Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Posted by:
Kevin McCullough
at
9:35 AM
 On yesterday's show, I allowed the gaming universe to tee off on me in whatever capacity they wished to vent a bit about my most recent column. It was a great conversation. Two of the callers pointed me to the "Undercover Shop" survey that had been carried out by the Federal Trade Commission to help document the trend of underage purchases of "M" rated video games, I was eager and glad to hear the news. As my callers had pointed out, the ratings enforcement - particularly by nationwide chains had dropped some forty percent between 2000 and 2005. In 2000 85% of minors attempting to purchase "M" rated video games were successful in doing so. In 2005 that number had been sharply reduced to 42%. In other words 58% of the time children were now unable to purchase "M" rated games. Despite my own feelings about removing "M" rated games from easy access points all together (National retailers), I have to admit - it appears the enforcement of the rating system has taken a decided turn toward improvement. Since yesterday's response many gamers who have written have offered more assistance in unlocking obscenity and dangerous content in the video game world. That is much appreciated. Based on the multitude of response by gamers who share my concern for decency in the entertainment of our children, it is obvious that I had been misinformed on at least two points of substance in my original column. For this I DO apologize to the gaming universe!For the strides that retailers HAVE made to attempt to keep smut out of children's hands, I thank them! (Though can't we do better than 42%?)And thank you to the many who have volunteered to help lend a hand on future gaming issues... If enforcement numbers track similarly in terms of improvement as they have from 2000-2005, then the critical concern I carry with me deeply in regards to minors getting inappropriate material and spending tens of hours at a time removed from society absorbing it will be minimized. I still do concur with my original position that the objectionable content in Mass Effect is still offensive, and should be kept out of the hands of those under age. Mass Effect fans have demonstrated that the three minute cuts on YouTube are only arrived at after hours of play. So in their argument the "percentage" of objectionable content is heavily outweighed by the overwhelming amount of content leading up to it. Point well made... It is for me however the presence of the content at all that I reacted strongly too.
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And this, I suspect, is what most of us wanted to hear.We did not object to your overall stance (though many disagree with you, myself included) so much as the unwarranted vilification of something we love and of a population that is far less dysfunctional, introverted, or all-around 'nerdy' as was implied. Thank you for having the courage to admit that you were wrong; while others may not feel the same way, I pronounce myself satisfied with this. |
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I am a girl. I am a gamer. I am a nerd. And I am also a wife, a woman with a career, a lover of opera and I am an owner of a t-shirt for the SNES game Illusion of Gaia. I am all in all, many things but you seem to imply in your original article that these gamers are just teen boys.
Many gamers are women. And the average age of gamers is *significantly* above that of teenagers. There is a still a misconception in the non-gaming world that these "gamer-nerds" are just teenage boys when that is simply not true.
It's great that you can apologize, many people would never do that. But do try to broaden your mind and not stereotype a whole group. Though you apology is most kind, do know that I love violent movies, tv and video games. And I think it is the responsibility of parents to watch what their children are playing. I know that is a hot ideal in this debate, but my parents were very involved in my upbringing and knew about what video games I played and how explicit some of my broadway musicals were.
These games will be created, because most them are excellent and compelling and there is an audience. Many will find them offensive or not to their tastes. I'm sure things you enjoy I find offensive and certainly not to my taste. But it's not our jobs to police each other's entertainment choices. That is a freedom we enjoy. |
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If what you object to was the "content", and the "content" was posted on Youtube, then surely it was not pornographic.
(From the Youtube community guidelines)
http://www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines
"Don't Cross the Line
Here are some common-sense rules that will help you steer clear of trouble:
YouTube is not for pornography or sexually explicit content. If this describes your video, even if it's a video of yourself, don't post it on YouTube."
Why are you targeting gamers and geeks. (We vote, by the way) I would much rather see you aggresively prohibiting excessive speed, or armed robbery, or something else that actually kills people.
Oh, and if you want to continue bashing 'teh g4m3r', you want to avoid any Rockstar title (they rely on people like you and Jack Thompson for publicity); go after a Metal Gear title. (The player/protaganist makes Rambo look like a novice, and you can say that it includes 'Realistic combat' and trains our schoolkids to 'kill with their bare hands'). Or even better, Steve Jackson Games published, according to the Secret Service, a "Handbook on computer crime" detailing how to hack next-next-next-next-next-gen cyberware by rolling dice. If you try to ban something like that, the world will know your intelligence and competence. |
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I appreciate this update, and since those figures were from 2005 lets hope the percentage has fallen, we can all agree to that.
I have 2 final points.
1. I still beleive Mass Effect is a great game, it has ALOT of dialogue and is a very good story, the irony is that I would judge it one of the best examples of modern gaming - it is a very mature game, which does include much moral thought and mature content. The 'sex' is handled in a mature fashion in my opiniont and is not designed to be provocative, nor is it used in marketing. You hold an opinion, that I can respect even if I disagree.
2. The question of content in games is relevant, some games use sex or violence merely as a selling point and are embarrassing to serious gamers hopeing to avoid being labelled 'gamer nerds' ; )
If you had chosen some other tasteless examples you would have made your point much better and a more relevant discussion could have been made.
Bad apples, if you wish exist in everything, lets find positive ways to change that.
I hope you have learned to double check 'facts' given to you, if you put your name to something, the onus is on you to have knowledge on the subject.
Thank you for the apology, it has restored some credability, it is up to you to further that along. |
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Sorry, but what wrote yesterday about "gamer-nerds" and our response to your original insipid article was spot on, and you merely choose to ingore what you wrote and follow up with a lame apology and a thank you to us for offering our help.
Do you not understand that it is your treatment of the gamining community in general that has everyone so pissed off? This game was just an avenue for you to get on your high horse and castigate "gamer-nerds" and their perverted quest to look at game porn.
I am as conservative as they come, but you are a disgrace to common sense and journalistic ethics and I will kindly ask you to refrain from commenting on video gaming until you educate yourself more on what it is all about. |
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Its a step in the right direction, but you still need to address your stereotypical 'gamer-nerd' accusations and 'basement dwelling fruit of the loom' comments.
The fact remains that a great many people play video games, far more than you realize. I am a 3rd year university student and I have yet to meet someone with your disgust for it. I can see video gaming becoming a larger political issue as time goes on; however, its going to take a few years for that to occur. For the time being, sensationalism over a game that hardly stands out (sex scene wise) is not the right move at all.
All we ask is that the next time you decide to write an article addressing the question of gaming, that you make an effort to not only research the topic thoroughly, but that you also contact actual gamers.
We're a bigger group than you think |
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What caused most of the angry assumed gamers to get in such a way, is because they feel targeted and attacked. Videogames are the new violent movies, which in themselves were the new rock'n'roll - they were strange new creatures to the McCullough-aged generation of the day that didn't make a lot of sense, and naturally, as protective fathers, their was a concern about the safety of the medium.
This is what the gamer sees today, and they have to fight and defend it the same way the Beatles fan of the 60s had to fight for the right to listen to the fab four 40 years ago.
What really had you at the losing end of the battle, however, was that you had not checked your facts. As a journalist, your integrity should be utmost. A first year journalism student in college - heck, even a junior high kid writing for the school paper - learns very quickly that when you don't fact-check your sources, you can make some very foolish mistakes.
If this was just another doomsday article about how videogames are the end of the Earth, it probably wouldn't have garnered much notice from the gamer crowd. It was the lying, the untruths, the flasehoods spouted (intentional or not is irrelevant) that angered so many.
The safety net here is that your target demographic is probably a lot older than the average gamer (which, last I heard it, was somewhere around the 20-24 age bracket), and this article has probably not hurt your core fanbase. Be thankful that you didn't spout incorrect information about something that the vast majority of your readership knew better of, or else you'd have lost a lot of trust and credibility with people that matter to you. |
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The game being marketed to teens is just one item on a list of many things you not only wrong about in the first column, but continued to insultingly lie about in your first follow.
What about being able to customize people to have sex with? You know, being able to change breast size and such? You lied about it. Where is the retraction on that?
What about all the rape in the game you said takes place but does not? You lied about it, admit it.
What about calling all gamers nerds and pervs when you yourself are the one making up fantastic stories of sex and rape?
What about your claims of sodomy and homosexuality in the game? It isn't in there, you lied about it in both the original and follow up column. Man up to it.
While you have taken a baby step forward, you have done the very least possible. You told far more lies than you admit here, keep going. We'll eventually get some truth out of you. |
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Considering your tone yesterday, and the change today, I'm left wondering if somebody got a scary letter from the ESRB, Bioware, or Microsoft.
