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Philly columnist defends FPS-infused Army Recruitment Center
At the beginning of this month, a swarm of protesters descended upon the Army Recruitment Center housed within Philidelphia's Franklin Mills Mall. Their qualm with the Center focused on its use of first-person shooters to attract young, Call of Duty-experienced potential recruits. Now, a few weeks after the protest march, Philadelphia Daily News columnist Christine Flowers offers a different look at the technologically endowed Recruitment Center, and the controversy that's been surrounding it as of late.Flowers, a conservative, Philly-based lawyer, doesn't see the Center's use of games as an enticing trap for impressionable adolescents. Instead, she agrees with the sentiment of the Center's manager, Maj. Larry Dillard, who sees the technology as a way to boost "transparency." Flowers writes, "There's no subterfuge in giving someone an accurate picture of the army experience." Any veterans in the audience today that want to compare "the army experience" to a few rounds of America's Army?[Via GamePolitics]
Arrested Army game protester writes up her experience
In an op-ed piece written just one day after the events transpired, Elaine Brower details the actions taken by her and a group of over 300 others last week at a protest in Philadelphia. She and the group of protesters claim to be outraged at the existence of the "Army Experience Center" in the Franklin Mills Mall, a facility which allows folks aged 13 and up to get their hands on PC and Xbox 360 consoles running an iteration of America's Army. According to reports from GamePolitics (who "live Tweeted" the event, may we add), seven protesters (including Ms. Brower) donned "death masks" and were subsequently arrested after two warnings to remove the masks. In its report, GP states, "it seemed like the masked protesters planned to be locked up in order to make their point," something which seems a strong possibility -- especially when you watch the video of the events (that we've embedded for your viewing after the break). [Via GamePolitics] [Image]
Protesters to march against Army's use of video games for recruitment
Right at this very moment, protesters are organizing in a small church in Philadelphia, preparing to march on the Franklin Mills Mall. However, these activists don't have beef with Old Navy -- their destination is an Army Recruitment Center set up in the heart of the mall, which uses PCs and 360s (equipped with first-person shooters) to try to capture the attention of prospective soldiers who may be waiting in the Cinnabon line.The anti-war protesters are expecting several hundred bullhorn-toting Phillies to come out in opposition of the Army's use of video games to boost recruitment. GamePolitics will be covering the protest via Twitter -- we suggest checking it out, so you can voice your support/proclaim your disapproval of the event with even greater accuracy.
ECA leading 'action campaign' against proposed digital distribution tax
If you've ever wondered what the Entertainment Consumers Association actually does, here's your answer -- in an attempt to combat a proposed tax on digitally distributed content and games in a number of states, the ECA is mobilizing its troops in an "action campaign" against these taxes. Specifically, the group will be rallying its members in Washington, Mississippi and New York to protest DLC tax bills that are currently working their way through their respective state legislatures.In an email to ECA members residing in Washington state, the organization's redundantly named president, Hal Halpin, pointed out the unconsidered negative effects of such a tax, saying it will "suppress consumption, which will cause layoffs at effected businesses, including the video game industry, which employs many Washington residents." We can't wait to see what protest tactics the ECA employs in Microsoft's home state -- folk music? Cosplay? We're betting on rampant property destruction -- after all, it's not a Washington protest until you bust up a few Starbucks.
'Bob's Game' 100 day sit-in protest ends early, disturbingly
When Bob Pelloni, sole creator of Bob's Game, an old school RPG for the DS, announced that he would be locking himself in his room for 100 days until Nintendo granted him access to the official DS software development kit, we were fairly certain we were going to see the birth of a genuine indie dev folk hero. What we saw instead was the tragic dissolution of a grown man's sanity, and the apparent squelching of a project with some 15,000 hours of development time behind it.In his most recent blog post, published today, Pelloni announced that he's ending his strike early (after a month of solitary confinement) due to a wicked headache, likely due to a fractured psyche. His post contains a scathing rant directed at Nintendo (a "heartless corporation, only interested in the biggest profits"), as well as a heartbreaking farewell to his five-year project. "I really wanted to finish this game," he concludes. For what it's worth, Bob, we really wanted you to finish it as well.[Thanks, Greyline.]
