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Watchdog Group Deletes Misinformation About GTA IV From Parental Alert - Here's something you don't see very often: a media watchdog group actually scaling back  the Grand Theft Auto IV fear factor in the interest of presenting more accurate information.But it's true. The Parents Television Council recently issued a a video alert which warns parents about the violence and sexual content in GTA IV.On July 11th GamePolitics reported on the alert, which is narrated by PTC president Tim Winters. Among his criticisms of the game, Winters repeats the oft-heard, "You get points for [insert nasty activity of your choice]..."In the latest edition of, the player is a thug who gets points for having sex with prostitutes, running over pedestrians and even shooting police officers.There are no such points in the GTA series, of course. Never have been, despite the frequent assertion of such by watchdogs. At least two GamePolitics readers, hayabusa 75 and NecroSen, wrote to the PTC to voice their objections. Lo and behold, a few days later the PTC edited the "You get points for..." line out of the video.GamePolitics received this comment on the change from Gavin McKiernan, National Grassroots Director for the PTC:[Winters] misspoke.  He knows there are no points in GTA and we of course want all of our productions to be completely factually accurate so we corrected it.Catch the edited video alert here.GP: While the viewpoint of the PTC is often at odds with that of gamers, credit is due for taking the trouble to correct this error. Kudos as well to the GP readers who contacted the PTC to point out the misinformation. [Game Politics]

Huh. Maybe people are listening to gamers. Now, if only they'd believe us...

- Snipehunter

Parents Television Council Issues Video Alert on "Sick" GTA IV - Watchdog group the Parents Television Council has issued a "entertainment alert" condemning Grand Theft Auto IV as well as the CBS TV series Swingtown.PTC president Tim Winter narrates:Unfortunately, sex and violence often go together in today's media environment. That's especially true for many of the violent video games that are now flooding the marketplace. Topping them all for worst content is Grand Theft Auto.  In the latest edition of, the player is a thug who gets points for having sex with prostitutes, running over pedestrians and even shooting police officers. And our research shows that many chidlren are able to buy this adult-rated video game far too easily. That's because the retailers don't have any consequenced for abiding by their own rules. We're asking major retailers to not carry this sick game at all... You can also write Congress to ask them to pass the Video Games Rating Enforcement Act which will give teeth to the current ratings system.Via: GameArgusGP: Thanks to Matt Paprocki for the heads-up! [Game Politics]

*sigh*

At what point will honesty come into play in the video game violence debate? I'm tired of this witch hunt and of the PTC, in particular. They're the real menace and I shudder at the thought of the number of people in the world who - either willingly or inadvertently - allow themselves to be manipulated by people like this -- people who have an agenda and wish to pursue it with deliberate mischaracterizations and outright lies.

For the last time: there are no damned points in GTA, nor is there any active encouragement to run down pedestrians or sleep with prostitutes. Yes, people can choose to do both, but that's the key right there -- it's a choice. Why should the PTC, or anyone, be allowed to strip adults of their choices? Because children play GTA? If you accept that as true -- and honestly, I'm not willing to -- then the question becomes: How do children get to play GTA?

Could it be, perhaps, because their parents allow them to? And isn't that the parent's choice, informed or otherwise? Even if the store sells the game to a child, at the end of the day, that child is playing that game in someone's home, right? Someone who, I dunno, maybe ought to be watching and - god fordid - parenting those same children? When will we finally admit that the failing here isn't the system that allows these games to be made, or the people who make them, but the parents who allow children access to games clearly marked as inappropriate for them?

Of course, all of that supposes that kids can easily buy these games and I think that the characterization that children can easily buy GTA has no basis in fact, just like the outright lies the PTC pedals about the content within GTA. Don't buy the hype, and if you have it, take the time to tell both the PTC and your local government representatives how you feel about this issue. Just remember to be civil and polite. Just because the PTC feels the need to lie and mischaracterize does not mean we need to stoop to that level by being impolite, or insulting.

