November 06, 2007
Microsoft as Indie Game Censor
Just caught this in a new entry over on PlayThisThing.com:
Perhaps I should point out to our readers that Windows Vista "helpfully" does not permit play of AO, M -- or unrated -- games by anyone using a computer who does not have administrative permissions, or has been granted access to "adult" content by an administrator. In other words, our largest producer of operating systems has decided that censorship of games (but not of other media) should be the default stance.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 11:06 PM | Discuss this post on our forums
November 22, 2006
PixelPulse: Avatar Sex a No-No at Video Egg?
Pixel Pulse, an adult mag that covers the Second Life community, is reporting on some recent censorship issues.
It looks like one of the account-holders over at a Second Life video-sharing site had his/her video pulled by a third-party host due to the nature of the content.
Check out the rest of the story.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 03:11 PM | Discuss this post on our forums
August 12, 2006
Movie City News: No Sex. We're Filmish.
Video games aren't the only ones who have an issue presenting romance, sex and sexual themes. In this article on Movie City News, No Sex. We're Filmish., writer David Poland discusses the issue.
The Devil Wears Prada is the poster child for the sexlessness of Summer 2006. Here is a movie about women who want are obsessed with their bodies, about men who are obsessed with these women, and the things people do under stress. ... and yet the film is a chaste as Monster House (less than Monster House in 3D).
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August 10, 2006
GamePolitics.com: Joe-mentum" Runs Out - Longtime Video Game Critic Lieberman Loses Connecticut Primary
As most of you likely know, Senator Joe Liberman lost the Connecticut primary.
GamePolitics has great coverage and commentary on this and what it means for video game legislation.
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August 01, 2006
Update: Della Rocca & Walsh
In noting, "This is a panel that's simply not to be missed: Video Games: Content and Responsibility," I was wrong.
Dr. David Walsh is missing his own panel.
Elizabeth Losh from the University of California will stand in.
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July 20, 2006
Breasts or No Breasts
Interesting editorial over on Reason Online CleanFlicks v. Kate Winslet's Breasts
"[Moviemakers'] objective...is to stop the infringement because of its irreparable injury to the creative artistic expression in the copyrighted movies..."
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May 15, 2006
Judge Close To Ruling On California Game Law
Gamasutra is reporting that a Judge [is] Close To Ruling On California Game Law.
According to a report by the BCN news agency, the San Jose-based judge currently considering the legal challenge to the State of California's violent video game bill, while not yet having made a decision, has made a legal ruling that implies the bill may be struck down.
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May 11, 2006
Censorship: Artists Supporting Art
When talking about censorship, I often note how nudity and sexual themes are treated in video games. For developers of video games, including nudity or sexual content is a risk, both at the rating level and at retail. Your product might get hit with an AO-rating or shut out from some or all of the major retailers (as God of War originally was from Walmart).
Am I advocating we add sex and nudity to all games? Of course, I'm not. However, I firmly believe that developers should have the full range of human experience on their palette when they create a game and not some kind of Disney-esque range of things to choose from.
If other mediums were subjected to what is increasingly becoming our palette through self censorship and retail reluctance, movies like Shakespeare in Love, Sideways, The Graduate and American Beauty would never have been made, and if they were, their commercial success would have suffered greatly. Feel free to pick up these movies at your local Walmart.
Is the bar for mature themes in video games much lower than it is for other forms of art? It seems so. What is so offensive about Fahrenheit that it couldn't be released *as is* in the states without neutering parts of its story?
I fully believe that movies like Sideways and Brokeback Mountain never would have survived creatively if subjected to an ESRB ratings run. Developers are inclined to pre-censor now in the post-Hot Coffee, post-Oblivion rerating, and such content, even nudity, is unlikely to show up even in cases where it would make perfect sense.
It was this story, Nude art stripped from show, that got me thinking about this issue this morning. I often say that if other forms of art were treated like video games (ie. censoring things outright like E3's banning of adult content or the defacto retail censorship that comes with an AO rating), that people would protest the affront to their creative freedoms.
So they did: "...some art professors are angry at what they see as censorship and are planning to show their own nude works at the off-campus display in solidarity with the offending students." Good for them.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 08:25 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
May 02, 2006
AVN Online: Sex Game Banned from E3?
A report in AVN Online suggests that the E3 conference is censoring content: the new MMOEG Naughty America: The Game has been banned from E3.
Is it true?
