Uh oh... Homeland security at your door

Because you totally trust the U.S. government right? They just want to be able to see what data you have on your video game console. Be careful what games you play.... Any of those games that contain the word terrorist too much (Counter-Strike?) and maybe you will be on the watch list.

Does anyone at the U.S. government know what the 4th amendment says?

Say What??? EA's empty bluster

If you're a MMO fan and enjoy closely following the industry like I do, then you had to get a laugh out of this one:

"Speaking at London Games Conference earlier in the week Cousins (EA-Easy executive) said that the company's rivals are "resting on their laurels" when it comes to investing in the future of video games."

Really? Other companies are resting on their laurels compared to EA? Because as what I see whenever I go to a store selling PC games is that most of the market is MMOs, and pretty much none of that thriving market is EA. If by "resting on their laurels" he means not buying up successful and productive software shops to turn them into unproductive rubbish bins I'd have to agree. But with what EA has done to the Sims Online, Origins Studios, Earth & Beyond, and most recently the disaster which is Mythic Entertainment....

EA is talking a hilarious amount of smack. It is like the nerdy preppy kid in college telling the all-star athletes that he is going to single-handedly kick all their butts at basketball.

I mean sure, maybe Bioware I can understand because they have a good track record. But when you tell me EA is making a Star Wars MMO I expect it to turn out like this:

Because if any game company knows how to rest on its imperial laurels while its little game studios struggle and die, it has to be EA (Sorry to Mythic Entertainment)

U.S. government report on piracy... not as bad as it is made out to be!

Government Accountability Office (GAO) study says "Study: U.S. Piracy and Counterfeiting Data is Unsubstantiated"

Yep, that's right. They've looked into it and industry is making up data just to justify their claims (who'd have thought of it! /sarcasm) Not only industry either, the FBI was caught in fabricating that industry loses up to $250 billion a year due to copyright piracy... but when questioned had absolutely no data or way to veryify the claim.

In fact the long and short of it was that every government office and private industry group they contacted was making up claims of losses. Which comes back to a long understand issue: How many internet pirates are actually would-be customers if they didn't pirate? And how many pirates instead turn into actual customers as a result of trying a product?

Maybe IP piracy is less of a problem than just making a poor product and treating your customers badly. But I'm sure that is a lot harder to explain to shareholders than the convenient scapegoat of "there are people copying our stuff for freeeeeee!!!!! they made me lose your money".

I'm not sympathetic pirates, but I'm becoming even less sympathetic and intrusions into my private life, poor customer service, and denial of owner's rights in the excuse of combating piracy. When I BUY something from you, I own it... I'm not renting it from you because you have to fight piracy. I don't mind paying for subscription service games... if I get into it KNOWING it is a subscription service game. Big Business and Big Government are colluding to use it as an excuse to invade people's private lives and take away privacy that would never be allowed any other way. I mean seriously if the government or corporations sent people in person to such through all the private files in your house "just because you COULD do something bad" would people accept it?

In fact here in the U.S. we already had an American Revolution due in part to exactly that.

Still here.. Activision hasn't censored me

I know it has been a while hasn't it? I'm a lot faster than updates on the development of VOR though!

Still unemployed, the economy is oppressing me and honestly there just hasn't been much to right about. VOR is in limbo, there isn't any local Anima Tactics action because the local game store doesn't want to support it, Elemental has been a few weeks without significant updates. So when I play games I've been playing more free DDO which is a great game and you can't beat the price! Unfortunately nobody I know is playing it which makes it not quite as fun as other games I could be playing.

So why Activision? Well it appears those who are protesting their latest Guitar Hero game are facing a lot of censorship for unknown reasons. Activision isn't talking much about their Nirvana critics, but their critics are being silenced by someone one after another. People say now that they've gotten huge from the merger with Blizzard they're trying on the scruples of their large competitor... EA. I say they still have a long ways to catch up but I hope they never get there. I don't have a significant reason to avoid Activision games yet (other than Quality) and I hope not to despise them like I do EA.