- Snipehunter

In the game industry we, typically, get really good benefits from our employers. I wish I could say this was always true, but in general it can be said the benefits we get (in the form of health coverage, etc.) are pretty good compared to similar benefits packages from other industries in our pay ranges. The one place this is never true, however, is dental care. This isn't a problem with the game industry, however, it's the sad and sorry state of affairs in the dental and dental insurance industries.

I've been playing some Age of Conan this weekend, as I'm sure many of you can imagine. You know, despite not having a machine that can play the game at any sort of frame-rate a normal human being would call playable, I've been enjoying it... Enjoying it, that is, until now.

The problem is, as it often is in MMOs, death penalties...

News: Voice of GTA IV's Niko Bellic wants more respect - The voice actor who portrayed Niko Bellic is unhappy with the wage disparity between traditional and electronic media [GamesIndustry.biz news]

Actually, what it is he's talking about here, is royalties. How many hours of performance did his 100k payment for his 15 month gig actually get Rockstar? Did he work full-time during that 15 months? Somehow I doubt that.

News: NCsoft net profit down 43% on write-off - NCsoft has released Q1 financial results, reporting a drop in net profit of 43% related to a write-off of development costs [GamesIndustry.biz news]

Wow, I wonder if that's going to be the standard practice -- start up a niche game, then cancel it to blame their losses on. They're 2 for 2, so far...

- Snipehunter

Columnist: GTA IV “Stimulates Dark Impulses” - In the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune, columnist Katherine Kersten has a lengthy whine about Grand Theft Auto IV:
Games like GTA IV stimulate and glamorize our dark impulses. They create a taste for the psychological thrill that can come from dominating and degrading others. They encourage us to strip our fellow human beings of their dignity, and view them merely as objects of violence or sexual desire.
The hazards of violent games will only increase as new, more advanced technologies like the Wii system take hold… you can act out a game physically.
The average 32-year-old man who plays violent video games — and spends his free hours fantasizing about murdering passersby and roughing up strippers — is likely to be someone’s husband and father. What qualities of character will his wife find when she looks to him for love, steadiness and fidelity?
And when his young son looks to Dad as a role model — well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? [Game Politics]

So... I happen to be 32, at least for a few more weeks... I also happen to be fairly average, at least in terms of a game consumer...

So, is it a surprise to any of you that I don't think of the GTA game world in that way, at all? I certainly don't fantasize about murdering passersby or roughing up strippers in my free hours... even when I'm playing GTA IV. So, who is she talking about, again?

I don't think someone with such dark thoughts is average, at all. Nor do I think that GTAIV generates those dark thoughts -- I think mental disorder causes those dark thoughts. At best - and I use that word with a wince on my face - GTA IV is a catalyst, and to that I can only say, "If it's true the same must also be said of books, television and movies -- violence is pervasive and part of the culture. You can't fix the problem by pointing at one specific form of media."

We need to grow up, we need to look at this stuff seriously and stop painting with such broad strokes. Games are not the issue; if an issue exists at all, we need to recognize that it's much, much larger than that and we need to act accordingly.

For my own part, I don't really think there is a problem. I think it's a clever device used by people who would like us to remain scared and paranoid because it makes things easier for them. No tin-foil hat stuff here, just some pragmatic politics. Complacent people don't want things to change, but scared people will allow any change that seems to assuage their fears. A LOT has changed in America in the last 8 years, and it's hard to deny that fear is the primary reason.

I think the way to deal with the "problem" of violent media is to admit that we're a violent people. The statistics on violent crime are sort of interesting in that regard. Generally speaking, we grow less violent every year. Who's to say that isn't because we're expressing our violence in non-harmful ways, such as through entertainment media? I won't and can't say either way, but I'm sure someone could make that argument.

