Microsoft scored a coup snatching up Lionhead studios. The acquisition gives Microsoft access to Peter Molyneux, the brains behind Fable (which is one of my favorite Xbox games).
It’s actually a better deal for Molyneux. He was facing financial problems and laying off staff.
Now they can get back to work and spit out Fable 2. What do you say guys? How about it?
It’s amazing to me how much time we spend trying to legislate morality while acknowledging that it just isn’t possible. The favorite target of the morality police is the video game industry. So many attempts have been made to regulate the gaming industry that blogs have sprung up dealing with this niche market of legislation.
Well, those who would regulate games have lost again. Ars Technica writes up a good summary and cites the judges findings, which are similar to those in other cases.
The plaintiffs argue that the Act fails the three-part test set forth in Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969), and therefore violates the First Amendment. Under the first prong of the Brandenburg test, free speech may be restricted if it “is directed to inciting or producing the imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.” [...] The plaintiffs correctly assert that because the video game producers do not intend for the consumers to commit violent actions, the Act fails this first prong. The second prong requires that the danger of violence must be imminent. The research conducted by the State has failed to prove that video games have ever caused anyone to commit a violent act, let alone present a danger of imminent violence. Finally, as discussed below, the State’s research fails to prove that ultra-violent video games are “likely” to produce violent behavior in children.
The gaming industry conceded that sexually explicit games should not be sold to those under 17. That’s a position they have consistently supported. They do, however, take issue with restricting access to violent content.
I’ve always felt it’s kind of ridiculous to argue that violent games lead to violence. You could just as easily argue that violence on the news leads to violence, yet we don’t attempt to regulate the news. Violence was around, and getting worse, long before the invention of the video game.
Missed the domain name gold rush? Didn’t get on the dot com bubble boom and make your first billion at 25? Spent too much time playing Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox and lost a few girlfriends in the process? Well have no fear, corporate recruiters are looking for you. At least according to Wired magazine they are.
Spend time playing video games and you can rocket to the top of middle management because video games create leaders.
Sure they do…
Nobody I have ever seen living in his basement, playing SOCOM online and getting stoned on cheap weed will ever be promoted to a senior position at Yahoo. Though they may eventually run for Congress…
Oregon has a really interesting idea to keep prisoners calm – give them video games.
Ars Technica has the details on a new way to curb prison violence by rewarding good behavior with access to video games. Listening to the prisoners talk about it, it seems to be working… Or maybe not…
“You get all these weapons and you’ve got to beat the four boss men,”[23 year old prisoner Kodi] Dodgin said. “You kill your enemies. They let off these bubbles sometimes. You collect their bubbles, and you get all these weapons.”
The prisoner quoted was doing time for killing his boss. (Ok, I made that part up.)
It’s the World’s Oldest Video Gamer. In addition to her 733t skills as a gamer, she apparently teaches needlepoint – anything to keep those thumbs limber.