The Silent Keynote Campaign
The Apple keynote address at Macworld Expo is usually a boisterous affair, full of cheering, applause, and anxious chatter about new products. With 2009 being the last year of Apple's attendance at Macworld Expo, Lesa Snider King thinks that a silent protest might send a message to Apple's leadership: On Tuesday, Dec. 16 Apple Inc. announced that Steve Jobs would not do the keynote at the 2009 Macworld Conference & Expo. That's okay. They also announced that they would no longer attend the conference in the future. That's not okay. For 25 years, a very loyal and passionate Mac community has descended upon the halls of Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA to see, hear, and learn more about the computers they love. By announcing their departure from this beloved show hosted by IDG, Apple is sending a message to the entire community -- professionals, hobbyists, media, Mac User Groups, and even IDG themselves--that they care nothing for the community who supported them through thick and thin.If you're attending the Macworld Expo keynote on Tuesday, Jan. 6, you can send a message to Apple by remaining silent during the 2009 keynote. While Phil Schiller is on the stage, let there be no applause, no whistling... just utter and complete silence.My name is Lesa Snider King and I'm mad at Apple.My personal opinion is that Apple can do whatever it wants, and that IDG and the Mac community can decide to do whatever they want to. If Apple announces something really insanely great at Macworld Expo '09, would you really stay silent? Let's hear your opinion of the Silent Keynote Campaign.
PETA Flash game puts us off Cooking Mama, food
Ready to be sick? Coinciding with the release of Cooking Mama: World Kitchen, PETA has wielded the Awesome Power of Copyright Infringement to make a Cooking Mama Flash game about the preparations involved with cooking turkey. Combining an impressively accurate facsimile of Cooking Mama gameplay with horrifying, bloody visuals, Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals is intended as an appeal to Majesco to create a vegetarian-only version of Cooking Mama. In Mama Kills Animals, a sadistic Cooking Mama guides you through the process of defeathering, preparing, and stuffing a turkey. Between levels, the game presents horrifying facts about the meat industry as well as videos we didn't dare watch. Apparently, at the end, Mama reforms and becomes a vegetarian. In case you didn't get our subtle hinting, this game can be really upsetting. Keep that in mind should you decide to click.
Patches, addons and drama in the forums
While surfing the forums this morning, I came across a little gem of a thread protesting against Blizzard for the following: Breaking "our" addons and mods. Incorporating features from popular addons into the default User Interface, and thus breaking addons and mods. There's also a sentiment that Blizzard is "stealing" these ideas rather than being innovators. Fixing "their" bugs which in turn breaks "our" addons and mods. The suggestion is that they don't care, or could take steps to prevent this. As you can imagine, all sorts of responses cropped up, including the usual people who get into arguments with other posters, players in agreement, joking and sarcastic responses, and of course, an awesome string of blue responses.%Gallery-27848%
Cinemassively: Showdown at the Statehouse Corral
Second Life has been used to protest many things that are happening in real life. However, most don't break the Terms of Service in order to do so. Quick! Hide the cards! The Lindens are coming!In all seriousness, the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society wants viewers to know that poker is a game of skill, therefore should not be considered in an online gambling ban. Showdown at the Statehouse Corral is clever, although sometimes cheesy with the fake celebrities. Hopefully it will help raise awareness for their campaign, because this is exactly the sort of cost-effective machinima that SL is useful for.[Via Popcha!]If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.
March of the Warlocks
The World of Warcraft community has pounded it into our heads that the recent Life Tap change was pretty lame. Luckily, Hortus has let us know that there will be additional changes coming to Lifetap, as Eliah told us a bit earlier.I'm not here to hit you with the shovel of logic, detailing the Life Tap change yet again, so don't worry. My question is on the methods of giving feedback that the WoW community has displayed. Most specifically: Protests.The Warlocks were a little more creative in their griefing than the Shaman have been. While it hasn't happened on all servers, many of them saw Warlocks summoning, enslaving, or kiting many powerful demons into the heart of Shattrath. Uvuros, Pit Lords, et cetera. Did this non-peaceful protest have anything to do with the devs' decision to make further adjustments to Life Tap? Personally, I somewhat doubt the protest was a direct contributor to that decision.I don't think that a protest has ever directly changed something in WoW. I don't believe it strikes fear into the heart of Blizzard. However, it does bring the fact that there are issues into the spotlight. Is this the best way to do that? No, probably not. It does seem to get noticed, at the very least.[EDIT: My apologies for any misunderstanding: I am aware that this protest was unofficial and not widely organized amongst the Warlock community, and I do not mean to trivialize the feedback the Warlock community has given on the topic. It is merely something that accompanied the Life Tap incident that I wished to supply thoughts on, and see the views of others.]
Cinemassively: Virtual strike of IBM by employees yields real results
I came across a video today that didn't blow me away technically. The aspect ratio changes throughout, the UI is on, and it might have been edited in Windows Movie Maker. However, I couldn't take my eyes off of this video because it made a difference.In September 2007, Second Life Insider blogged that Italian IBM workers were using Second Life to protest a proposed pay cut. Little was known about the strike at the time, except that those interested should download a strike kit and carry on peacefully on their own time. In a video released yesterday in multiple languages, they explain what went on, why they did it, and what the results were.Read on for more details about the strike ...
