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Role Playing (Games) Government Media Television Politics

Fox News / EA Spar Over Mass Effect 'Controversy' 192

Posted by Zonk from the nothing-to-see-here-move-along dept.
The whacked out rantings of Kevin McCullogh have been a hot topic on games blogs in recent weeks, as his lurid description of Mass Effect prompted vitriol from actual gamers. That exchange would have been easily left behind if not for the fact that Fox News stepped into the fray, adding a measure of 'fair and balanced' to the discussion. Their 'Sexbox Sexpose' drew in veteran games journalist Geoff Keighley, who optimistically thought he'd be given the chance to set the record straight. Instead they filled the airwaves with plainly false generalizations about the game's sexual content. Kotaku is reporting that EA is fighting back, protecting BioWare's property and demanding a correction. From EA's letter to Fox: "The resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards. As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness." I hope the EA folks aren't holding their breath.
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Fox News / EA Spar Over Mass Effect 'Controversy' More

Fox News / EA Spar Over Mass Effect 'Controversy'

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  • Four words. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Optio ( 1225470 )
    Stable door. Horse. Bolted.

    Faux News aren't going to back down, as the voice of "fair and balanced" coverage; and for all their vitriol, the gaming community is going to struggle with the mainstream for a fair few years yet.

    • Re:Four words. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by dryueh ( 531302 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @10:07AM (#22167056)

      How about these four: Rated M for Mature

      I mean, seriously.

      • Re:Four words. (Score:4, Interesting)

        by CowboyBob500 ( 580695 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @10:54AM (#22167922) Homepage

        How about these four: Rated M for Mature
        Seriously? Here in the UK it's rated 12 (as in suitable for 12 year olds).

        Bob

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by dryueh ( 531302 )
          Yup. The store I bought the game from actually checked my ID before they let me have it (I'm 28, FYI.. and I like to *think* that I don't look like a teenager anymore).

        • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

          by ecavalli ( 1216014 )
          And if the game had been rated by the American film or television rating system you would have seen similar results here in the States.

          The reality here is that the "sex act" in question is literally a 10 second, non-interactive cutscene 90% of the way into Mass Effect that shows a blue female form from the side, a half-second of rump cleavage and even less than that of the side of the alien woman's breast.

          It's easily less offensive than anything you'd see on primetime television and in many cases is muc

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Creepy ( 93888 )
          yeah, well, the ESRB initially gave Unreal Tournament 3 [thebestcasescenario.com] a low rating, then drastically revised it later. It seems they toss a dart at a board to determine rating and then revise it later if they're off - definitely not a competent group, IMO.

          and FYI, yes, that is a serious screenshot from Vista, not hacked in any way - I avoided upgrading to the 1.1 patch for weeks just so I could show all my friends.

      • Re:Four words. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by brouski ( 827510 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @12:06PM (#22169156)
        It just doesn't matter to these people. In the end, all video games have been, are, and always will be, intended for children.

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by twistedsymphony ( 956982 )
          So what you're saying is you'd rather companies like EA just roll over and take it as opposed to fighting back to try and break that stigma?

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by moderatorrater ( 1095745 )
      You've got to give them credit for trying though. Fox News is obviously making an attempt to distort the facts, and often the threat of a lawsuit is enough to bring them in line.

      On that same note, this is one of the perks that Bioware gets from being part of EA, the use of a large legal department.

      • O'Reilly Effect (Score:5, Insightful)

        by d3ac0n ( 715594 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @12:07PM (#22169176)
        Before I begin, a disclaimer: I am a Conservative. I regularly read conservative news and blog sources, such as Newbusters, Hot Air, TownHall.com, Little Green Footballs, and the Jawa Report. I am also an avid gamer. I currently am playing mostly EVE-Online, and a bit of TA Spring. I have been gaming since before the days of Sierra's Hero Quest, and I still have an original, functional Atari game system.

        So now that I've set your expectations and prejudices, I shall continue...

        Honestly, I think of this as the O'Reilly effect.

        One of the things I have noticed, is that ever since O'Reilly became an ascendant star on Fox News, the tone of the channel has changed a bit in regards to all things Internet. This is especially evident when Bill-O himself is on, even when he talks with fellow conservatives about the issue. Here is a link to him talking with Mary Katherine Ham about whether the Internet is a good or bad thing: http://hotair.com/archives/2008/01/23/video-mary-katharine-ham-talks-smoking-crack-with-oreilly/ [hotair.com]

        As you can see, O'Reilly is as clueless as ever when it comes to all things Internet. Honestly, he makes Internet-Savvy Conservatives look bad. At least when it comes to technology, he comes off as a boorish old geezer. Honestly, I'm not sure how much of it is an act, and how much is him just being completely out of touch.