But if my blog does suddenly go silent, they're the ones you should blame!

Video Games keep me from killing people

Today's article is courtesy of two entries from Gamepolitics.com on games and violence. First a buddhist monk who uses video games to sate any violent impulses so he can live a life of pacifism. Second, an article about how in Germany a school principle is banning all "killergames" due to an incident where an 18-year old (not a minor and not affected by the rules) went on a killing spree with an axe, knives, and molotov cocktails (obviously they need more GUN control to stop violence). Furthermore the murderer in this case... was not found to have played violent video games. So maybe they should try the opposite and if like the monk he had some violent games he wouldn't have taken his rage out in real life?

I wonder what the school is like because it sounds like the principal is desperately looking for a scapegoat. At least in these times it is so much more difficult to just randomly blame Jews, Gypsies, Turks for things so... video games? It seems like anything to not hold people responsible these days. Just remember the old phrase is true: "Guns don't kill people, People with Guns (and knives but not video games) kill people."

They don't like our Games

I asked before if being against free speech in video game development was a liberal or conservative thing. In my opinion it is neither, it is a generational thing where both parties tend to attack the hobby of the young in misguided cultural warfare. Just as my grandparents generation hated watching as much TV as my parents generation (and my parents themselves) do. Well now it is time for the Boomer generation who are totally addicted to way too much sex and violence on television and in movies to complain and pretend the world is ending because we have half as much in the interactive environments of video games. But somehow it is worse because kids are interacting with the virtual environment rather than staring blankly and closed-mindedly at the television.

President Obama has been one of the repeat offenders urging people to be more active by putting down their Wii (The video game system in his family is a Wii) and ... prowling the streets or something. So message to Youth, get off the streets and go indoors where we expect you to put down your video games and go outside.



Maybe it would be slightly easier to take if Obama was really more concerned about setting a healthy example for his own children. Like by showing proper bicycle safety (his daughters and one other are wearing helmets in the picture) or... not smoking.

But Obama is not the current offender getting me riled up. Those awards would go to the Socialist government of Venezuela and the conservative PajamasTV. The first one is just continuing their waves of censorship of all media because they might contain a subversive message that says something almost critical of the government. The second is a bunch of old guys trying to typecast the young guys with guilt by association.

Venezuela isn't all bad, as they crack down more and more they make more and more enemies. Now they're going after the pasttime of the army and in so it wouldn't surprise if they seal the fate of their own evil government. Yes, power and wealth in Venezuela are gained by working for the corrupt Chavez government... but the other side has more fun. That administration's days are numbered as they just get more and more fanatic.

The PJTV guys are the ones I expect better of. The conservatives are not aging well and they wonder why young people go to folks like Jon Stewart rather than those who tell them they're evil because some kid of their generation (and might we say probably from an abusive family or other bad situation that had nothing to do with game playing) threw a tantrum. I'm not trying to make Gamers out to be saints, 2 minutes on the World of Warcraft forums will show you there isn't a lot of maturity there... but there usually isn't among the 11 year old crowd and online anonymity can only make that worse. But these kids grow up, they learn that even while anonymous their bad behavior has repercussions and has disadvantages. I'm glad we have these online worlds because we're making more socially advanced kids out of it. They're learning about adults and adult social behavior and they're learning about the fallout of bad behavior in a way that is less damaging than reality.

Mark my Words: This MMO generation is going to be a lot more socially aware than the Boob Tube Gen... I'm sorry the... "Boomer"Generation that is mocking them across the old media spectrum.

The Game Industry: Liberal or Conservative?

A couple of articles sparked political outrage over at Game Politics recently. I found it amusing that in each one a group of primarily liberal posters then a group of primarily conservative posters were upset that the "other group" was attacking their first amendment rights.

So which is it, are first amendment game publishing and consumer rights a liberal issue or a conservative issue?