Robot heckles Bill Clinton, Bill heckles back
Peaceful robot / human talks looked to be on the verge of a meltdown in Iowa on Monday. Former president Bill Clinton was treated to barrage of output from a robot seeking for an apology regarding a 1992 comment Bill made concerning rapper Sister Souljah. The robot -- or potentially a human impostor dressed to look like one -- then threw color cards in the air, and was escorted away, but not without a parting shot from Clinton about picking a more environmentally-friendly way to protest. Rumors of the robot shouting "please tase me, humans" as a parting shot are unconfirmed. The video can be found at the read link.
Veterans protest America's Army
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, approximately 90 Iraq war veterans in black shirts protested in front of a military recruitment station chanting three times: "War is not a game!" Of course they are referring to, and protesting against, the Department of Defense funded America's Army video game.This is not the first, and certainly won't be the last, bit of protest or controversy surrounding the recruitment tool/video game. The Global Gaming League came under fire for their $2 million sponsorship they received. Then there is the anti-war "performance art" by U. of Nevada Prof. Joe Delappe where when his character died he would broadcast the name of an actual dead soldier from Iraq.A video of the brief protest can be found after the break.[Via GamePolitics]
Real ID gets shot down by Maine legislature
Although it has been a tick since we've heard anything substantial on the proposed Real ID card set to take the place of individual state drivers' licenses, it seems like Maine legislature has had their wheels turning (and fists curled) for a good bit. While a majority of lawmakers have simply given a whimsical thumbs-up to the potentially voyeuristic plan, the folks in Maine seem to think the invasion of privacy (not to mention the $185 million in implementation cost for the state) is downright lame. Shenna Bellows of the Maine Civil Liberties Union derided the presumably RFID-based Real IDs as "a one-stop shop for identity thieves," and it was noted that several other states (like New Hampshire, Georgia, and Montana) just might bust out their true feelings on the matter now that Maine has broken the collective silence. Of course, Maine hasn't completely gone loopy and opted out of the process just yet, as the current protest is simply filed as a "resolution," but backers seem fairly serious in their attempts to "protect the people of Maine from just this sort of dangerous federal mandate." So, what about that iris database you guys are building, hmm?[Via Wired]
Ruckus Network offers "free" stipulation-laced tunes to college students
Some folks just don't know when to quit, and apparently, Ruckus Network falls clearly into that category of beings. Looking past the brutal failure at American University and the growing data proving that stipulation-laced music simply doesn't fit in at college campuses across the nation, Ruckus is giving this idea one more go, and this time, it's 100-percent kinda-sorta gratis. While it's not too unusual to hear of indie / unsigned bands being distributed for free, this new deal supposedly offers up "major label bands" without charge to students holding an email address that ends in ".edu." The service will be completely ad-supported, and doesn't require any official "vow of support" from a university itself, and for alumni / faculty registering with their educational email, a $8.95 per month charge will purportedly be levied. The catch, however, is that the "free music" can only be played back on the person's PC, and transferring it to a DAP -- which must support DRM-WMA, by the way -- will run students $4.99 per month. Aside from this music rental fee, the service completely shuns Mac, iPod, and Zune owners, leaving us to wonder just how effective the service could be if the terms were even remotely attractive from the start. Regardless, the rigid service is available now for the few folks interested, but from the looks of things, we doubt it'll reverse the fortunes of Ruckus Network.
Anti-war protest in America's Army
While pro-war propaganda and military recruitment tools are nothing new, using them as the medium to broadcast an anti-war protest is. Yet that is just what University of Nevada art professor Joseph Delappe is doing with his small bit of "performance art" in the military-funded game America's Army.Instead of playing the game as it was intended, Delappe logs in and runs around without firing a shot, eventually getting killed by his fellow players. As his character dies, Delappe broadcasts the name of a real American soldier killed in Iraq, an act he's performed 1,273 times so far, according to Salon. Some anti-war activists are obviously sympathetic to his cause, but one America's Army player and military recruit compared it to "crash[ing] a Girl Scout meeting by yelling through a megaphone that they should vote his candidate in to office." Are online games an appropriate place for protest, or should Delappe take his message someplace else?
Booth babe protest: Bikinis, not bullets
Seen at E3: as the convention closed for the day, three booth babes wielding signs saying "Bikinis > Bullets" and "I'm rated E for Everyone". We're not sure what the aim of the protest is, as these ladies seemed happy to smile and have their pictures taken.The question that springs to mind is: why not both bikinis and bullets? We met up with the PMS Clan at Microsoft's booth party, women who are just as much at home in bikinis as in full body armour. When you can dual-wield both SMGs and lipstick at once, you shouldn't have to choose.