Unlike our ancestors, we live in an age where we can be violent and no one has to be hurt as a result, surely that's better for the species than the alternative, right? I mean, the fact that we still fight wars at all suggests we're not done being violent beings, but we're further along the path away from violence than we were 32 years ago, when I was born. Aren't we?

I haven't seen a race riot once, in my life. They still happen - but none have happened in my vicinity the entire time I've been alive... can the generations that weathered 1969 say the same? Maybe video games had a part in that remarkable difference.

Realistically, probably not, but can you honestly say they've made us worse people? The numbers don't back up the claim, so why do people still insist on making it?

I guess, as a species, we still have a long, long way to go.

- Snipehunter

I saw this on Jake Simpson's Blog this morning:
Do's and Don'ts for Cinematics - Thinking more about what Bruce Evriss touched on the other day regarding cinematics, I put together a list of do's and don'ts for their implementation...

I won't reprint the whole thing - instead, I encourage you to read Jake's point on the matter. While Jake's points are golden, they aren't specifically what I wanted to discuss. Instead, I wanted to ask a more fundamental question:

What's the point?

Have you all read N'Gai Croal's recent interview with the MTV crew?

Oof. I feel sorry for Capcom. Let me be clear about that though - I don't think Capcom is in the right here. Far from it, in fact. I think that whether they meant to be racist or not they were obviously insensitive. That being said, I don't hate them -- I feel pity.

It seems unlikely to me that they deliberately set out to be asshats, but by simply not paying any attention, they created something that is highly offensive. It's not the first time for our industry, either...

As an aside, I'll mention that a fellow designer once called me an anarchist. It was mostly unrelated to work in that it was a conversation about censorship and personal responsibility. My stance was that, while people should be accountable for what they do and say, they shouldn't be penalized for the way other people react to what they've said. The example at the time was of someone saying, "I hate you, you really ought to go off yourself" and then watching in horror as the person being spoken to acted on the suggestion. The stance I took was that it was the suicide's responsibility to not kill himself - after all, how can the speaker be held responsible for what goes on in the mind of another person?

I think that the moment we begin to regulate speech, we risk shutting down the exchange of ideas - and that society as a whole suffers for the sake of the thin-skinned or those lacking the self control to police their own reactions. My colleague couldn't disagree more, stating that it was irresponsible to speak when you know it might offend someone and shame on me for saying otherwise. To tell you the truth - I didn't mind the label. I don't believe for a moment that I'm an anarchist, but gods know this world could use a little revolution in thought, so maybe this designer wasn't so far from the mark, in labeling me.

Fast forward a year or so and here I am, the latest in a long line of people whose opinions have inspired a wave of invective from the thin-skinned and those lacking the self control to police their own reactions. I find myself still feeling as I did before... and yet, simultaneously an instigator of what amounts to internet anarchy, at the same time. I guess my colleague and I were both right... You know, in this industry that happens more often than not....

IMGDC: BioWare's Walton Talks MMO Creation Essentials - At the Indie MMO Game Developers Conference in Minnesota, BioWare Austin co-studio director Gordon Walton parsed out some essential lessons for indie MMO developers. The Kesmai, Origin and Sony Online Entertainment veteran - one of the most experienced MMO creators in the industry right now - addressed issues such as how indie efforts should differentiate from AAA online games, at every stage of the process from development to launch. "I've made one one-hundredth of the ...

[Gamasutra - News]

It's an interesting read - especially if you want some insight into the way some of the players in the MMO space are thinking. That being said, I'm not convinced I agree. I suppose I have to think on it a bit, but a few things strike me as maybe not the best advice:

