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Law of the Game on Joystiq: Let the punishment fit the crime
Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games: We've be hearing a lot about the Thai cabbie killing lately and how it was (or wasn't) caused by Grand Theft Auto. In the wake of that tragic murder, there have been two major groups of outcries. The first has been the call to regulate games; one we have heard all too often. The other has been a call to revise criminal penalties; one which is not only new, but speaks to the core theory behind criminal law: the theory of punishment. Criminal law theory is something that is universal in all of our criminal codes, but isn't often discussed. It's this "theoretical" approach that we'll look at today. You may agree or disagree with my particular thoughts on the theory of criminal law, but it's more important for everyone to understand a theoretical approach to criminal law so that we can come to our own conclusions about true "justice."The concept of criminal law starts with some basic political philosophy. In order to have a society, there has to be a set of rules by which that society operates. Whether you want to view this as the social contract in a Locke/Hobbes/Rousseau manner or through some other philosophical lens, the basic need for rules and order in a society is more or less the same. This need for rules gives rise to the concept of the law, and one of those concepts is the boundaries of behavior that stray into what we, as a society, feel need to be punished. This is the basis for all criminal law, be it a crime against a person or a crime against property.
Study: Parents corrupting unsullied children with killer game
A recent study conducted by Nielsen Games has uncovered an unsavory and alarming new link in the video game industry's ever-tightening chain around our nation's youth. It was found that 17% of respondents in the survey who had purchased a copy of the popular role-model pummeling game, "Grand Theft Auto IV," were between the ages of seven and sixteen. The crime glorification simulation, which imparts "gamer points" for beating innocent police officers to death with decapitated prostitute bodies, was rated "M" for "Mature." The most distressing news lies not in the fact that 61% of impressionable youths had been tricked into purchasing the games themselves by slick marketing and peer pressure, but the shocking revelation that 39% had been aided by someone else -- in 80% of these cases, parents themselves had thrust their child's ripe brain beneath the industry's oppressive mallet.Speaking exclusively to Joystiq, renowned child psychologist Dr. Alphred Larmist described this turn of events as "the ultimate betrayal." According to him, parents could be the most dangerous conduit of pixelated poison. "Parents getting involved is the last thing we need," Larmist said. "If they take an active role in what entertainment their children partake in, this is the sort of disaster that could happen. Next thing you know, they're determining what's appropriate for the kids and going out and buying Grand Theft Auto. They're supposed to be on our side." Dr. Larmist vowed he would take up the campaign to keep parents and their influence away from children. "If nothing is done, these video gamers will reduce our society to naught but chainsaws having bloody sex with each other."
Grand Theft Auto IV hitting PC on Nov. 18
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Surprise_Grand_Theft_Auto_IV_hitting_PC_on_Nov_18'; So, who's very excited (or surprised) by confirmation that Rockstar's go-anywhere, shoot-anyone crime caper is coming to the PC? Well, the folks at Rockstar, obviously. "We are very excited to be releasing the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV," said Rockstar Games founder Sam Houser. "The whole team is dedicated to bringing an amazing gaming experience to the PC. The game looks and plays beautifully on PC and we can't wait for people to play it."People can expect to start playing Grand Theft Auto IV, along with its "newly expanded multiplayer" modes, on November 18th if they live in North America, and November 21st if they live in Europe.
Thailand's GTA IV distributor pulls game following murder
Grand Theft Auto IV's Thailand distributor, New Era Interactive Media, is asking retailers to pull the title after an 18-year-old said he was inspired by the game to rob and murder a 54-year-old cab driver. According to police investigator Veeravit Pipattanasak (via Reuters), the young man wanted to find out if it was as easy to rob a taxi in real life as it was in the game. After the cab driver fought back, the young man stabbed him to death. Thailand's Culture Ministry plans to use the incident as an opportunity to try and regulate violent video games. As for the 18-year-old, if found guilty, he faces the possibility of lethal injection as punishment for the murder.[Via GI.biz]
Rockstar and GTA IV honored at Develop Awards 2008
As if those billions upon billions of sold copies weren't reward enough, Rockstar has now had its efforts in Grand Theft Auto IV recognized by the Develop Industry Excellence Awards, the UK's annual ceremony which doles out awards for ... excellence. In the industry.Rockstar's excellence was acknowledged with four awards -- Rockstar North received gongs for "Visual Arts," "Audio Accomplishment" and "Best In-House Developer", while Rockstar Games walked away with the special Grand Prix prize, "not only the commercial and creative powerhouse Grand Theft Auto IV, but also Rockstar's much-envied studio network which regularly pushes the creative boundaries of gaming." Award recipients which didn't bully said boundaries include Lost Winds for "Best Sedative New IP," LEGO Indiana Jones for "Best Use of a License" (to make money!) and Nintendo for "Publishing Hero." Check out the complete list of winners after the break, and the complete list of whiners in the comments.