In any case, on this 4th of July I hope that anyone reading this blog will do what they can to stand up for their rights and for American liberty, even if you don't live in the U.S. If it wasn't for the example the founding fathers of the United States set, then a lot more of the world would look like Iran or North Korea right now. People can argue about Honduran democracy because the United States set an example in making democracies. People in Iran can call out for their rights because the U.S. set an example in saying we have rights not because of the government but that the government has them because of the people. That our rights are G-d given by our creator and not because people in power are amused to give them to us. Fireworks can be fun sometimes, but enjoy the liberty you have to look at fireworks, read the news, and read my blog without government censorship that exists in many countries.

Playing Games again with the 1st Amendment

So there have been a lot of attacks in the Mainstream U.S. Media lately about the "filth" in video games and how we need to crack down on it. Very dangerous stuff that continues to erode our 1st amendment rights.

Articles about people being arrested for pornographic drawings disturb me, especially as the prosecutors and proponents of it look at it as a case for cracking down on video games and other forms of media. So let me start with the unfortunately necessary disclaimer. I am not a proponent of rape simulators, excessive violence, or for that matter even pornography. In fact I would personally advocate against pornography and gratuitous graphic violence of any sort. At the same time I recognize that violence and even deviant sexuality have to be protected forms of free speech. To quote what is attributed to Voltaire:

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

The why is simply that I don't wish to see a repeat of history. Don't tell me while they're arguing about public burqa wearing in France that our pornography laws can't go that extreme.

There have already been a bunch of excellent arguments against this censorship. Game Politics and Neil Gaiman in particular are two excellent defenders of Video Game free speech. So I'll try to keep it short and simple:

• Banning rape in free speech is as likely to ban "The Crow" as "Rapelay", more so in fact as Rapelay is a Japanese game not an American one.
• The extreme majority of males (let alone female) is likely to be sickened or outraged by content in games like Rapelay than turned on. I trust the general U.S. public on this one, and I expect it wouldn't be socially acceptable.
  
• If there was a market for it, then the game would likely be marketed in the U.S. ... the company which produced has not seen a market for the game in the U.S. nor can anyone find examples of games that are.
• It is hard to argue that sexual violence is worse than the dismemberment and other gory horrific violence which is more prevalent in our speech n the U.S.
  
• It does not prevent violent or sexual crimes. Japan has prevalent pornographic and violent media, yet the rates of violent crime are far, far, far less than places like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, etc where the censorship of these materials are covered under the countries death penalties.
• The prevalence of pornography in modern culture has not coincidentally coinsided with the decline of legalized prostiitution and red light districts.
  
• Drawings and cartoons do not suffer, there is no 'victim' in a drawing, cartoon, or simulation game. Save the outrage for where it matters.
• Fictional depicitions of sex are preferable to actual pornography trade where Adultery and Fornication are rampant parts of the industry from my standpoint.

If you are a religious person like myself, doesn't it make sense that replacing prostitution with pornography is an improvement? and likewise isn't replacing porn actors with illustrations an improvement?

I'm also against "thought crime" of any sort. There is no picture it should be illegal to download over the internet. NOTHING. People should be free to get disgusted by filth and depravity on the internet. Not to encourage it, but to discourage it.

The ones you go after are the uploaders, and they're protected because anyone who downloads "illegal content" is afraid to report it for fear of being a criminal. Turn the whole world into deputized cops where you're it is okay to download evidence of crimes (whether terrorist chat rooms, illegal pornographers, etc) and anybody can report you to authorities who will stop you.

You shouldn't need to pay for a certification to wear a white hat and be a good guy. Expect it of all our people and enable everyone to be a force for goodness. Because as we're seeing in Iran simply hoping that those empowered by the government are not too corrupt is a bad gamble.

