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Leland Yee and Activision VP to debate if games should be restricted
Thursday, Thursday, Thursday, March 17! Make your way down to the San Francisco Commonwealth Club to see two titans of the "violent games" debate square off in an argumentative deathmatch. We're speaking, of course, of Activision vice president George Rose and California state legislator Leland Yee, who authored the infamous AB-1179; the mature game ban bill that made its way up to the Supreme Court in November. The two men will be debating the bill alongside Stanford Constitutional Law Center director Michael McConnell, with San Francisco Chronicle editor John Diaz serving as moderator, in a panel appropriately titled "Should Sales of Violent Video Games Be Restricted?" If you're in the Bay area, you can grab your tickets now. You're not going to want to miss it. We hear there's gonna be points and counterpoints.
Activision's George Rose calls out supporters of California violent game law
Activision Blizzard vice president and chief public policy officer George Rose has once again sounded off against attacks on his industry's First Amendment protections. This time, it's in the form of an editorial for the San Francisco Chronicle which tears down the supporters of AB-1179, the California law which prohibited the sale of "excessively violent" games to minors. The law will not go into effect in 2011 due to its repeal by the federal courts -- but that didn't prevent Rose from venting some steam regarding the former law's endorsers. "Sadly, supporters will accept nothing less than more laws, subbing for parents, that the state can't afford to enforce," Rose wrote. "So to whip up drama and hysteria where none justifiably exists, zealots supporting this movement cite the worst of the worst by harking back to video game dinosaurs like 1997's Postal." Rose argues that no other medium is judged based on one title, so doing so is "disingenuous" in the case of games. Ironically enough, you know what movie we'd use to pass judgment on the movie industry? Postal. Convenient, right?
Activision Blizzard contributing to Obama's STEM initiative
Through the corporate-backed "Change the Equation" program, Activision Blizzard is aiding the science, technology, engineering and math initiative enacted by the Obama administration. A press release this morning announced Activision's participation, with chief public policy officer George Rose adding, "STEM literacy is a business imperative for our nation's economic excellence, success and citizenship. Our collaboration will not only help students, but will revive our economy, fuel our competitiveness, and ultimately empower our nation." Change the Equation (CTEq) plans on working with "top companies" across "multiple sectors" with the intention of stimulating STEM literacy among youth, countrywide. Activision specifically will be "using video games to promote student interest in science and technology," which we have to imagine doesn't mean sending out leftover copies of Guitar Hero: Van Halen to middle schools. At least, we seriously hope not.