ASA dismisses GTA IV telly ad complaints
The Advertising Standards Authority of the Ü-K said it ain't seein' nothing wrong with Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV ads across its domain. GI.biz reports the organization received complaints from ten viewers about the violence in the ad, while seven others objected to the time the commercial aired. The ASA stated the ad was slotted in appropriate times and it saw no "direct harmful influence on children or young people" in the commercial.The UK advert for GTA IV was very similar to the US version ... just with a British voice over at the end and some squiggly mark in front of the price tag that looks like this: £. We've been told it means lbs., but that seems silly, because pounds are a measure of weight. Anyway, the commercial can be found after the break for a refresher.
Breakfast Topic: Which game would you play?
Every time a new game comes out, we have a decision to make. Do we try the new game while still playing World of Warcraft most of the time? Do we take a break from WoW to give the new game all of our attention? Or do we continue to play our favorite MMO? My guild had an attendance problem when GTA IV was released and I know a few people have given Age of Conan a good try. With Warhammer Online probably coming out in the fall, we will have to make another choice then.Now, I think that the Wrath of the Lich King expansion will probably come out in the Winter, hopefully this year. I think that Starcraft 2 will be released approximately a year after that and my guess is that Diablo III won't come out for another 2 to 3 years, unfortunately. But what if Blizzard were to do the unthinkable and release WotLK at the same time as the sequels to Starcraft and Diablo?For me, I think Diablo III would take up most of my time for a month or two. Happily (or not), I won't have to make that choice. What would you do?[Thanks to Dave for the idea]
Pulitzer Prize winning author says GTA IV ain't art
Who knew that Pulitzer Prize winning authors were taking their hard-earned awards and combining it with writing skill to... play Grand Theft Auto IV? It's not like they can be accused of slacking, having won a Pulitzer and all. Junot Diaz who won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao spent some quality time ripping off cars and robbing his fellow Liberty City denizens, but in the end he says the game isn't worthy of the praise that's being spoon-fed to the masses.
Conn. State Sen. Slossberg wants confirmation of GTA IV rape scene
Go ahead and Google: "Connecticut State Senator Gayle Slossberg." Now, just imagine how different that page is going to look once news spreads that Sen. Slossberg (D) wants confirmation of the rape scene in Grand Theft Auto IV. The New Haven Advocate reports that Slossberg admits she's never played GTA IV and still needs to confirm the "rumored" rape scene. Apparently, that's not going to stop her from being afraid of the game corrupting children, thus prompting her to introduce legislation requiring better warning labels.We're not going out on a limb and saying there isn't a rape scene buried under all that code -- remember what happened last time? But Slossberg does have a serious problem. She seems a bit confused as to what to put on these warning labels, telling the newspaper: "I mean what would it say? 'This game will make you a sociopath'?" Best of luck, Sen. Slossberg! A Google search of your name will never be the same again.[Via GamePolitics]
Grand Theft Auto IV patch finally here
Well, finally. We were hoping this would come sooner, but better late than never, no? The widely reported problems of "freezes during certain modes" and "multiplayer connectivity issues" finally have a remedy -- a patch has just been released by Rockstar for Grand Theft Auto IV. An apology was also included in the patch notes, along with details of each problem resolved. [Via Joystiq]
Pixeloo returns with the Real Niko Bellic
The artist known as Pixeloo delivers once again with his "real" rendition of Grand Theft Auto IV antihero Niko Bellic. Thankfully, Niko's character design is that of a standard human, so we don't get the abomination of Pixeloo's not-safe-for-sanity "Real Mario."The artist says he did the piece for Official Playstation Magazine UK's latest issue. Another impressive piece by Pixeloo, and unlike Real Mario, the Real Niko won't cause us to wake up screaming for two weeks and shudder every time we even think about the portly plumber.
What would Niko look like in real life?
You may remember a certain professional photoshopper and his "untooning" of Mario. Since then Pixeloo has created realistic images of Homer Simpson, Jessica Rabbit and Family Guy's Stewie. Pixeloo's latest piece was commissioned by Official PlayStation Magazine UK and, as you can see in the image above, shows a true-to-life render of GTA IV protagonist, Niko Bellic. Click the image to see the high resolution version on Pixeloo's website and be sure to check out his other impressive pieces. This picture will be found in the latest issue of Offiical PlayStation Magazine UK, which hit the shelves on July 16th. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to turn away and look at something else for a while. Niko's piercing eyes are making us a little nervous.
Saint's Row 2 'a very differentiated product'
This is precisely why we're not in video game marketing. If we were trying to get our open-ended gangster romp into the hands of millions, we'd be sure to have "Just like Grand Theft Auto IV!" emblazoned across not only the game's cover, but all of its magazine ads, television commercials and special edition lunch boxes. Of course, the major failure in our marketing strategy would be in its honesty -- our game, "Radical Car Nicking," really would just be Grand Theft Auto with slightly murkier textures. That's why we're not in game design either, but we sure are good at copying and pasting quotes from THQ CEO, Brian Farrell! Like this one (via Next-Gen), from an investor meeting held on Wednesday in Chicago, where he said, "We think that we have a very differentiated product with Saints Row 2." Farrell acknowledged Rockstar's opus as "the leader in the genre," but noted that Volition's bandanna-wearing blockbuster would go in a different creative direction with "silly, over-the-top gameplay." We've certainly seen shades of that in the most recent Saint's Row 2 trailer, what with the encouragement of public streaking and outrageous misuse of sewage. It's out -- and very differentiated -- this October.
