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Friday, April 29th, 2005
Time
Event
4:52a
Hunting games like Cabela's Big Game Hunter (pictured at left) have found their niche among gamers in recent years. An entrepreneur in Texas, however, has pushed the virtual hunting envelope to its extreme, provoking outrage as well as a spate of legislation.
An article in the Los Angeles Times (registration required) describes how legislators in 15 states, including California, are drafting bills designed to prevent virtual hunting of live prey.
At the center of the controversy is Live-Shot, a website run by John Lockwood of San Antonio. Live-shot uses a webcam connected to a scoped hunting rifle to allow users to hunt game on a 300-acre ranch without leaving their easy chairs. Users pay $14.95 for a 30-day membership and $5.95 for each ten shots they fire.
According to the L.A. Times piece, Lockwood has managed to attract only two paying customers, but Live-shot has been a magnet for both publicity and outrage. When the service was profiled on NBC's Today, program earlier this year, co-host Matt Lauer could barely conceal his disgust. Politicians, journalists, and hunting advocates alike, are similarly inflamed.
In California Democratic State Senator Debra Bowen of Redondo Beach (left) has introduced legislation designed to prevent Californians from participating in or operating virtual hunting operations. As quoted in the L.A. Times, Bowen said:
"What happens if this technology gets expanded to other uses? It's actually pretty scary. What's the line between real life and a video game? It has all the video game feel: It's remote, it's disconnected from the reality of it, the hunter doesn't have to deal with any blood or wounding or tracking."
Despite the controversy, Live-shot, which has garnered neither support nor much business, seems determined to, um...stick to its guns.1:45p
A report on CNN.com details how video game technology is being used to help victims of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) get better. According to the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, the condition is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape. Victims of PTSD may have difficulty sleeping, nightmares, and flashbacks. They may withdraw from friends and family and their quality of life may suffer greatly.
As reported in the CNN story, Dr. Joann DiFede of Cornell University's Weill Medical College is working with survivors of the World Trade Center attacks, using 3-D software developed by an Atlanta firm, Virtually Better. Virtually Better's website shows screen shots of airliner interiors, military helicopters, and what appears to be a tall building of some sort. The use of realistic 3-D technology helps victims confront their fears about traumatic incidents.3:10p
Hot off the press, or at least hot out of GamePolitics' e-mail client, is a press release from the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association of U.S. game publishers. In the release, ESA honcho Doug Lowenstein calls on the Malaysian government to crack down on game software pirates. The ESA request comes after Malaysia was included on a Watch List of countries released today by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
Lowenstein applauded the action of the USTR, adding:
"Malaysia is the primary source of pirated optical disc entertainment software in the world. The prevalence of pirated products and their export from the country hinders the development of legitimate entertainment software markets in target export countries, and makes it extremely difficult for game publishers to establish legitimate markets in those areas. Exports of pirated entertainment software produced in Malaysia have been seized in over 20 countries on five continents. The problem of production and export by optical disc factories in Malaysia must be immediately addressed."
The USTR's "Special 301 Report" identifies countries where piracy is rampant and whose copyright protection and enforcement efforts are failing to address the problems. The report also enumerates barriers that deter the import of legitimate U.S. intellectual property products.
While, according to the ESA, Malaysia remains the "primary country of concern" for the computer and video game industry, large-scale game pirating operations are ongoing in China, Russia, Thailand, and Ukraine. Neither the Malayasian Consulate or the Malaysian Trade Office, both in New York, had any comment on the USTR report when reached by GamePolitics.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Of course, GamePolitics knew all about this USTR business. But if you didn't, here's the 411:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, and overseeing negotiations with other countries. The head of USTR is the U.S. Trade Representative, a Cabinet member who serves as the president's principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on trade issues. USTR is part of the Executive Office of the President. The current Acting United States Trade Representative is Ambassador Peter F. Allgeier (at left). However, Rob Portman, a Republican and former Congressman from the 2nd District of Ohio, has just been confirmed by the Senate as the new USTR.
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