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The blog Bruce On Games has a recent post dealing with that perennially popular topic: violence and video games. Bruce makes the claim that “established old media have vastly more shocking content than video games. This is an irrefutable fact.” He then supports this by using an online service that lets users search for particular words in the Bible. He found that the King James version has “harlot” in it 48 times, “sodomite” 5 times, “fornicator” 5 times, “smite” 133 times, “kill” 208 times and “maim” 7 times. This proves, I suppose he’s saying, that the Bible is more violent than (or at least as violent as) any videogame. His conclusion is that all media should be age rated based on the same standards.
18 February, 2008
starWarsVanity Fair has an extensive article on the newest chapter of the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Lucas Arts is releasing this game as an official addition to the Star Wars cannon, filling in the years between Episode III and Episode IV, much as the game Enter the Matrix did for the Matrix series. The article is written for the uninitiated, and as such it gives a brief history of videogames and explains what technical limitations are currently hindering video game realism. The article claims that new technology, however, may soon dramatically improve videogame realism and perhaps topple the barriers to “greater public interest in the medium.”
18 February, 2008
Though I know we’ve said it before, I don’t think it can be said enough: the Values at Play project is NOT about creating boring goodie-two-shoes games. We talk a lot about social values, and appealing to diverse communities, and promoting a more just, equitable society, but that doesn’t mean we’re condemming violent videogames or controversy. I'm actually quite fond of controversy and enjoy well done violent games.
18 February, 2008
Gamasutra has an interview with Craig Allen, CEO of Spark Unlimited, about the company’s new release. The game is called Turning Point, and it takes a “what-if” scenario. As it asks what might have happened had the Nazis invaded the U.S. in WWII, the game seems to ponder on the nature of war.
21 January, 2008
Societies. The SimCity series has always given players a wide array of choices for powering their city, but Societies is notable for being the first game that specifically brands the eco-friendly power solutions with BP logos and likenesses.
In an apparent effort to explore the currently pressing issues of pollution and global warming, publisher Electronic Arts and energy giant BP have collaborated to incorporate a global warming minigame in SimCity: Societies, which is available now for the PC. In addition to traditional coal and nuclear power plants, the latest SimCity game also offers greener solutions such as wind farms and solar stations. The environmentally-sound – and BP branded – power options naturally cost more money to build and maintain, but yield significantly less pollution in the virtual city.
18 January, 2008
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