        MKH, on the other hand, clearly "gets it". Of course, she's my generation (Gen-X) so it's not surprising that she would have a better grasp of this. Also, if you read through the comments at Hot Air, you can see that many of the other conservatives there think like I do, and just shake their heads with a mix of disgust and sadness at O'Reilly.

        I think that his influence has been seeping into the rest of Fox News for some time. While obviously the PHB's there think that controversy like this makes for good ratings (and it does), it also serves to make the whole network look out of touch to younger viewers. I think it's a short-term gain, long-term loss kind of strategy. I guess time will tell if I'm right or not.

        Either way, both myself, and many other conservatives think that the whole Mass Effect "controversy" is a compete non-starter, and entirely fabricated. As others here have said, it's a rated "M" game. The industry has marked it appropriately, and it's up to parents to make use of the tools given to them and make a judgment about whether or not to buy this game.

        This is part and parcel of the conservative concept of Freedom. YOU get to control what you and your children are exposed to. It's not the Government's job to decide that. As far as the original article that spawned the controversy, I've read it, and it's utter hogwash. The writer is just a tool looking for some cheap publicity. Ignore him.

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by JebusIsLord ( 566856 )
          I think basicall Fox News, and O'Reilly in particular, has made a business out of trolling. They know they're being misleading and inflamatory, and they depend on it for ratings.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by IamTheRealMike ( 537420 )

        I don't know that they're trying to distort the facts. I mean, they brought in a guy who flat out told the "psychologist" that she was talking crap. I mean, he said "have you played the game" and she just laughed and said no. Then he pointed out all the things she'd said that were completely wrong.

        If this were some nefarious plot to distort the truth they wouldn't have broadcast that. I think it's more likely that they're just incompetent losers who wouldn't know factual analysis from a hole in the ground

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by droptone ( 798379 )
          Not only did the psychologist not play the game, but she seemed to warp actual research to support her claims.

          She claimed: Lawrence: (interrupting) Darling, I gotta go with the research. And the research says there's a new study out of the University of Maryland right now that says that boys that play video games cannot tell the difference between what they're seeing in the video game and the real world...

          Notice her conclusion: "boys that play video games cannot tell the difference between what they're s
          • I agree with you. My favorite racing game is Need for Speed 3, and yet I don't crash through road signs with impunity, don't cut corners, and don't use pit maneuvers to pull cars over. Also, every effect I've felt from video games I've felt from movies, whether it's driving or an action movie.
    • The Nation, the National Review of the Left, was used as the primary source in the Slashdot Suppress U article [slashdot.org] yesterday. I guess fair-and-balanced only matters if it is a conservative-leaning source, not a hard left one.

      The difference is, Fox might tilt right, but they do make more of an effort to give both sides than CNN does, the latter titling left and making no such effort.

  • Batshit insane (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Pojut ( 1027544 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:22AM (#22166342) Homepage
    In a world where commercials for soda have titties half-popping out of bras, soap commercials sensual show close-ups of women showering, and Brett Michaels slapping women's asses on VH1...they are complaining about a very tame sex scene in a game that has a story better than any movie put out in the last 30 years?

    Seriously folks. I don't know who is the cause of all this trouble, but I can assure you it is the guy with the high-and-tight that back in the 60's was saying "damn hippies, with their long hair and their acid rock and their peace signs..."

    • Re:Batshit insane (Score:5, Insightful)

      by legoman666 ( 1098377 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:31AM (#22166476)
      I can't agree with you more. How in the hell can Fox complain when you look at the trash that is on their network? Someone should send them a recording of some of their "reality" shows, commercials and such nad not mention that it's from their own network. Maybe they'll start denouncing themselves.
    • That guy in the 60's saying "damn hippies" is probably dead by now, that was 39-48 years ago!

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *
        I always preferred the footage of the guy from the 50's complaining about rock and roll with the acerbic line "These kids are all dancing to that nigger bop."

