sensationalism
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Don't blame Apple for AT&T's security ineptitude
As we reported last night, a technology tabloid has published a sensationalist article blaming Apple for AT&T's security problems. Email addresses and the "ICC-ID" of 3G iPad users were compromised due to a flaw in AT&T's servers. Some prominent people in business and government had their email addresses exposed. These email addresses were stored on AT&T's computers. So why is this Apple's fault? Because Apple has teamed up with AT&T, and therefore -- through the transitive power of magical thinking coupled with a deep desire for web traffic and Digg hits -- Apple is responsilbe for ensuring that AT&T doesn't make any mistakes. Apple is supposed to "patrol" AT&T's network. Did you follow that logic?
French police avert school shooting, 13-year-old boy apprehended
According to a report from The Times, French authorities have prevented a school shooting by arresting a 13-year-old boy before he could exact revenge on his teachers for poor marks. Raymond Yeddou, a senior state official in Beauvais, is quoted as saying, "He left his home with a loaded shotgun and 25 cartridges. He went in the direction of the school where, according to his statement, he intended to kill all his teachers." The boy now faces charges of attempted murder. As GamePolitics notes, several reports -- including the one from The Times, which boasts the headline, "Computer games fan 'planned school massacre'" -- have drawn a connection between the presumably foiled attack and the young boy's hobbies. Piggybacking on word of the boy playing World of Warcraft and other games until "one or two in the morning," the mainstream media has once again attempted to trace unusual, outcast criminal behavior to a culturally entrenched and widespread hobby. Unless you plan to thoroughly investigate the complex impetus for a planned school shooting, the only use in linking a young boy to video games is to remind us what year we're in. Protip, media: It's 2009. And you're still doing it. [Via GamePolitics]
BBC's 'The Big Questions' tackles Modern Warfare 2
In case you were wondering yet had no intention of finding out for yourself, Modern Warfare 2 was released specifically to offend you. "The Big Questions" takes on this exact subject in this week's episode, hosting a handful of religious leaders as well as a couple of knowledgeable game industry folks. Though we feel that the game's graphic scenes are somewhat on par with action movies like Heat or Ronin (and are nowhere near as offensive as something like, say, Hostel – or even the 30-year-old Texas Chainsaw Massacre), religious leaders guesting on this week's BBC program took approximately forty seconds before enacting Godwin's Law when speaking about the game, according to an MCV report. "Joseph Goebbels said his entertainment did more for the German people, in terms of creating the psyche for war and hostility towards others, than the speeches of Adolf Hitler ... the idea this is entertainment is not justification whatsoever, " Fazan Mohammed of the British Muslim Forum told viewers. Thankfully, Future Publishing's James Binns kept a level head among knee-jerk claims (unlike that other gentleman). "We can make all entertainment for children, or we can take proper steps to try and protect children from adult entertainment." So, whaddya say, folks? Modern Warfare 3 with major battles between adorable stuffed pandas and adorable stuffed kodiaks, and when they get shot (with hearts) they explode candy? Where do we sign up?!
Missouri Police say adults shouldn't play Animal Crossing
Son, turn the game box off and come over here. Now, since you turned 18 your mom and I have been meaning to talk with you about your little habit. No, not the smoking or the drinking. Really, we're fine with all of that. No, what we're concerned about is the time you spend exchanging friend codes with all those people in Animal Crossing: City Folk. We've been talking to Detective Andy Anderson of the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force, who says that he "cannot come up with any legitimate reason that an adult would be playing that particular game." Now, heaven knows what you've been putting in all of those letters and gift boxes, but Anderson told ABC affiliate KMIZ that you, and others like you, are likely playing Animal Crossing and similar games "for the wrong reasons." Sure it's addicting, but it's also evil, so please, son, do us all a favor and put the controller down and go play something more your age. But before you go, tell your mom to put down that galdarned Peggle and bring me a turkey pot pie. I'm glad we had this little chat. [Via Game Politics]
Teen commits suicide, guess what gets the blame
If you guessed "those vile, reprehensible videogames," then you're absolutely correct. The Daily Mail has published a report on Jake Roberts, a 13-year-old British youth who took his own life in February following an argument over a confiscated Wii game. A tragic tale, to be sure, but there's no doubt that the Mail's angle on the story leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth.In truth, this is hardly surprising. The Daily Mail has always stooped low to make its point, and the newspaper can barely wait to get into the shameful, dirty business of pointing fingers and furthering its own anti-gaming agenda through the story of a teen ending his own life. Tasteful, right? Right from the first line and throughout most of the article, the Mail insists on linking Jake's death with the dispute over his Wii, wilfully ignoring the possibility that other factors may have influenced Jake's sad decision over a longer period of time.Or, to put it another way, it's another proud day for the mainstream press.[Via Destructoid]
What makes games addictive?
