It all started when conservative columnist Kevin McCullough posted his rant against Mass Effect and its inclusion of sex within a game clearly rated as “M” (Mature) by the ESRB. That alone would have been entertaining, just as I enjoy reading when people protest against sex in movies that have been rated “R.” It’s not there objection that’s the source of the humor. It’s usually their moral indignation and veiled calls for censorship that give me the most laughs. After all, if I really respect the idea of a pluralist society, then I acknowledge the right for those people to have their opinion too.
However, in order to have an opinion taken seriously, it’s generally a good idea to base it on accurate facts. McCullough’s column on Mass Effect contains almost none of these at all. It’s a hyperbolic, frothing-at-the-mouth spew apparently based on hearsay. Reading the column, it becomes clear the author hasn’t played Mass Effect. In fact, it becomes clear he hasn’t played a video game since maybe Pong.
But wait, there’s more. When this column hit the internet, it was picked up by a slew of news sites. From there, the rebuttals began pouring in. This being the internet, some of them were about as stupid as McCullough’s column, but some raised valid points, including pointing out various inconsistencies between his view of the game and reality.
Apprently Mr. McCullough isn’t used to this. The next day, he posted a follow-up of sorts in which he attempted to clarify a few things, including the fact he’d only seen a YouTube video of the game. However, the meat of his clarification post are the vitriolic comments directed towards gamers in general. The argument is completely lost when you have to resort to ad hominem attacks and while I can accept it from amateurs mouthing off across the internet, to see it from a supposed “professional” astounds. He’s not even clever. It’s a frat-boy copy of Ogre screaming, “NERDS!”
With video games rapidly eclipsing movies and music as the largest sector of the entertainment industry, it’s reasonable to assume they will attract all kinds of attention. One can only hope the next objectors will bring something substantial to the table and not, as Penny Arcade alludes, foaming at the mouth simply to try and make themselves heard over the noise from the rest of their flock.
-K
