Friday, January 25, 2008

Xbox Takes All My Monies and SeXbox Controversy

- I totally forgot to mention something. One of the two clans we talked about before, the Saved By Grace Clan, played Bungie the other day. Apparently they killed them in regular team slayer and then lost the next two matches in weird game variations. Check out the Bungie story here. We should play Bungie someday.

- After about 6 years, Microsoft has finally turned a profit in it's video game sector. "Primarily due to increased Xbox 360 platform sales" and everyone knows that companies make all their money with the accessories and software. Due to an "increase in Xbox 360 console sales, video game sales led by Halo 3, Xbox Live revenues, and Xbox 360 accessory sales." Normally I wouldn't be thrilled with a giant like Microsoft making money off of me, but I also don't want to see the Xbox series go the way of the Sega Corp.

- What is Bill Gates doing with all my money? Just stopping world hunger.

- I would buy this if I didn't hate the sword.

- Rock Band Guitars and Drums are available for purchase separately in a couple weeks.

- As I alluded to in the comments of yesterdays post, there has been some really interesting stuff going on with Fox News and Electronic Arts. Basically, Fox News did a story about "full digital nudity" in the Mass Effect game. They brought on two "experts" to talk about the game. One was Geoff Keighley from Spike TV, MTV and Video Game Trailers and Cooper Lawrence a radio host and psychiatrist.

Cooper Lawrence goes on to say that the video game is terrible for kids, that studies say that most video games are played by adolescent males. The game is misogynistic because the male decides what to do. And that is features obscene digital sex.

When Geoff gets a chance to talk he shoots down every single on of her claims by explaining the average age of a gamer is in his 30s. Mass Effect can be played as a woman or a man, and the 30 plus hour game has at most 2 seconds of an "alien side boob". But the best part is when he asks her if she had ever played the game and she giggles and says "no."

Also she calls him darling, which I think is ironic. Watch the video clip here.

But after this aired people started going on to Cooper's book page on Amazon and giving it shitty reviews. As of right now there are 9 reviews that give the book 5 out of 5 stars and 412 reviews that give the book 1 out of 5.

Anyways, EA sent a letter to Fox News asking (not demanding) for an apology. As they made several claims that were "absolutely false". I think EA was most upset that they were marketing this game to youths and teenagers. Which to be fair, 17, 18, and 19 year olds are teenagers and can legally buy the game, but I don't think that's what they meant.

Here is a bunch of articles in chronological order but it's getting pretty out of hand. EA wants an apology, and Fox wants someone from EA to come on the show. But if it's anything like the first clip there will be 6 people against the game and one reasonable person for it, who gets 30 seconds to talk. And you wonder why people won't go on Fox.

Links:
http://kotaku.com/347350/keighley-sets-mass-effect-record-straight-or-tries-to
http://kotaku.com/348791/fox-responds-to-ea-invites-onto-news-show
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/01/24/mass-effect-sexbox-controversy
___________________________________________

11 comments:

Josey WaIes said...

Are the naked chicks in the game hot?

Daymonster said...

As hot as pixels can be.

Pablito Neal said...

i don't think cooper lawrence's poor amazon reviews are a result from her bashing mass effect. her book's just that bad.

Daymonster said...

Haha, yeah. Amazon has been deleting ones that are obviously bashes from gamers. But 99% of the negative feedback has been in the last 2 days.

Josey WaIes said...

Check out this story.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7208505.stm

Jeff said...

Is this the story you're talking about, the one with the bear?

I will be on after work, but then I'm hanging out with the gf tonight. Tomorrow though I will be online at night for sure but probably throughout the day since Jake is coming up to visit me. I plan to play until the wee hours of the morning.

Oh yeah, I was photoshopping some stuff at work today and I came across this little piece of engineering heaven. OWI anybody?

Josey WaIes said...

yes dammer that is the story

Daymonster said...

Change our clan name to the Solider Bear Clan? That bear ruled. We cooler than our Squatting Bear.

Dammer, I have certainly told Squatting Bear to purchase this cooler in the past. I would buy it but there is no room in my studio for a motorized cooler.

Jeff said...

The cooler I own has wheels, I could try to retrofit it onto a lawnmower or gas-powered Razor. The liquor store by my apartment also rents out a CO2 fed keg cooling system. It keeps keg beer cold at all times...or at least until the CO2 runs out.

Daymonster said...

Call me stupid but how does a C02 cooling system work. You mean like Dry Ice.

I have built a half dozen kegerators and a couple of coil jockey boxes (which are sweet btw) but I have never heard of a C02 fed cooling system.

Please explain.

Jeff said...

I don't know how it does or how it works, I just know it has two CO2 tanks.