Regina Lynn of Wired's Sex Drive column contacted Noah Dudley to confirm his account. According to Regina, NA:TG missed the deadline for registration, and so never actually applied to the show. Ergo, it was never actually rejected. However, Noah "did confirm that E3 said 'no adult content.' He took that to mean not just the booth but the game content as well, so he says NA:TG would probably not have been permitted to exhibit anyway."
Officials at both the ESA and E3 have been contacted to clarify this matter.
Sex & Games had previously contacted E3 officials after news of their new policy was leaked to us. In response, Carolyn Rauch, Senior Vice President of the ESA said:
"To answer your questions, the new enforcement provision does not affect the content of the games shown at E3Expo -- it relates only to the dress code. Frankly, this entire issue has been blown way out of proportion. We have simply taken steps to ensure that exhibitors honor long-standing show policies regarding booth model attire because some exhibitors were not following the rules and show management needed tools to better enforce it. More than anyone, ESA, as founder and owner of E3Expo, understands the importance of preserving the character and feel and energy that has made the show so popular and successful. We are confident that enforcement of the dress code will not impact all that makes E3 special one iota."
The Entertainment Software Association - which owns E3 - is a vocal critic of censorship at the political level. It would be quite surprising and unlikely if they were censoring content at their own show. Here's hoping that the AVN article has "blown [the issue] way out of proportion" as well.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 08:28 PM | Discuss this post on our forums
April 23, 2006
Violet Blue: Make it Stop
Violet Blue said it well: please make it stop.
George Bush is calling for mandatory labeling of websites that post sexually explicit information.
A mandatory rating system will "prevent people from inadvertently stumbling across pornographic images on the Internet," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said at an event in Alexandria, Va.
Where do you start with this? That the internet is not wholly based in the US? That lots of websites *are* already labeled and even require birthdate to enter? That adult entertainment companies have been asking the government for a secure way to verify age for years... to no avail?
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 08:22 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
April 15, 2006
Law.com: Anti-Porn Crusader Sues Over Bar Probe
According to an article in Law.com, Anti-Porn Crusader Sues Over Bar Probe:
Jack Thompson has filed a federal lawsuit against the Florida Bar, alleging it is harassing him by investigating what he calls baseless complaints made by disgruntled opponents in previous disputes.
...
"I enjoy doing what I do and I think I've got a First Amendment right to annoy people and participate in the public square in the cultural war," Thompson said in an interview Wednesday.
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April 12, 2006
Walmart: We Control the Game Industry
Not a shock to those of us who have made games with adult themes in them (Playboy, Leisure Suit Larry, etc.) and have been shut out of Wal-Mart, this article in the Escapist reveals just how pervasive Wal-Mart Censorship is: Wal-Mart Rules.
Do you buy your electronic games at Wal-Mart? Never mind, doesn't matter. The retail games you buy at GameStop or Best Buy or online are the games Wal-Mart has decided you can buy.
For Wal-Mart, however, capitalism is more important than moralism. According to my sources, they initially refused to stock the superb game God of War due to its sexual content. When it started selling like hotcakes, on the shelf it went.
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April 09, 2006
Kotaku: The Hidden Breast in the New Lara Kroft Game
Kotaku reports that with some difficulty, a breast can be revealed in the new Lara Kroft game: Lara Kroft's Nip Slip.
Well, the good news is that there’s an actual bare female breast in Tomb Raider: Legend. The bad news is that it isn’t Lara Croft’s. The worse news is that it’s not even viewable unless you hack the game.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 09:14 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
April 06, 2006
More on the Harvard Study: Ratings Deathmatch
Here's an interesting scan:
What you're looking at is GTA: San Andreas (left) and the DVD of Shaun of the Dead (right) side by side.
The ESRB label is much larger and in a legible font color. The DVD label is certainly more difficult to see.
Descriptors are clearly missing from this DVD label. It contains the descriptors "zombie violence/gore and language". According to the source who sent this to the Sex SIG, "Hardly a shot goes by in Shaun of the Dead where someone's not drinking a pint or smoking a cigarette, but I don't see Yee or anyone else demanding the MPAA be banned, burned, fed to lions, and their new liony hosts burned."
All in all, I firmly believe we need to start working together and stop meeting on the floor of the Senate. Politicians need to get involved beyond the soundbyte. Researchers would do well to study our industry in conjunction with others to give their research some perspective. We, as an industry, need to be open and receptive to criticism and be willing to iterate should people find a way to improve our existing system. Firing off statements isn't going to do a damn thing to protect the kids. Ultimately, we need to work together, and those doing the work need to be well informed.
