- The Hot Coffee debacle is still raging, with Rockstar’s newest game Bully as the latest target. There was even a protest at Rockstar HQ yesterday. Here’s an article that appears in today’s New York Post:
August 3, 2005 — Young protesters came to town yesterday, massing outside the SoHo offices of a video-game maker about to release a “Columbine-like” game called “Bully.”
Carrying banners reading “President Bush, save the youth, don’t let us down,” more than 150 kids from Peaceaholics, a not-for-profit mentoring organization, came from Washington, D.C., to the offices of Rockstar Games.
“A lot of youth are playing these games and there’s a lot of violence that people are copying,” said Cordero Sellers, 16. “I’m trying to do my best to stop this release.”
The company, which earlier created the violent, controversial “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,” is about to issue “Bully,” featuring a high-school student who gets picked on but turns the tide on his tormenters ? with extreme violence against other students and teachers, say the protesters.
It is a scenario similar to the April 1999 Columbine HS massacre in Colorado, in which two students killed 12 classmates, a teacher and themselves.
The protesters demanded an audience with Rockstar officials, but no one from the company came out.
“It’s important that we’re here today because violent images seen on games are copied by kids,” said Anthony Ford, 17.
“We’re trying to stop people getting hurt before it’s too late.”
Florida lawyer and anti-violence activist John Thompson accompanied the kids.
“Columbine changed the face of America but you [Rockstar] are about to come out with a game that celebrates, glamorizes and trains kids to do what [Columbine killers] Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris did,” said Thompson.
“Bullying is not a subject for a video game. We are not asking Rockstar to stop making this game, we are demanding they stop.”
Rockstar is keeping details of the plot a closely guarded secret but describes it as “humorous” and “tongue in cheek.”
The company states on its Web site: “As a troublesome schoolboy, you’ll stand up to bullies, get picked on by teachers, play pranks on malicious kids, win or lose the girl and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of the fictitious reform school Bullworth Academy.”
The game is due to be released for Xbox and Playstation 2 in October.
A security guard at Rockstar’s office on Broadway said: “There is nobody available for comment and that is that.”
The company did not return phone calls from The Post.
As if this needs to be even said, but this is getting absolutely ridiculous. And the best part is, this is all just a tip of the iceberg of things to come I’m afraid. I don’t know what’s worse, people who still choose to blame video games as the cause of the Columbine tragedy, and not the social climate (and easy accessibly to firearms) that actually led to the incident, or the Post’s inability to properly research a story by repeating the idiotic group’s claim that the game is “Columbine-like”. I love how in this day and age one can equate anything to anything. Plus the Post couldn’t even get Jack Thompson’s name right.
I have to say, as a longtime Rockstar hater, and someone who still firmly believes that Grand Theft Auto is nothing more than a glorified coffee-table game (a game where one only plays when company is around for the sake of novelty), I’m actually looking forward to Bully. If its delivers what it promises, which is a dark satire on the often brutal boarding school life, I believe it can be a pretty solid game.
Back to Thompson real quick, the Florida crackpot that’s been at the center at all these ant-video game initiative. To be honest, I haven’t paid much attention to the man on purpose simply because dumbasses that stir trouble are only in it for one thing, attention, and I’d rather not give it to him. Though unfortunately as is often the case, if ignore certain ones for too long, you’ll find out the damage has been done, which is often empowering many other dumbasses.
I always try to see a person’s argument from their point of view, but it’s actually quite pointless with Thompson. As I’ve discovered over the past few weeks, there no sense trying to talk with man with any degree of reason because he’ll just shoot you back with some knee-jerk, reactionary response.
- In at least far better news, there’s a very slim chance that Sam & Max may yet live again, though in cartoon form (again). This time from Pixar perhaps?
- IGN managed to create another big stink the other day with a review for the game Airborne Troops: Countdown to D-Day. The follow is how the review appeared originally:
Airborne Troops: Countdown to D-Day
Third-person action that’s almost as fun as getting kicked by a fat dude in an SS uniform.
by Ivan Sulic
August 1, 2005 –
Think about it this way, developer WideScreen Games’ Airborne Troops: Countdown to D-Day does not actually feature a widescreen mode.
Well then, that should just about do it!
Closing Comments
I got your countdown to D-Day right here!
*I’m pointing at my crotch*
Since then it was quietly pulled. Amazing what passes off as reviews these days isn’t it? Perhaps those who can’t understand why I’m so frustrated with IGN can somewhat understand why.
- More and more PlayStation 3 details are starting to trickle in. Now its been revealed that the PS3 won’t accept any PSone/PS2 peripherals, meaning controllers and memory cards. Well that really kills the whole backwards compatibility aspect. Many anticipate that someone, either Sony or a third party, will create some sort of USB pass through, but no body wants to buy extra junk.
Also I love all the talk about using the PSP as a controller/remote for the PS3. I guess “connectivity” lives after-all.
- BTW, I forget if I mention this already or not, but at least one group in America is producing versions of their comics for the PSP. They’re okay I guess.
- Here’s a pretty interesting series or articles that talks about the business side of video game retail stores. Much of it isn’t exactly mind-blowing, but it’s nice to have some real evidence to back one’s assumptions, such as how the one should NEVER buy a used system from them. The best quotes by far are:
“It’s been noted and lamented that once these stores were a place where likeminded clerks well versed in the gaming canon could expound endlessly on virtually every product. Such is certainly no longer the norm, and those gamers who do find themselves employed are often quickly shocked at how little of the job revolves around interacting in any positive sense with fellow gamers.”
And:
“And that brings me to my absolute key point; the thing I?ve been building up to saying for three articles now. It is the secret to the success of Gamestop, EB, and even larger chains like Best Buy or Target. It is the very reason I put all these words together, and it is this.
These stores rely upon, and succeed because of ignorance“
- Via insert credit: All savvy old school Genesis players have known since forever that pulling a cart while the system is still on and putting make in, sometimes with a totally different game, can create some interesting effects. Well finally, here’s a handy guide detailing them all. Personally, I stopped doing it when I tried it as a kid at my friend’s place and accidentally fried his Genny.
- Also got this from IC, but I really dug it hence why I’m mentioning it: here’s an interview with the art director for the Dreamcast Castlevania game that never happened. To be honest, the more I find out about the game, the more I’m glad it got cancelled, and the interview further validates the sentiment. Just check out the guy’s character designs for the game (and this from the person who thinks Ayami Kojima, the woman who’s been doing the art for the series for a while now, is just “okay”).
- As for playing games, I really haven’t had much time to touch consoles, but I’ve found some time to kill via web games. This grid game is pretty neat, as is this ball dropping one, though its pretty hard. The cursor game is fun, albeit a bit cheap (it would be hella fun on the DS) and this Chemical Brothers game looks better than it plays, sadly.
- And it seems that the voice of Mr Tingle in the new game will be voiced by Mr. Sweatin’ to the Oldies himself, Richard Simmons. WTF indeed.
Actually, what I’ve really been doing these past few days is going through a mountain of YTMND sites. Perhaps the best is the latest sensation, the Ducktales theme is some unidentifiable foreign language. Though you can go wrong with one involving Star Wars, Michael Jackson, Final Fantasy parodies, Axel F. from Bevery Hills Cop, stand up comic D. L. Hughley, and a post-apocolyptic(?) Inspector Gadget.
That and watching videos of break-dancing trash, some found footage, and
