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How did various media outlets report the FTC gaming report?
Filed under: Culture, Business
Here’s some light weekend reading about politics, the media and gaming. Earlier this week the U.S. Federal Trade Commission released a report about the gaming industry. The real fun for industry folk was seeing how all the various media outlets would report the news and what their headlines would be. Below is the list, shamelessly ripped-off from Dennis McCauley over at GamePolitics, of various media outlets and their take on the report:
- FTC says content curbs fall short - L.A. Times
- Report says the young buy violent games and movies - NY Times
- FTC: self-regulation of violent content working - Beta News
- Children still see ads for violent content - Advertising Age
- FTC scolds marketers about violent content - AdWeek
- FTC: violence still marketed to youths - Hollywood Reporter
- Report: Violence still aimed at kids - Variety
- FTC violence marketing report show general compliance - Broadcasting & Cable
- FTC Report: Violence Still a Problem in Marketing - TV Week
- FTC: game industry self-policing improving - GameSpot
- FTC: M-rated games still marketed to minors - Next Generation
- FTC: games are better regulated than music, movies - Ars Technica
- FTC report: mixed reviews on industry’s ability to self-regulate - Joystiq
- FTC: game industry stricter than movies, music - Kotaku
- FTC report praises, spanks video game industry - GamePolitics
As McCauley asks in his headline accompanying the list above, “Were these media outlets reading the same report?” The various headlines make us think of the classic question: If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to see it, does it make a sound? Some say yes, some say no, some say it explodes into various pieces, some say the Earth Mother picked it back up, some say there is no tree. The various headlines and the stores with them is a good read on the diversity of voice in the media — especially when it comes to gaming.
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Red Octane says Xbox 360 guitars patched via Xbox Live
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals, Rhythm, Business
Apparently Red Octane discovered the problem in their guitars and fixed it with a software patch this morning. On Red Octane’s website they’re saying that as of 4 AM pacific today a patch is available via Xbox Live that “should resolve the situation where input from the whammy bar was not always recognized.”
Red Octane admitted a week ago that two models of their Xbox 360 guitars were “defective.” This followed a week of wannabe guitar heroes discovering that their axes were having problems with their whammy bar, strangely the whammy defect seemed to have a higher prevalence in the first batch of guitars with a 95055 on the box. Red Octane says the situation is fixed now. This doesn’t explain the sticky yellow fret button or the complaints of “shocks” by some people, but the original whammy bar issue seems resolved. People with “defective” guitars, after downloading the patch, is it fixed?
[Thank you James]
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Gallery exhibit looks to teach parents about video games
Filed under: Culture
Brenda Brathwaite is a vocal advocate within the industry known for frank discussions on sex, censorship and ESRB issues. Recently she was awarded the 2007 Presidential Fellowship at the Savannah
College of Art and Design to create a lecture and gallery exhibit titled, “What You Don’t Know About Video Games…” The installation is aimed at parents and others unfamiliar with video games and the industry. The lecture is designed to cover all kinds of topics like ratings, game content, career options and the good video games are doing in all kinds of fields.
The portion that Brathwaite is most excited about is the exhibit. It’ll be in an actual gallery space and will give parents a hands-on guided tour of video games at every rating level from E to AO. The latter, of course, will not be readily viewable, and not at all viewable by those under 18. Brathwaite says, “For me, the motivation comes from both being a parent, a game designer and an acquaintance of many parents who know little about our industry, or believe that video games ‘are just for kids,’ or some great violence-filled, blood-soaked evil … Hopefully, they’ll come away more knowledgeable about our industry, excited about the games we make and better able to make informed choices at retail.”
For those who have seen Brathwaite speak, she knows how to keep an audience’s attention. She explains large concepts in a clear and entertaining manner. If there is anyone we think can explain the industry to parents evenly by showing the good and the bad — it’s Brathwaite. We’ll learn more about exhibit details and look forward to some preview photos as the opening draws near. What we’re really hoping for is a good internet video of the lecture and exhibit for those who can’t get to Savannah but want to see it — or show it to someone who should.