What happened All gamers are basement-dwelling nerd-perverts? No apology there?
Sorry, you can't spend a week calling people wannabe rapists, perverts, and nerds and expect to be cool with them after backing off of one minor point. |
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Keep going.
Clear up the rest of your lies, and apologize for your deragatory comments, and all will be forgiven. |
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Why would you attack a 40 hour video game over less than a minute of PG-13 material (no graphic nudity, merely implied sex) but remain utterly silent on the far more sexually graphic content that is displayed on 30 and 60-minute (really 22 and 44 when you remove commercials) episodes of broadcast television?
Seriously, I've seen more explicit sexuality in soap-operas.
If you want to find truly objectionable sim-sex content in "games" poke around the seedy underbelly of Second Life's user-crafting community or something. |
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Thank you for stepping up and apologizing.
Truly. ITs ok for people to have differences of opinion, and gamers know that better than anybody.
As long as an issue is presented fairly i know i personally never object to somebody saying X or Y is offensive, as long as we have a factual and fair discussion about it.
Hopefully we can now get on with discussing the important issue at hand, and the issue of parental responsibility. |
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"it is obvious that I had been misinformed on at least two points of substance in my original column"
At least two points??!? Oh man, what a half arse way to try and spin your stupidity. That's like saying Hitler killed at least two jews. |
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Apology not accepted.
Sorry, but I cannot accept this half-assed apology. You accused us gamers to be wannabe rapists, pervs, and a host of other names. You ridicule our form of entertainment, which in my opinion far more interesting than watching television which many shows have far more explicit scenes of violence and sexual content than Mass Effect.
You have lied about the game. Purposely sought to spread misinformation and sully the good name of Bioware. As I said before and I have urged Bioware to do, you need to be sued for libel, Kevin. Sued till you have nothing. We need to stop people like yourself from doing these acts. One Jack Thompson is enough and its time to shut anyone who spreads lies like the way you did down.
Bye. |
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however as others have pointed out, it would be nice if you could apologise for calling us all sex perverts and nerds and trekkies...
Your editor also told us to 'crawl back under our rocks' ..
an apology for that would also be nice, and justified.
Stereotyping is a huge problem, and leads to many of the misunderstandings that occur. treat everyone as an individual, dont stereotype and a point we can all agree on:
treat others as you would wish to be treated. |
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With it's "over the net" capabilities virtual orgasmic rape is just the push of a button away.
Rape simulator
Most realistic sex acts ever concieved
hump in every form, format, multiple, gender-oriented possibility they can think of.
while enhancing - shall we say - the extended features of the game's characters tends to objectify women, sex, and human relationships.
One can custom design the shape, form, bodies, race, hair style, breast size of the images
"Mass Effect" can be customized to sodomize whatever, whoever, however, the game player wishes.
such a game in which the women DO submit without choice, are made to appear as Barbie streetwalkers, and perform whatever act can be imagined
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All lies yet to be accounted for. |
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You realize the survey was published in 2006? And even though you wrote at length about it, this all of a sudden comes as a suprise to you? Here you are admitting you are writing about a subject you simply had no clue about and couldn't be bothered to do even minimal research.
For that poor journalistic integrity, you owe an apology to the site and your peers.
You owe much more to gamers for calling them wannabe rapists, nerds, and lying about the game content. Sadly, I don't think we'll ever see an apology from a coward such as yourself. |
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This is a welcome step but I still find Mr. McCullough's response from yesterday and the fabrication described in the original article offensive.
It is sad that a person claiming to fight for moral values would cast aside his morals and professional integrity to weave imagined filth in order to make a point.
McCullough has a right to express his concerns over an implicit sex scene in a game but fabricating filthy lies from his imagination is wrong. I find these lies more objectionable than the game and a stronger example of declining moral values in America.
McCullough, I pray you will continue working on improving your moral conduct as a columnist and a citizen. |
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To Mr. McCullough;
You still don't seem to understand that games such as Mass Effect are not the problem in today's society. The real problem are the conservatives who aren't ready to admit that human nature is real. It's a comfort factor, sure, but if there's anything the younger generation has over the old, it's that they will be the most desensitized generation to date, which realistically, should lower crime such as rape--not raise it.
The sex scene as is? Gamers have mentioned it takes twenty hours to come across it. Maybe you should consider the fact that it only takes at most an hour to see similar scenes in movies. Or even that it only takes seconds to find free adult material on the internet.
To the gamers;
You too, should be ashamed of yourselves. The people Mr. McCullough quoted earlier truly show how immature the general lot of gamers can be. We, as people, are better than starting "flame wars." I'm sure most of you are still in school; use that education to make insightful arguments, not the crap that was sent to Mr. McCullough. In the mean time, I do appreciate those who put intelligent comments down; obviously I'm not targeting you. |
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Are you serious? Mass Effect is smut? Or rather, according to your post, all M rated games are smut?
You really are a smart cookie, aren't you? |
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Well thank you for that, it is definitely a step in the right direction, I know that people generally have a problem embracing new media, I have seen it twice, my aunt Kath went absolutely crazy over slipknot and DMX when she found out that I was listening to her, she couldn't be swayed on the issue, then when she found out that I am a gamer (IE - Playing as part of a clan in tournaments etc) she just blew it, convinced that I was (and I quote) "insane, fat, nerdy - do - nothing"
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Which I found humorous because I am a top of class 16 year old college student, who regularly attends the gym and does plenty of work in the outside world (I built a freaking summer house 2 years ago! (with assistance of course) and last year removed a few huge trees from the ground with a shovel, a saw, a wheelbarrow and my mitts)
So that was her disproven, which was hilarious, I have forgiven her because, being a christian/buddhist, I have learned that it is very important to have peace with someone from your side at least, and it is easier to forgive someone for being wrong than to forgive them for being right. |
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It's good you've learned that the gaming industry is responsible about ratings enforcement. As I said before, if a large chain retailer is allowing children to purchase M-rated games, that is the fault of that particular retailer and they should be the ones held responsible. Where large chains like Best Buy do seem to have this problem, retailers that specialize in video games do not. I myself do work at a gaming retailer and we take carding very seriously. I've even talked parents out of purchasing M-rated games for their children (sometimes with the children present), including one who sought to purchase Mass Effect for an 11 year old.
I don't think anyone would argue against the idea that 11 or even 15 year olds shouldn't play Mass Effect but please understand what people were taking issue with was your blatant lies about the game's content, of which you had many, and later lamely attempted to justify when you really had nothing to back your claims. Lies that you have still pretty much danced around admitting to.
You can be offended by the brief love scene all you want, but you didn't have to make the entire game out to be some sort of sleazy alien rape simulator in order to do so.
I also don't think all these magazines, websites and newspapers would have awarded Mass Effect with "Game of the Year" or "Best RPG of the Year" if it contained the content you had previously described: http://masseffect.bioware.com/previewsawards/ |
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If I actually believed your apology, it would feel much better...
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However one would think that a professional like yourself would take more care to research your sources before you form an opinion, and definitely before you broadcast it to the public. You have made a pretty poor job of giving me any feeling that I would want your kind (i.e. conservatives) in charge of ANYTHING.
Please note that I am a WOMAN. I play COMPUTER GAMES. I design WEB SITES. I PROGRAM SOFTWARE. I am however far from the teenage pervert and alien sodomizer you sketch to be this dubious type of person you condescendingly dub "gamer nerds".
YOU Sir, did nothing but blatantly expose your own lack of knowledge, your biased and narrow minded prejudices. Congratulations on a job well done! |
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...and admit you're wrong about us gamers, you should not only make a post admitting your wrongdoing but show us through an actual act that you know gamers are normal people with good intentions. I recommend a donation to Child's Play. Child's Play is a charity that was started by gamers to help sick kids in hospitals who often find themselves without anything to do. Depressing enough to be a kid in a hospital, imagine how scary it must feel being sick and bored. A simple to or video game can get kids' minds off their awful situation and on something positive.
Do the right thing - post an apology and donate to kids in need. http://childsplaycharity.org/ |
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It seems pretty obvious that rating systems should be enforced in whatever industry you may want to single out. Kids should not be allowed to watch a M rated movie unless parents specify otherwise.
And we can surely agree too on the fact that censorship is not an answer, but the removal from the traditional marketplace such as wallmart would have a terrible impact on the industry, because their preorders notify smaller shops what to expect in terms of sales, they they would simply avoid stocking blackballed games. So, this could reduce sales and budgets, prevent artists expressing themselves in a respectful manner, and produce less but much harcore titles which would still be accessible to kids, even if it's only via youtube.
