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Monday, October 24th, 2005
Time
Event
10:25a
It has become a daily occurrence in that journalistic suburb known collectively as the "gaming press."
A new gamer-penned article criticizing Miami attorney and self-described "anti-game activist" Jack Thompson appears about as regularly as the sunrise. But the mainstream media has been a far different affair. In that rarefied air, Thompson tends to show up as a game-bashing guest on the likes of 60 Minutes or as negative sound bite in some shorter piece on naughty game content.
Rarely do we see Jack catching any criticism from the mainstream press, a fact which often leaves gamers scratching their heads. So it was unusual - some might even say, refreshing - to see a major paper newspaper level some straightforward criticism at Jack Thompson. Columnist Steve Tilley delivered the message in Sunday's edition of the Edmonton Sun. Tilley's piece picked up on Dr. David Walsh's recent very public disavowal of Thompson and his methods, a story broken here on GamePolitics.
"Increasingly frothy anti-games crusader Jack Thompson has been asked by the U.S.'s National Institute on Media and the Family to stop invoking the organization's name in his tirades against the evils of video games. As Nelson from The Simpsons would say, 'Ha ha!'"
"NIMF president David Walsh, who has done his fair share of condemning violent video games, feels the outspoken Florida lawyer casts the organization in a bad light whenever he brings up their name... It's nice to see people realize that jettisoning Jack Thompson is an excellent way to increase your credibility. Now if only TV news programs that use Thompson for an easy anti-gaming video bite would clue in, the world would be a better place..."11:01a
It's less outrageous than the now-famous "I Hate Jack Thompson" t-shirt.
Yet gamers can make their statement - and give back to charity - with a Pixelante t-shirt.
Veteran GamePolitics readers know that Jack Thompson coined the term "pixelante" right here on GP's comments pages to describe gamers in a negative way - i.e. that their lives are ruled by pixels on a screen.
In a nice touch, all proceeds from the shirt will be donated by designer Straight Loop to Child's Play. Thanks to Kotaku for alerting us to the existence of the t-shirt. It was only a matter of time. We've even seen some GP readers kicking the idea around.
The following comments are strictly a matter of fashion sense, of course - something for which GP has never been known - but we don't believe this is the definitive pixelante shirt. It's a little, shall we say, androgynous. Could we see it in black, perhaps?
Also, GP thinks that more could be done with the lettering. Different color, beefier font, something a little Gothic, maybe? The word pixelante itself is a bit delicate. Some big nasty letters would toughen it up. And how about a saying - "Pixelante and Proud" or "Pixelante Patrol"? Maybe even a graphic?
I'm just sayin'11:27a
The Hot Coffee scandal has certainly cooled in recent months. But it hasn't gone away.
Readers may recall that the Federal Trade Commission is conducting an official investigation into Take-Two Interactive and its marketing practices surrounding Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. The FTC's case began when Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) called for an investigation on July 14th. Ten days later, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution directing the FTC to look into Hot Coffee.
So, three months down the road, where does the FTC investigation stand? GamePolitics checked in late last week with Mary Engle, Associate Director for Advertising Practices at the Federal Trade Commission. Ms. Engle told GP that she didn't know how long the case will take to complete. Under FTC rules, she is not able to disclose any details of the investigation to the public.
But what about Congress?
"Under FTC Rules, the Commission is permitted to brief the Chairmen of Congressional Committees and Subcommittees on non-public investigations if so requested," she told GP via e-mail.
Engle told us that updates would be unlikely until such time as the FTC takes formal action by filing a complaint, settling with Take-Two or otherwise closing the case. Naturally, GP will keep readers posted.12:25p
Michigan's new video game law, signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm (left) on September 14th, is due to take effect on December 1st.
Of course, the video game industry is contesting the statute on constitutional grounds. A lengthy piece in Crains Detroit Business recaps the Michigan case and reports that the ESA, Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA), and Michigan Retailers Association will be back in court on October 31st. Lawyers for the trade groups will argue for a preliminary injunction that would prevent the new law from taking effect while the constitutional challenges are being resolved.
Injunctions are standard practices in cases such as this. Expect it to be granted.12:52p
A pair of experts on constitutional law gave California's new game violence law a beat-down in an op-ed piece in today's Los Angeles Daily News.
Clay Calvert (left) is a well-known legal scholar, while Robert D. Richards is a journalism and law professor, as well as co-director of the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment at Penn State. Their editorial reads, in part:
"All of the bombast and bluster of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is now reduced to a pair of pathetic ironies: The man who once made his living exploiting violence for bucks on the big screen has signed into law a bill restricting minors' access to violent images in video games. And that same man who built his gubernatorial campaign on fiscal responsibility will now waste countless taxpayer dollars defending a lawsuit he surely will lose..."
"And because similar legislation has been struck down in recent years by two different federal appellate courts, as well as a federal district court in the state of Washington, the odds are slim that the new law will withstand constitutional scrutiny... " 2:18p
Between Hot Coffee and Bully, Rockstar and Take-Two have been through quite a tumultuous 2005. Given the political upheaval surrounding those two games, GamePolitics was curious how reviewers would react to their next controversial title, The Warriors, released last week.
Jack Thompson, of course, has decried the game as a "murder simulator." But the gaming press, pixelantes all, seems to like it.
Will Tuttle at GameSpy gave The Warriors 4.5 stars out of a possible 5. "While there's no doubt that The Warriors is a brawler... at heart, it offers a lot more depth than many of the other games in the genre... The combat is downright brutal, and while it's all hand-to-hand fighting (with a smattering of melee weapons throw in for good measure), it's just as violent as the first-person shooter du jour.
Over at GameSpot, Alex Navarro rated it "great," at 8.6 out of 10. "Satisfying, smart combat that can be enjoyably unpredictable; Environments bust up real good; Stretches out a two-hour movie into a well-written, entertaining 12-hour game; Many of the original actors reprise their roles, and the soundtrack and audio are excellent; Plenty of extra modes, including unlockable games and co-op multiplayer..."
GamePro weighs in with a 4.5 (out of 5), penned by Ouroboros: "West Side Story This Ain't... If you thought Grand Theft Auto was sociopathic, wait till you join the Warriors, a gang of brutal street toughs who live to rain anarchy on a helpless city... The vicious violence of The Warriors isn't for everyone, and it certainly isn't for kids, but if you love classic street brawlers, you won't want to miss the boat."
On the print side, Matt Helgeson at Game Informer gives The Warriors an 8.25 (of 10): "Although it's certainly not a masterpiece, The Warriors gets by on style, flair, variety, and simple fun. The gameplay - while still enjoyable -isn't nearly as polished as it could be..."
Okay, so respectable, but not overpowering reviews... GP spent a little time with The Warriors yesterday, and wasn't overly blown away. We'll take a wait and see attitude, but don't expect an excessive public outcry over The Warriors for the simple reason that it probably won't sell anywhere close to GTA numbers. Of course, Liberty City Stories is out today for the PSP, but the installed base of Sony's handheld is only about ten million worldwide (4.5 in North America), so that one may fly under the radar as well.
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