I’ve stayed away from editorializing in the last few months, but I suspect a lot of “off the table” topics are going to come up in the new year — there’s just too much going on in the world that’s pissing me off.
Let’s start today with this jackass story pile of crap in the New York Post:
IN this season of ecumenical brotherhood, here’s a suggestion for how to advance the cause of peace: Sell your stock in Take-Two Interactive Inc.
In case you can’t quite place the name, New York-based Take-Two Interactive is a Nasdaq-traded company in the video game business.
[…]
[L]et’s first pause for some thoughts on the core question of what this company actually does – which is to produce and market video games of such luxuriously violent and disgusting content as to leave one simply speechless.
The latest installment in the company’s best-selling “Grand Theft Auto” series – “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” – has been on the market for a little over a year now and has already sold more than 5 million copies.
[…]
In fact, “whatever you want” is what the game is all about. Thanks to its artful and complex programming and its incredibly realistic graphics, the game creates the impression of being inside a totally unscripted, live-action drama in which you can manufacture your mayhem as you go along.
People, this is insane. This is 10,000 times worse than the worst thing anybody thinks Michael Jackson ever did to a little boy – or than any lie the feds think Martha Stewart ever told them, or any line in any song that Bruce Springsteen ever sang that rankled a cop in the Meadowlands.
Yeah, you read that correctly. Michael Jackson’s accused of seven counts of commiting lewd acts on a minor — that’s legal speak for a whole bunch of inappropriate touching and who knows what else — and this genius suggests that the content of a video game is WORSE than that.
Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
There was violence long before cartoons, video games, TV shows, movies and such. The Crusades, for example, very violent, very bloody, the damn thing went on for 30 years. And this was before cartoons, video games and stuff. (And it was started by a bunch of religious zealots who wanted to take back holy lands).
This Byron guy is out there to say the least. He is using the same arguments, just slightly reworded that were used against Rock & Roll in the 50s. Then used on D&D, then on video games in the arcade, then home video games. His remarks clearly show a less than educated opinion. He is off the mark on a number of things, not just about this one game, but on gaming in general. So to play devil’s advocate, is he doing this to raise the level of controversy and increase the stock value of the company?
Back to reality, his basis of a video game, light and pixels, is worse than what humans do daily in real life? This alone tells me he is one of those that needs a mental health evaluation. He clearly has issues adn difficulty seperating reality from fiction. To wrap this up, if you read just the last several paragraphs of the article, it seems he has some sort of personal beef with either the founder of Rock Star Games or his father. The personal attacks remind me of the PMRC (founded by TIpper Gore, Al’s wife) of the 80s. BTW, they are the reason there are the rating levels on music and games. They were pro-censorship and wanted to ban anything that didn’t meet their level of acceptance. All they managed was the ratings levels (which that much I do agree with). Byron seems to be in the same boat as them, pro-censorship and anything that does not meet his standards is going to lead to the downfall of humanity. In fact, he uses several of their arguments in this article.
So bluntly, the dude is a plagarising, unoriginal, unable to think for himself idiot.
Ok, longwinded rant over.
Coyote
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Hm…It seems that even in the biblical days that there was violence to contend with. Hell, I bet Cain had just finished playing a rousing game of Grand Theft Auto: Eden. Because, obviously, according to the asshat at the new york post, violence couldn’t possibly be just another facet of mankind.
You know what that article really tells me? That Mr. Byron supports Censorship. It’s always great to see people support the destruction of constitutional rights as long as they don’t apply to them. Of course, if I had my druthers, I would like to stand aside and watch them take away those rights, and see Mr. Byron realize that what he had in his hands wasn’t the flag of liberty, or the staff of morality, but simply the tail of the tiger that would destroy his freedom as well. Ah well, we can dream, can’t we? Wil – Thanks for posting about this…saw it on Fark.com and wondered who would catch it.