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Pachter: Activision right to buy Red Octane instead of Harmonix
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals, Business
In the wake of Red Octane’s controversial Guitar Hero II launch on the Xbox 360 and MTV’s purchase of Harmonix — the original developers of Guitar Hero — there’s one big pink elephant question floating around the industry: Did Activision make a mistake when they purchased publisher, peripheral manufacturer, Guitar Hero rights holder Red Octane instead of developer Harmonix?
Michael Pachter, managing director at Wedbush Morgan Securities, thinks Activision made the right decision, “Would you pay $150 million dollars for someone who ripped off [Konami's] Guitar Freaks? The game is fun, I totally respect Harmonix, I’m sure Red Octane turned to them [with Guitar Hero] and said let’s figure out a way to rip off Guitar Freaks and help sell our peripherals … I think at the end of the day, the MTV/Harmonix game [Rock Band] will be a good game, it will cannibalize market share. I think it’s good for consumers and it’ll make Activision and Neversoft work harder [on Guitar Hero III].”
The entire situation between Red Octane and its former developer Harmonix has become very complex. With Activision’s purchase of Red Octane and MTV’s purchase of Harmonix the two companies are on very separate paths. Red Octane has retained Neversoft to develop the next Guitar Hero. Red Octane retained all rights to Guitar Hero, including the look and — most importantly — the guitar.
Continue reading Pachter: Activision right to buy Red Octane instead of Harmonix
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Prince of Persia rated by Germans for XBLA
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Puzzle
Get ready for two big words. The German Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) ratings board recently tested a game called Prince of Persia Classic — it received a +12 years of age rating. The Germans were being kind giving it that rating considering the difficulty level of the original game; they’re sparing young gamers a lot of grief. Players who are old enough — or unlocked this classic in their copy of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time – know what we’re talking about.
We wait to see when the American ESRB rates the game to confirm that it’s not some kind of Europe-only XBLA exclusive. Having the original Prince of Persia on XBLA will show those young whippersnappers how good and easy they’ve had it since the Sands of Time.
[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
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God of War’s IslandofRhodes.org is developer commentary site
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Business
Following weeks of speculation IslandofRhodes.org is revealed as a site full of developer commentary about God of War 2. A little bit of fan service that was supposed to activate last night at midnight, but then the clock reset itself for another two days — this morning, the site is working. Speculation about the website surfaced following a video on YouTube where somebody accumulated a high enough combo count to reveal the mysterious URL. At the time, we were unaware if the video was a hoax, but after speaking with a representative from Sony were told the site is real — but that’s all they were willing to say.
So, it’s not an announcement for God of War 3. Don’t worry, we’re sure that’ll come around soon enough. The site does have some neat commentary with Cory Barlog, director of GoW, about the Colossus scene (like it was originally even longer) and other developers. Remember, in a world without the intertubes, to even learn about the site you had to reach an insane combo count, so this was originally meant as fan service. If you’ve played God of War 2 and are interested in some of the technical background information go check it out.
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Wii Opera browser’s final version available
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Online
The final version of the Wii’s Opera browser is now available for download. We haven’t had a chance to really put the system through the paces, but we’re guessing that it has all the details we previously wrote about:
- Auto-hide toolbar
- Display cursors from multiple Wii remotes (though only Player 1 can actually click)
- Favorites page immediately accessible
- Improved website compatibility
- Improved zoom leaves text crisp at all levels
- New and better scroll interface
- Search button on the toolbar
- Start up time decreased by 5 seconds
- URL text (www and com) easily accessible
We’ll be testing the final version, along with every other Wii owner, over the next couple of days. The free download of the browser ends in June. After that, late adopting Wii owners will be charged 500 Wii Points ($5 USD) for the browser. So, what do those giving the browser a workout think?
[Thank you to everyone who sent this in]
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Massachusetts tries Jack Thompson’s failed Utah game bill
Filed under: Culture, Politics
Massachusetts’ legislators have been offered up HB 1423, a game bill which seeks to “restrict the sale of video games wih [sic] violent content to minors.” “Harmful to minors” is defined as content describing or representing nudity, sexual conduct or sexual excitement, “so as to appeal predominantly to the prurient interest of minors.” Section four of the bill is where the civil rights lawyers are going to have a field day. It states a game is harmful to minors if it “lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors.” That’s about as broad as making brush strokes with Mr. Fantastic’s super powers.