The solution is very simple and education is the simple and basic answer. Notify parents about the ERSB system via an ad campaign, create groups of discussions and training sessions for people selling games. Law enforcement may be required because there are always bad apples, but there is much which can be done before that and it shouldn't be the first option. It's the easy way out. |
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In defense of some of the “immature comments” made by gamers, sure they could make sound intelligent comments, but those comments would be wasted if their target audience was unable to comprehend them.
Obliviously those are the only comments Mr. McCullough understands or why else would he completely avoid the creatable intelligent questions and comments posted. It is really easy to defend yourself against someone that writes the F*** 27 times, it is much harder to defend yourself against intelligent posts when you have no knowledge or understanding of the subject matter. Falling back on stereotypes and name calling allowed Mr. McCullough to keep some form of respect among those just as unknowledgeable on the subject matter.
Mr. McCullough should just say he is offended by his perceived girl on girl kissing (something that is completely untrue and Mr. McCullough would have known this if he would have done research). Of course if political talking heads from either side relied on actual facts to make an argument this country would not be in the shape it is today. Their weapon of choice is lies and unfounded actuations to obscure the other side points. Mr. McCullough just ran into a group that would not allow him to get away with it this time.
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Romance novels can be purchased at pretty much any retail outlet and have been available for years. They are 100 times more graphic than any game and can be purchased by anyone of any age. I think you should go after the romance novel, just be wary of the mobs of angry housewives. |
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FYI, Gamestop now has a new policy regarding sales of games rated M. Anyone who buys an M rated game from Gamestop has to present an ID. If the employee doesn't ask for it, not only will they employee get fired, but the manager on duty and the manager of that store will also get fired. "Secret shoppers" rate a store's compliance to this policy. I found this out last time I bought an M rated game.
Hopefully more retailers will adopt this policy. I agree that kids shouldn't be playing a game like this, but I'm more concerned about the violence than the "suggestive themes".
Next time someone points out your lack of research on an editorial, please don't attack an entire demographic. It's just as easy for us to stereotype you as it is for you to stereotype us. |
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To echo some of the earlier comments:
I must express my concern over your stereotyping of 'gamers'. I find it disturbing that you would make such a generalization, Mr. McCullough. As someone that could be called a gamer, I am mortified that you would make such claims against us. There is absolutely no excuse for encouraging bigotry.
As far as Mass Effect is concerned, I watched a friend play some of the game. When I asked him if 'that was the game that is supposed to have a sex scene', he replied that it was not graphic and a very brief. He could not have been more glib or disinterested.
You have a number of well-written and thought provoking comments here from people who would also call themselves 'gamers'; clearly, we are not the slobbering, sex fiend, beastiality-craving perverts you seem to believe we are. None of us want you to apologize for misrepresenting the game. The gamers want an apology for misrepresenting -us-. You have not rendered such an apology. |
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Hang on a second, you didn't apologise.
You didn't, you repeated the trick from your earlier (insulting) post where you apologised for claiming that players could alter the size of female character's breasts while totally failing to apologise for your larger errors.
Your article gave the impression that Mass effect was little more than porn, and did so from a position of spectacular ignorance and no research at all. You added to the hysteria which video games often suffer from, and the column you wrote still stands just as it was, without the footnote it clearly needs saying "Turns out, none of this was true, I regret the error."
And given that your defence on your radio program was that people who've only seen your posts about the game you imagined mass effect to be will not have seen how you rail against movies and television let me ask you:
Given that you concede R rated movies contain vastly more graphic scenes, where are your posts demanding that adults be unable to buy R rated movies from mainstream stores? |
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While I don't agree that the content of M.E. is objectionable or even that the government has a place censoring objectionable content, even for children, I can respect the differing view that the content is inappropriate for children.
I can even understand your complaint about the content in Mass Effect IF: you object to ALL objectionable content that gets itself into the hands of children, whether from a video games (I prefer the term "entertainment software"), or from TV or from library books or movies.
What I don't like to see is video games singled out. What I especially don't like to see is a great game that is put out by a respectable company like Bioware singled out as being "objectionable" when there are so many more worthy targets in the gaming world of your scorn.
If parents don't want their kids seeing PG13 type love scenes, Mass Effect is something they shouldn't let their kids play, and it deserves its M rating.
Rave about Grand Theft Auto and its evil . . . you'll get no opposition to me because, while I oppose gov't censorship, that game would be at the top of my list if I didn't.
Even though I don't support the whole notion that heterosexuality and homosexuality are moral equivalents, I find Mass Effect to have a positive message on the whole.
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Please read the insightful opinion of the 7th Circuit in American Amusement Machine Association vs. Kendrick et al. You can download it from the court's website (http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/fdocs/docs.fwx) by searching for case number 00-3643. Also, consider looking at some scholarly works on sexuality and society (Michel Foucault in particular).
Sex and sexuality are important and virtuous elements of the human experience. One severely limits his own world who does not give them their due consideration and respect.
Let go of the original post, which was clearly poorly informed. Try to find new wisdom in deeper consideration of these issues. |
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That American Amusement v. Kendrick is my favorite judicial opinion of all time. Note that Judge Posner, one of my heroes, the author of the opinion and an academic juggernaut, is NOT A LIBERAL BY ANY MEANS. America would be a MUCH better place if all appellate judges were as thoughtful and diligent as he.
No conservative should scorn the teachings of Judge Posner. His conservative stances are actually intellectually sound. I am a conservative and I hate to say it, but most conservative people that people listen to are idiots. Give Posner a blog and talk show. |
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You see, Kevin, when you call someone a name, like gamer-nerd, it hurts their feelings. That's not playing nice.
Now I'm not going to make you apologize. I think you know, in your heart, that name calling is wrong. I think you know that lying is wrong too.
Kevin, I won't make you say; I'm sorry. Do you know why?
Because, I think you are a big boy, and big boys can admit their mistakes.
Now, I want you to know, apologizing doesn't mean you will never do it again, but it does let us know that you will try and do better. I know you want to do better.
You're a good boy, and we love you. OK? |
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...you lied. You thought that your larger issue was worth some well-placed untruths so you lied. You have revealed your character. Nothing more need be added. |
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Part of the top ten facts:
4. The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 38 years old. In 2007, 92 percent of computer game buyers and 80 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.
http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php
I just want you to take a look at this percentage. What you are talking about in was that 8% and 20% are under the age of 18. And half of those percent were actually able to buy something not appropriate for their age. And this was back in 2006. As stated above the retailers are cracking down to lower fines and to protect their employees. At the same time removing the ability for the items to get in the wrong hands.
Now i have to say after going out and finding these you tube videos that you are still full of crap. There is more nudity on standard TV than in these clips.
It still amazes me that there are people in this world that are so close minded that they will stand by their views no matter how much evidence there is that contradicts it.
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Why Games? I have yet to play a single M rated game that has more graphic sexual content than many R rated movies that come each year. I also bet that if a study were taken it would be found that greater than 85% of "kids" who sought to see an R rated movie were successful. So, why games? FEAR. An irrational, bigoted FEAR of change. The EXACT SAME kind of fear that results in racism, sexism, and most other kinds of prejudice. |
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Other kids' games are all such a bore!
They've gotta have rules and they gotta keep score!
Calvinball is better by far!
It's never the same! It's always bizarre!
You don't need a team or a referee!
You know that it's great, 'cause it's named after me! |
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penny arcade's take on this whole situation
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/01/15 |
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Think about it, video gaming is one of the biggest entertainment industries around today, and gamers have and always have been productive members of society. We've come a long ways, and the idea that people like you are still spouting your presumptuous stereotypical neo-racism really saddens me.
Then again, I should attempt to get a talk radio show, if someone like you can get one, I'm sure someone of my moderate intellect could manage one as well.
But, I must point out that this is also the kind of sensationalism that gives Christianity a bad name, kind of like Pat Roberts saying the U.S. should carry out assassinations in foreign nations on God's business. Yes, smut should be kept out of the reach of children, but next time get your facts straight. The ESRB ratings are widely enforced, if you want to target some sensational subject allowing smut into a kid's hands, you might want to try keeping Sesame Street off the air, since from what I hear is now featuring a gay Burt and Ernie, and a muppet with AIDS. |
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You heard what Gabe said on PA- if you keep fueling this guy's ego he's only going to keep acting like a complete d0uche bag.
He's obviously not intelligent enough to remark on the hundreds (maybe even thousands) of messages that require him to think, so he's only going to keep pointing out gamers who treat him rudely (which is an image we don't want to portray anyway... unless you're a ten-year-old on xbox live... then that's all you exist to do).
