And turn off your VCRs!!

Risky+Safety

Could have turned off the comments after that post.

KaneRobot

h8GWB

silent.....deadly

JellyMeetsJam

jacksinn

itcomesinwaves

Cryptnotic

Maybe if they were in Japan. In the states, being under 12 and female makes the odds of being a gamer extremely low.

Nikolii

Over troubled waters!

EnigmaNemesis

That's why Republicans are so much better, with their illegal and poorly planned wars, trickle down taxation, supply-side economics, conservative media censorship, anti-consumer bankruptcy legislation, gay-marriage ban amendments, torture bills, CIA spying, estate tax repeal, the stripping of social health and education programs....

Oh wait....

Obama, call it whatever you want. My asshole hurts too much from being raped the last 7 years to care.

rhythmrogue

jacksinn

Christ...

Paul Soth

If you actually think your vote counts, and the voting system isnt flawed and a bunch of BS, I have a bridge for sale.

EnigmaNemesis

Uhh... Nintendogs durrr

Darthvinder

In the process trying to rid lobbyists that are for our rights as well, example, NRA, etc.

But I do agree, politics on here is like watching paint dry.

EnigmaNemesis

to quote south park: "you've been given the right to choose between a douche and a turd"

pretty much, no, tools are usually the only people who kiss enough ass to get that high up in politics...

cheeseboybeans

Still, this quote is rather off-putting to say the least. It comes out to be very preachy, which doesn't rub well regardless if you're a gamer or not.

Xagest

He really wasn't. The DS isn't the Nintendo Gameboy DS btw. I'm surprised someone who comments on a gaming blog doesn;t know this.

jacksinn, I could not have said it better.

LORDofDANCE

Man. I wish politics were never mentioned on this site (or many others for that matter). It really seems to drag out the dredge of our uninformed citizens. People tend to take little sound bites and create an entire personal policy around it and once they convince themselves that this extreme position it THE position, they spread in ever so crudely in most ignorant fashion.

Some people here sound like politicians are the end all of the political process and others (where the hell did they get this) seem to think that politicians have an agenda to rid the country of the tyranny of evil vidjamagames. Right. That's their agenda. They make a mention of requiring stricter standards for the marketing of videogames and you think they want to throw all the developers into dark, dank showers - never to return. With the opinions some hold here of the political process, their lack of participation helps to result in a political system in which they don't agree, yet happily whine against.

Please, learn issues and not sound bites. It shows that too much TV is being watched and not enough deeper ventures into policy research are being conducted.

By the way, Obama is looking to rid or at least reduce the immense numbers of Washington lobbyists - lobbyists like radical anti-gaming groups, among others.

jacksinn

Did Obama fear-monger?

I'm pretty sure he didn't.

hegemonyhog

In a perfect world yes, but in ours, it is a (2) party dictatorship, not a democracy.

EnigmaNemesis

wouldn't you think that after about four generations of this ridiculous fear-mongering the general public would realize what's going on?

is there anyone i can vote for who's not a tool?

shouldn't democracy allow the voters to choose a candidate who's not a tool?

i guess nobody wants to be a politician who's not a tool.

Dude of the Millenium

EnigmaNemesis

cheeseboybeans

Flynn De Marco

hegemonyhog

Joolies

Flynn De Marco

erockO

Wa-Keen

Second, his own knowledge is less important to what he says than the knowledge of his listeners. Such is the nature of politics.

And, by the way, he's not trying to say that gaming is bad. He's just saying that it would be good to get off your butt and do something. I read somewhere that his kids are big gamers, like kids these days are, and he seemingly has no problem with it.

Rallion

Ironically, if someone an editor on Kotaku made the same error, you would get 150 posts going, "OMG Ur Not Teh Journalists!"

the irony is not lost on me. tee hee.

harkonnen

Perhaps he wasn't actually calling out to gamer "youth" to get involved, but actually talking past them to the non-gamer adults.

stop

Is this really all that different from the late 80s and early 90s when everything was "Nintendo" including my Genesis to most people?

Karlott

VakeroRokero

Theres really no need to nitpick

ShepherdDog

cablekiller

this is a gaming site, not a political forum... so cool off people

so what he generalizes, who here actually says "oh my cheeks are chapped, i need some petroleum jelly" or "atchooo, pass me the box of paper tissues"?

Aquilix

bird1988

Earthslide

"I want you to tell them, 'It's time for you to turn off the TV and stop playing Gamestation.'"

Merusdraconis

Bicro

I still see kids playing SP's. The DS is only 2 years old, it's not like the Game Boy name is antiquated or something.

It's not like he said "Stop playing Atari".

skullivan

Konatsu

khdownes

@Nikolii:
That was the most extremely well said comment I've read in a long time.

h8GWB

Is the DS a "Nintendo Gameboy DS" or is it just the "Nintendo DS" ?

Anyway, people still call vacuum cleaners 'Hoovers' and many journalists when talking about games consoles just use the term 'Playstation'. 'Gameboy' has for many years been the generic term for a handheld games machine. I think it still applies for the time being.

And the Gameboy Advance isn't that old is it?

Silent_Shark

I'd wager 98% of Politicians aren't gamers, and the odds that any of them really know what's going on in the tech sector are probably more of a long-shot than the odds of the KC Royals winning the World Series.

Nice try though.

Nikolii

Roll3r

About a month ago my company gave a presentation to a bunch of business people in my industry. The chairman of our board, when trying to explain why younger people are "less afraid" of technology the older people said, "Well, they've got their iPods, their W-i-i's...." I guarantee that I was one of probably three people that understood what the hell he was talking about. Had he used "Nintendo" or even "Atari" the point would have been crystal clear.

