in intoxication." but eh...

...Im 18 and im allowed to drink (Im from Germany)

dont forget GW is only a game.

Oh, and I got my "Drinking Title" in real life.

Old Chicago's Wall of Fame... 100 different brands of beer consumed in OC's restaurants.

Disagree
I don't think GW can lead someone to abuse that you describe.

I personally am hoping they will introduce brand specific adult beverages such as Wild Turkey, Guinness, etc. and allow you to order those drinks/cocktails from the "local bartender" in town. Too cool!

Im in Wisconsin and under 21 you can drink as long as your with a parent.

I think your are a overreactant Liberal that is taking this to seriously. Kids know that in real life you shouldnt drink (yet everyone does in highschool anyway, its inevitable you will stop it) and they wont play a video game and think its telling them that drinking is cool. Its all in good fun so dont even bother trying to ruin something for everyone.

ADDED: This is like the case where a grandmother bought her grandson a copy of San Andreas and when she found out about the hot coffee mod she tried to sue the company that made the game. Wait a second... reqind a bit. Once she found out there was a bit of nudity (something hopefully most people will see in their lifetime assuming they will get married and want kids) she decided to sue. Excuse me but isnt killing people and gang fights and all that a little worse then a tad bit of skin?

About the whole influencing people to do things... Many religions (such as mine) forbid practicing magic as it is evil. Is Guild Wars promoting people to practice magic and when they are in fights have them cast spiteful spirit on their opponet so they whoop their butt. Ill let you answer that.

Im 17

If you are seriously concerned about you kids drinking (virtual) alcohol, but you are not concerned about them slaying (virtual) humans with (virtual) swords and other assorted tools of death, you've got issues.

Promoting alcohol?? What about promoting violence???

Alcohol abuse = Natural Selection

No offence but you just worry about your children and no one elses. Oh, I'm 23 and can't stand most alcoholic beverages but I don't go around preaching about it.

Wha...??

Hey Sparky... I'm as liberal as they come, and I'll have my kids brewing beer before they start drinking. Knowledge is the strongest weapon against abuses like that.

Okay, I can't resist. I'm sorry, but when I saw this original discussion on Guild-Hall.net I came up with a great idea. Let's have prohibition in Guild Wars. Serious. Then let's make bootleggers. You have a quest you have to do to gather the parts to create your own still. That would be awesome.

are you kidding right?