Stop feeding the little monster we've come to know and love over the past few days and he'll soon be writing "witty" blog posts (read: not witty or funny at all) about whatever doesn't fit in his Christian, idealistic utopia he must think we live in. Simple as that.
This is my last post here- now I'm off to go play some more Mass Effect. It really does sadden me that I haven't been able to do some good ole thumping yet in the game... cause that's just what I bought it for! Actually, I'm only 4 or 5 hours in so I'm finally learning the best way to use the combat system. Couldn't ask for a better game when it comes to those decisions though... I love creating a unique story that I know will be different the next time I play through. |
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You seem to be missing the point here, we 'Gamer-nerds' for the most part agree that games like Mass Effect should not be played by those who are not old enough to purchace it.
In your 'Radio program', you claim to have gotten only 2 points wrong in your original article. No, MOST of your article was wrong.
Please, play the game, THEN write your oppinion. Even with the things you think that we, the people who have played it, have confirmed for you, are wrong. There are three (3) possible scenes, Alien-male, Alien-female, and male-female. None of which show anything more than what has been described by the previous posters.
And enforcement, if you don't want your kid playing games like this, then keep an eye on what he plays. Parents are the ones responsible for what their kids watch / play. And seeing as how you don't have an Xbox, because you actualy have a life, you would not know that there are very detailed parental controls, allowing for parents to dissable entirely the xbox's ability to even play games rated above the rating that a parent deems suitable for their child. That means that even if little johny gets his little 15 year old hands on a copy, he can't play it, because his parents made sure his xbox wouldent play it.
Honestly, you have blown this out of proportion compairing Mass Effect to Playboy. |
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I have to agree with you chris.
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Mr. McCullough,
I think you need to apologize to the "friends" who advised you.
"Ok - you can't have sex with every single character in the game... But between copulating with Aliens, girl on girl, guy on girl, and according to my gamer friends who I checked with"
I'm surprised that you hang out with "Gamer Nerds" and "perverts" who enjoy games about "rape" that are ruining the moral fiber of America...according to you anway. Why do you hang out with these people that you so loathe?
The way I see it, there are a few possibilities.
1) You don't have any "gamer friends" and made up that little lie to justify your poorly researched comments.
2) Your "gamer friends" do not play M rated games, or least not this particular game. Otherwise they would know that "rape" does not IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM make an appearance in the game. They would also know that the only customizable character is YOUR character. Like in a movie, the rest were created by the development team.
3) You secretly despise your "gamer friends" and think of them as "perverts" that play "rape" simulators, seeing as how they played this game. Then you took what were probably truthful comments about it and manipulated and sensationalized them into what can only be called ourtight lies.
So, in closing, please apologize to them (assuming they exist) because you have done them the greatest diservice here. You have either revealed your two-faced hatred of them, or taken their honest comments wildly out of context to pursue your own agenda. |
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Nobody cares what you think anyway. |
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I thank you for your apology, but unfortunately, I cannot let you off the hook just yet. What I have read in your previous entries on this subject can only be categorized as poor rhetoric. The article titled "Life Lessons:Gamers' "Rights" to Lesbo Alien Sex" in particular is filled with offensive language and ad-hominim fallacy. If this article had been published in a respectable way, using good argument and good sources (the Youtube videos were not altogether shocking to me,) than I may have listened. What I read, however, is the language of a football player patronizing the scrawny kid with glasses (Gamer-Nerds.) I do not care who threw the first punch in this fight. You would have been much better off if you approached the matter with a cool head, and allowed the message of one writing the f-word several times speak for itself.
In short: yes, I play video games. I am also a scholar, a teacher, and a respectable individual, much like many other game enthusiasts. For every deserving individual you insulted with your previous entry, you have insulted a wealth of respectable individuals with a harmless hobby. While we can accept and respect your apology, I am sure that I am not alone in wanting you to be aware of the level at which you have offended me, and the reason behind it.
God bless.
-C.M. |
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"As my callers had pointed out, the ratings enforcement - particularly by nationwide chains had dropped some forty percent between 2000 and 2005. In 2000 85% of minors attempting to purchase "M" rated video games were successful in doing so. In 2005 that number had been sharply reduced to 42%."
I'm sorry Kevin, but this doesn't make any sense. How can enforcement of ratings have dropped if the number of minors successfully purchasing these games has dropped also?
Perhaps it is a typo, but it seems your comments are still just as ill-informed. For the third time, CHECK YOUR FACTS.
Rory MacKinnon
Editor, In Unison |
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I am 33, have been married 7 years and have a kid on the way. I have a degree in Electronic Engineering and work for a major electronics manufacturer. Many of my peers are gamers - most grew up playing games of all sorts. As others haved pointed out, the median age of game purchasers is in the late 30s.
We grew up paying games and, as we've grown, we've looked for more mature content. As an adult, I don't want to play a Disney Movie, I want something that is intellectually stimulating and morally complicated. Mass Effect fits that bill perfectly. It has a grand total of about a minute of arguably adult content, out of 40 some odd hours of gameplay. I've seen more graphic content on network television.
The "M" Rating has the same requirements (age 17 or up) as the "R" rating, but I don't hear you aruging that "R" rated movies should be banned. I looked up the enforcement statistics for "R" Rated movies - about in 2003, about 36% of underage movie patrons were able to purchase a ticket to an "R" rated movie. I don't think it will be long at all before ESRB enforcement outstrips MPAA enforcement. As others mentioned above, some retailers are taking a hard line on ESRB enforcement in a way that Movie Theaters never have.
The question:
Do you believe that adults should be able to purchase games that contain mature content?
For more Gamers like me:
http://www.gamerdad.com
http://adultgamingenthusiasts.com/ |
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That was not an apology, that was pure spin. All of the ill-informed points you made stand.
Your Bible contains more explicit sex than Mass Effect. The human/alien sex which is implied in a cut scene isn't even sex as the race of aliens shown reproduces using their mind. Mass Effect is mature primarily in the sense that it it's story is well written. A maturity you obviously could never conceive of. |
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@ whitneyw:
Thank you for the link to the Amusement Machine Association vs. Kendrick et al. Case. Very insightful.
Here is a direct link:
http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/tmp/A01FG1L9.txt
My Favorite Quote:
"To shield children right up to the age
of 18 from exposure to violent descriptions and
images would not only be quixotic, but deforming;
it would leave them unequipped to cope with the
world as we know it."
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I'm sure someone mentioned this but I will go ahead and say it anyway. The supposed "sex-box" can be set up so M rated games won't play on it...not only that, it's really easy to do. In the current generation of game consoles, parents really have no excuse.
In the dashboard, scroll over to the right-most menu and select "Family Settings." Then select "Console Controls." After this, select "game ratings" then just set what ratings of games you want the Xbox 360 to allow.
There...problem solved! So I don't want to see any more silly articles about gaming destroying the nation's youth, I just told you how to stop it. ;p |
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Subject says it all.
I will help if you need factual information on games in the future. My email address should be available to you. |
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couple of points:
-parental controls on 360
-why is a tasteful sex scene 'objectionable content' (by whose standards??)
finally, advise everyone to listen to the following quote:
"I urge you not to encourage any further outbursts on his part: the man is strictly small-time, and you have the power keep it that way."
penny-arcade |
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i am somewhat surprised at this entry. It's not a full retraction on a community that turned out to be far larger, and more vocal, than you expected, that we deserve. (sure was a lot of commas in that sentence...) But it will do.
My major point of contention is that you, and many voices like yours that speak out against video games fail to recognize that this medium is exactly the same as movies and TV, merely a technological extension of storytelling that books, and originally cave paintings and spoken word were.
Hell, more murders have been committed in the name of liturature (one book - or type of book - in particular) that ever has in the name of videogames.
Currently, (in Australia, at least.) Videogames are held to the same rating and censorship laws as movies and TV, although those standards are applied a lot more harshly to videogames, particularly in the area of sex. What garners an M or sometimes even a PG in a movie or TV show gets an MA or withholding of release in a videogame.
I understand that this is because it's a (seemingly) new form of entertainment that much of society still hasn't fully grasped yet, and since change in society is somewhat gradual, i accept that in time, this will all fall into line and videogaming will be considered in the same light as it's predecessing media.
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All we, as part of the gaming community can do is educate, share information with those of you who do not know or understand, and thus fear this new medium. It was for kids. Now it isn't just for them. There are children's books, TV shows, and movies. But not all books, TV shows, and movies are for children.
