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Tuesday, September 20th, 2005
Time
Event
7:28a
Do black Americans bring a unique perspective to video games and the game business?
Racial diversity is an oft-overlooked topic in the modern cultural landscape of video games, but a small cadre of concerned African-American gamers are tackling the issue head-on. AA Gamer, founded in 2002 by Roderick and Connie Woodruff, serves as a hub for video game reviews, previews, and news, all catering to a black gaming audience. In her non-gaming life, Connie is a best-selling author, whose latest novel, Can't Get Enough, was published earlier this year, while Roderick is an IT manager and consultant.
With over 1,400 registered members, AAGamer also hosts feature articles, ranging from criticisms of the portrayal of blacks in popular games, to research reports concerning African Americans. For example, AAGamer has reported that while blacks are more likely to be hardcore gamers than whites in the United States, 82% of black game characters reside solely in sports titles like Madden 06.
Although the site's target audience is the African-American gamer, there is no intent to exclude readers from other backgrounds. As noted by Joseph Saulter, a black game developer, "Diversity is not a black thing, it's not a female thing or a disability thing. It is not a Latin thing or a gay thing. It is the right thing."
Saulter, along with the Woodruffs, is also one of the founders of the Urban Video Game Academy (UVGA), which teaches disadvantaged youth video game design and development concepts. In his day job Saulter is the CEO of Entertainment Arts Research, one of the first African American-owned game development studios in the United States. He is also the chair of the Diversity Advisory Committee of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).
As the UVGA website points out, its mission is to "expose disadvantaged students to career opportunities in video game design and development, to educate them in how to create games, and to enhance learning in academic subjects, such as math and writing, that are important in the video game development process."
UVGA programs teach students in the use of industry-standard tools like Macromedia Flash, Alias Maya, and RenderWare in order to complete collaborative projects. In addition to software tutorials, classes include discussions about the history of video games and careers in the industry. Issues of diversity are also covered, often accompanied by minority speakers who relate their experiences to students.
The UVGA primarily runs programs in the Baltimore, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. areas. In addition to Joseph Saulter, and the Woodruffs, the UVGA was co-founded by Mario Armstrong, a radio and television personality in Baltimore, and Nicole Armstrong, also of Baltimore.
-Scott Jon Siegel
EDITOR'S NOTE: This report by Scott Jon Siegel represents the first step in a new direction for GamePolitics. In an effort to bring readers even more politically-oriented video game news, GP will be publishing occasional reports from correspondents. Thanks, Scott, for doing a great job on the first one!12:59p
A playable card game based on the political fallout from Hurricane Katrina?
Sign me up!
A couple of guys who go by "Ubiq" and "Lum" have created a Magic: The Gathering-like game with cards based on former FEMA boss Mike Brown, President George W. Bush, entertainer Kanye West and others.
Katrina: The Gathering is pure social satire wrapped in a dead-on homage to fantasy gaming.
Ubiq is a Ubisoft game designer in real life while Lum is a programmer who writes code for the massively multiplayer Dark Age of Camelot. The pair built the cards with a handy little Java program called MtG Editor.
To those who accuse their satirical project of being in poor taste, Ubiq and Lum say, "We think that the overall government response to Katrina was in really poor taste (at all levels), and since this mostly holds a mirror up to the quotes and images of those involved, I suppose that response is not terribly surprising."
The duo has no plans to sell their cards - licensing issues, of course. They suggest that interested players simply download the cards, print them out, and send a check to the Red Cross instead.6:30p
More than 90% of American military casualties in Iraq have been caused by roadside bombs, or "improvised explosive devices" (IED's in military parlance). In fact, just yesterday four marines in Ramadi and one soldier in Baghdad were killed by IED's.
Thus, some will no doubt find it distasteful to learn that a video game developer, Kuma Reality, is offering mission downloads based on IED attacks for its headline-based military shooter, Kuma\War. The company specializes in what it terms "Episodic Video Games" that deliver new war-based content periodically.