Fun and Frustrations

Probably not the best time for me to blogging as I'm having for of the second rather than the first at this very moment.. but just typing is making me feel productive. First the frustration that is eating me is the job search. I had a job I found yesterday evening that I was going to apply for today, but the listing was already removed. A bitter snarl for job postings that aren't even up 48 hours. My wife probably correctly surmises that this is one of those many positions where they have to put something up for legal reasons even though they've got an internal candidate they have every intention of giving the job to anyways. The job search hasn't been all bad and has picked up for me both on my end with actively searching and the number of valid matches I get in the Seattle area. I've still not had a good interview this month though and it is going to come to high pressure time by the end of the month. There is always temp work if my unemployment actually runs out, but I don't want to be under that kind of pressure because you end up working two jobs.. the paying one and still searching for a job because you don't know when the temp assignment will actually end. There is too much unrest in the business markets right now with a major political election going on.

I guess now that time is short I should come out and publicly support a candidate. So first my disclaimer: I'm a lifetime registered Independent and in the last 3 elections I've yet to vote for EITHER a Republican or Democrat and this will be the first time. As a gamer-blogger I'll address it from that end first. John McCain has been effectively lobbied on behalf of stronger DRM laws, laws that are in fact biting him in the rear right now on Youtube as they pull down his campaigns videos any time an infringement is alleged (and not even validated) as they're liable due to a bill he voted on in the 90s if damage is found. Obama on the other hand always seems to talk and act out of both sides of his mouth. He complains in speeches about the effect of video games on children and the government needing to protect them (though I like when he says parents need to be more diligent - they do!), then turns around and puts political advertisements in EAs online violent shooter games on X-box live unannounced. I like McCain's refreshing honesty to people he disagrees with instead of trying to say he somehow sides with them like all the other politicians do.

But gaming aside I'm also a real human being and while gaming is fun, it is not what I'm really concerned about as a U.S. and world citizen. For me the big issues are the U.S. wars and Economy. Now I lived over in the middle-east for a while and I now the cultural and political situation we've gotten our troops mired in very well. I've always been against starting the Iraq war and unlike most people I thought we rashly rushed into Afghanistan before exhausting other measures to get Bin Laden that didn't include a full scale invasion. Military invasion should ALWAYS be a last resort, and the consequences are even worse in that region of the world where getting bogged down is the only possibility due to complicated reasons. All this is to explain where I'm coming from when I support McCain. It isn't the mistake in getting there which matters, but how we are going to move forward and get out at this point. We wouldn't be there now if we hadn't ended our involvement with the Soviet-Afghan war the way we did, or our many involvements in the Middle-East whether the first Gulf war or most other things. Blood Feuds in the Middle-east are serious things that last hundreds of years. Either the forces there achieve victory or we will be back against a better prepared and more determined enemy at some future date. Withdrawal is simply not an option when your enemy was sworn a vendetta against you and is a militant extremist willing to blow themself up... or raise dozens of children to do it for them a generation later. Other people I know over there, friends and family whether Israelis, Arab, or U.S. military all say and have a similar understanding of the situation.

Other matters are economic and this matters to us all. No politician EVER runs on making the economy worse, though it seems at least half of them do. Have you looked at the track record of the one you're voting for? I know it is hard to determine each ones votes on certain issues will do but you should try at least. Maybe the Obama Tax cut calculator? or McCain youtube channel? Get out and look, and if you aren't willing to educate yourself then I'll say the forbidden... please don't vote. Seriously, bad politicians love chumps and I prefer the bad ones don't get elected. I'd be curious what kind of country we'd have if only those who took the time to educate themselves could vote. Anyways for myself I'm voting again for McCain on this issue. Why? As a Quality Assurance professional I've seen a lot of jobs be outsourced because it is so much cheaper to produce in foreign countries. Even if workers made the same, they're taxed 35% on production in corporate taxes in the U.S. and 10% in someplace like Ireland. Lots of companies want to keep jobs at home, but seriously we have to give them incentives besides calling them partiotic to stay here. Companies can very "patriotically" go out of business due to competition from the not so patriotic. I'd LOVE to see them pay their fair share, but we've given them WAY, WAY too many means not to and Obama's plan to raise capitol gains and corporate tax rates will chase a lot more jobs out of the country that I've fought to justify by the numbers as a Quality professional. McCain's plan to lower the corporate tax rate and close the loopholes for being in the U.S. territories (off shore companies many have heard so much about) will create a huge rush of insourcing for a change which is great for EVERYONE (except the Russians and Chinese).

