gamepoliticsrss

http://gamepolitics.com/2009/12/17/island-decries-%E2%80%9Cvideo-boxes%E2%80%9D-school-organizes-violent-game-drive

Ah, the Caribbean… home to tropical drinks, sandy beaches, offshore bank accounts and now, a violent videogame roundup.

As part of a holiday push to get its students to avoid violent videogames, the Cayman Island’s John Cumber Primary School is organizing just such an event, in which violent toys and games will be collected and destroyed, this according to a story in the Island’s newspaper.

The school’s campaign against violent games also spawned a list—emailed to pupil’s parents—of games to avoid for the holidays. The list included Resident Evil 4, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, God of War, NARC, Killer 7, The Warriors, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, Crime Life: Gang Wars, Condemned: Criminal Origins, and True Crime: New York City.

School Principal Joseph Wallace stated, “Research has showed…that over time, when these kids play the video games constantly…it desensitises them to the act of violence.”

He added, “But there’s no off button in real life; there’s no restart.”

Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush is also on board with the movement, pleading with parents to keep their children away from “the video boxes.”

A local Blockbuster Video store co-owner, Deborah McTaggert, expressed doubts that many games would be culled from the roundup, telling the paper, “I think you’d have to pry them out of the kids’ hands.”

She also commented on blaming games for real-world violence, saying:

If you have no relationship with your kids and they’re locked up in a room with violent video games, I guess you’re probably going to have some problems.

 

Do I think we can attribute this to video games? I mean, I don’t think the really violent games are good, and there are titles that I don’t sell (at Blockbuster). I personally don’t like horror movies…but if I don’t bring them in, will it stop the violence?

Perhaps the Cayman Island school drew inspiration from a similar drive put on in Germany this past October. Germany’s “Killer Game Drive” resulted in a small handful of games being turned in.

sinfestfeed

http://www.cartoonlabs.com/comics/index.php?date=2009-12-17&show=sinfest

Sinfest
Tatsuya Ishida

charliemc

Marilyn mistressmarilyn and I went to hear Jodi sing with the Conchords Chorale at The Old Church in downtown Portland tonight. (Even car trouble after the concert didn't lower our spirits one bit.)

It was a BUSY day for both of us! Marilyn was driving all over the place today and had multiple meetings. I rearranged furniture and cleaned -- then brought our tree up from the basement and set it up. We were going to decorate tonight, but have decided to put it off until tomorrow. We're both just too tired now...

We had fish sticks for dinner and watched an episode of "Medium" on On Demand. Now Marilyn's gone to nap and I'm not far behind her. (But I did get a short nap already today, so I doubt I'm quite as tired...)

I got the garbage and recycling done before noon today, knowing we'd be out late tonight. (We didn't get home until around 10:30.) It was pouring down rain (very funny, Dad!) much of today, so I got wet running in and out. So did Marilyn, being out and about for meetings.

Costco tomorrow! We need several things. Sister Sue suzy_qp is going, too.

Nap time!

dilbertdaily

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DilbertDailyStrip/~3/eNJnoj4P53U/

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-12-17/

ian_j_blogspot

http://ian-j.blogspot.com/2009/12/colored-post-it-sketch.html

gamepoliticsrss

http://gamepolitics.com/2009/12/16/congress-oks-30m-anti-piracy-resources

The funds include $20.0 million in state and local grants to further the use of high technology in order to thwart Internet piracy, $8.0 million for the FBI to use to hire new agents and $2.0 million for Department of Justice IP prosecutions.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that the funds were authorized under last year’s Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act. The bill, designed to “enhance remedies for violations of intellectual property laws, and for other purposes,” was signed into law by President Bush on October 13, 2008.

Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman was pleased with the new funds, saying, “Congress took a major step forward by providing $30 million in funding for new FBI agents, federal prosecutors, and local and state law enforcement grants to protect American jobs and creativity by cracking down on the theft of movies and other intellectual property.”

The story also details a sting operation called Operation Holiday Hoax, a six-day sting that targeted vendors selling illegal goods in 41 U.S. cities, which resulted in the seizing of 700,000 counterfeit and pirated goods, worth over $26.0 million. 272 tons of counterfeit goods were also snatched in Mexico.

gamepoliticsrss

http://gamepolitics.com/2009/12/16/hello-i039m-erik-estavillo-and-i039ve-been-news-lately

With these words, litigious gamer Erik Estavillo introduces you, the reader, to his new website.

Estavillo is known in our community, of course, for suing Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo and Activision Blizzard, in addition to subpoenaing Bill Gates, Winona Ryder, Depeche Mode’s Martin Lee Gore, Lady Sovereign and Krayzie Bone.

The site features a game review section, message board, a poll for game of the year, a virtual valentine to The Guild’s Felicia Day (pictured) and—coming soon—an advice column, in which Estavillo encourages gamers to “ask him anything.”

Estavillo also outlines his lawsuits and reiterates that he is done suing game companies, introducing his World of Warcraft suit with the preface: “The last lawsuit I filed and ever will.”

Estavillo claims that his health problems— OCD, Agoraphobia, Panic Disorder, major depression and Crohn’s Disease—cause him to rely heavily on videogames for a sense of happiness.

Please keep Estavillo’s afflictions in mind when commenting and keep things civil.

gamepoliticsrss

http://gamepolitics.com/2009/12/16/dubai-considers-censoring-new-spec-ops-game

A new title from 2K Games set in a post-apocolyptic Dubai has officials in the United Arab Emirates a bit antsy in light of the latest financial crisis in the middle eastern city state.

The game, Spec Ops: The Line, follows a group of special forces troops sent on a rescue mission to Dubai after it is destroyed in a sandstorm of cataclysmic proportions. According to an article in The National, the idea for the game was decided long before Dubai's troubles:

"It's such a fantastic location from an architectural standpoint," said [the game's producer Greg] Kasavin. "The contrast between the exterior devastation and the interior opulence and beautiful architecture seemed to be a really beautiful and effective image."

But seeing one of their most prominent cities in ruins has UAE officials a bit wary:

"We will have to review the game first before issuing any decision on whether to ban it or allow it," said Mohammed al Mutawa, a video-games censor at the [UAE's National Media Council].

Apparently, Kasavin and the development team are taking great pains to make sure the game does not step on any religious or political toes, but the game's description does hint to something ominous as the characters dig deeper into the story.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

GP: In a related story (only in the realm of major cities being destroyed), the new Army of Two game has Shanghai being destroyed by terrorists. No word from the Chinese censors on this one yet, as they seem to be focusing social games and MMOs at the moment. But we're sure this will be in the news again at a later date.