Deja Fu

Every time I think the entire Mass Effect controversy is done, we get another round.

This time, however, it seems someone needs to check the endothermic properties of Hell. Jack Thompson, of all people, is defending the game against Fox News, saying, “The guy who shot his mouth off about it had no idea what the Hell he was talking about.”

Seriously. Jack Thompson. I’m beginning to think I may need to rethink the whole atheist thing.

-K

Well, it appears we might actually have a first when it comes to “experts” mouthing off about video games. author Cooper Lawrence, the “expert” tapped by Fox News for the segment you can view below, appears to have backtracked from her original position about Mass Effect:

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.”

I’ve got to give her credit. It takes integrity for someone to admit they made a mistake and attempt to correct it. Especially when that mistake and the apology get national coverage. Now I’d like to see mainstream journalism and their “experts” actually try to get their facts straight the first time. I know, I know. It’s a bit idealistic. However, this gives me a small bit of hope.

As a final note: I’m relatively ambivalent about users messing with Lawrence’s books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s web sites. On one hand, it seems childish and immature. On the other, it’s an example of the power a user-driven community can wield when attacked. There is blacklash and the internet allows people to express their frustration in creative and effective ways. Ceveat pundit, is all I can really say.

-K

Some things actually have to be seen to be believed.

Over at RifleGear, a man has created the world’s first Hello Kitty AR-15 (more recognizable by its military designation M-16). Built as a protest against California’s law prohibiting “assault weapons,” it brings a whole new level to the idea of a “new pink.”

Also, remember last week when I ranted about a conservative columnist and his ignorant accusations? Well, now it seems none other than Fox News has thrown their hat into the ring. I honestly can’t believe it. Do journalists even bother checking their facts before putting a story on air anymore? (I know you do. Put down the knife.) Ah well. This will either entertain you, or make you want to tear your hair out. It makes me feel the latter, but I lost mine a long time ago.

And to top everything off, every now and then, for no reason whatsoever, I think I smell cat litter while sitting in my office.

-K

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