(Hint: It's not the taste!) Video game addiction is a topic that tends to occupy the attention of the mainstream media any time there's a slow news day, and even sometimes (like yesterday, for instance) when it's not. Videogames; how they're making junkies of your kids, news at 11! It's an issue that we here at Massively are quite sensitive to, and we've written about it it again and again and again.So imagine our delight when MSNBC, being the paragons of gaming wisdom that they are, took a crack at the subject, trying to to discern what combination of elven temptresses and subliminal messages will get people hooked on games, and MMOs in particular. Their answer, not surprisingly, is that MMOs offer an extremely gratifying system of toil and reward that keep players coming back for that next achievement. And when people are bereft of strong social ties in their work-a-day lives, they're susceptible to becoming addicted. Excuse us if we don't recoil in shock and surprise.
ELSPA: Not all of us are pirates after all
Apparently the outrageous claim from the ELSPA's Intellectual Property Crime Unit manager, John Hillier, that 90% of North American DS owners are pirates, was outrageous to him as well. A spokesperson for the organization told GamesIndustry.biz that the quote attributed to him in the incendiary Sunday Post article was inaccurate or even fabricated. According to the spokesperson, "[John] didn't quote The Sunday Post on any figures whatsoever." The spokesperson asserted that the Sunday Post conflated quotes from Hillier about R4 sales in the UK with an article from Singapore about DS piracy in that country (hence the 90% quote, which is still likely to be ridiculous). The specific article isn't named, but we believe it's this one. It's amazing that a quote about the UK plus an article about Singapore somehow generated a statistic about North America. But who cares about facts when you're busy alarming the public?
The Daily Grind: We don't all live in our parents' basements. Really.
"Moooooooom! Hot Pockets!" Let's face it. We gamers, as a group, like to make fun of ourselves; to blunt things with humor. In our cases, it helps to soften the blow when our respective famililies ask if we've gotten real jobs yet or if we're still writing about video games. But no matter where you go or what most do for a living, we do it time and time again. While we like to laugh with the best of them, sometimes the stereotypes are just too stupid to be believed; especially when the sensationalist news media gets a hold of gaming in combination with the raving nutter of the day. In that spirit, our question this morning is this -- has gamer stereotyping ever bitten you before? Do you just dismiss the ignorant people, or do you try to educate your non-gamer friends and acquaintances? (On the flip side, are you one of the lucky few who has pretty well purely geek circles and never have to deal with it?) Do you think the media goes too far in attempting to portray gamers as something they're not -- or it it just a matter of time before the Jack Thompsons of the world get smacked with the reality-hammer and gamers get a fair break?
Times Online offers 'Wii warm-ups' before gaming
Another day, another sensationalistic article about the hazards of Wii gaming. But this one's got a special bonus at the end -- a list of "Wii warm-ups" from Tim Hutchful of the British Chiropractic Association. Wanna prevent "Wii elbow?" Then shrug those shoulders! Stretch that wrist! Relax that lower back!Despite the warm-up suggestions, the article concludes that you should avoid the Wii, "save £179 and buy a pair of tennis rackets instead." Um, yeah, if we wanted to play real tennis, we would have done that, Times Online. The great thing about Wii Sports is that it's semi-real exercise that's actually fun for those of us who otherwise would only be using the muscles involved in opening a fridge. Give us enough time for the bedsores to heal, then maybe we'll think about these "tennis rackets" you speak of. (Do they carry them at Gamestop?)