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by TuxThePenguin2205 ( 1031140 )
      I agree with most of that but "a game that has a story better than any movie put out in the last 30 years" seems like hyperbole to me. "more wordy than any script in the last 30 years" may be closer to the mark.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Pojut ( 1027544 )
        Read the book that came out last year, and read through the codex entries in the game...look at all the side quests, and how different they are from each other. Look at how fleshed out your crew members become...look at the detail inherent just in the Citadel.

        I like to compare Mass Effect to The Dark Crystal...sure, (mostly) everyone loves it, but hardly anyone realizes the unfathomable amount of detail and creativity that it took to create the universe and the species/people/stories that inhabit it.

    • Re:Batshit insane (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Mikey-San ( 582838 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:43AM (#22166642) Homepage Journal
      Fox is full of shit, but so is this:

      a game that has a story better than any movie put out in the last 30 years

      Any movie? How is the ventilation in the cave you've been living in for the last 30 years?

      Sounds like you've watched nothing but the latest Scary Movie sequel(s) and Jerry Bruckheimer movies. Mass Effect might be a peak for gaming, but there are tons of amazing films from the last three decades that make it look pretty average in comparison.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Pojut ( 1027544 )
        I am very well aware of what is out there...I have a 4-out-at-a time netflix plan, and own over 500 DVD's...trust me, I know what has come out in the last long while.

        All told, FOR ME, no storyline in a movie captured my attention or made me want to know more about it quite like the story line and universe of Mass Effect. Sorry if my opinion is different from yours, but we wouldn't want to all be the same now would we?

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by sammy baby ( 14909 )
        To give Mass Effect its due, its pacing and story was better than plenty of "name" flicks out there (you listening to me, Sunshine [metacritic.com]? I had such high hopes...). But to suggest that it's better than, say, There Will Be Blood [metacritic.com]... I mean, c'mon now.

        • I dunno. I'd say the story was basically average .... some fairly major plot holes .... lots of unexplained stuff happening "just becuz" and the bad guy shows up about 3/4 through to announce his entire plan for no obvious reason. Not to mention the cheesy naming. If it were a film it'd get laughed out of the cinema.

          Fortunately it's not a film, it's a video game, and a highly enjoyable one at that (I just finished it this evening). And it's worth remembering that we've only seen 1/3rd of the story. It mig

      • How about "better than most science fiction movies in the past 30 years?"

        I might agree with that one.
        • I haven't played Mass Effect yet, but it doesn't strike me as science fiction. It's a space opera like Star Wars. If you want to call Mass Effect science fiction, you have to compare it to movies like Stalker, Solaris, 2001 and Blade Runner.

  • Wow, EA (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Applekid ( 993327 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:26AM (#22166408)
    I'm generally in the camp that EA executives are full of crap, but...

    As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment.
    ... I find that quote to be rather insightful. The same congressional members that make laws granting more and more power to the MAFIAA at the expense of the people are the ones demanding game companies be held to an unrealistic standard of decency in entertainment.

    Recently /. had a story about how some parent's group was "outraged" that game companies are now trying to lobby congress for favor, but, as long as the TV, radio, and film conglomerates have deeper pockets and the numbers keep dropping in favor of interactive entertainment, it's not going to be enough. Faux News is showing their hand without fear since the existing career politicians are already beholden to those guys.

    • Re:Wow, EA (Score:5, Interesting)

      by jollyreaper ( 513215 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:45AM (#22166672)
      I generally think the whole convergence thing is a load of hotair but I think that's just because the pundits called it a decade or two early. We really are seeing this now, communications and entertainment all coming down one pipe. And because of this, entertainment will drastically change, too. Are you gaming tonight, are you going to watch something? Video on demand isn't coming to us the way that was anticipated, we're seeing it via PVR (the super-vcr) and bittorrent (a product completely bypassing the cable company middleman!)and whole season DVD's. Behavior patterns and expectations are shifting now, not in the future but now. People are getting used to the fact of moving away from the primetime structure, of watching what they want when they want or doing something else if they feel like it. Back before TV, radio and movies were the kings of pop culture. Before radio, sheet music reigned supreme and families played piano, singing along. For single entertainment, books and newspapers were available.

      Newspapers aren't dead and I truly think that the Internet is giving them new life and relevance, they're just not going to be quite the way we knew papers in the past. The written word is the cheapest form of information creation and distribution we have and the computer only gives it more power. We already see amateurs creating works with a worldwide following. It may not be on quite the same scale as Dickens in his day but on a smaller scale, it remains possible. I mean hell, web comics are turning a profit! That's astounding. And when you're independent and not beholden to a big stupid parent company, it doesn't take nearly as much revenue to remain in business.

