Game Politics

Joined: Jun 19, 2007 Posts: 420 Location: London

I generally peruse this website : http://gamepolitics.com/ to see whats happening in the gaming world, and I just cant believe some of the stuff I've been reading lately:

Quote:

Conservative Blogger Claims Mass Effect Offers “Customizable Sodomy”
Monday, January 14th, 2008
Have some video game critics completely given up on the idea of verifying their claims before issuing them?

We ask because we’re flabbergasted by what’s been said about Xbox 360 role-playing hit Mass Effect in recent days.

GamePolitics reported last week on bizarre accusations by the conservative Cybercast News Service that Mass Effect featured “explicitly graphic sexual intercourse.”

That those charges are just wrong didn’t stop conservative blogger Kevin McCullough from picking up the CNS nonsense and running with it. McCullough, in fact, tries to turn the alleged porn in Mass Effect into a presidential campaign issue. In a (not so) cleverly-titled Townhall.com article, The “Sex-Box” Race for President, McCullough writes:

[Presidential candidates] all probably assume they have better, much more important, urgent, timely, things to campaign on, but I sure would like to get their individual takes on the new video game that one company is marketing to fifteen year old boys.

GP: Do we really need to point out that Mass Effect is rated “M” for players 17 and older? More from McCullough:

It’s called “Mass Effect” and it allows its players… to engage in the most realistic sex acts ever conceived. One can custom design the shape, form, bodies, race, hair style, breast size of the images they wish to “engage” and then watch in crystal clear, LCD, 54 inch screen, HD clarity as the video game “persons” hump in every form, format, multiple, gender-oriented possibility they can think of…

GP: Has McCullough played - or even invested any time at all in researching - Mass Effect? Based on what he has written, we can’t imagine that he has. His screed continues:

Here’s a question [for the candidates]… “How much moral judgement should the President push into legislative issues that are likely to severely damage our children’s innocence, function, and capability?…”

If a pre-teen, teen, young adult, or adult male plays 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, what’s to stop that same male from assuming that the women in his “other world” shouldn’t be forced to do the same.

…And because of the digital chip age in which we live - “Mass Effect” can be customized to sodomize whatever, whoever, however, the game player wishes.

With it’s “over the net” capabilities virtual orgasmic rape is just the push of a button away.

McCullough wraps up with a call for legislation apparently designed to drive Mass Effect developer BioWare out of business:

How refreshing would it be for a President to… put his pen and signature to a bill that dealt with such simulated sex excess in a way that was punitive to its creators to such a degree that they would never recover from it?
GP: We’ve seen some ill-informed criticisms of video games over the years, but McCullough has definitely raised (or, perhaps, lowered) the bar in that regard.

This idiot is summed up nicely by this cartoon from Penny Arcade:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/01/15

His response to Gamers complaints about his lies.....

Quote:

The Gamer-Nerd universe exploded in anger over the tone and a couple of the specifics of my most recent column… If the few who wrote me are indicative of the rest of the gaming universe, we know at least they have passion - for their toy-boxes…

Look, if the Gamer-Nerds need their pervy outlets to find true release and inner peace - then make them drive to the outskirts of town and be forced to frequent those places that no one wants in the community to get them…

Dont you just love American Politics.
Unfortunately, a huge amount of Games are made and destroyed in the US which impacts us here.

And we're not much better having our own British Censors just Ban the new STRANGLEHOLD advert as its too 'violent'.... after 2 complaints.
Evil or Very Mad

Joined: Jul 01, 2005 Posts: 486 Location: Watching You

IT is so pathetic and when can i buy this mass effect btw Laughing

Consoles Moderator Joined: Nov 05, 2006 Posts: 829

mass effect is an xbox rpg/shooter hybrid game. and as an activst against such people, and their main man (jack thompson). i suggest we draft a letter from |2es to this man, just to do our share for gaming, like every medium when it was relativly new, politicians, usually right wing conservative politicians who find sex bad but invasions of other countries good attack the medium to make some noise and get noticed.