Fox News / EA Spar Over Mass Effect 'Controversy'

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.

Batshit insane

[Pojut]

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

[legoman666]

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.

Re:Batshit insane

[TuxThePenguin2205]

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:Batshit insane

[Mikey-San]

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.

hair splitting

[emj]

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.

It's about time

[ObiWanStevobi]

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:Definitions

[0xdeadbeef]

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-sequitar about the pixel density of video games... this is called framing, and it's a setup to make you defensive.

Re:hair splitting

[Khisanth Magus]

Fox News has NEVER been held to any real standards. Their purpose is to keep the neo-conservative propaganda machine moving.

Re:Four words.

[dryueh]

How about these four: Rated M for Mature

I mean, seriously.

Re:Definitions

[Jeng]

The problem is that some people can't wrap their minds around the fact that games are a means of storytelling, not just a series of puzzles.

Re:Batshit insane

[Anonymous Coward]

Your opinion is wrong.

Re:Four words.

[brouski]

It just doesn't matter to these people. In the end, all video games have been, are, and always will be, intended for children.

O'Reilly Effect

[d3ac0n]

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:Four words.

[IamTheRealMike]

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. Remember, never attribute to malice what can equally be attributed to stupidity.

Re:Four words.

[droptone]

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 seeing in the video game and the real world". To those who are not familiar with what this effect may be may conclude the kids are entirely helpless to this false reality that the video games produce. This [wordpress.com] blog post also reviews this claim, but my main point is that EVEN if that supposed study showed that some people were unable to differentiate reality from video games (which is unlikely to be a widespread trend), that problem would surely dissipate with time.

Think how after playing a game like GTA, when you get in your car you may feel the urge to commit some of the acts you did in the game. I know I am guilty as charged. This is the same sort of feeling I get after watching say Boondock Saints (righteous indignation and the feeling of punishing the wicked) or any racing movie (the urge to get into a high-performance race car and go really fast).

Of course, without reading the actual study I won't make any definitive claims, but I would bet a large sum of money that the study does not have the implication that the guest psychologist is claiming it has. But she gets to come on the show, act as though she's an expert and make unjustified claims. She didn't even us the common ploy of saying "I think the study means...".

These sorts of people are one of the main reasons I do not plan to get close to studying the psychological effects of video games. When I do go into research, I'll stick to something that will be a little less easily misinterpreted.

Re:Batshit insane

[Anonymous Coward]

You screwed up when you replied to the troll.

Re:O'Reilly Effect

[JebusIsLord]

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.

How to shut these guys up

[LordZardoz]

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

Re:Four words.

[twistedsymphony]

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?