The Onion investigates Liberty City cops' incompetence
We've been railing against the LCPD for years, so it's nice to see a more mainstream publication like The Onion finally notice what we've been saying all along: Liberty City's cops are the absolute worst. Just look at this statistic: "Since the surge in crime, which began on April 28 at midnight, more than 830,000 civilians have been murdered-nearly one-tenth of Liberty City's total population." Unacceptable.It's even threatening to drive some people out of town! "Sure, we have excellent radio stations and an incredible range of things to see and do here," public defender Kiki Jenkins says. "But if I were younger, I'd move to Mario World in a second." We hear you Kiki, we hear you.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
GTA IV DLC delayed, new release date set
Now that GTA IV has been out for enough time to have gamers get a good handle on its workings, one would think that it'd be the time to release good news about the $50 million worth of content that was supposed to lure gamers to the 360 version. Instead, the exclusive DLC episodes will hitting in the first quarter of fiscal year 2009 (which actually begins in 2008). Specifically, the new release window for the DLC is November 1st 2008 to January 31st 2009, and funnily enough that's about all the specifics there is on it. See, this is where there should've been an announcement of good news! And with this fall being as full as any other in the industry just how popular will a GTA IV DLC purchase be then?
Take-Two: 'Portfolio balancing' drove GTA IV DLC delay, partnerships possible
In the same conference call that gave us this head scratcher, Take-Two reps tap danced over a number of other issues, including their official reason for delaying GTA IV's hotly anticipated DLC, as well as any potential partnerships that may be lurking on the horizon.Regarding the company's resolution to keep the GTA IV downloadable content out of players' hands until sometime between November 1 of this year and January 31, 2009, Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick calmly stated that the decision was based on "portfolio balancing," and that the delay was "not based on development issues." Even as our hearts ached for additional Liberty City shenanigans, Take-Two reps on the call remained enthusiastic, and for good reason, given that during the last quarter the GTA brand made up an impressive 78% of the firm's total publishing revenue.
Age of Conan dethrones GTA IV in Europe
With the amount of hype, advertising, positive reviews and media attention Grand Theft Auto IV has received over the past few months, we wholly expected it to remain on top of the software sales charts until our video game consoles grew sentient and attempted to purge humanity from the planet. Strangely enough, a dark horse recently overtook Rockstar's well-received crime drama in many European territories -- a horse mounted by a brawny, rippling Cimmerian. Yes, Funcom's decapitation-rich MMORPG Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures recently outsold GTA IV in a number of European locations, including Germany and Sweden. Since Rockstar's latest opus is still selling like freshly baked hotcakes in North America, we can't help but wonder if GTA's themes of living the American dream and hooker brutalization got lost in translation as the title crossed the Atlantic -- or whether Age of Conan's musclebound mascot reminds German gamers of a certain pop culture icon who is quite revered in their country.
Rockstar Social Club adds multiplayer stat tracking
Being knee-deep in big news yesterday blinded us to the fact that Rockstar Games has finally updated their Social Club page to include multiplayer stats.Now, criminal masterminds in Grand Theft Auto IV can hit the website and check out detailed leaderboards and statistis for the each of the 14 basic multiplayer modes.While some bugs are still being ironed out, the Social Club update is an important step to growning the GTAIV community as it awaits news on the highly anticipated downloadable content, exclusively coming to Xbox Live Marketplace this fall.Now, go back to car jacking. It's been like 7-seconds since I heard a siren.[Thanks, StLouisRibs7734]
Grand Theft Auto IV featured on Will It Blend
Update: Apparently, this particular blending mystery was solved a while ago -- however, Tom Dickson promised us a free Blendtec blender if we brought it up again. We apologize for our unquenchable thirst for outrageously overpowered kitchen appliances.Considering that Blendtec's doomsday device has already proved its ability to obliterate bricks, fake diamonds, small buildings and many large breeds of dogs, it should come as no surprise that (spoiler alert) it can chew through a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV with ease. What is surprising is host Tom Dickson's incredibly short fuse -- apparently, when something provides him with the smallest amount of displeasure, it finds itself on the business end of the appliance's screaming blades. For the sake of Tom's children (who likely have perfect grades and manners out of fear of a liquefying punishment), we remind the charismatic host that with great blending power comes great blending responsibility.
Age of Conan and the question of next-gen MMOs
Darren over at The Common Sense Gamer is wondering out loud whether or not it's fair to point at Age of Conan's combat system as its true next generational feature. He wants to know if -- like the Nintendo Wii -- what make's something truly next generational is the way you interact with it. His point being that the way Age of Conan's combat system works causes the player to become much more invested in what's happening on their screen.We do wonder if it's just the combat system that makes AoC so much fun. As Darren mentions in his post, there's something to be said for the game's graphical prowess and visual feel that makes it so unabashedly Conan.
