Seems like a...umm...good idea I guess? So the soldiers are gunna be busy playing Portable Ops whilst in a war...lol

Good on these kids. It makes me happy to see stories like this. If you support the war or not you should always support the troops. What these kids are doing is amazing.

Great idea, those guys need to know that people are thinking of them.
Now I gotta see if there's a similar scheme for our British troops.

I'm waiting for the first "Soldier saved by PSP" post :P

So...not to start a 100 comment discussion or anything, but I strongly disapprove of this.

@Cchrist:
Totally.
I imagine a PSP would take a bullet better an a DS Lite.

I gave away all of my ps2 games away to a marine station in Iraq. A much better approach than selling or trading them in to Gamestop, imo.

That stuff should be going to child's play, what a waste.

@Cchrist: Not sure about a PSP but I am positive that a DS could take a bullet (if closed). XD

All kidding aside this is a great thing to do for great people.

@fyre: And why is that?

I think Gamestop should donate some of their used GBA's and whatnot, but than i remember Gamestop has no soul...but than i remember it takes your soul when you reserve a game, so than i come to the conclusion that these kids have never reserved anything at gamestop. nice to see these kids helpin out.

I think it's fine if people disaprove, freedom is a wonderful thing. I respect your view, but I hold a different one.

I guess the folks who disagree probably don't know too many folks in the service. Give them a bit of downtime between patrols...it's the least you can do for them.

Well, bringing them home is another option. But that's another issue.

@Cruithne: Ironicaly enough it is because of the people that fight and die, that they have that right to choose not to support them or a program to help them cope with the horrors of war.

@fyre: If you wanna start a discussion, you need to say more than a sentence, otherwise it's too inconsequential for anyone to care. >.>

@Darthearl: If this was funded by GameStop it would lose all meaning. They would only be doing it for publicity. These kids are doing it because they care.

@Mr.SithNinja:

very true...and very sad

It was through Cheap Ass gamers that I was able to finally give my GBA and several GBA cartridges a nice new home even if it was in Afghanistan.

Lame.

@StupidityTries: Isn't there that half-exploded original GB at the Nintendo World store in NYC that still works? Nintendo stuff tends to be bulletproof (in the other sense); I wouldn't count out the DS so quickly.

@Mr.SithNinja:

Depends on the war. There hasn't been one like that since WW2... if anything current troops are dying to fill the pockets of the military-industrial complex. As for this... yeah Child's Play would be a more worthy cause.

I'll jump in and say why I'm torn over this. I totally agree that supporting soldiers is different than supporting the war they are fighting in, and this adminstration has been treating US soldiers terribly. That said, I feel that if you REALLY want to support our soldiers, you should be working on making policy makers get out of the clusterfuck (it's not a war) that we're currently stuck in. Hell, raise awareness about denied health benefits to soldiers and the fact that they have to buy their own body armor. Support troops by bring them home and making sure we don't allow further empire building on the bodies of US troops.

@Xax:
Excuse me? Just because you don't agree with the war, doesn't mean you should take it out on the troops who have to carry it out. They don't necessarily support the war either. If you'd like to explore the implications of this sort of attitude, you should examine how the soldiers of the Vietnam War were treated.. who really did have no choice.

Good idea. Soldiers tend to have a lot of really boring downtime in between patrols and missions and things. Anybody got some old Gameboy Advances to give away after you bought your DS?

@Cchrist: A DS more likely.

I can see it now soldier saved by DS."I was walking around patrollin the streets when an insurgent shot me in the chest, near my heart. However, my DS, folded in my toop pocket took the brunt of the impact" The DS was scratched, but is still functional."It's entertaining and a lifesaver," says the soldier.

@Xax:

diacf.

i think its nice, they have something to do while they arnt out fighting. they barely have contact with their families as it it. just because you dont support the war doesnt mean you should act like that towards the troops. stop trying to be an internet tough guy.

@YUYU:

Basically, I disapprove of "the war" and I would prefer that the military was for the most part abolished. I think that all we should have is a minimal force for defense only.

So, I really have no interest in making soldiers lives more comfortable.

@Cruithne:

I agree that freedom is a wonderful thing, however I happen to believe that force is the antithesis of freedom.

@WildKnightblazer:

I really didn't want to start a discussion. I just wanted to register my disapproval.

And for the record, I'm sort of a pacifistic, anarchistic, libertarian. FWIW.

Heh. New enlistees shouldn't need to ask for handhelds. The sign up bonus was recently upped from $10,000 to $20,000. Of course if they're smart they'll put it all in a special bank account that soldiers get while theyre over in iraq/afghanistan. Its 10% interest.

People dont turn this into some fucking stupid political discussion.

Those who do dont cry later is all I can say.

Ill see what I can do to help support this. The one that was held at CAG was cool and made some new friends through that.

@fyre:

I lol'd so hard.

