or a studio removed the words “HBO” from a streaming service, or a social media company changed the name Twitter to “X.”

Wait a second, I thought that capitalism was supposed to make everything work optimally. Was that ... propaganda?

Ok, so....In order to artificially keep the prices of cars (and used cars) up, this is exactly why traditional manufacturers never lower the MSRP of their cars. They heap incentives like low interest rates and cash back instead.

Personal responsibility and accountability has very, very little to do with addiction, and it’s past the time that we stop pushing this idea around.

Man that’s so easy to say. What if it’s a family computer? What if you use the playstation to watch movies with the family?

And ultimately this goes back to personal responsibility, which is at the heart of any addiction

I tried that once as a kid. My parents took away the keyboard and mouse to limit my time on it. I then obtained an alternate keyboard/mouse, eventually inevitably got caught again, and they started taking away the computer. I did not have the ability to obtain an alternate illicit computer, so that was pretty much…

In my experience, it’s not that the parental controls are necessarily always easy to get around, it’s that the kids are so much more tech savvy than the parents implementing them.

This. The fact that some parenting failures might have been involved does not change the fact that these are extremely predatory practices using specifically engineered means to maximize financial gains at the expense of well-being of people, some of which are particularly prone to such self-destructive behaviors. I…

It’s no secret that games use the carrot and stick method to get people to pay. Some games use aggressive monetization to get people to pay. Last one I played/paid was Game of War, which caused such of feeling of needing to pay as you needed to shield your base or risk losing everything you’ve paid for and worked for.…

Apparently the kid was sneaking around and playing so maybe that’s factored in to the time.

I’m conflating the business tactic of sneakily advertising to children while being able to plausibly deny such a thing is happening.

Parental control features are incredibly easy to get around.

I agree with the underlying sentiment - regardless of what a company may claim regarding their “official” intended audience you need to consider who the product could be reasonably expected to appeal to and who actually uses the product - but it’s a little disingenuous to conflate video games with smoking.

at least three of the games mentioned are meant for an age group above that of the child. So you can cross those off the list of “marketed to children”.

I know folks keep saying to parent their kids, but it goes beyond that even. These games are intentionally designed to be psychologically manipulative. It’s how they get the money and play time that they do.

While that is certainly unfortunate, at least three of the games mentioned are meant for an age group above that of the child. So you can cross those off the list of “marketed to children”.  And ultimately this goes back to personal responsibility, which is at the heart of any addiction.  Nobody put a gun to your head…

Man, Azealia Banks is such a tragedy. She has massive amounts of talent and could have been a superstar if she wasn’t such a dumpster fire of a human being.

“to cancel your vote because they hate the fact I stand up for liberty.”

Ah yes the liberty by which you mean oppressing other’s healthcare decisions that go against yours, not their, religious belief. Got it.