...sometimes they get it *really* wrong, big time.
A while ago, there was a news story which circulated around all the major mainstream media sites about a gamer who broadcasted his suicide on a webcam via the forums at http://www.metalgearsolid.org . [url="http://news.gaminghorizon.com/media2/1137635340.3198.html"]Except that he actually didn't[/url].
Sometimes it's due to the journalist not understanding the medium of the internet, computer or console games in general, other times it's just downright bad journalism. One news item that could go in that latter cateogry is about [url="http://www.sumea.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2188"]Manhunt being blamed for a murder[/url] when the game belonged to the victim, and not the murderer. That bad piece of journalism caused the game to be pulled off the shelves across the UK.
Now there's this story about the BF2 mod made by Islamic militants as a recruitment tool. Just like the previous stories mentioned, it's quite sensational, guaranteed to cause alarm, and so a worthy news story to do the rounds everywhere, [url="http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19033335%5E15306%5E%5En…"]including our local media[/url]. The problem is that it's utterly and completly false. In fact, it's so far off for being incorrect, that it deserves some kind of a Media Watch trout (or whatever they have) award.
quote:The video the retarded writer is referring to is not made by terrorists. It was made by a member of the Planetbattlefield forums. The voice of in the video is not a terrorist - it is Trey Parker from the movie Team America World Police. The article also claims it is a mod created by terrorist. It is not a mod. It is the Special Forces Expansion pack that anyone can buy.
Here is the real source of the video.
http://www.forumplanet.com/planetbattlefield/topic.asp?fid=13670&tid=18…
http://www.forumplanet.com/planetbattlefield/topic.asp?fid=7419&tid=188…
This doesn't just apply to games and consoles but just about anything a dodgy news outlet can get their hands on. The basic formula which they seem to use again and again is
Ignorance + fear + something the viewer can relate to = rating
In this case they target the ignorant portion of the population, the 30+ age group (parents) who have little experience with games. The fear is that games are being used to train ?Islamic militants? & parents can relate to the story in that their children & their friends will be exposed to these games.
The same soft of ploy is used in ?breaking news? like
#New research indicates your carpet could be killing you
# Fatal real-estate traps exposed!
# Chicken bacteria increase
As long as there is ignorance we will have fear, as long as we have fear people will be interested.[:X]
quote:So why does the PlayStation get the blame rather than the alcohol?
Mick1460: I don't think it's really being blamed in the article, more that's it's being used as hook to reel more readers in. They could have used game console or cd player instead of play station, but then we wouldn't have pay any attention would we[;)]
oh man i thought we were in more a of a drought of these kinda stories recently. Seems there allways around to make my blood boil. The fun fact about all these "video games exposing kids to violence, violence bad! make children bad blaaaaargh!" news reports is that i think ive been exposed to much more war, "terrorism", violence and graphic imagery on the news then i ever have elsewhere. And thats imagery from the real world there (theres more things everyone could add to that list im sure). But hey, try pitching that report.
On a bit of a side note, as ridiculous as a lot of this reporting is, I still find myself more iritated by the persecution complex in this industry.
We're a multi-billion dollar industry run my a university educated elite that receives millions in subsidies from government and has mega-corp publishers and distributers as clients. Yet so often I see people behaving as if we're some tiny misunderstood minority being persecuted by the Man.
We're not the only industry that gets written about in silly media reports. If you were in, say, the building industry, you'd be putting up with sensational nonsense about "sick building syndrome", legionnaires disease and more.
pb
No matter where you go, what you do or who you are. Someone will always whinge about something. Both valid and invalid reasons apply. Because we are tribal creatures who seek to fit into groups and we all xenophobic against the "tribes" who we fail to understand.
10,000-year-old survival instant. You're not gonna shake it easily.
Given the American and Australian military using games as recruiting tools, the in many ways fundamentalist Christian attitudes of our governments, and the way those same governments seem to enjoy behaving like terrorists themselves I personally have no problems with fundamentalist Muslims using games a recruiting tools themselves.
If people don't like it maybe our own recruiting games should be banned [;)]
I for one say "good on you" to the (non-Islamic millitant) creators of the mod. The Australian IT article end with
quote:
SAIC executive Eric Michael said researchers suspected Islamic militants were using video games to train recruits and condition youth to attack US-led coalition forces in Iraq.
Isn't America's Army just a little similar?
PB: If builders out there have forums I bet they start complaining like we do when they get targeted, right?
I don't feel that being offended by the constant attacks on our industry is something to be shy about and I don't appreciate being told we should just put up and shut up.
Especially since it seems for some reason you equate this industry with some form of lower worth just because it was built by the blood, sweat and tears of intelligent, university trained, hardworking people and god forbid, it makes a lot of money.
No one here has ever said we are the only industry that cops it but we can only relate to what we know....
...so, we feel our industry is unfairly attacked, we vent...as do many other industries, is that unusual?
People are free to air there concerns and I personally like that people are passionate enough to do just that.
Viva la freedom of speech.
Just a thought, I hear China's nice this time of year.
quote:Originally posted by Malus
PB: If builders out there have forums I bet they start complaining like we do when they get targeted, right?
I don't feel that being offended by the constant attacks on our industry is something to be shy about and I don't appreciate being told we should just put up and shut up.
Especially since it seems for some reason you equate this industry with some form of lower worth just because it was built by the blood, sweat and tears of intelligent, university trained, hardworking people and god forbid, it makes a lot of money.
No one here has ever said we are the only industry that cops it but we can only relate to what we know....
...so, we feel our industry is unfairly attacked, we vent...as do many other industries, is that unusual?
People are free to air there concerns and I personally like that people are passionate enough to do just that.
Viva la freedom of speech.
Just a thought, I hear China's nice this time of year.
Oh yeah, the builders blow it up out of proportion too, and there's nothing special about either group.
I never said you have to put up or shut up, I don't know how you read the "lower worth" stuff into my post, I just reckon that we, like the builders and probably everyone else have an inflated sense of persecution.
And its interesting that you bring up China, you might want to consider the citizens of that country the next time you feel that we're getting the short end of the stick.
pb
I like fortune cookies their great yay china now every one have one and smile.
Just a thought how often in the media particularly crime shows do they portray games of the cause of kids kill others I know I saw one just this week on channel 9 on of those C.S.I shows and before that not to long ago on channel 10 SVU its everywhere because people find it entertaining.
We are not going to get rid of it and I can only see it getting worse as the realism of game graphics increases and while game like manhunt are out there on the general market.
Don?t get me wrong I don't want to see games banned but we really need the office of film and literature classification to wake up and create an R+18 classifications for game.
Anyone got the stats on the average age of gamers these days I think its some thing like the mid 20s most gamers are adults governments need to recognize this.
Here is a new one, it just keeps on going...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12597970
quote:The two men were drinking heavily during a barbecue when they got into an argument about whether music should be played on Priestly's PlayStation.
So why does the PlayStation get the blame rather than the alcohol?