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From my perspective, working with the individual developers who make up each team, more people are telling me they want to work on games that they can play with their children. This is happening on all levels of skills from artists to programmers to designers and producers, these people are "stepping up" to their values and wanting to make something they are proud of. I was there when Doug made his speech, and it was moving and well received, at least from the people who where around me, and those I've spoken to since. It was a good way to start DICE. In every area of "entertainment" from movies to music to stand up comedy to art and books and even sports this is an issue. Yes, we should be more responsible, but so should all these other creative "artists." The game industry is still maturing but it is definitely not in childhood anymore. It's more like we're in young adulthood. I have great faith in this group of creative "geeks." -Jill Zinner, Premier Search Inc I really don't know what he's talking about. I am unaware of developers that have "cut and run," maybe because they are not in the press that I read. I am in the army — I wrote letters to the governor before and after he signed that stupid bill. I have written several letters in addition to those. Please define censorship, is it banning the sale of a game or preventing young kids from buying games (as rated by the ESRB) they are not mature enough to play? We took a big step with the ESRB, and my only problem is law makers forcing a different sticker on your package depending on what state you're in. The movie industry would never allow that. We need to back the ESRB all the way and let the law makers know that one standard rating system must be at the core. -Anonymous His words definitely sounded heartfelt. So perhaps he could have taken a little distance and speak more objectively. I don't hold it against him, though. He was our champion, battling censorship in the legal arena... for twelve years! Now that takes fire, the kind he showed in his speech. He sounded like a father who gave a lot of himself to ensure his childrens' well being and realizing they don't seem to care. Under this light, I understand how difficult it would be for anyone to remain objective when confronting the ingratitude of those he fought for. He sounded weary and disgusted, and I somehow feel that we let him down. He referenced the debate around Bully, no doubt. And Rockstar's silence in the matter. Artists should be responsible for safeguarding the moral integrity of their creations against the public's misinterpretation, lest we return to the era of witch hunts. Today, watchdogs and politicians claim to protect our children but it's only the first step. The day might come when the FBI busts through our studio front doors with a court order to forbid us from practicing our craft ever again. That's far fetched, or is it? Without a legal body to protect our rights, what would become of us in the foreseeable future? Now that Doug's gone... -Pierre-Luc Lachance, Ubisoft Montreal He couldn't have been more correct. Game professionals are horribly apathetic when it comes to working together for a common cause. There is so much stupid 'Hollywood-like' rivalry going on between companies in the game industry, it's often seen as business weakness to collaborate in any form. The funny part, is that without some form of close collaboration, Lowenstein is dead right - they will fail to win the fight, and the gaming industry will remain a minor secondary entertainment medium, at the mercy of lobby groups to push it into a social mold rather than an expressive art form. I think his points about journalism are especially well founded. He didn't say it, but its obvious what he's talking about too - professionalism. A massive majority of the gaming news sites 'live off' fanboy rhetoric and news feeds, this breeds a very un-professional following and set of critical analysis of the business. Even Gamasutra is horribly guilty if feeding the fan flames - all in the name of some click-money. Lets hope people take his concerns seriously and produce a close-nit community to back the industry so many here, love to work in. -David Lannan, Eidetic Technology Pty Ltd |
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