Roll3r

Jay

The point of his quip was "Get off your cat-ass and get involved." If you're too stupid to realize that (and to realize Gameboy is pretty much how Kleenex is and how Nintendo was from 1985 to about 1998ish), you're the case in point why nobody takes the "gaming community" seriously. Politicians simply don't care because gamers statstically do not vote (either by age or apathy) and are not involved financially or personally in any election.

Hell, even going on the "he's a parent, he should know," it doesn't work. His two kids are under 10 and well, they're female, which pretty much puts them out of the gaming demographic.

Way to keep perpetuating the stereotype that gamers simply do not matter and only circlejerk with their niche little group over petty things that ultimately don't matter and act solely in a childish and immature way. You rock.

Nikolii

hueg_boss

hegemonyhog

harkonnen

Wow, um...just so you know, there are more important things in the world besides video games...

swift

swift

NotoriousJnX

omgjuicyjuice

Anyway I dont blame him calling a handheld a gameboy I said to classmate that I wanted to play on my Wii and he gave me the most horrid glare ever. He only got it when I said its was a nintendo to which he made a lame joke about pong. Dont worry I hate my narrow minded classmates all they all talk about is sex all day.

CrimemasterGogo

Can we get past this? It's obnoxious. Let's focus on the only part we can tear apart in less than 10 seconds without doing research.

whitey9

Megaseven

Basically: Gameboy = portable gaming system. I know some people from other parts of the good ol' US of A that refer to all sodas as "Cokes." They'd say something like "Hey pass me a Coke." and thier friends would say "Sure, what kind."

Seriously now, this is just finding ways to poke fun at politicians. I am quite dissapointed in you, Kotaku, and any other gaming site tha pokes fun at this.

Megaseven

RedRedSuit

aestheticity

But still, I realize not everyone is like me and if he's going to generalize, I'm not going to sit there and go "WHOAMG HE DONE USEDED THE RONG WORDS! LOLOLOLOLOL WAT A NUB-CAKES!"

To further prove my point about generalities, I have a few friends from other states and they tell me they refer to every soda as "a coke." They'd be like "Hey, pass me a coke." to which their friend would reply "What kind?"

Megaseven

And Republicans aren't?

As for Obama's quote, it's just a generic term used for handheld games, everybody knows its exactly like the Kleenex example. I know it sounds silly but generally i give most people a pass if they dont understand more of the deeper nuances of the gaming industry. He's not an idiot, he just doesn't know gaming. I don't know what the big deal is.

TheForgotenHero

Obama, you lost my vote. Not that you had it anyway.

b3b0p

Aquilix

zodiacattack

SnaKKer

You summed up what I was thinking right there. Thanks for that.

The other day, I blew my nose on a Puffs brand facial tissue, but I referred to it as a Kleenex. No one lost any sleep over it.

TitillatedOcelot

jisf0rjosh

And still play gameboy. Which I am playing. Final Fantasy VI anyone? ITS FOR GAMEBOY. ITS IN THIS CENTURY.

Frodo

No reason, really, I just like the name.

"Hey, bro, seen my Billy McHooperstickle?"

Lyrai

though on a sarcastic note... sorry mr. obama, i can't tell them to turn off their televisions and game boys, they're turning on youtube and playing ds as we speak =X

phrequency

preskewl

... and as comical as your grammar.

FlapjacksAreTasty

lol!
"excuse me, I belive the correct term is~" BAM!!!!

khdownes

Karttikeya

It's too bad "stop downloading your homebrewed firmware for your PSPs" doesn't quite roll off the tongue.

Seriously, this is beyond nitpicking - this is knocking someone for using common parlance in a constructive way to reach out to an audience with larger concerns than whether or not the next 360 iteration will have a 65nm processor.

Incredibly lame, Kotaku. Incredibly.

hegemonyhog

TheLostSkeleton

But seriously, I agree. Mostly nitpicking. :)

Stoli

You are whats wrong with America.

LORDofDANCE

MC2009

I guess he meant for the kids to stop playin games and watchin tv long enough to get off their asses and go vote for him...hmm, but isn't a "Gameboy" exactly what you need while you're waiting in line to vote???

zany_ninja

yes. yes it is. it is equally apt!

Rajio

But why vote, if the person i vote for gets into office, and does a whole lot of "bush". I can't complain.

UltimateIdiot

Vidunder

Or they think I'm talking about BDSM, which is a whole 'nother topic.

Dragoonkin

futurebiblehero

Not that I don't admire the attempt to get people involved, but a pop-culture reference is less effective here than, say, solid positions or any realistic plan of action (deadline pullouts notwithstanding). Without anything tangible this "things are going to change" talk is exactly that - talk. I'd likely disagree with his positions on a number of subjects, but I'd have to respect him for at least laying it out on the table as so few politicians of any winged-ness do.

UltraMagnus

Both parties have hate in their heart for the game industry. 'Clowns to the left of us, jokers to the right, here we are stuck in the middle again.'

(That's just an easy quip not my political view btw)

Xorrel

Neither will ever enjoy the ubiquitousness of the term "Gamboy," no matter how popular they become. It's just a factor of language. Gameboy is easier to say and remember, and it registers with more people.

Also... good gravy Kotaku, am I really having to explain this to you?!

Laxcat

It's like his speech writer was like, "What can we use to get the young people? What's hip? I know! GAMEBOYS."

The thing is, Obama's pretty young and normally seems pretty in-touch. I would have hoped he'd have at least an Onyx Lite at home. Maybe he's a Neo-Geo Pocket man...

EmTeeZ

Insomnia Bob

Torokun

Aitrus233

Insomnia Bob

semmem1

t0yrobo

RedRedSuit

Dorgort

Big_Jock