"Kuma\War offers consumers a glimpse beyond the images in the media and puts you on the front lines, into a reality best understood experientially," said CEO Keith Halper. "The challenges, danger and tension our soldiers overcome each day are difficult for outsiders to fully grasp. By letting the American public experience these detailed virtual simulations, we hope to help them better understand and appreciate our soldiers' extraordinary service."
Perhaps - or does creating video games around current - and deadly - events trivialize the efforts of our military? Blackhawk Down author Mark Bowden, for example, refused to involve himself in the Novalogic video games based on the film version for just that reason.
A Kuma press release on the IED Sweep mission says in part, "Players must identify, avoid and destroy these IED weapons; one careless move could kill or maim squad members and innocent civilians."
GP readers, what do you think? Is this topic fair game, or is the subject simply too raw to game?7:23p
While the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) gears up for court challenges to new video game laws in Michigan, Illinois and - possibly - California, the industry trade group has also found time to shut down a Maryland retailer accused of copyright violations.
Late last week the ESA issued a press release celebrating the decision of a federal court judge to sentence Biren Amin to serve five months in prison and a fine of $246,000. Amin, the owner of Pandora's Cube, a small video game chain with stores in Springfield, Virginia; College Park, Maryland; and Baltimore, Maryland was one of four employees convicted in a scheme involving so-called "Super Xboxes."
The unlawfully modified game systems bypassed the standard Xbox copy protection system and allowed illegally burned or downloaded copies of games to be played. In addition, the Super Xboxes came pre-loaded with pirated copies of games on their hard drives.
ESA honcho Doug Lowenstein was pleased with Amin's sentence, saying, "We are grateful for the work done by U.S. law enforcement agents and prosecutors in bringing these defendants to justice. Sentences of this magnitude send a clear message to game retailers that selling pirate products has serious consequences, including prosecution to the fullest extent of the law."
Veteran GP readers may recall our previous coverage of developments in the Pandora's Cube saga.
-Stephen Broida
EDITOR'S NOTE: GP regulars may recognize Stephen as ~Otaku-Man...8:15p
Nobody likes a Bully, it seems.
Rockstar's Bully continues to attract negative attention, despite being delayed until 2006. A guest editorial penned by two state senators appeared in today's Boston Globe, adding to the list of politicians who have lined up publicly against the controversial game.
The op-ed piece was written by State Senators Jarrett Barrios and Robert Antonioni (left). Barrios is the chair of the Massachusetts Senate's Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, while Antonioni chairs the Joint Committee on Education. Their editorial reads in part:
"As if the real thing were not bad enough, a new kids' video game called "Bully" will hit the stores next month (the legislators apparently missed Rockstar's delay announcement). The player gets to be a bully, violently attacking fellow students and even teachers. The game glamorizes school bullying...
...Less obviously, bullying presents itself as a gateway to more serious - and often violent - criminal activity...Sixty percent of males who were bullies in grades 6 through 9 were, as adults, convicted of at least one crime...
...A child's experiences in middle and high school are the some of the most formative...If we allow bullying to enter into that developmental mix, the results can be disastrous for many children. The creators of "Bully" may think it is OK to condone bullying as an act of aggression and violence. As a society that values safe communities and a quality education for every student, we cannot.9:01p
Last week GamePolitics reported that Chicago attorney Patrick Deady of Hogan Marren would represent Governor Rod Blagojevich in the state's legal fight with the video game industry.
So who will represent the ESA?
GP has learned that Paul Smith of Jenner & Block will be the lead counsel. In 2004, Smith was named one of the country's leading lawyers in the areas of appellate and media & entertainment law.
Should be a good battle between a couple of legal heavyweights...9:31p
Be sure to check out the latest issue of The Escapist, which deals with the government and gaming.
Highlights include (and I'm largely quoting the notes of Editor Julianne Greer):
-IGDA Executive Director Jason Della Rocca highlights the current dilemma of the government as it relates to gaming - the game industry strengthens economies, but sometimes stretches our sensibilities, causing strife between the branches.
-Dave Thomas delves into America's Army, our government's first foray into developing a video game, and the purpose behind the game.
-Matthew Hector discusses the recently signed, shortly to be enacted, Illinois Safe Game Act from a legal point of view.
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