      Anyway, dems my thoughts.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by morari ( 1080535 )

        mean hell, web comics are turning a profit! That's astounding. And when you're independent and not beholden to a big stupid parent company, it doesn't take nearly as much revenue to remain in business.
        Pff! Web comics don't actually exist. Wikipedia said so.
      • "It may not be on quite the same scale as Dickens in his day"

        Remember also that much of what became renowned was at its time just trashy to many people, Shakespeare for instance.
  • Everything is twisted for ratings and if you go on TV thinking anything else you're naive and deserve what you get. Only if I get to be like Patrice O'Neal and get to explain what a Donkey Punch and an Angry Pirate are on a news show will I feel like I've done something worth my time.

  • Definitions (Score:3, Interesting)

    by eldavojohn ( 898314 ) * <eldavojohnNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:32AM (#22166486) Journal
    I once heard a much older person refer to the language of Goodfellas as "pornographic." I corrected her saying the f-word isn't referring to anything sexual--in fact those men in that movie view it as an interjection or part of speech and nothing more. She ended up winning the argument as there are two definitions for pornographic [wiktionary.org]:

    1. Containing an explicit depiction of sexual activity.
    2. Depicting something in details, usually unnecessarily.
    She pointed out that it was an almost gratuitous manner in which they used curses and was probably unnecessary to tell the story. That could probably be arguable but she likened that swearing to people using the bathroom. Everyone does it but we don't see it in movies unless it's got an important plot point (see Pulp Fiction or Unforgiven).

    So, to relate this to the story, if Fox News is accusing Mass Effect of 'depicting something in details, unnecessarily' then I guess the game could be described as pornographic in nature. Indeed, some of the games today have such vivid detail that is not necessarily needed for the plot ... but, a very enjoyable side effect, it makes it seem completely and utterly real. Perhaps these details are necessary then?

    One thing you must admit, there might be this gradual transition that we need to draw a cut off line at. Where we used to sit and play the original NES and play 8-bit, low detail Guantlet we can now sit and play PS3 high def red warrior needs blood Gauntlet. I went from shooting pixelated nothings to full upright three dimensional beings. Where does the video game become so real that it is a rated R movie in and of itself? If the argument is to make Mass Effect accessible only to 17 & 18 year old people, then I don't see a problem with this argument. Did Fox over sensationalize what was going on and mislead the public? Yes, of course, that's their job! It sells.

    I'm just sad that nobody is approaching this from a neutral point of view and actually doing some objective journalism on this topic. Perhaps objectivity is no longer possible in this debate ...

    • Oblig Boondock Saints Quote (Score:5, Informative)

      by techpawn ( 969834 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:41AM (#22166624) Journal

      She pointed out that it was an almost gratuitous manner in which they used curses and was probably unnecessary to tell the story. That could probably be arguable but she likened that swearing to people using the bathroom. Everyone does it but we don't see it in movies unless it's got an important plot point (see Pulp Fiction or Unforgiven).
      Rocco: Fucking... What the fuck. Who the fuck fucked this fucking... How did you two fucking fucks...[shouts]
      Rocco: fuck!
      Connor: Well, that certainly illustrates the diversity of the word.

    • Re:Definitions (Score:5, Informative)

      by Pojut ( 1027544 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:42AM (#22166638) Homepage

      If the argument is to make Mass Effect accessible only to 17 & 18 year old people, then I don't see a problem with this argument.


      Mass Effect is rated M, you know...

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by kellyb9 ( 954229 )
        Bingo! Yes the game is rated M, and maybe rightly so. How is this different then a movie being rated R? Why aren't these assclowns out trying to get them removed from shelves? The cold, hard truth is that I see far more problems with what I see on television then what I see in video games.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by CFTM ( 513264 )
          Well, as EA said, TV is losing the young folks to the internet and video games...and well it is Fox News...they don't really worry about this thing we call "Facts".

      • Mass Effect is rated M, you know...

        I honestly don't know, but are game ratings purely advisory? I mean, can a 12 yr old walk into a store by himself and buy an M-rated game? He couldn't just walk into an R rated movie.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Pojut ( 1027544 )
          For the most part, yes they could just walk in and buy it. Some stores, like gamestop, have a policy in place though in which tey will not sell M-rated games to minors.