Looking at that screen above? I'm not feeling too bad about how we're doing overall.
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April 03, 2006
GameDaily.biz: Senators, Researchers & Industry Reps Debate Violent Games
Check out GameDaily.biz's article on the current Senate Judiciary subcommittee's discussions and testimony on violent video games: Senators, Researchers & Industry Reps Debate Violent Games.
While the adjective in the title is "violent", in the testimony, "pornographic" games are mentioned.
Is legislative reading the sort of stuff that can put people to sleep? Yes, sure, it is. However, what's at stake here is our First Amendment protection as makers of video games. If this were happening to any other form of art, people would be protesting in the streets. Get involved. Join the IGDA. Going the ESA's voter network. Contact your Senator. Do something. It's a very serious issue.
GamePolitics is a great place to keep on top of all legislation affecting video games.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 09:17 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
April 02, 2006
AVN Online: A Porn Squad G-Man
Check out AVN Online's article Your Tax Dollars at Work: Say hello to a porn squad G-man.
Recently, the FBI became part of the Bush administration’s War on Porn. The bureau’s Washington Field Office began recruiting for their fledgling obscenity squad and selected 10 agents. What follows is my interview with one of them, who – naturally –requested anonymity.
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March 07, 2006
Culture Clash: You Don't Know, Jack
From the IGDA's site comes this column, Culture Clash: You Don't Know Jack.
...I want to thank you for your efforts against video games. We owe you. You may not know that your tireless work has had a hugely positive impact on our industry. You've done so much for the business, and you've taught us a lot along the way. You just don't know how good you've been to all of us, so I'm going to tell you.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 08:16 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
January 23, 2006
'Lolita' may be pulled from public library
One of our standard arguments of why games should not be censored, is to compare with other media like books and movies to show that some adult works have great merit. Lolita is a prime example.
Now, the County Commission in Marion County, FL is considering whether this book is obscene and should therefore be removed from the public library.
Most chilling is this quote from the person who is raising the issue:
"I want you to think about the effect of literature on the people who read it, children and adults."
Keeping objectional material out of the hands of kids, I've at least heard before. But keeping objectional material out of the hands of adults?
Try this thought exercise. Imagine what our industry would be like if M and AO games had to consider not only how to keep them out of the hands of minors, but also how to keep them out of the hands of impressionable adults. I suppose if the day comes where videogames are stocked in the local library's Literature section, we'll have a battle like this on our hands, so prepare yourselves now...
Posted by IanSchreiber at 07:56 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
December 23, 2005
The Difference between Movie "Mature" and Game "M"
From an article on AVN Online, comes this quote from Bouncy Pictures president Ty Endicott, discussing the recently released Sony PSP UMD, Virtual Lap Dances #1. The title is exclusively PSP.
Endicott said that in order for Sony to give its approval for Virtual Lap Dances that it had to be classified as “mature rated,” though it shows the equivalent of X-rated sex.
“You can see explicit nudity and the girls do hardcore,” Endicott explained. “The girls strip out of their clothes and tease you, and they take the dick and put it inside and ride it cowgirl, but you don’t see penetration and there is no cumshot. … Our lap dance project is perfect for this because it already falls within the guidelines by nature of the footage itself.”
He continued, “Keeping it [with no penetration] has huge ramifications for distribution levels. It gives us a broader range.”
Can you *possibly* imagine this ever being anything other than extreme-so-far-out-there-you-could-wave-to-Pluto "AO" in the video game market? The different standards that we apply to different mediums of entertainment - completely as a result of the perceptions of those who do not partake in said mediums - is ridiculous. I suspect following Hot Coffee, it's only going to get worse for games.
The problem lies not with the DVD or UMD market, but with the game market, which continues to fight and simultaneously accept the "games are for kids" perception by rating many things "AO" that would, comparitively speaking, be rated "R" on a movie screen.
"But it's interactive," some say.
Not always. In fact, rarely. Take a look at numerous English language hentai titles or what happened to poor ol' Fahrenheit (sold chopped in the US as Indigo Prophecy).
Game developers are being denied the full range of expression that every other artist in every other medium has available to him or her. Things don't even get past design discussions. "That might get us an AO," someone will say, and that's enough to kill a feature or a story line on the spot if the game is destined for retail.
Am I advocating porn in mainstream games? No. Not at all. But American gamers should have been able to play Fahrenheit and games like it before they were sanitized for our conservative viewing.