Why does this all seem oddly familiar? This bill was created with the assistance of Jack Thompson and similar versions were shot down in Utah and deemed unconstitutional in Louisiana. Mayor Thomas Menino, one of the petitioners of the bill, was one of those who pushed through a ban on M rated game advertisements on the subway and got very upset during the infamous Aqua Teen Hunger Force bomb incident. Hopefully this bill will die somewhere along the path, because we’re sure the citizens of Massachusetts aren’t looking to pay back the ESA when this bill is deemed unconstitutional in the courts … again.
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Gamestop/EB sells Wii for low price of $549.92
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii, Business
Gamestop’s Chief Operating Officer Dan DeMatteo is so mad about the Wii shortage that he’s gonna show Nintendo … he’s gonna show them by charging customers who want a Wii $549.92 for a bundle. Gamestop and EB games will send you a Wii for that price starting April 23. For all the contents in the bundle, it’s not really a bad deal — you know, if you ignore the whole legal issue. Oh, there will also be an additional $9.99 shipping charge due to the “unusual size and weight” of the bundle.
If you aren’t part of the masses who have become disenchanted with the Wii since launch and are tired of waiting for the Sunday flyer to tell you when the console is available, then here’s the chance to finally get your hands on the elusive Wii. Seriously, we don’t know what’s worse, the fact that a system with (relatively speaking) antiquated technology is so difficult to manufacture and is in short supply, or that you have to purchase an extra $100 in games you’ll only play a couple times? The decision on which two games those are we leave up to you.
[Via EvilAvatar]
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Does Mom game? Use the woman to get an Xbox 360 Elite!
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360
Win an Xbox 360 Elite system for yourself your family as part of the “My Mom’s a Gamer” contest sponsored by Microsoft and the estate of Joan Crawford. The rules are pretty simple, you just submit in under 500 words an essay about your mom (or female legal guardian) and gaming by May 6. What does she play? Does she support your gaming habit? Does she pwn you in games and then with wire hangers? Does she keep Flowers in the Attic and play video games all day?
The Xbox.com team will evaluate the essays for creativity, appeal to readers and an effective show of respect and admiration for your mother figure. We’re just going to cut this off before we’re compelled to start reciting lines from Mommie Dearest – if your mom was Joan Crawford you’d totally win the contest instantly! Anyway, talk about her being gracefully apologetic every time she cuts a Locust in half during Gears of War or how she drops f-bombs every time she takes on the 12-year-olds during Halo 2 matches on Xbox Live. We’re sure the Xbox.com team would appreciate that.
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Oregon attempts game bill because Timmy broke Mary’s arm
Filed under: Culture, Politics
GamePolitics reports the Oregon House of Reps. is trying to blaze new trails by introducing a law making it unlawful to sell “ultra-violent” video games to people of the great state under 18 years of age. The bill was introduced by Rep. Arnie Roblan (D) and has no provision on what punishment would be given for those breaking the law, it also grants exception for parents who choose to purchase the game for their child. So, what’s the point of this thing again?
Anyway, best part of the bill is the definition of “ultra-violent.” The bill states, “‘Ultra-violent video game’ means a video game depicting serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.” So, killing an alien, smearing its blood all over your avatar and then eating its entrails would be fine — it’s not a “human.” That’s quite speciesist, I hope the great state of Oregon has an excuse set up when the aliens arrive.
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Circuit City: Super Paper Mario guaranteed in-store or $20
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, RPGs, Business
Circuit City in their most recent flyer guarantees Super Paper Mario to be in-store April 10 by 2 PM or the bamboozled customer receives a $20 gift card. Those addendums you see there represented by “3″ and “**” are that the offer is only good this week and the $20 needs to be used on a future purchase, which means if the game isn’t “in-store” tomorrow that’s an insta-twenty bucks off — that’s a free greatest hits title on any system.
We really are having a hard time seeing the downside to this deal. If the product isn’t there, that’s an automatic $20 gift card. Or the product is there and we get a new game — and not Gamestop’s definition of “new.” Then again, we could check Gamestop today and maybe they’ll have a video of the Super Paper Mario ending and save us $50 right from the start. Definitely worth the trip to Circuit City if you were looking to pick up Super Paper Mario, the newest Gamecube title for the Wii.
[Via WiiFanboy]
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Microsoft forcing fees? Marketplace Phil. 101 with Epic and Microsoft
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure, Business
In the most recent podcast of the 1UP Yours show Tim Sweeney and Mark Rein from Epic Games (Gears of War, Unreal Tournament) sat down and talked about Xbox Live Marketplace and a host of other topics. But the quote that stuck in people’s heads was when Tim Sweeney implied Epic would like to give Gears of War maps away for free on Xbox Marketplace (like they did the original maps), but Microsoft won’t let them.
Sweeney said, “We already released two [maps] and we have four more maps that we’ve built. We’ve been wanting to give them away for a long time but actually Microsoft has been pushing back on us for that. They’re trying to build this business model around selling additional content for games and that’s a valid idea, but definitely we would like to release more stuff for free, and we haven’t been able to do so — yet. Which is unfortunate, there’s a lot of good business reasons for releasing free content for a game.”
This naturally sparked some heavy debate on the Evil Avatar forums. Joystiq spoke with Mark Rein over the weekend and he laughed at how out of context the conversation was taken. He asked people to listen to the podcast before they weighed in. He says there are simple business philosophies separating Epic and Microsoft.
Continue reading Microsoft forcing fees? Marketplace Phil. 101 with Epic and Microsoft
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Three Speech retracts PS3 BioShock, but not other release dates
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business
Three Speech, the “semi-official blog handled by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe,” has retracted their claim that BioShock is coming to the PlayStation 3. The kerfuffle began when Steve Boxer, one of the only non-anonymous writers for the site, stated the PlayStation 3 would be getting the game. He wrote in a post about upcoming games, “Another hotly anticipated title from 2K Games (also appearing on Xbox 360) is BioShock.” Of course, having this posted on Sony Europe’s semi-official blog did bring the statements some weight. The post also stated September would see the releases of Killzone, Heavenly Sword, Ratchet & Clank, Lair and Warhawk. None of these release dates have been retracted, but Sony America says the only game with a confirmed date is Lair in July.
It would be nice to finally get a statement on what Three Speech is to Sony. This is the second time in two weeks Three Speech has gone off-message. They state on their site, “Three Speech isn’t part of PlayStation, but it does get to speak to PlayStation. You could say we’re ’semi official’.” Our requests to Three Speech for the name of their editor and a list of their writers have been ignored previously. We continue to question who Three Speech is and what they represent. If they are a handled by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, like Sony America says, it might be time to tug the leash.
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Gamespot leaks Xbox 360’s new dashboard
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Business
Good job Gamespot! Um, we mean, bad, bad job Gamespot. MyGamerCard reports that Gamespot accidentally leaked a video of the information they received about a May 7 update for the Xbox 360’s dashboard. Highlights include:
- 600 Windows Live Messenger contacts for your friends list
- Contact list will integrate Windows Live Messenger and show joinable session status
- Messenger contacts see what game you’re playing and gamertag
- Marketplace has own blade, skin will change independent from theme
- Users will now see what achievement they’ve unlocked onscreen
- Low-power download mode followed by auto-shutdown
- You can watch partially downloaded video files
Now we wait to see what Microsoft says about this video’s authenticity. Maybe they’ll just coyly not answer the question until May 7, jump out from behind the couch, and go, “SURPRISE! You had no idea, did you?”
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Red Octane says two Xbox guitar models ‘defective’
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Rhythm, Business
After awaiting an official response all week on what Red Octane plans to do about defective guitars some customers received with their copies of Xbox 360’s Guitar Hero II, we’ve received from several tipsters the responses they received from Red Octane. The response brings up nothing but more questions.
Red Octane writes to those with complaints about the guitar, “We have isolated this issue to two model numbers that can be found on the guitar’s packaging. The numbers are 95065 and 95055. We are asking that customers who puchased [sic] their items from a retailer perform an exchange with that respective store (for a model number other than the defective two listed above). Customer’s [sic] who purchased through our online story [sic] can complete an rma request for their defective item and we will exchange it for a fully function [sic] guitar controller. We do apologize for the inconvenience and will resole [sic] these matters.”
Joystiq has been interviewing people all week trying to make sense of this entire issue as Red Octane is less than forthcoming with information. For example, here at Joystiq, we have a 95055 box, with a 95065 sticker placed over the UPC (originally 95055) and a 95065 guitar in the box - everything works fine so far (except star power activation is far less responsive than the PS2 guitar). Over at sister site Xbox 360 Fanboy, where they received a broken controller, they had a 95067 (that is not a typo) box with a 95065 guitar inside. At this point Red Octane acknowledges “defective” models as 95065 and 95055. If you have a defective model guitar, go ahead and return it with Red Octane’s blessing.
[Thank you to everyone we've interviewed and those who sent in tips]
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Lord of the Rings Online free until April 24
For the next 17 days feel free to go on a Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar bender. Turbine is opening up the floodgates and letting anyone who wants to experience the game play for free until the official launch April 24. The MMORPG’s developer knows who they are up against and told Joystiq previously that they put a lot of work into the game. They’re launching the title polished like no other MMORPG has been before to contend in the market.
Players will be able to advance to level 15 and transfer that character if they decide to pre-order the game. LotRO also allows those that know they are going to like the game during this free trial to spend $199 for a lifetime subscription, otherwise there is a $9.99/month charge. So, if you’re into MMORPGs at all or just want to check out LotRO, go ahead — it’s free.
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GayGamer visited by the Red Ring of Death
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360
Another month, another media outlet visited by the Xbox 360’s Red Ring of Death. Two weeks ago we told the story of The Weekly Geek show. Now the gentlemen of GayGamer castle were visited and have lifted the drawbridge to keep the Xbox Reaper (pictured) from wandering around to the rest of their consoles. Timsy over at GayGamer gave a good sob story when he called to declare the death of his console and by the grace of Microsoft he’ll pay $70, instead of the $140, for the repair. Of course, he’ll be documenting the process for their readers, a story we are all too familiar with.
Microsoft just recently expanded their repair policy again. After increasing the warranty to a year, now if your Xbox 360 is visited by the Xbox Reaper, after paying for the repair you’ll receive another year of warranty. Typically this is the part where we’d go over Microsoft fibbing greatly about the 3 percent failure rate, especially when you take the great fanboy story of seven deaths into the equation, but we’ll just let all that go for once. Just tell your Xbox 360 you love it every night, because you never know when the Xbox Reaper will pay her a visit.
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Hey Wii Blaster, meet Joytech’s Sharp Shooter
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, First Person Shooters, Peripherals
As we wait to see the final model of Nintendo’s Wii Blaster, peripheral manufacturer Joytech is showing off the Sharp Shooter. The Sharp Shooter combines the nunchuk with the Wiimote. No word yet if this is the same method the Wii Blaster will use to form the gun, but it does raise questions about the two unit’s accelerometers interfering with each other.
We have absolutely no idea if this is meant to be competition for the Wii Blaster or is just some strange thing for … well, we can’t figure out what game it would be useful in. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see the Wii Blaster to help explain our Sharp Shooter questions. No word on release date or cost for the Sharp Shooter.
[Via WiiFanboy]
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Beta test Tournament.com, gain the need for gaming greed
Filed under: Culture, PC, Action, Competitive Gaming
Tournament.com is looking for a few good beta testers and giving the participants $1 credit for every match they complete before the official launch later this spring. Tournament.com is looking to become a skill-based tournament environment where players compete for real money. Co-founder Marcus Pearcey says, “Much like golfers or chess players can compete against each other in tournaments, Tournament.com users can prove their skills and make some cash in secure, fair, competitive matches that reward winners with more than just bragging rights.” Tournament.com has received the rights to use Valve games Counter Strike and Half-Life 2, they plan to announce more titles after the beta.
Of course, this sounds just a tad bit like gambling, but Tournament.com insists this is skill-based competition. There is a list of locations that believe this is gambling and won’t allow you to play. Competitors are only allowed to place $150 USD into their account every month to wager $1 to $10 on their competitions — you must also be 18 or older to participate. The beta testers who receive the $1 credit per round need to use up their credit value before they can cash out. For gamers into competition, the stakes just got real. The $150 cap prevents us from saying that this is just begging for intervention. Tournament.com doesn’t sound any different than bars that hold gaming competitions with buy-ins. Just make sure to check that the software is legal to download in your location before you go trying to pwn n00bs for cash.
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