Dood ur so rite man. We should totally abolish the military. Cuz if we do that then all of us will get along great and we'll have peace on earth forever and ever.

Go back to fairytale land you retard.

I laughed so fucking hard when I read that you're an "anarchist". You're one of those douche bags that deserves a nice punch in the face.

@fyre: Most standing armies these days engage in peacekeeping operations, rather than "war".

And, sadly, if there were no state armies around, you'd have a much longer list of "failed states" than there already is. Until everyone is on an equal footing in this world, balance is struck in part by this.

Bin Laden should be really bored too on that cave.. hidden..

How can I send him a DS?

@fyre: Please don't refer to yourself as a "anarchistic libertarian". I am a libertarian and I want people to understand that we are not "anarchistic" at all. Libertarians believe in the rule of law, anarchists do not.

I also believe that what this Games For Heroes program is about is a GOOD thing. :D

if it distracts them enough from killing puppies for fun, raping women, torturing prisoners on their free time.... it's good

But like Fyre said, I really don't care about the comfort of these soldiers, I would prefer that they had the bollocks to refuse to fight an illegal and useless war based on biased intel and lies.

War should be the ultimate thing to do and should be used ONLY to defend ourselves and not to attack for greedy reasons...

@NutManIV:

You know, you could've responded to him in a calm manner. Just like how he posted. Instead you go and make an ass of yourself by calling him a retard and a douchebag. Get a grip.

@fyre: You're kind of an idiot. Have fun up there on your high horse!

I agree that freedom is a wonderful thing, however I happen to believe that force is the antithesis of freedom.

I've yet to see an example of a free society that wasn't built upon the use of force.

@Dude27:
Voted for most ignorant comment of the day..really.You should try being put in the middle of the desert without your family,friends,warm food,and comforts and see how you would enjoy it.Also it's painfully obvious you neither have the wish not the capability to understand the military.

Well my DS is being put to good use in Afghanistan at least.

*that's nor...

@Torgen got his apology faceplate but not his fixed GH3 disc: The OG GB was basicaly a brick with an lcd screen and buttons. My friends little sister bounced his Gamecube down 2 flights of stairs and it still works perfectly.

They should be sending old Gameboys and cubes over to the troops so that they can harden their vests and armored vehicles with them. XD

@Alphros: True enough. The wars that are fought today are more about economy, resources, and the shifting of political power on the Global stage.

That being said, the slodiers themselves don't get to pick and choose what battles they want to fight. I am sure if you asked them directly the vast majority would rather just come home from this one, just as many folks here (including myself) would like to bring them back home. I personaly don't see anything wrong with supporting the troops, yet disagreeing with the reason that they are there. No matter how you look at it, they are putting their lives in danger for their country and deserve whatever support we can give.

I am not trying to convice you to support this and not Child's Play. Child's Play is an outstanding cause and deserves all the support it can get as well. The last thing we need here is a "my charity is better than your charity pissing match". :) My point is, I just don't think that the validity of the cause to help out the troops with a little recreational distraction should be dismissed because of the political motives of why they are there.

The thing I get a kick out of is that fyre doesn't want to "make the soldiers lives more comfortable". He's probably one of those idiots that thinks everyone over there joined up to fight, they should quit etc...You do realize that many of them didnt want to go and they cant just up and quit because they have families to feed, bills to pay etc...

Poor Witzbold... So much work in the pass few days.

@fyre: These aren't Clone Troopers here, bred for war in vats. These are the youth of America, caught up in something much bigger than them. I'm grateful, in an almost selfish way, that we have as many troops as we do, because despite us having engaged in two wars simultaneously, we haven't had to reinstate the draft. If we did, my life, and many of your lives as you know them, would be over. And I know for a fact that if I were stuck in a festering hellhole in the middle of the desert, I'd be exremely grateful for any distraction/entertainment I could get.

regardless of your political stance(s), soldiers are people. some of them happen to be gamers.

gamers are our people. help our people!

great post. pacifistic anarchist... that's good shit. T

his big ones will eat all the little ones. That's anarchy in a nutshell.

^ The big ones will eat all the little ones. That's anarchy in a nutshell.

@Cruithne: well, Sweden for example, do you see the Swiss army going anywhere? and they have the highest life quality in the world at the moment.

Armies are supposed to be there to deter other retards with delusions of grandeur to attack them, is how it would be in an optimal world heh

This is fantastic, I am sending my old GBA in now

@Mr.SithNinja:

About the whole pick-and-choose thing: yes, they do have a choice. If I was a soldier in the U.S. I would rather go to jail than lend my support to the massacre that's going on over there. I also take issue with the "hero" title--they got suckered into this war, but they aren't fighting for anything that would earn them that title. And let's face it, all charities compete with each other--would you rather help sick children or the hired guns of corporate America? If people truly cared about those troops, Bush and co. would've been impeached by now and we'd see more concern about the constitution.