I implore parents to educate themselves about the systems, checks, and balances the market and govornment of your home have put in place for you to educate yourselves about particular intellectual properties and the entertainment medium as a whole. Then educate your children. You profess to love them so much, prove it and take an interest in their passtimes, what they are watching, reading, and yes, PLAYING.
Be careful, though, you may just find yourselves accidentally having fun or being moved by a well crafted narrative as well. |
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Hard to believe this many educated folks can't spot an obvious troll when they see it. He is baiting you folks; ignore him and he will go away. Responses (note I am not talking to the 'author', but to you, who may write a comment below this one) are what he wants. Responses mean page views, and advertising, and lastly, it gives the 'author' a kind of tenuous legitimacy.
The art of trolling is to induce indignant rage. This is what the 'author' has acheived, and his sponsors and advertisers are loving the results.
Please - please... Make this the last comment, either in this thread or ever. Sycophants and yes-men, continue to agree, because somebody has to pay the 'author's' bills. Those with the intelligence to see through the game, award yourself one internet in the knowledge that you aren't funding these 'literary efforts' any further.
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It's people like you, and comments like the ones that you have made in the past few days that make me ashamed to be a registered Republican.
Calling for Government censorship (the destruction of the 1st Amendment), and for the government to have oversight on what we as a society as a whole can or can't see/watch/play based on the fact that some people find it offensive (advocation of a nanny state)?
How could you call for such things at the same time as calling yourself a Conservative, and still sleep at night?
I won't even start on the moral ramifications of your blatant falsehoods, both about games and gamers.
In short, the things you seem to be calling for over the past few days align themselves heavily with what the Democratic Party is currently aiming for. You, sir, would be better off voting for Hillary Clinton, seeing how you two share so much in common over your views on games and gamers. |
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First to point out. I do not go and tell female tennis players that they wear way too provacative skirts. Maybe it helps them run around on the court, maybe it keeps them cool?
The point I'm trying to make is that I do not know poop about tennis.
YOU do not know poop about video games. therefore you should stop talking about them.
You mention that you talk to people who play games and know about Mass Effect and the possibilities within Mass Effect for "sex". So they didnt even play the game they should not even talk about it.
I, on the other hand, have played Mass Effect and will let you in on the information you seem to be missing out on.
First off, there is no human lesbian sex, not possible, neither are three-somes or orgies (I tried to hook that up).
As for this Human Alien Lesbian sex, the alien species does not have genders therefore cannot have "lesbian" sex. Yes the aliens have boobs, but so do fat men. If you even looked into the alien races breeding, the alien species has more of a mental sexual encounter instead of a physical one. hope this helps when people tell you to f' off, at least you now know why. |
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"It is for me however the presence of the content at all that I reacted strongly too."
note: prepositioned infinitive is incorrect.
I signed up just to tell Kevin McBullocks that your grammar is an affront to all the parents and teachers trying to teach the difference between 'to' and 'too' to ~6 year old children.
I know, I know, in this "digital chip age", electronic spell-checkers are all the rage; however, that does not exonerate you from proof-reading before posting your preachy drivel.
I am of the opinion that your rights to post on the inter-webs should be revoked for your disregard of the English language.
And I stand by that opinion still. |
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We are not pleased.
This a collective response to Mr. Kevin McCullough. (Intended to be read steadily, aloud, and fairly peacefully.)
We Freemason's have had to deal with comments about our organization being corrupt and activly involved in a plot to take over America. We have not once recieved an apology from those who make these acusations, and if we were to recieve one about our organization, who does tireless community service work, in this format, we would not accept.
You have not only done a great dishonor to yourself by writing the article originally, but your two follow up articles are a joke, a shadow of what they should be, and your most recent one seems almost sarcastic.
If you truely wish to be redeemed in the eyes of the Gaming community, We call upon you to:
1. Appologize to those insulted by your uncalled for insults and stereotypes.
2. Not only play the game itself, but beat it, and post your opinion about "Mass Effect" after.
We Masons do not rush our actions, we consider all points of view, research for days, sometimes weeks at a time, and search our organization for anyone who feels that such an action is unwarented (We have many diverse members.) When we finally do act, we do so with; collective knowledge, tollerance, and alternative perspective.
If We Freemasons do make a mistake, we appologise with full hearts. Your stalwart sarcasim would never be allowed. I dare say that if you ever attempted to apply for membership, you wouldn't even be able to find a member to vouch for your compitence, let alone your moral character.
Please, in the future, be more sincere, a video on Youtube is not hard to make, and we can see past your woven web of English loopholes.
Sincerly,
California Mason Lodge #15 |
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Well I'd like to applaud you on the very least of having some semblance of being an adult in this column... third time's the charm I suppose. I do appreciate the fact that you changed your obvious attempt at an insult, the usage of the phrase "gamer nerd," into the more acceptable and less misguided "gaming universe." This, dare I say, apology, isn't that, though it is nice to see that you are finally hinting at admitting to being wrong. Not that there was any doubt.
To be fair, you as a human being disgust me.
Maybe in the future you will grow up enough to actually be honest and give the whole story, not merely the fictitious parts that give your invalid opinion substance. |
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"I'm sure most of you are still in school"
err no the average age of a gamer is over 30... why cant people seem to understand that?
nto all gamers are 15 year olds in school. |
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McCullough PLEASE POST AN INFORMATIVE ARTICLE ON THIS
Lou says
"Parental Controls
I'm sure someone mentioned this but I will go ahead and say it anyway. The supposed "sex-box" can be set up so M rated games won't play on it...not only that, it's really easy to do. In the current generation of game consoles, parents really have no excuse.
In the dashboard, scroll over to the right-most menu and select "Family Settings." Then select "Console Controls." After this, select "game ratings" then just set what ratings of games you want the Xbox 360 to allow.
There...problem solved! So I don't want to see any more silly articles about gaming destroying the nation's youth, I just told you how to stop it. ;p "
you would help by informing a LOT of parents and also help protect some of the children you allegedly wish to shield.
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...you half-apologized, and from reading some of these comments you've half-saved face (come on guys, get with it). Now take the next step Kevin. You can do it! Admit you are ignorant AND stupid. You can split that into two separate statements if you so wish. If you want eternal salvation, do it ON THE AIR.
Oh, and congratulations on all the hits to your worthless blog. You can thank PA for that.
I'm also curious what REALLY prompted this..uh.. response from you. I am absolutely positive you are not being honest about any of it just like everything you wrote in that article. I know honest Christians, and you definitely are not in that crowd. Nowhere near it. That crowd is here on Earth. |
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Are you aware that every major gaming console has built in parental controls? It's a simple matter of changing the settings and games(and movies) like the one you hate so much can't be played without the password you decide on.
Just google "xbox 360 parental controls" and you'll find several tutorials on how to do it...
The means to keep these games out of the hand of minors already exist....that is if the parents make a simple 1 time effort to stop them... |
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Dear Sir: You are a liar. You are homophobic. I have absolutely no respect for you. I can respect opinions. But your article on this game wasn't an opinion. It was a lie. |
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I'm not quite sure how to accept this apology. You seem to regret agitating the gaming community (you seem slightly surprised at the response despite the negative put-downs and remarks you threw our way). In one hand, you did apologize. On the other hand, you did exaggerate the truth and abused the trust people have come to expect from journalists. As you might remember, Stephen Glass of TNR pulled the same stunt (albeit on a much grander scale). I would simply like to know what kind of punishment Mr. McCullough will be facing. You either did not conduct and proper research in your first article, or you made a malicious attempt to defame someone's work. There is no way to determine which route Mr. McCullough took, but I hope that it's clear that either action requires some sort of reprimand by Townhall to show that journalistic integrity should come before sensationalism.
Besides this point, why would you attack Mass Effect? You had your choice of the Leisure Suit Larry series, BMX XXX, and thousands of online sex games available online (Flash games with little to not age protection). I would simply like to know why this decision was made. |
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Your Irresponsibility in the topic at hand is incredible. Here's a hint, either you or the people you hire do actual research into the topic at hand before launching whatever inane "crusade" you want to pursue.
If you did, you would find out that you actually don't see anything that would be classified as "Virtual Orgasmic Rape" or objectional in any way, at least if you were a sane person. You owe an real apology to Bioware and Microsoft, who you slighted with your ranting. |
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I do so hope that you can sleep better at night. After all, you have just taken the first step to telling the turth. you must fear lawsuits, but they are unlikely to come, because you have done what a massively expencive PR campagin could not do for Mass Effect, you have given it immense advertising. I do so hope that you get the chance to host Jack Thompson on your show, for surely he is a kindrid sperit to your own. He too sought to gain noterity for himself by attacking video games, targeting the wrong games, and suceeded in providing advertising for them. Perhaps as you reflect upon this entire escapade, you will consider the price you have extracted from the cause you profess to care about. For surely you have done more damage then any media blitz could ever achive.