Because publishers cannot sell AO content at retail, and because what should be rated M content is rated AO, we never get a chance to develop - to learn - to move beyond this formative stage.
That will change, but I don't know when.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 10:26 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
Judge Halts CA Violent Video Games Law
According to this article on GameDAILY.biz, California's recent video game law has been overturned.
State by state, violent games legislation is being shot down for being unconstitutional. Late yesterday, California's violent games law was halted by Judge Whyte, representing another victory for the video game industry and retailers. Both the ESA and VSDA feel that it's time to stop litigating and to start cooperating.
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December 08, 2005
Art & Censorship - The Statue Exposed
As we've recently noted, games are the only artistic medium that come under regulatory crosshairs. As this story on Ebar.com points out, even statues have issues.
Of course, the statue in question happens to have a significant issue, which is perhaps why they want to cover it up. It's no David.
Hedric has nixed his idea of hanging a Christmas wreath with blinking lights from the phallus, fearing such a decoration would only ignite more controversy than it is worth
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December 02, 2005
IEMA Statement in Reaction to Clinton/Lieberman Game Bill
PRESS RELEASE
The impetus for this piece of legislation appears as fundamentally misguided as it is fatally-flawed. The IEMA retailers committed voluntarily to a self-regulatory enforcement system substantially similar to the motion picture business, which the very same legislators hold up as the "Gold Standard." While our success rates may not be as consistently high as movie theatre owners, it is important to note that they are leveraging a system which, through decades of reinforcement, has become a part of the collective unconscious.
We are making significant and tangible progress and have successfully implemented policies and procedures in each and every member company store across the country in just two year's time. We have also replaced valuable in-store signage with ratings education information displayed at the point of merchandising and/or the point of sale. And while we acknowledge that the "human factor" will always be our greatest challenge (making sure that parents and store-level staff are as committed to the same end as retail corporations), we are convinced that we have done our part. The Government has not and should not involve itself in determining what movies to watch, what music to listen to, or what games to play.
In addressing the aforementioned "greatest challenge" we all face, we have repeatedly asked for Local, State and Federal politicians to leverage the power and support networks that they respectively bring to help educate their constituents, our customers, to use the existing ratings systems and make knowledgeable and informed purchasing decisions on behalf of their children. Our mutual concern should be focused on empowering parents - first and foremost - and politicians can put themselves in a position to help us in a meaningful and legally-responsible way by working with the businesses already committed to the same goal.
-Hal Halpin, pres., IEMA
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 09:24 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
November 29, 2005
Hillary Clinton Introducing New Game Legislation
This just in from Gamespot.com:
Clinton Introducing Federal Game Regulation
Family Entertainment Protection Act would levy fines for M-rated game sales to minors, create annual ESRB review, authorize FTC retailer audits.
When the "Hot Coffee" scandal boiled over this past summer, one of the highest-profile people to weigh in on the controversy was Hilary Rodham Clinton. The Democratic junior U.S. senator from New York, former first lady, and likely 2008 presidential candidate jumped on the media uproar over the hidden sex content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 06:56 PM | Discuss this post on our forums
November 28, 2005
Another Political Attempt at Problem Solving
This item on Slashdot.org...
"A Utah businessman and his non-profit organization wants to limit pornography to certain ports in the TCP/IP protocol."
Catch the full article here.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 08:32 PM | Discuss this post on our forums
Censor That, Please
Tripped across this interesting analysis of the content in the old Sierra game Phantasmagoria 2: Puzzle of Flesh (possibly the worst name ever for a video game, no?).
Notice how the sexual scenes are "censored" out, but the violent ones are present in all their goriness.
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October 19, 2005
Group Sues to Overturn Video Game Curbs
Read this article from Yahoo News...
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Two trade groups representing video game makers filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to overturn the recently passed California law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minors.
The Video Software Dealers Association and Entertainment Software Association contend the law is unconstitutional and violates First Amendment free speech rights, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose. The suit names Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed the bill earlier this month, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer and other local officials.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 08:33 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
October 18, 2005
Censorship (Also known as "Protecting the Kids")
Check out this great coverage of the amazing panel that appeared at the Future Play conference in Michigan last week.
Also, check out the podcast with Ernest Adams and Henry Jenkins at Thunderbird 6.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 11:40 PM | Discuss this post on our forums
October 04, 2005
Op-Ed - The FBI's Anti-Obscenity Unit
Eric Heyl, a writer for the Pittsburg Tribune-Review dings the FBI on their new anti-obscenity bent in this article:
It's Time to Confront the Real Terror Threat - Porn
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 10:45 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
September 20, 2005
New Federal Anti-Obscenity Squad?