Now in the interest of amusement now that I've announced I'm voting for McCain is another personal tidbit. Both my Wife and I have some very rich relatives who are also very liberal Obama supporters. Neither side is willing to spend even a pittance amount that they would normally spend on a fun night on the town to help out the desperately needy in their family. Yet we've been beseeched by them to support Obama who would tax money from them that would end up with us.. while we support a candidate who will give them a bigger tax break. Political irony much?

So you read through this long hoping I talked more about gaming? I've had a difficult time stirring up more interest in Anima at the friendly local game store and am taking a break from it. This has translated into my Wife and I having too much time to get heavily involved in Lord of the Rings Online again. We're heavily addicted and can't wait for the Mines of Moria expansion. I've seriously binged I don't know how many hours on the game this last week, but I'd guess at least 20 minimum. I find the story oriented quests very compelling and my old Kinship (guild in most games) had several people ask (Beg?) me to come back.

Played a good 3 way game of Vor two nights ago in which I lost catastrophically. It was a skirmish to 50% of force lost on a 350 point game. Defining part of the game for me... Shard didn't pass a single armor test the whole game.Ramlar characters have been made and we'll have a short intro game of it this Saturday (tomorrow). Expect another entry about those two games to come very soon (maybe even by the end of the weekend).

Gaming, Politics, Working

Woo Hoo!

I'm still unemployed and gaming. I've had one interview and have another one soonish here. Honestly until August is over I don't care if I have a job or not though, it is great just being able to get up in the morning and see my children happy that I'm here and have some time to game or do other things going out and enjoying life.

So in case you haven't noticed, there is a political election going on here in the U.S. Have you been to Game Politics? Apparently the last game Obama played was Pong. I find it amazing that using a crackberry is enough to create generational appeal. But at least all the virulently anti-fun politicians didn't make it through the primaries. No word yet on what the last game McCain played was, the Political Machine wouldn't count though. No, these issues aren't too serious on my list of voting issues but you needed a good distraction from all the regular political news right about now right?

Another local player (Scott) and I have been giving VOR the old beatdown. I've certainly had fun playing with some new figures that I haven't been able to play with before. Lately we've been giving vehicles some beat down, you can see one of our vehicle missions pictured. The results of which are over on the bioplazm forums. Between VOR, Anima, and Arkham I've just about given up electronic gaming. I've taken the time to be the latest campaign on the second Galactic Civilizations expansion and created the Pharon and Golem enemy races in honor of VOR.

My wife and I played Shadowrun 4th edition at a game store recently. I've been very critical of it but hadn't given it an actual play. I had fun in that it resembled Shadowrun but I found it full of a lot of unnecessary mechanics changes and downright annoying changes to the story or "fluff" of the game. This next weekend I'm hoping to get a good old game of 3rd edition in, I still keep hearing about other old 3rd edition players who don't like the new edition either.

The reason I expect to be able to play 3rd edition is because I'm going to the Dragon Flight convention in Bellevue, Washington to demo Anima: Tactics. I was going to do it for my friendly local game store, but I also got accepted into Cipher Studious (the manufacturers of Anima: Tactics) program for Free Agents. Which means I'll be helping with demoing the game a lot locally, helping with conventions and tournaments and in exchange I hope to get some interesting little rewards to show off on the blog here someday. Just today I demo'd the game to 3 guys who were in the game store and hope to get a regular game night actively going. This weekend I'll be demoing at the Dragon Flight convention and I'll be having some games at PAX. Since $40-$50 is a full army for this game, there is no reason not to pick it up if you're already playing other war games.