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The Daily Grind: What are you most excited about seeing at PAX East?
2010 marks the first year that the Penny Arcade Expo -- PAX -- has traveled to the far east (read: Boston) to hold their gamer-friendly, geektastic convention. As you might expect, an elite squad of specially-trained Massively reporters will be on hand to extract as much crucial information as we can -- as much as possible under the limits of the Geneva Convention, of course. But before you hear our first reports from the scene of this exciting convention, we want to know: what are you most excited about seeing or hearing from PAX East? Is it the keynote speech by Star Trek: The Next Generation's Wil Wheaton? The hardcore, nailbiting Omegathon? Or perhaps -- just perhaps -- breaking news and revelations about some of your favorite MMORPGs from developers like Turbine, NCSoft, 38 Studios, EA and others? Take a gander through the official schedule and tell us what's got your attention!
Study scrutinizes shooters for violations of war crime laws
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2009/11/24/study-scrutinizes-shooters-for-violations-of-war-crime-laws/'; Two Swiss humanitarian organizations recently examined 20 shooting-centric video games to determine whether they allowed players to break the wartime guidelines laid out by the Geneva Convention -- rules which prohibit torture, destroying "protected objects" (such as churches or mosques), or, say, shooting a bunch of people who are waiting to catch a plane. The games observed, which include 24: The Game, Call of Duty 4 and 5 (we assume they meant Modern Warfare 2) and Metal Gear Solid, were largely panned for allowing the player to simply ignore the Geneva Convention's statutes. According to a BBC report on the study, the two groups explained that while players of these titles may never become soldiers, these war crime violations could "influence what people believe war is like and how soldiers conduct themselves in the real world." In short, you should feel bad about your recent airport murder spree in Modern Warfare 2. Not for the moral implications of killing dozens and dozens of innocent people, mind you -- but because it was against the rules.
Father knows best: Son can play Call of Duty (by Geneva Convention rules)
Hugh Spencer is an awesome dad. Not only is he active in his son Evan's life, but he's a pretty funny guy. When Evan told him he wanted to play Call of Duty: World at War, Hugh eyed the T-rating for the game and worried that the content might not be suitable for his son. So he thought of a compromise.Introducing the Geneva Convention to Evan, Hugh said he could play the game, but only if he and his team followed the rules set forth in the GC. What makes this so funny is that, in all honesty, the Geneva Convention has no place in this particular FPS. You're not taking prisoners in the game, and even if you could hear the opposing team's cries for mercy online, what could you really do? You can't round them up, place them in shelter, and feed them 3 meals a day. That game is called The Sims. Also, as good an idea as this was on Hugh's part, we wonder how he planned (if at all) to enforce it. Is he going to sit there and watch little Evan play every single match? Also, do Nazi zombies have rights?[Via GamePolitics]