Boston Globe Columnist’s Dream World Doesn’t Include GTA - In today’s Boston Globe, columnist Alex Beam zings Rockstar Games and the Grand Theft Auto series:
What if there was one day a year when people all over the world decided to behave in a manner worthy of the species? What would they call that day?
…It’s bracing to imagine the day when video-game manufacturer Rockstar announces: “We don’t want to make money off a game that encourages elementary school students to kill ‘hos’ and assassinate grand jury witnesses. We’re taking Grand Theft Auto off the market.”
…What if there were one day a year when everyone behaved in a manner worthy of the species? What would they call that day? They would call it April Fools’ Day.
The Massachusetts Legislature, of course, is currently considering a proposal which would treat violent video games in a manner similar to pornography.
[Game Politics]

I imagine that day would be something akin to the day when so called journalists stop claiming that the GTA series was made for, and marketed to, kids. Of course, the likelihood of that ever happening is far, far, lower than the chance that R* would stop making GTA. Too bad, too - That would be a day when we start behaving in a manner worthy of the species, don't you think?

Funny, that.

- Snipehunter

Australian Advocate: Violent Games Will Turn Troubled Kids into “Lethal Killers” - The national spokeswoman for the Australian Family Association told ABC.net that violent video games can make existing mental health problems worse in teenagers - much worse.
Angela Conway said:
If there are problems with that young person already, then this technology will turn them into a lethal killer.
Conway’s comments came as Australian officials gather in Adelaide to discuss adding a new R18+ rating for games. Currently, games with content exceeding the MA15+ level are banned in Australia. 
The Melbourne Herald-Sun has more on the current political debate over games Down Under.
[Game Politics]

I could sit here and talk about how there's no real proof of games causing violence at all and I could point to recent studies or to Grand Theft Childhood and ask why these tired old stereotypical opinions persist, but today, I'm not going to do that. Instead I'm going to ask a simple question:

If the people you're talking about are already "troubled" - who takes responsibility for what they do, if they're set off?

I mean, there are disturbed people who get enraged at the site of a woman and will attack her, right? Is it the woman's fault? Do we blame the woman when she's assaulted by the crazy woman-hater? What about the child that is abused by its parent? Is it the child's fault?

At what point did the human race abdicate personal responsibility? I think we need to seriously examine ourselves and the direction our cultures are heading if this type of misplaced blame is going to continue to be suborned in our legal systems and prevailing attitudes. When this type of thinking was applied to gender or race, we were diminished as a people, were we not? Here in America we felt so strongly about it that we amended our constitution to make this type of thinking illegal.

I guess it only matters when we're talking about people. I guess I can even see why, from a real abstract level, but it seems to me that prejudice is bad no matter what it's aimed against - that it demeans us; not just those who have a passion for the thing you prejudge, but the entire damned species. It offends me, how small minded these prejudices make us humans look. It really does.

- Snipehunter

Roleplayers Seek Removal Of Nerf Gun Ban - An anonymous reader writes "LARP fans at Bowling Green State University may have to contend with a crippled game of Humans vs. Zombies after the University banned Nerf guns on campus. In the live-action game, players are either humans or zombies. The goal of the game is to change all the humans into zombies, or for the humans to evade capture by zombies for a certain amount of time. To defend themselves against zombies, humans may use Nerf guns. Players (most likely the human ones) are petitioning the University to lift the ban. The game had troubles back in 2006, when participating students were arrested. That issue has since been cleared up."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
[Slashdot Updates]

In true /. fashion I haven't RTFA, but the premise here is a little absurd. I mean, really... nerf guns? That's where we're at, now? Freakin' nerf guns?

Everyone knows guns won't stop zombies! You need nerf bats! (Double damage to undead, you know!)
- Snipehunter

In response to Kelly's Piece:
Kelly! Damn man! Mass minsunderstanding of the year! I never said working with you was a problem. In fact, I thought we had a really good process that worked - something I mentioned in my original blog, that I guess got edited out in the reprint. Ah well. You're a damned good writer - one of the few I've worked with in the last 13 years who really understands the role of writing in games, even if the requirements of the project we worked together on really didn't let either of us explore that, all that well.

Despite the respect I have for you, I do think you've got some misconceptions of your own that I hope you don't mind if I address: