It was one year ago today, that the Mooninites sent Boston into a paranoid terror. Shutting down streets and keeping people in fear that there were bombs planted by terrorists. We can never forget! And also remember, we must all do our part to preserve the climate of fear!

Technorati tags: mooninites, never forget

Ah, Fox News. You’ll take any opportunty to twist and exploit an issue you know will get your conservative views riled up. But with your attempt last week to bash the great video game Mass Effect, gamers took great offense and fought back.

See, an author named Cooper Lawrence appeared on “The Live Desk With Martha MacCallum”, and made blatant lies about Mass Effect, like the claim there was frontal nudity and explicit depictions of sexual activity. When asked if she had ever played the game, or seen gameplay in action, of course she hadn’t! In fact, none of the guests on the show had experience with the game, and the episode was just another opportunity for headlines, book plugs, and ratings by bashing video games. No surprise, right? (Game Politics has a full transcript for those who are truly masochistic)

Well, Electronic Arts (parent company of BioWare, the studio who created the game) sent a letter to Fox news, asking for an apology and a correction. It offers proof to counter the lies presented:

Your headline above the televised story read: “New videogame shows full digital nudity and sex.”
Fact: Mass Effect does not include explicit or frontal nudity. Love scenes in non-interactive sequences include side and profile shots - a vantage frequently used in many prime-time television shows. It’s also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate and players can chose to avoid the love scenes altogether.

FNC voice-over reporter says: “You’ll see full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex.”
Fact: Sex scenes in Mass Effect are not graphic. These scenes are very similar to sex sequences frequently seen on network television in prime time.

FNC reporter says: “Critics say Mass Effect is being marketed to kids and teenagers.”
Fact: That is flat out false. Mass Effect and all related marketing has been reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and rated Mature - appropriate for players 17-years and older. ESRB routinely counsels retailers on requesting proof of age in selling M-rated titles and the system has been lauded by members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. In practical terms, the ratings work as well or better than those used for warning viewers about television content.

Once this broke into the gaming world news, gamers from all over started “reviewing” Cooper’s Lawrence’s book on Amazon. According to a story in the NY Times:

By Friday afternoon 412 of the book’s 472 user reviews were the lowest possible rating, one star. Another 48 ratings were for two stars. Only 12 of the ratings were for three stars or higher. In addition, 929 Amazon users had tagged the book with the keyword “ignorant.” Tied for second place with 744 tags were “garbage” and “hypocrisy,” while “hack” and “hypocrite” tied for fourth place with 710 votes. Gamers have also attacked the book on the Barnes & Noble Web site.

…

As one Amazon user put it: “I know all about this book but have never fully read it. Why? Due to the overwhelming backlash, I have no choice but to agree with the 1 star ratings. The rumors are rampant that this book was poorly written and poorly researched. So without verifying the contents myself — I give it a 1 star. Good thing video games aren’t judged in this manner — whew!!!”

Today, the review numbers are lower, and it looks like reviews are being removed. Which has started some heated debates, since 400 reviews have disappeared.

But the tactic worked. Cooper has since come out and said she was wrong.

In an interview on Friday, Ms. Lawrence said that since the controversy over her remarks erupted she had watched someone play the game for about two and a half hours. “I recognize that I misspoke,” she said. “I really regret saying that, and now that I’ve seen the game and seen the sex scenes it’s kind of a joke.

“Before the show I had asked somebody about what they had heard, and they had said it’s like pornography,” she added. “But it’s not like pornography. I’ve seen episodes of ‘Lost’ that are more sexually explicit.”

One down! Still nothing from Fox, except an offer to appear on one of their shows, and an apparent willingness to let Cooper take the heat for them. Meanwhile, Entertainment Consumer’s Association has called for a retract of the story.

Keep up the good fight guys! It got Kevin McCullough to aplogize for his tirade against Mass Effect from the week before the Fox dibocle. We need to fight back against the fear mongering! And show that if you decide to go ahead with it, prepare to be ridiculed and receive the same treatment in editorials.

Now it’s time for me to continue my own Mass Effect game! Game fun guys!