The Washington Post reports:
"Early last month, the bureau's Washington Field Office began recruiting for a new anti-obscenity squad. Attached to the job posting was a July 29 Electronic Communication from FBI headquarters to all 56 field offices, describing the initiative as "one of the top priorities" of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and, by extension, of "the Director." That would be FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III."
"The new squad will divert eight agents, a supervisor and assorted support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography -- not the kind exploiting children, but the kind that depicts, and is marketed to, consenting adults."
"I guess this means we've won the war on terror," said one exasperated FBI agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity because poking fun at headquarters is not regarded as career-enhancing. "We must not need any more resources for espionage."
Read the full article here.
Thanks deb s.
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September 19, 2005
Rockstar Strikes Back?
Here's an interesting site:
Citizens United Negating Technology. (Think anagrams.)
Networks Solutions WHOIS database reports Rockstar Games is the owner of the domain.
The site seems designed to mock Jack Thompson's site.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 02:42 PM | Discuss this post on our forums
September 15, 2005
Link of the Day - More Censorship
Today's Link:
From the office of Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm:
Governor Signs Video Game Bill
September 14, 2005
LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed the final two pieces of the bill package that will make the sale or rental of mature or adult-rated video games to children illegal. The new law applies to children age 17 and younger and will take effect on December 1, 2005.
On the face of it, this bill looks like a good, common sense idea. Under the surface, however, it's not so good. Why? The most recent ESA studies (pdf version) show that parents are present a whopping 92% of the time when video games are purchased. Furthermore, additional studies show that parents understand the ratings and choose to ignore them anyway. What's needed isn't legislation - it's parental responsibility.
Furthermore, as is common with many of these bills, video games are treated differently than any other form of art and media and are said to "[lack] serious literary, artistic, political, educational, and scientific value for minors." That's patently untrue.
The trouble, of course, is that a great many people will never read the actual text of the bill to see what it is they're actually voting on.
None of us - developers, parents or random concerned citizens - want to see violent or sexually themed video games in the hands of kids. We can all agree on the intent, but only the intent, of the legislation.
Passing laws like this that are certain to be overturned on First Amendment grounds are tremendous wastes of taxpayer dollars and do very little to address the problem the legislators seek to solve.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 07:53 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
September 06, 2005
PS2 Ad Banned in France
Have a look at this decided racy advertisement for the PS2 that was banned in France back in 2002.
Link submitted by Jason. Thanks!
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September 02, 2005
Deep Throat, Nixon and Games
This article on AVN Online talks about the first crossover, almost mainstream porn film "Deep Throat."
For video games, 2005 is very much like 1972.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 10:38 PM | Discuss this post on our forums
August 17, 2005
Domain .XXX put on hold
Just out in this Reuter's article:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The group that oversees Internet domain names said on Wednesday it had postponed a decision to set up a special .xxx domain for sex sites that has drawn opposition from conservative activists.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 05:20 PM | Discuss this post on our forums
Obscenity in the Digital Age
How do you define community standards in the Internet Age? This excellent essay by Lawrence G. Walters, Esq. and Clyde DeWitt, Esq. from the law first of Weston, Garrow, DeWitt and Walters addresses that issue.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 12:08 AM | TrackBack | Discuss this post on our forums
August 16, 2005
What's broken here?
"The video game ratings aren't working."
It's a familiar refrain and one used to justify all kinds of legislation that seeks to censor or restrict video games.
But the ratings are working.
This article from the BBC News cites a study done by the ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) that shows that parents understand video game ratings - but choose to ignore them anyway.
If you understand something and choose to ignore it, what's not working right here?
As developers, how can we work with parents to take these ratings seriously?
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 12:44 PM | TrackBack | Discuss this post on our forums
August 14, 2005
Parental Responsibility
Here's a great article I found over at the Daily Barometer.
The author raises some wonderful points about the responsibility that we all share - keeping adult content out of kids' hands. As developers, it is our responsibility to let people know what's in the game and on the disc so that they can make play decisions accordingly. As parents, its our job to know what our kids are looking at and listening to.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 12:15 AM | Discuss this post on our forums
August 05, 2005
Boston Post Mortem: Murder, Sex and Censorship
I'll be speaking at the Boston Post Mortem on Tuesday, August 9th.
Posted by BrendaBrathwaite at 02:34 PM | Discuss this post on our forums