You have made me a very happy gamer, because with oppistion like this, freedom is assured.
-Resting calmly in CA. |
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Mr. McCullough,
You're "apologizing" about the wrong thing. Go back to what you wrote before and try to figure out what was REALLY offensive about it, and then think who and what you should be apologizing for.
BTW, someone mentioned that the average age of a gamer is 20 - 24. No, it's not. It's 33. Shocking, isn't it?
Why then are grandstanding ignoramus'es like Mr. McCullough so upset that once in a while the gaming industry releases games meant for adult audiences?
I'd also like to point out that while 40% of kids are still able to buy mature rated video games at retailers, you should be aware that the 40% number is actually better than the equivalent number of kids able to buy or rent R rated movies. R-rated movies and M-rated video games are both 17+. |
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Your concern over access to mature video games is far overblown, and you're missing the very obvious fact, (to anyone who has come of age in the internet era), that there is no possible way to prevent a curious 13 year old, (to throw a random age out there), from obtaining just about as much pornographic material as he or she desires.
Porn is out there, and it will always be out there. You cannot stop it. China can't even stop it, and they don't try to honor basic freedom to information.
So, here's the deal: teens, the same as adults, play games for entertainment. teens, the same as adults, access pornography for sexual gratification. The fact is, if a person's hands are on a controller, they aren't on something else. You are a fool if you think that any game with an M rating is even in the game ballpark as the kind of smut that is freely available online to anyone with a libido and half a brain.
Now, grow up, get a real job, and stop politicking about "toy boxes" and games that you know jack sh!t about, you condescending prick.
If you really want to fix this country, try curtailing the lobbying efforts of the defense contractors that rape and pillage us all in the name of some esoteric concept of security.
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"It is for me however the presence of the content at all that I reacted strongly too."
No. You reacted strongly to content THAT WAS NEVER THERE.
This is still back peddling and demonstrative of very little personal character on your part until you actually own up to your actual error.
You didn't research a topic before ranting at length villifying it. How can you not see how terribly terribly terribly wrong that is? Good God man, your medium here is journalism, how can you not see how big an error you have made?
Kevin, it's great that you're appologizing for half of what you did in making yourself out to be a jack-@ss. But still, you're only, maybe, half way there. Okay, so you're sorry for being a prick. Alright, how about saying you're sorry for also being a hack who didn't do his homework before he shot his mouth off? |
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Hi Kevin,
I am sure many gamers agree with you in wanting to keep age-restricted titles out of the hands of those too young for them and I feel this draws an important line between two sides of this discussion.
I have queued in a line of mothers with their young sons on the release day of GTA:SA, a game later heaped in controversy due to sex scenes inaccessible without downloading and installing a patch. It seems to me that a young teenager technically adept enough to do this would be able to find porn on the internet, making the failure of the makers to fully remove the content a bit of a moot point made all the more moot by the game not meant to be in the hands of minors.
I have been asked by my manager to find cheat codes for the same game so his son might enjoy it more. I did not feel the need to enlighten him about the above Hot Coffee mod.
I feel parental responsibility has much to do with this, an age classification system, no matter how well-enforced, falls flat if a parent is buying their under-age children the game. I am afraid that talk of video games being childish or for kids only harms our shared wish for children not to view inappropriate content, not that I am levelling these charges against you. But I am afraid that an over-reaction to an M rated game runs the risk of inciting parents to outlaw videogames altogether, including those that may have a beneficial effect. |
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A friend of mine is the fastest MMO leveller I have ever seen. I have been playing City of Heroes casually for 18 months, she only 4, but she is now a higher level than me. She does this by being fantastically good at the social aspects of online gaming, by teaming effectively and by cultivating and maintaining friendships in that online world, skills a child would do well to learn for application to real life. She also ignores those who have shown themselves to be less than team players. Similarly, those who learn to take command in Counter Strike: Source will usually lead their team to victory.
This is of course skipping over Mario Teaches Typing and educational games such as Globetrotters.
So there is an important point to be made: whilst age-restricted content should be kept out of the hands of those not old enough for it, computer games can and do teach important skills and life lessons. If the point of a game is to be a microcosm where one can engage in an alternate reality it is worth remembering that it is the same skills which lead to success in this world that will lead to success in the game.
Oh, and I would like to add my name to the list if you ever require advice on game-related matters.
Peace. |
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A 7-second romantic scene with the side of a breast and a butt is objectionable??? |
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While I agree that more can be done to curb the sale of M rates titles to children, i disagree with virtually every other thing you have written. Just to put things into perspective:
Average Age of Gamers
33
Percentage of Gamers Over the Age of 18:
73%
WOMEN age 18 or older represent a significantly
greater portion of the game-playing population (31%)
than boys age 17 or younger (20%)
The Average age of the MOST Frequent Game Purchaser
38
Mature Rated Titles Represent ONLY 15% of Video Game Sales While E Rated Games represent over 45%
A simple trip to the ESA website would have told you all you need to know, yet you sit and generalize making up facts as you go along. For this, I, like many gamers will not forgive you. Ignorance is what has driven this country (the US) down the drain over the course of the last 7 years, and while that's an extreme example, it shows that it can not be tolerated. Do yourself a favor and RESEARCH before you put your foot in your mouth. If you truly think that a 5 second PG-13 side boob and kiss is objectionable (after 30 hours of gameplay), I think you need to reassess your moral standing.
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Seriously...it's really easy for parents to set this up to ensure that (at least at their house) no games with the M rating are played. I will repeat the instructions on how to do this...and if you are still unsure please just call up a tech support person and have them walk you through it. Technology is great once you learn how to use it...
Again...
In the dashboard, scroll over to the right-most menu and select "Family Settings." Then select "Console Controls." After this, select "game ratings" then just set what ratings of games you want the Xbox 360 to allow.
These parental controls are put in to address the concern of Mature games being sold to under-age gamers. Please, get this information out there so the problem can be addressed. I mean heck...you can even put in a password that will allow you to play your M rated games while still blocking your kids from playing them. It really is amazing...
And yes, an article on how to set up these parental controls would be great. Though it won't get you as much publicity, it will be useful to a lot of people.
I just saved America's youth...Nobel Peace prize here I come. ;p
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It looks like Townhall.com deleted his article. I guess even they couldn't condone lying. |
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I guess this is the best we could have hoped for given your obvious lack of ethics and character. Good luck with the whole journalism thing thing though. I hope the next witch you hunt is as prepared to defend themselves as the intelligent and well-informed, mature (30+ years old on average) gaming community. |
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Well basically this NOBODY, through his own STUPIDITY managed to create a little bit of infamity around his name.
He has now realised over the course of 2 days, how ill informed and retarded he is.
His attack on 'gamer-nerds' shows how stereotypical, single minded and absent of any kind of personal valour, people who validate their own misguided lives through GOD are.
This guy has hit on a gold mine, through his iniquity and has reaped the scorn of his words.
Lets not let this go to his head and make him think that we actually give a s h i t about him, his site or his life.
LEAVE THE BLOG ALONE
DONT COMMENT
BOYCOTT HIM THROUGH SILENCE
AND LET HIM SLOWLY AND WITH HIS TAIL BETWEEN HIS LEG SLUMP OFF, TO HIS BORING CONSERVATIVE LIFE.
FOR WE ARE THE VICTORIOUS TODAY MY FRIENDS
NOT THIS SMALL PRICKED NOBODY
ali out |
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The "too" at the end should have been "to" as "too" means aswell.
Also, you should know that while 42% is pretty bad, it's not nearly as bad as movies (above 50%, 56% if memory serves) and musc (between 80% and 90%).
I'm interested to know what exactly you find offensive about the content you're referring to. This is not a joke. Is it simple because you find all nudity in media offensive (still not joking), or are is it specifically the fact that there is a possibility of what appears to be to women having sex?
I agree that this game is definitely not for children, but personally I find the violence more obejectionable when it comes to younger children. That's one aspect where we north americans differ greatly from Europe: in Europe, nudity is considered to be no big deal, but violence is abhored.
It's interesting that nudity and sex, natural things that you believe God made (I'm assuming, admittedly), is extremely offensive to you, but you have no problem with your son playing a game in which his objective is to kill people as effieciently as possible (the Bond game you referred to in your, now missing, original article. |
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The "too" at the end should have been "to" as "too" means aswell.
