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Inevitable We Dare backlash comes from Daily Mail
Well, the backlash we all knew was coming over Ubisoft's totally mega-sexy We Dare trailer came from the place we all knew it was going to come from. Yes, The Daily Mail (via CVG) recently published some concerns from parents like Laura Pearson, who said "I have a 13-year-old daughter and if I knew she was playing such a highly charged sexual game with boys, I would be appalled." There's also George Hardy, who said, "No wonder we have problems in society with unsafe sex and under-age sex when kids can get hold of games like this." Leicaster East MP (and frequent video game detractor) Keith Vaz also chimed in, telling the Daily, "The new 'We Dare' game has clearly been wrongly marked as a 12 plus. As a family friendly console, Wii must ensure that there are proper checks and a full consultation before games are graded for use by children. This game should not be released until these checks are made." Based solely on the quality of the game presented in the trailer, we're going to say that last sentence was about five words too long.
Violent game-opposing UK politician ditches gaming debate
[Image: Flickr user Steve Punter] Keith Vaz, a member of British parliament whose anti-mature game stance is well-known by his fellow politicians, recently backed out of a debate on violence in video games during the Westminster eForum without any explanation for his absence. According to MCVUK, Vaz was scheduled to square off against Ed Vaizey and Gamers' Voice founder Tom Watson, along with Electronic Arts' Keith Ramsdale, TIGA CEO Richard Wilson, and Eidos' Ian Livingstone. With no antagonist to debate with, the other parties turned to mocking the no-show politician. "Tell him that the Parliament website has a videogame on its front page," Vaizey remarked, "and no one has been killed yet." We're sure wherever Mr. Vaz might have been at the time of the debate, he felt that burn remotely. [Via GamePolitics]
Behind the Curtain: Don't be ashamed
Picture the scene – you're at a family gathering, or maybe you're meeting your significant other's friends and family for the first time, and the conversation turns interrogative. Questions are asked about your hobbies; what you do to relax and how you spend your spare time. What do you do? When put on the spot like that, it's natural for gamers to feel trapped, to feel like admitting to playing MMOs would be tantamount to admitting to a rather kinky fetish or confessing that you've got a rather embarrassing disease – it might not be catching, but there's a chance that you'll get some funny looks, and you may just lose some credibility points. What about job interviews and applications? These invariably have a point where questions are asked about you hobbies and leisure time. While there are good arguments that putting down strong examples of guild leadership might work in your favour – owning up to the fact that you play an MMO upwards of 15 hours a week might not be the smartest thing career-wise. Don't get me wrong – I am proud and happy to be a geek and a gamer, and I've never wanted to be anything else; the wall above my desk sports a rare Akira poster I picked up on holiday France a while back; I own the complete boxed set of the original Transformers series; and much of my wardrobe consists of t-shirts from ThinkGeek and the Penny Arcade store. People ask me what I do in my spare time, and I look them straight in the eye and tell them that I'm a gamer, and while I'm not ashamed of it, I can't help but wince a little when I see most people's reaction to it.
Bully discussion draw laughs in British parliament
Amid discussion of issues such as the Iraq war and postal service reform on the British parliamentary floor, MP Keith Vaz (Leicester, East) found time yesterday to question prime minister Tony Blair about the the violence found in Bully (known in Britain as Canis Canem Edit). Vaz expressed concerns about scenes of "teachers being head-butted and the aggressive use of baseball bats" and asked the prime minister to convene a meeting with industry stakeholders to discuss the game.In answering the concerns, Blair mentioned he had not yet seen the game, an admission that drew a sustained, ten-second bout of chuckling from the parliamentary audience (Oh those wacky Brits). Blair went on to say he appreciated Vaz's concerns and that "the video games industry, or at least a substantial section of it, has made significant advances over the past few years," in addressing such issues.This is not the first time Vaz has raised concerns over Bully. Back in December 2005, the MP called for the game to be banned after reading a preview on Rockstar's web site. Vaz has also pushed for legislation requiring larger rating labels and direct government regulation of the industry.(Via MCV)Watch - Video of the exchange (jump to time index 46:38)Read - Transcript of the exchange
