My wife once worked with a doctor who had done some studies on this subject many years ago. According to him, there are patterns that appear when webs are viewed in ways that simulate the vision of insects. I remember him mentioning one particular type of spider which created complex webs that looked to humans like webs but when viewed by insects, appeared to be large flowers. Amazing stuff really.

Just to add some detail to the discussion: I have been playing the game today, just like I played all previous versions of the game. The draw, for me, is how open the game is. I make no apologies for the game, I didn't create it. I do think there are a few points worth consideration, however.

1. The earlier poster who commented that old school games didn't involve killing anyone is absolutely wrong. Nearly every single game ever created involves the killing of someone/something. Even Super Mario kills living "breathing" mushrooms and the like.

2. Saying that your character kills prostitutes and gets their money back is a misnomer. In fact, anyone who is killed in the game (even if accidentally run over by your car) leaves behind money. You may as well say that the game promotes the killing of construction workers, since someone playing the game could kill one and "get" money. I also think, if I am not mistaken, that you got points in Super Mario for smushing/killing the little mushroom people.

3. I WILL say that I am unfailingly disappointed with how homophobic the game tends to be. Mostly this is demonstrated through "fag" remarks and the like. However, in this new version of the game, your character can date people he meets online, and the online database has both women AND men. So it would appear that the character can date men.

4. I think it is worth noting that I am 29, and have played all versions of this game, starting at age 18. I do not kill people. I do not rape, mug, shoot, stab, discriminate, abuse, use, or any other negative toward my fellow humans. Oh, and I've also looked at porn. So, it would seem that the argument that this game makes you develop an antisocial personality is mistaken. Anyone with a cursory knowledge of mental illness could have told you that.

I do agree that children have NO BUSINESS playing or watching this game. Just like they shouldn't watch the movie Saw. That is a matter to take up with their parents.

@Kid: "even though they were the ones burning down the city" --You know, although I don't advocate violence in any form, it is THEIR city to burn down if they so wish.

As for the Olympics, I stand by my assertion that they should be boycotted.

www.boycott2008olympics.org

www.boycottmadeinchina.org

Kyle: It would seem that the log is in your eye.

It is offensive to suggest that all who support HHDL and "his theocratic legacy" are naive orientalists. Perhaps you have studied East Asia generally but not Tibet specifically. The theocratic legacy of the TIBETAN PEOPLE was established long before the fourteen Dalai Lamas. It is certain that the way in which the people of Tibet lived before the Chinese invasion would not be ideal in the current world. This is why HHDL has stated on any number of occasions that he wishes for a democratic government for the people of Tibet. I hardly think that you can chastise him or those who came before him for not knowing more about the governments of the world as they existed outside the isolated borders of Tibet.

To imply that "we" have acted in some way regarding Iraq (the last time I checked I was outspoken against the Iraq war from the start--unfortunately I was not an elected official at the time the war began and so did not have voting rights in Congress) is not only asinine it is irrelevant to this discussion.

An economic response to the brutality of the Chinese government is perhaps the only way that WE can have a voice in this matter. By boycotting the Olympics and goods manufactured in China WE can send a message that WE will not support such actions with OUR hard-earned money. Like it or not, money talks in our modern world.

I agree that when a full boycott is not possible a partial boycott will do, but it is important to commit as fully as is possible.

As far as electronics go, I have not checked recently but LG products used to be entirely Korean made with Korean componentry. I know that doesn't help with computers and the like, but it's a start.

www.boycottmadeinchina.org is an excellent resource for anyone interested in a boycott of chinese-made goods.