Also, you should know that while 42% is pretty bad, it's not nearly as bad as movies (above 50%, 56% if memory serves) and musc (between 80% and 90%).
I'm interested to know what exactly you find offensive about the content you're referring to. This is not a joke. Is it simple because you find all nudity in media offensive (still not joking), or are is it specifically the fact that there is a possibility of what appears to be to women having sex?
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I may have just reposted half of my original comment. |
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I realize that I corrected Mr. McCullough's language, and then proceded to make errors of my own, but frankly, he was publishing an article (on a blog admittedly), and I was too lazy to put my comment in world and run a spell-check. |
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Yes it was a nice attempt at an apology. However as has been pointed out by many (some more eloquently than I) you have angered the gaming populace as a whole.
What you may fail to recognize is that the Gaming Industry has actually overtaken the film industry in revenue. This should be vitally important to you. Should someone like Bioware (or god forbid Microsoft itself) decide to take you to task for libel, they do in fact have plenty of resources to do so. Consider that Activision currently grosses more than most smaller movie studios by themselves. Now that consoles like the Nintendo Wii have brought in the 'casual gamer' (many over the age of 60 I might add) you will find this group larger and more diverse as time goes on.
Consider yourself very lucky that the gaming industry (while powerful) is young and reasonably giving on such matters. It has taken years of mudslinging by Jack Thompson to finally get himself sued.
Also, my belief is that it is your personal responsibility to take care of what your children get in the media not the governments'. One might call you a libertarian, but your frighteningly prudish sensibilities regarding sex puts you squarely into 'right-wing nut-job' so far.
Admittedly this is my first exposure to you and your personality (and probably not you at your best), but this doesn't bode well. I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt as you do seem to be able to string together a decent sentence (more than the average person I talk to these days) but it will take serious effort on your part. |
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Some here seemed to still believe this was an honest mistake. How sweet...and naive. You obviously made the whole thing up. You lied. But who cares, right?
God cares. What's that, like the 5th commandment? Since you claim to believe in the same god I do, I care. Because your lies make christians look like liars, wich is not helpfull? You have also substracted the world a BIT of trust and added a bit of SUSPICION. Ruining the world? Finally, It hurts you. If the suckers you write to daily finally get it you make crap up, they'll never EVER trust you. Cry wolf?
I don't live in Germany, but if I claimed the streets were made of bacon, would you believe:
1)It's an honest mistake "My cousin told me so..."
2)He's 'CRAZY'
3)He obviously meant for the less savvy to think so.
The only other possibility other than outright lie is that you were doing some acid, and watching porn, and you woke up to a Mass Effect ad. |
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You are another so called 'journalist' that has fallen into the pit trap of blaming common media for problems. To top that up, you've managed to support it with falacious information. It's really too bad you are just exercising the same freedom as the developers of the game. They made a game that you wanted to attack and blame the problems of society on, and you threw in a few lies because, well, as you pointed out, we gamers are degenerates, correct?
A couple of more things to point out. I noticed that you wouldn't post an intellegent argument or debate against points that were brought up against you. Instead you use ignorance as proof. Which is coincidental, because this article is proof of media using games as a scapegoat and attempting to open the door (even farther mind you) to blaming societies problems on it.
First Radio, then TV, now Games.
Since you're a religious conservative, remember the old Sunday school teaching "It's easy to paint your devil big and red...".
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Kevin,
I was the one who commented on your other blog post to tell you how depressing it was to see another person reaching a conclusion based on bad information and then digging in their heels even after being given the correct information. So as you imagine, I am quite happy to see this post, and that you have removed the original article and its misinformation. Thank you! It clears the air for discussion of the real issues.
I'm sure we can do better than 42% - in fact, I'm positive we already are. I've seen some ads lately setting out what the game ratings mean, which is sure to help. I used to work part time for a game retailer back when I was in college, and you wouldn't believe how hard it was to convince some people that they should not be buying this or that game for their kid. One grandmother shouted at me when I tried to tell her why she should not buy Grand Theft Auto for her grandson - of course her sweet little boy wouldn't want a game like that! Now that they're educating parents on what the games ratings mean, though, I'm sure that that is less of a problem. I think the biggest challenge to enforcement is getting big box retailers like Best Buy to get their cashiers to card; since they sell more than just games, it's harder to drum carding into their heads. |
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You do have to realize that the largest current generation of gamers who grew up on the Nintendo Entertainment System are, logically, not teenagers. NES was available in the States in 1985. If the average kid who started playing it back then was amazingly gifted and could cognitively play at the age of three, they would be about 25 right now. This is, of course, a low estimate.
Now as a 25 year old who has all legal access to everything now, a college degree(and we know there's no sex in college), and a generally above average intelligence...I may want something that is a little more adult, with adult themes, and challenges that are epic and fantastical to allow me some completely impossible fun when I'm not putting in my 40 at the office. Thank you Bioware for delivering. The intimate scene in question is generally tasteful, not long enough to really bother the flow of the game, and--BEST OF ALL--completely optional. Let me let that sink in. COMPLETELY OPTIONAL.
Sexuality is part of everyday life, otherwise we wouldn't be here. For Bioware to include it in a game made for adults most definitely doesn't seem grotesque or shocking. If you don't like that option, don't spend hours specifically following the dialog branch to reach it. Or simply don't buy it. |
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it's this kind of attention that some people throw at games. The general consensus lacks the understanding that video games are the greatest evolution of storytelling, and that they need to be given some respect. At the moment, we're seeing growing pains, sure. I won't say that GTA isn't filth. I also won't say that there is no reason why it shouldn't be allowed to exist, but it is, in fact, filth. Rampant killing of innocent bystanders just isn't quite right, granted, it keeps violent minds preoccupied with something that is of no harm to the real world.
However, an actual work of art like Mass Effect does not deserve such criticism. Was Titanic a filthy piece of smut because it had nudity (more than Mass Effect, no less, and with real boobies)and sex? The vast majority of people would agree "no." So why should Mass Effect be treated any differently?
The scene wasn't tasteless, it wasn't frivolous, it was actually, within the context of the story, a little somber. The two characters are individuals who are very much in love and are possibly in the last moments of their lives (and knowing Mass Effect, a death could have occured). Given their situation, they decide to consummate their love before facing what could be their ends.
Although it may not fall in line with a christian point of view with regards to marriage, it's still realistic and touching.
As for how you can adjust race, gender, etc., what should that matter? Is there something wrong with interracial couples? As for the homosexuality, the only thing I saw wrong with it is that BioWare decided that it would only be okay to have a lesbian partnership. If they're going to do it, they should complete the motion. Then again, I guess there just weren't any gay guys on the Normandy, and that's okay too.
I guess what I'm ultimately trying to get at is that Mass Effect is what I believe to be a step in the right direction.
A RESPONSIBLY mature game. |
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I would not have expected this article to come after the previous two. The original response article (the second one written) seemed very hasty and reactionary. Thankfully, this article is much more measured and civil and restores some lest credibility I think.
I would have thought that pride or indignation would have kept you from making any further comment on the subject, especially with such a renewed sense of rationality. It is much easier to accept your stance on such as issue when you state your issues without being antagonistic. While many may disagree with how you feel about sexual content, it is apparent that you have returned this particular debate to a tone of human respect and decency (which is often rare in the often faceless or anonymous communications facilitated by the internet).
I hope that the gaming populace who respond to this message take on a similar tone of civility and maturity, even if some of us are frustrated 15-year-old boys.
Thank you. |
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Seriously, give the guy a break. It took a good deal of guts to come out with any sort of apology. If you have any interest in there ever being an intelligent discourse about video games between gamers and non-gamers, you would accept the apology as is. Don't push it.
If you really want to be the "bigger man" here (and you should!), then you will accept his apology. He didn't do anything bad other than argue with you in a petty fashion that, frankly, is the specialty of many young gamers (whose emails I am sure he received in bulk).
So let us, as a community (*sigh* if there really is a gaming community to be spoken of), apologize for the idiocies of some of our more brash compatriots (read: those guys who sent him a bunch of hate mail), and stop suggesting that he apologize more or give money to child's play or something like that. He owes you no penance.
Good day. |
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It is rare and, I have to admit, admirable to see somebody who takes such a strong stance on something admit his mistakes and apologize. I am a twenty year old college student who enjoys gaming as a regular hobby, and probably spends at least some time each day using some form of virtual entertainment.