          The rating system for movies is voluntary as well...there is nothing legally stopping a movie theater for letting a 12 year old buy an r-rated movie ticket and and seeing it by themselves...

          The minimum age for unaccompanied patrons at R films, and all patrons at X films, was originally set at 16. By 1970 it was raised to 17 (in some areas th

        • Re:Definitions (Score:4, Informative)

          by enderjsv ( 1128541 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @12:38PM (#22169634)
          Maybe he'd have trouble walking into an R-rated movie in a theater, but according to a recent study...

          here [gamespot.com]

          They are able to purchase an R-rated movie far more often then they are able to purchase an M-rated game. What say you now?

    • Re:Definitions (Score:4, Funny)

      by Yvan256 ( 722131 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:46AM (#22166708) Homepage Journal

      If the argument is to make Mass Effect accessible only to 17 & 18 year old people, then I don't see a problem with this argument.
      I'm 35, you insensitive clod!

    • hair splitting (Score:5, Insightful)

      by emj ( 15659 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:47AM (#22166736) Journal

      Did Fox over sensationalize what was going on and mislead the public? Yes, of course, that's their job! It sells.


      No! You can't do that, I know all news shows in the US have to compete for profit, but there have to be a limit to what you can say and still call yourself a News show. If all you do is reporting one side of the story you are not a journalist, you are just a propaganda machine. It doesn't matter if you are called Socialist Weekly or Fox News there are still standards you need to uphold.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Perseid ( 660451 )
        Hmm. You've never...watched FOX News have you?
      • If this was anything like their usual coverage, Fox News probably didn't actually make any definitive statements, only asked leading questions. If you state a question in such a way that it implies certain assumptions to be true, it's the same as if you'd asserted that assumption, but it's handwaved away as just a question. "Push Polling" is essentially the same practice, and they're both fundamentally dishonest practices, but that is the mechanism they typically use to "get away" with what you're correct

      • Did Fox over sensationalize what was going on and mislead the public? Yes, of course, that's their job! It sells.


        No! You can't do that, I know all news shows in the US have to compete for profit, but there have to be a limit to what you can say and still call yourself a News show. If all you do is reporting one side of the story you are not a journalist, you are just a propaganda machine.
        Now you're starting to get it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by grumbel ( 592662 )
        ### If all you do is reporting one side of the story you are not a journalist

        The problem in this case (and certainly in a lots of others) is that there is no "other side". It was a non-story from the very beginning. The game is rated M, the sex scene is a very tiny part of a very long game and the stuff shown isn't any worse then what you can see on TV all the time and its also optional. The whole thing was completly fabricated and quite simply lie. You can't make "fair and balanced" reporting about how the

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by 0xdeadbeef ( 28836 )
      I'm just sad that nobody is approaching this from a neutral point of view and actually doing some objective journalism on this topic. Perhaps objectivity is no longer possible in this debate ...

      Because the objective journalist recognizes this as a manufactured controversy and a boring non-story.

      And if gratuitousness is pornography, then Fox News is hard-core pornography.

      Before anyone else responds, recognize that the parent post is a troll. An imaginary "middle ground", whining about objectivity, and a non-
    • The thing is, Mass Effect is rated M, so it's already the equivalent of an R-rated movie. Personally, having played the game, I think the whole sex scene thing is much ado about nothing. You don't even see boobs, all you see is some bare skin. That's a PG-13 rated sex scene, tops, but because it's in a video game, people are getting worked up.

      Really, we need to stop having this double standard, and then I'll be happy. Either be harder on movies, or easier on video games, I don't care which.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jandrese ( 485 )
        I see a lot of analogies to the uproar over Comic Books in the 50s. Older people think that they're all "kids stuff" and think that nobody over 12 actually plays video games, so when they see stuff like this they assume it's sex being marketed to children, and please won't somebody think of the children?!?

        Pretty soon you have censorship or worse industry self-censorship (backed up by well meaning but grossly over broad laws, like the ones that gave legal authority to the Comics Code Authority in the 50

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by brkello ( 642429 )
      Umm, no, you are not shooting "beings". You are still shooting "pixelated nothings". If you are unable to tell the difference from reality and something on a screen, then you shouldn't be allowed near a tv, movie, or computer.

    • 2. Depicting something in details, usually unnecessarily.