Technorati tags: mass effect, fear mongering, politics, video games

Via Wil Wheaton’s blog, I found out that DailyBits has a list of SEVENTEEN! downloadable and FREE! graphic novels. Wow! And not just crappy free because-no-one-would-pay-money-for-them ones, either. You can get:

2. Fell #1 by Warren Ellis
Detective Richard Fell is transferred over the bridge from the big city to Snowtown, a feral district whose police roster numbers three-and-a-half people (one detective has no legs). Dumped in this collapsing urban trashzone, Richard Fell is starting all over again.

Y: The Last Man Vol. 1: Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughan
When a plague of unknown origin instantly kills every mammal with a Y chromosome, unemployed and unmotivated slacker Yorick Brown suddenly discovers that he is the only male left in a world inhabited solely by women.

Sandman #1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
A wizard attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. Fearful for his safety, the wizard kept him imprisoned in a glass bottle for decades. After his escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On the way, Morpheus encounters Lucifer and demons from Hell, the Justice League, and John Constantine, the Hellblazer.

Some great titles! So if you’ve ever been curious to check out a title that you’ve heard buzz about, but didn’t want to drop the cash, or even have someone you know who needs to get hooked on comics/graphic novels, this is an excellent way!

Technorati tags: comics, graphic novels

On Friday, I saw xkcd’s comic for that day, and had a thought that I should post something about “died in a blogging accident” then. Well, so did several thousand others. I had just procrastinated. So now, instead of just the two search results like the comic says, there are over 14K results. This has happened before with xkcd. Those familiar with the comic will remember Wet Riffs. It’s a real site!

Although now the comic can’t be correct with zero results from “died from a snake charming accident” or “died from a haberdashery accident” either. With over 2K and about 350 so far, respectfully. Never underestimate blogging geeks!

Technorati tags: xkcd, died in a blogging accident

Last night we watched the 2006 documentary American Hardcore, which focused on the American Hardcore Punk scene from about 1980 to 1985. Beginning with Black Flag, Bad Brains, and Minor Threat, the film showed many bands that I hadn’t heard of in quite a few years. The Germs, T.S.O.L, The Dicks, Gang Green, SS Decontrol, Jerry’s Kids, Circle Jerks, Flipper…so many hardcore bands, so many memories! The interviews were mixed with live performances and music of the day. I was swooning since Henry Rollins was interviewed, plus many old Black Flag shows were shown. There’s just something about that guy that does it for me. I even have a couple of his pictures hanging in my work cubicle.

Anyway… One thing about the music that stuck out to me was how strong and tight Bad Brains performed. Listen to many of the bands I listed above, mainly to the live performances, and you’ll hear how talented those guys were. (Although I’m speaking of the hardcore Bad Brains, not the Reggae Bad Brains.) I need to add some of them to my music. Or re-add them really. I’ve lost so much music over the years, it’s times like this I remember stuff I used to have.

Although this was a fairly good documentary, there were a couple glaring omissions. There was only a couple of mentions of both Dead Kennedys and The Misfits. And those were in passing. At the very least the Dead Kennedys should have been included. Many of the bands in the film played with them, and they’re one of the most known bands from that time.

One aspect about the documentary I liked was how the politics and society influenced the music. Reagan. *shudder* Also including the police attitudes towards the bands and the fans. It wasn’t a very in depth analysis, but it wasn’t just glazed over.

Near the end, it was mentioned that every generation, about every 15 - 20 years, has something groundbreaking and revolutionary like with hardcore. I keep wondering what the generation below me will bring. Or if it’s already here. I’ll admit I’ve been out of the scene for many years, so if there is some underground music movement, I’ll probably not hear about it until it’s already gone.

Although I wonder if it will be a type of music at all. Could the revolution be about the music itself? Could it be that the artists who are rejecting the current model of record contracts and DRM fervor of the labels and RIAA be leading the way? There are several independent artists who are embracing current technology and getting their music out to a much wider audience thanks to the internet. Many others are using Creative Commons to shun the current model and get their music into fan’s hands. I have been, and will be, following how those aspects turn out, rooting for the artists.

In the end, if you are of my generation of an aging punk, and want to become nostalgic for your younger days, this is a good way to indulge yourself. I’m looking at the soundtrack, thinking of picking it up. We’re just…a Minor Threat…We’re just…a Minor Threat…

Technorati tags: hardcore punk, music