That being said, I am just as tired of the so-called "gaming community" trying to create a villian out of every single person who believes game content should be regulated as I am of those who attack the industry with no understanding of it. Clearly you wrote your original post without getting all your facts straight, and for this you have apologized, but I do think that your heart was in the right place to begin with.
I have absolutely no use for censorship, but I DO feel strongly about violent and overtly sexual material ending up in the hands of minors. Further steps need to be taken to keep this from happening in many of the new forms of entertainment and media which have really come into their own in recent years.
Really, the best way to fix the issue of adult material falling into the hands of children is to insure that rating groups like the ESRB are doing their jobs, and to make certain that the ratings are enforced. Adult games should not be marketed to children.
If you wish to continue exploring this issue, you'll want to actually gather some information on the games, as opposed to simply attacking based off of the first article you read. Also you'd do well not to lump all "gamers" together. There are plenty of highly intelligent and socially functional people out there who enjoy video games, and it would be a mistake to attack them as well.
I wish you the best of luck, and once again, thank you for the apology. |
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If you want to continue persuing this, check out Rockstar, a gaming company known for tasteless violence and sex scenes, and which employs this sort of immature content to sell its products. If any part of the industry needs to be brought down a peg or two, that's it. |
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http://ignorekevin.townhall.com/
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I thought stereotyping geeks and nerds was a habit that finishes with high school. At least, that is how it should be. You may not be aware yet, but most of the anger towards your last article did not arise from your flawed analysis of Mass Effect, but from your flawed analysis of all video gamers.
Stereotyping is harmful, creates unnecessary conflict, and is the basis of the more serious hate crimes on homosexuals today. Your real agenda was to demonize video gamers, and Mass Effect was just a foothold to help you get on your high horse. You say that all gamers (or at least the overwhelming majority of them) are awkward, socially inept teenagers, but where do you find the people that grew up with Pac-Man and Donkey Kong in the 1980's? They didn't stop aging, nor did they disappear of the face of the earth.
I don't really think you were speaking out your true opinions in the last article. You have preferred to jump on the anti-game bandwagon instead, and as we all know bandwagons favor sensationlism rather than the truth, because they rely on viral practices to get more supporters. |
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I don't accept your disingenuous "apology". You made sweeping generalizations about an entire subculture. And the "smut" scene in question is nothing more than a tasteful love scene. I have a feeling you only really object to it because it seemingly depicts two women - and like a typical ignorant conservative, you've got something against the gays.
I'm sorry you have hangups and psychological issues regarding human sexuality. Perhaps you would benefit from therapy.
In the meantime, since you're pointing fingers at anything containing any percentage of "objectionable" content, the Christian Bible contains hundreds of verses depicting such smutty topics as incest, bestiality, polygamy and rape (not to mention slavery, animal sacrifice and genocide). In fact, according to Deuteronomy 22:28-29, a woman who is raped must marry her rapist. Any "moral" person would find such horrific content to be highly objectionable, wouldn't you say?
You want to ban something? Start there. |
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First off, let me say "LOL" to Rygar... although you also forgot about the part where working on Sundays, back talking your parents, and having civil discourse about religion are all capital crimes. Jesus' teachings were a bit more gentle than that.
Anyways, I was once a cashier at Target in my hometown for roughly two years. I can't count on my hands and feet how many times I saw some unknowing parent breeze through my lane with a GTA game in their hand and an 11 year old smiling in tow. While I was not obligated to inform the parent, I did try to tell them that they were buying an M rated game for their child, and that they should read the ratings label on the back. About 50% of them wound up not purchasing the game. The problem at hand is partially with careless retailers and partially with apathetic parents. Those Undercover Shop statistics only give part of the picture. The other half, as I stated before, is a complete unwillingness on the part of parents to do proper research into these games before they make the purchase for their kids. |
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Why are you here? This is a conservative site.. Conservatives don't believe in censorship of any kind, by definition. They like SMALL government, and choosing what our kids can and can't see isn't a characteristic of small government.
Go away. Find some liberal blog site where you can promote the decay of parental responsibility, because you don't belong on Townhall. |
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My biggest problem with his assertions were their extreme inaccuracy. I don't want his apology for his opinion of "gamers", but to the world as a journalist. His entire rant on Mass Effect was made up. No research was done.
A simple google search for "gamer average age", reveals 33 yrs old, he average game purchaser is 38. http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php
Movies with almost identical scenes are PG-13. The entire X-Men series has Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) running around without clothes, and a nearly identical scene to Mass Effects, with Wolverine on bottom. The game was rated M for the violence. The "sex scene" probably wouldn't warrant censorship from daytime television. However, the Xbox 360 (which is the only platform Mass Effect is currently available on) also has parental controls available which can block all M-rated games from being played without a password.
But I digress. My only reason for posting was to state Mr. McCullough's blatant failure to find out any facts before his rant (or half-hearted apology). But since when do facts matter when attempting to stir up emotions and make oneself look important. |
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I can barely voice my response to your original article (rant would by a more appropriate term) without using words and phrases inappropriate for this site. This insincere, extremely short half-assed "apology" just does not cut it, and only adds fuel to the fire.
"advocates for such shocking things as absolute truth, as well as proper stewardship and integrity in the actions of our public leaders."
http://kevinmccullough.townhall.com/About.aspx
This is suppose to describe you, Kevin McCullough. Now, putting our differences in opinion about "objectional material" aside, let us discuss your absolute failure in displaying the above quote.
I ask, where is the "absolute truth," when you flat out lied about the content in "Mass Effect." I'm sure many people have beaten you over the head with the correct information about "Mass Effect;" however, where is your apology for lying? How does your ranting using faulty assumptions about a game you knew nothing about show "integrity"?
You compared an entire group of people of ALL AGES to not only perverts. but serial killers and porn addicts. Again, where the hell is your apology for this? All we... I got was a muddled mumble about how you were wrong about the enforcement of the rating system.
For your future reference because you are obviously confused about what "absolute truth," and "integrity" mean.
TRUTH:
1 a archaic : fidelity constancy b: sincerity in action, character, and utterance2 a (1): the state of being the case : fact
— in truth : in accordance with fact : actually
INTEGRITY:
1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility
synonyms see honesty
For further explanations see
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/truth
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Integrity |
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Late to the part, as always, but I can see where you are comming from... at least partly.
Creating adult orientated video games (not necessarily sexual content but mature never the less) shouldn't be a major thing. After all, the first generation of computer gamers are now in their 30's and 40's... still playing games.
Enforcment of the age rating should however have legal repocussions for those failing to do so. For example, a lot of the games people have ranted about in the USA are, here in England 18 rated. They have BBFC 18 logo's on the packaging, exactly as you would see on an 18 rated movie (Robocop to name one example of an 18). Anyone caught selling it to a minor is due for a hefty fine, no if's no buts.
You also have another problem, parents. Parents are actually buying their kids these games and leaving them to play it without any supervision. Which is both wrong and speaking as a 30 year old highly irritating when I'm playing the latest on-line gore fest shooter and some 13 year old is throwing insults at me; because I can't really as an adult start using adult language at a child.
So yes, more from the stores please but also perhaps a campaign of parental education about what those age ratings and guidelines really mean. |
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...but come on...
"It is for me however the presence of the content at all that I reacted strongly too."
Are you serious?
I'm not sure which version of Mass Effect you're playing, but the retail version on store shelves has intimate content that is no more graphic than anything on regular TV. In fact, most shows on TV are more graphic in their depiction of sex and violence than anything in Mass Effect (Family Guy, CSI, 24, Futurama, South Park, et al...).
So why not go after the networks? Is it because video games and its culture is so foreign to you as to be something to fear, and subsequently attack?
Please recognize that most "gamer-nerds" are actually grown, 30-something women and men w/jobs and families (and high incomes and voting power). The video game culture isn't a place full of pimple faced teens wanking to digital genitalia, Kev.
Please do wake up and join the rest of us in 2008. It's a wonderfully high tech place to be!
And again, otherwise, do keep up the good work!
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"If someone tells me that I've hurt their feelings, I say, 'Well, I'm still waiting to hear what your point is.' I'm very depressed at how in this country you can be told 'That's offensive!' as if those two words constitute an argument, or a comment. Not to me, they don't, and I'm not running for anything, so I don't have to pretend to like people when I don't." - Christopher Hitchens on Authors@Google.
Let's get a serious argument next time Kevin, instead of this white noise drivel. |
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what you are saying about removing M games from national retailers, you do realise thats like removing R rated movies from circulation?
of course you probably are against anything thats under PG, arent you,
I hope you die slowly. from Aids. in extreme pain. that, or try and grow a brain. |
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