gaming-police

Modern problems require modern solutions - and Denmark’s gaming police are just that.

Despite what Mark Zuckerberg would have you believe, the "Metaverse" has been alive and well in the form of online gaming for years now. And it's so populous that Denmark has seen fit to appoint an entire gaming police squad in order to patrol the online gaming sphere and protect its younger netizens.

Plugging into the worlds of our dreams is no longer the stuff of the future but a very pervasive part of modern society. And the perks of such a fact is a common theme throughout our Feelgood Friday stories. The old-school childhood custom of making memories with some buddies by building pillow forts is still alive and well. It's just that those pillow forts are now digital forts that can take the shape of anything your mind can conceive. Such as the entire universe. It's called "progress".

The downside to this, however, is that servers shared with friends can also be shared with strangers. Some of which have nefarious intentions that populate all too many horror stories about games like Roblox. It's no secret these communities are vulnerable to such horrors as grooming and recruitment to extremism. And this is where Denmark's gaming police come in.

The Politiets Online Patrulje ("POP") are Denmark's effort to modernize the police force by patrolling the online "streets" and rooting out instances of fraud, hate speech, and online grooming. And while there are those that lament the advent of the literal "internet police", there's a lot to be said for a concerted effort to ensure that children are as safe as possible online.

As of now, the gaming police are locked into two of the most popular spaces for younger gamers: Minecraft and Fortnite. They also have a presence on Discord, and even livestream their ahem hard day at the office. Their stated intentions are pretty simple: "engage in dialogue with children and young people in particular, prevent inappropriate behavior and crime, and intervene if offenses are committed." You know, police stuff.

Hopefully the Danish gaming police have received enough training to withstand the inevitable grief they'll receive from Minecraft and Fortnite's foremost trolls. Despite how entertaining it would be to witness a police officer ragequit. But if they are getting results by educating the youth in how to navigate the "metaverse" safely, and stopping nefarious actors in their tracks, then it's all good in our books.