      Wouldn't that make FOX news pornographic too?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by stubear ( 130454 )
      "She pointed out that it was an almost gratuitous manner in which they used curses and was probably unnecessary to tell the story. That could probably be arguable but she likened that swearing to people using the bathroom. Everyone does it but we don't see it in movies unless it's got an important plot point (see Pulp Fiction or Unforgiven)."

      Isn't using that kind of language gratuitously helping sell the audience on the illusion that these actors are portraying real-life mobsters? Sanitizing their language

  • Reviews (Score:3, Funny)

    by demon93 ( 197176 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:42AM (#22166636) Journal
    I don't think she'll be selling many books through amazon. The reviews don't look good...

    The Cult of Perfection: Making Peace with Your Inner Overachiever [amazon.com]

    Been There, Done That, Kept the Jewelry: Find True Love--Turn Your Tarnished Dating Past into a Brilliant Romantic Future [amazon.com]

    The Fixer-upper Man: Turn Mr. Maybe into Mr. Right in 5 Easy Steps [amazon.com]

    There's probably scope for a few more :-)
    • The reviews appear to be erased. I was browsing through them, laughing all the way, and now Amazon states there are no customer reviews for this product. Shady.

  • It's about time (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ObiWanStevobi ( 1030352 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @09:52AM (#22166806) Journal
    I'm not worried about the video game industry with these stories, But I am very, very sick of this same old mantra that gamers are a group of lazy perverts. It's about damned time the gaming industry stands up for it's customers, and the customers stand up for themselves. Believe it or not, a great many people still believe what they hear on cable news networks (not just Fox, btw, but they do seem to lead the pack). Anything that can be done to expose them for the liars they are is great. Journalism today is in a very sad state of affairs. I'm not sure what can be done to fix something this out of whack, but I have no doubt anyone speaking up and calling them on their bs is a good thing.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Danse ( 1026 )

      But I am very, very sick of this same old mantra that gamers are a group of lazy perverts. It's about damned time the gaming industry stands up for it's customers, and the customers stand up for themselves.
      Exactly! I am NOT lazy!
  • I never thought I'd say this, but kudos to EA.
  • Clearly we need ratings on news programs so that people can sort out the crap. I mean, my 13 year old nephew could have watched that program and believed those people! Do you know how disappointed he'd have been when he rented that game, went home and played it, and found that there were not naked chicks running around? Oh man. Think of the children!

    Seriously though, the fact is, all new shows exist to make a profit. Disgusting sensationalism generates profit. The target of the sensationalism varies depen

  • Why do the struggle so with stories related to the word "Mass?" Mass Effect, Weapons of Mass Destruction; they'll probably distort the Catholic Church next.
  • You have left me only one choice. The only power I have is as a consumer that votes with my wallet. Because of this, I will be spending as much money on video games as possible this year. Tell my friends I will miss them.
  • Anyone expecting Fox News to have any sort of accurate information is fooling themselves. I just now looked at their website for information on this story, and at the bottom of the page saw page links for a "Free Xbox 260". These guys don't fact-check anything!
  • You can actually fall in love in this game. It's just like modeling your life...

    I'm glad you accepted the thankless, futile task of defending gaming from mouthbreathing pundits, but that really isn't helping.

    Rob
    • I'm suprised he even dignified her with responses. Personally, I would have politely stated that it's obvious that the interviewer has no idea what she's talking about, and until she makes the effort to properly research the topic, an interview is a waste of everyone's time. I would have no problem discussing legitimate criticism. But baseless slander is completely unprofessional, and I refuse to debate with the willfully ignorant.

  • Hypocrisy (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Rebelgecko ( 893016 ) on Thursday January 24, 2008 @07:39PM (#22175916)
    I went to http://www.fox.com/ [fox.com] looking for an email address to send a complaint to and saw an ad for the Terminator TV show with, you guessed it, a naked woman (or robot, or whatever) who is showing way more skin than I saw when I played Mass Effect.

  • How to shut these guys up (Score:3, Insightful)

    by LordZardoz ( 155141 ) on Friday January 25, 2008 @09:53AM (#22181284)
    The only way to get the idiots wh repeat this kind of crap to shut up is to start going after the advertisers. Angry letters to Fox News its self wont make much difference. All that will do is tell them that you watched it, and disagree. Going after advertisers though can get them to reconsider advertising on programs or websites that spread these views, if they get a large enough and loud enough negative response. That in turn will have a greater effect on Fox.

    END COMMUNICATION

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