Jamie
You know when I hear someone say that a video game is 10,000 times worse than child molestation I must question if this person also thinks that child molestion is 10,000 times BETTER than video games….Oo? Maybe he is a child molester that is jealous of video games taking childrens attention away from him? (just a thought)
I would also like to comment on the CLOSED MINDED IDIOTS that choose to say that it is closed minded bible carrying rednecks that make all these statements….I do believe he writes for the New York papers, right?RIGHT?!Okay I thought so if you knew rednecks as you call them you know they hate yankees and would not be writing in a paper there.Thank You.I would also like to say that My whole family lives in Florida and Georgia and we goto Pentacostal and Babtist churches, I have more game systems and games also violent sexual movies in my home than you people do.So while you like to say it is natural for men to love men and to kill a baby that is already formed in the womb, don’t spank your children just put them in a chair for a couple of minutes that will teach ’em.I tried that and before my children nearly took over my home i resorted to a spanking and HEY,guess what, it works!When you people can quit saying its Gods fault or christians fault and look at your own passive (roll over and take it in the rear attitude)maybe you will find that it’s kid’s thats parents put them in timeout or just ignore them for fear of H.R.S. that has the kid’s that are killing each other.The bible has laws and if you followed them you would only be an asset to the community not a hindrance.It says we are forgiven of sin not perfect, man so quit being scared of it,I bet you didn’t know that Darwin denounced his theory of evolution as a GET FAMOUS QUICK scheme and accepted jesus in his last days did ya?Do your research and quit looking for a Scapegoat.P.S. My religion doesn’t accept the catholic beliefs so remember that when you say it’s (christians) that are molesting little boys,no it’s not.Just remember while you people are lying on your deathbed and thinking “what if I’m wrong?” that most people call out to god before dying because Hell is much worse than we could imagine.Please refrain from saying that putting God in school or having a nativity scene in my yard is violating your religious beliefs,because the constitutional right is FREEDOM to practice my religion, not FREEDOM to STOP me from practicing it.Mind your own business and I will mind mine,that’s the best way to take care of this problem.Sorry to ramble so much people,I’m just tired of reading about people blaming everything that says you can’t do something wrong on us.I don’t care what you do.>=P
There is a war going on. A weird one, launched by born again christians on a secular muslim nation. It is a pre-emptive war. It is the new kind of chrtistianity, “do unto otheres before they can do unto you”. There are 40 million americans with no real health access, we are cutting education sepnding while increasing prison capacity. Jobs are going over seas and they aint coming back. WalMart is taking over the countries retailing and undermineing cities and towns economies and will soon be lowering everyones standard of living here in California. A very few hold the ownership power in the American media, and thus the gates to information and the shaping of public opinion.
What does this have to do with the article? Well I think it is funny that with all this gong on in the country and the world, that this is what you choose to rant about. An article in the POST of all places. About a video game . And you all talk about it like it is relevant and meaningful It is at best a stupid distraction. You can tell a lot about a person by the battles they choose to fight
Happy New Year.
These are the real problems of our society
I’m not big on video games these days, but I played Vice City on an X-Box when I visited a friend (he had a nice HD set too 🙂 ) and I thought it was incredibly good fun. Hell it was fun to watch other’s play too. I’ve played few games in my life that were that good.
Wil,
I said the same thing when I read the NY Post story about Take Two Interactive…not that the NY Post is really that much of true journalism. I can’t believe he feels that the game maker is 10k times worse than ANYTHING MJ could do to a little boy.
-BRYAN-
as a mother of 2, (6 and 2) i thank god every now and then for the dvd and the playstation, it keeps my kids out of the kitchen while i cook dinner, and it gives me a little time to do my homework ( i just finished my first semester of college) . but my kids are watching finding nemo ( every one knows what that is right?) and my son plays croc ( a cuddly crocadile gathering gems to open doors) my kids don’t watch a movie until i have seen it first and approve of it. my husband has a brother who is 11, their mother has never limited what he watches or listens to, or plays. and he is a horrible child. he is violent and he has no respect for others or their property, not because of the movies he watches or the games he plays, but because she has never taken the time to teach him any better. i don’t see any problem with letting my kids watch tv or play video games as long as they are age appropiate. ( the next game we are buying is blues clues.) wil i am glad to hear you are doing better. i had the flu over christmas too and it sucked. i still think december was the best movie ever. 😉 rock on, hams
and harry potter is not satanic.
additional comment, any violence on any one is horrible but violence done to a child is worse than anything else. grown ups are old enough to know what is happening and to be able to fight back, a child dosen’t know that they are able to fight back. all they know is that the grown up is hurting them but that the grown ups make the rules and they have no choice but to live with it. any one who says that pretend violence in a video game is worse than real violence done to a child needs to have their head examined (i had something else to say but i won’t i’ve gone on long enough, and besides i’m a good southern girl and if i said that my momma would wash my mouth out with soap.)
I’ll second and third those who remind others that the Post is good for lining cat boxes and not much more. I grew up in NY, the only reason the Post is still around spewing their right wing idiocy in NYC is that they have a great sports section.
Also, just to give you an idea of what the Post is babbling about when it comes to Springsteen, here’s the lyrics to American Skin, a song he debuted on the 2000 tour and played again this year. It’s a good litmus test as to whether people actually READ lyrics, or just assume they know what they mean. Personally, I read it as not a condemnation of cops for the Amadou Diallo murder, but a cautious prayer for respect and peace, a recognition of how difficult it can be to be a police officer, and hope that tolerance will prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
American Skin (Bruce Springsteen)
41 shots, and we’ll take that ride
Across this bloody river to the other side
41 shots, they cut through the night
You’re kneeling over his body in the vestibule
Praying for his life
Is it a gun?
Is it a knife?
Is it a wallet?
This is your life
It ain’t no secret (it ain’t no secret)
Ain’t no secret my friend
You can get killed just for living in your American skin
Lena gets her son ready for school
She says now on these streets Charles
You got to understand the rules
Promise me if an officer stops you’ll always be polite
Never ever run away and promise mama you’ll keep your hands in sight
Cause is it a gun?
Is it a knife?
Is it a wallet?
This is your life
It ain’t no secret (it ain’t no secret)
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living in your American skin
41 shots and we’ll take that ride
Across this bloody river to the other side
41 shots my boots caked in mud
We’re baptized in these waters and in each other’s blood
Is it a gun?
Is it a knife?
Is it a wallet?
This is your life
It ain’t no secret (it ain’t no secret)
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living in
Your American skin
It helps to understand the bio of the guy (Christopher Byron) writing this.
http://www.thirdage.com/insider/money/byron/bio.html
Basically, Mr. Byron is an ex-Navy guy in his fifties who now makes a living hawking contentious stories to various magazines and newspapers, none of which have a tech slant. Sounds like a real ‘expert’ on technology to me.
Ostensibly, he’s an expert on financial markets, a journalistic position akin to ‘weatherman’ or ‘voodoo priest.’ This guy makes a living scaring people and a game like Vice City is an easy and obvious subject.
The New York Post is not exactly renowned for its journalism (Cindy Adams?) and this column has the typical McCarthy-esque spin usually found in yellow sheets. I’ve made a good living as a freelance journalist in national markets and this guy gives the whole professiona bad name. This is not journalism – it is bitter polemic intended to incite those without knowledge.
Ironically, Mr. Bryan is a former writer for Playboy, a magazine frequently charged with inciting lascivious and dangerous behaviour (cp. MacKinnon) although no clear scientific proof of this moral decay is available. To write for Playboy while also attacking Vice City on the grounds of sexual content seems a nebulous and slippery position.
Personally, I love it when I see a story like this because it makes me feel ‘under 30’ (though I’m not) in the Abby Hoffman sense. Guys like this are waiting for the grave. People like us are ready to dance on top.
Rock on, Wil.
Glad to know there are also americans like you mr Wheaton.
I think people need to consider this issue a little more deeply. I don’t see this as a censorship issue, but rather a how-do-we-want-our-society-to-be issue. When you play a game, you learn the rules and learn to work within those rules to achieve goals. The more you play and the more you learn, the more neurons you will dedicate to this. Due to the intensely involving, high speed nature of video games, these are neurons that come into play WITHOUT CONSCIOUS THOUGHT. For the GTA game in question, the rules are that violence works, that they way to get ahead is to screw other people, and that hostility is the order of the day. People learn exactly the types of things that make open and honest relationships impossible.
To pretend that people aren’t influenced by this is willful blindness. People are influenced by EVERYTHING they experience. It all gets stirred into the melting pot of the mind. I am not worried about anyone who comments here as tending more towards violence as a result of playing such games. People who read and appreciate Wil are people whose core values are already honesty and openness. People here are not at risk.
Society at large is a different story. There are a large number of children who are not being parented effectively. If they WERE parented with love and guidance, then violent and hostile games would not be an issue. The reality is, however, that there are millions of children who establish their moral compass based on their friends, and the media. I for one fear greatly for the society that those children will grow up to create.
In my America, people are innoncent until proven guilty. Jackson hasn’t been convicted of anything.
I see that a lot of these comments have blamed right wing influences, and bible thumpers as a large cause of this article. In all honesty, most of the conservative people I know (and I know a quite a few, being from South Louisiana) enjoy the GTA series, and the bible thumpers seem to focus on just showing how much more pious they are than their neighbors. I think that the fault truly lies with those looking for a scapegoat for societies problems. You won’t find it in music or in video games, but in the people that allow their children to view, play, and listen to these influences without any guidance. You can’t stop your kids from watching violent movies, playing violent games, or listening to the music that is popular at the time, but you can at least learn about what is going on in their lives and talk to them about it. I’m relatively young (24), and my parents knew every movie I saw, and tried to learn about the music I listened to (which was remarkably similar to those Columbine kids’ songs). Thier involvement turned me into a better person, and allowed me to see that you can still play all these violent games, see these violent movies, and listen to heavy metal and still turn out to be a relatively normal person.
So parents: know what your kids are into…mine did, and it made all the difference.
Wil.. brother…
It pleases me to NO end that are on the same page on this issue.
On “my little website” (see blog link) I have been running a couple of web polls on the Michael Jackson story and people’s opinions and predictions. Two of the results are interesting.
“Do you believe that Michael Jackson is guilty of the crimes he has been accused of?”
64% say yes.
14% say no.
18% aren’t sure.
5% were too chicken to give an opinion.
HOWEVER… (he says in a sinister voice)…
“Will Michael Jackson go to jail?”
88% say no!!
50% because they believe the legal system favour the famous.
25% because they think he’s guilty but his lawyer will get him off
13% because they think he’s not guilty
I dunno. I just found the statistics amusing. Everybody wants to extradite him to Utah for the firing squad, but nobody wants to pull the trigger or thinks anybody else will.