Sunday Editorial Roundup: Las Vegas Mayor Craps Out with Rainbow Six Complaints

Sunday Editorial Roundup: Las Vegas Mayor Craps Out with Rainbow Six Complaints

December 10, 2006
In July GamePolitics reported on Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman's objection to the use of his town as the setting for Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Vegas.

At the time, Goodman (he's the moral crusader at left) said of R6 Vegas:
...(the game) could be harmful economically, and it may be something that's not entitled to free speech (protection)... I will ask... whether or not we can stop it.

Now that the game has been released, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Doug Elfman takes Mayor Goodman to task:
Politics is silly. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman acted in "Casino," which depicted murdering mobsters in Vegas... But he thinks a video game set in Vegas is bad for business?

When I lived in Vegas, I liked Goodman because he's a character. He served as guest photographer for Playboy. He endorsed a brand of alcohol while in office. He used to be a lawyer for defendants in organized crime cases...

For the zillionth time, listen up, you politicians who dismiss video gamers as a bunch of voteless 12-year-olds:

The average age of gamers is 33... Think about your legacy. Someday, history will judge quotes by Goodman and other anti-game crusaders as parallels to anti-movie people of the early 20th century who said films were the downfall of civilization...

I'd bet if the hotels and the city got money from the game, it would be catching less grief.

Congratulations, mayor... You gave a little marketing aid to a slightly disappointing shooting game.
Posted in

Comments

Submitted by Andrew Eisen - December 10, 2006 at 7:55 am -0500
"You gave a little marketing aid to a slightly disappointing shooting game."

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/932240.asp


Andrew Eisen
Submitted by Terminator44 - December 10, 2006 at 8:29 am -0500
I'm with AE. I don't know what that guy was thinking calling the game disappointed. It's been one of the best FPSes I've played on the 360. That's saying a lot.
Submitted by GoodRobotUs - December 10, 2006 at 9:04 am -0500
It doesn't really matter what the article writer's opinion of the game is does it? Personally, I'm far more pleased that more people seem to be catching on to the fact that computer games aren't just for kids.
Submitted by Video Games Hideout » Blog Archive » Sunday Edit - December 10, 2006 at 10:03 am -0500
[...] Original post by GamePolitics.com [...]
Submitted by Jordan - December 10, 2006 at 11:10 am -0500
So the mayor thinks if this game is released people will think Terrorists have really taken over Vegas?

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/07/14
Submitted by LordLundar - December 10, 2006 at 12:26 pm -0500
Once again, I stand by my point that the only reason He's so against it is because he can't capitalize on it.

TV shows and movies have to pay the city to shut down areas for filming, as well as shell out large amounts for food, accommodation, etc. Add to the extra tourism from people visiting just to see their favorite star in action, and you have a very large cash base for the city.

Since game makers don't have to do any of this, the city gets squat.

Forget a moral reasons from this guy, (nice pic of him by the way Dennis) all he gives a damn about is that he can't pad his wallet from this. It's all about greed.
Submitted by Thefremen - December 10, 2006 at 1:12 pm -0500
I think the reason he says dissapointing is because he wasn't in it. Someone should show him how to create an avatar with his face.
Submitted by Grahamr - December 10, 2006 at 2:53 pm -0500
"At the time, Goodman (he’s the moral crusader at left)..."

Hehehehe..i would like to have one of those ladies crusade against me....
Submitted by Kajex - December 10, 2006 at 3:11 pm -0500
A game whose multiplayer allows you to hear only SOME of the people talking through the headset instead of everybody on your team, and thus requires an as-of-yet-to-be-released-patch in order to hear everybody? Especially when Rainbow Six is known for its unique multiplayer?

I'd call that "Slightly Disappointing." =P

In any case, though, this isn't about what the writer wrote, it's about Doug's accuracy in what the point was- he's right, it's hypocritical for Oscar Goodman to think that a game would be a bad image for the city as much as the movie he had a part in.
Submitted by LightWarrior - December 10, 2006 at 5:16 pm -0500
I've met with him a bunch of times and one of them was talking about this game but that was back when this was first reported....

I can understand the "Hypocritsy" here...but...the Mayor is NOT anti-game like everyone else seems to think.
Submitted by Josh - December 10, 2006 at 9:14 pm -0500
Even though the Supreme Court had ruled that video games are protected form of free speech, it's moron politicians like this guy who still believe they shouldn't be. I guess video games are only the beginning of things that should not be considered free speech.
Submitted by Kajex - December 10, 2006 at 10:26 pm -0500
If these people are so insistent that these games are not worthy of Free Speech protection, why are they voicing their opinions and allowing them to attain free advertisement?
Submitted by xzero87 - December 11, 2006 at 3:15 am -0500
By his (the mayor's) logic, wouldn't the original CSI: have been hurting the "town"'s reuptation for years now?
Submitted by hayabusa75 - December 11, 2006 at 4:19 am -0500
Anybody who'd wear a tie like that doesn't have the right to ban anything.
Submitted by ZippyDSMlee - December 12, 2006 at 9:38 pm -0500
I don't put much into what review sites say when they pad flagship games 2 or 3 points theres lil point in reading them half the time...... its all kinda sad.

Case in point Quake 4 and Halo 2,while halo 2 is a solid B class game its no where near a 9 .......at its a 7 taking into account the MP side,quake 4 is medicoreness at its best I give it a 6 at best( since I have issues with it personally its a 4)

I really wish reviewers would base things on where we been and not the current "way" of things it tends to pad and hype mediocre games....

but back to topic...other poli trying to get a cracker.....
Submitted by You NEWB » Blog Archive » Mayor of Juarez condem - March 9, 2007 at 7:19 pm -0500
[...] It looks like Las Vegas Mayor, Oscar Goodman, isn’t the only Mayor annoyed by fictional terrorist takeovers. Mayor Héctor Murguía Lardizábal is displeased with his town of Juarez, Mexico being used as the backdrop in the latest release in the Ghost Recon series. The game follows the continuation of a group consisting of high ranked soldiers in the United States army suppressing a Mexican terrorist insurrection. The story focuses on the US/Mexican border where Juarez is situated and even contains conflict within the city itself. Due to this unwanted inclusion, the Mayor turned the wanted level up to five stars, insisting in the aid of federal authorities to prevent children and teenagers from playing the game, or else he threated to make his name even longer. His reasoning was due to the fact that GRAW 2 represents: [...]
Submitted by download free ringtones - March 24, 2007 at 5:40 am -0500
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GamePolitics ShoutBox

Posted 07/04/09 at 08:20pm
GoodRobotUs: Went out for my Mum's 65th Birthday, which is the only relevance 4/7 has in the UK for me ;)
Posted 07/04/09 at 08:18pm
Andrew Eisen: Beach + fireworks + root beer + strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, whipped topping, and pound cake = my Fourth of July!
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:58pm
GoodRobotUs: Which seems to be the only point Jack proved, that some people find some games offensive. i.e. Nothing.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:57pm
GoodRobotUs: The discussion was supposed to be whether games were dangerous not 'Do you find some games offensive'...
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: Some agreed, some didn't, but it was their choice to make, not the governments.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: By asking the audience their opinion, he more or less proved that it's a matter of personal choice
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: Meh, he ended proving Mark's point for him
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:26pm
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:24pm
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:33pm
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:32pm
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:54pm
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:50pm
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:07pm
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:01pm
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:52pm
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:50pm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:49pm
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:44pm
Cheater87: Jack wants the US to follow Germany's total video game ban.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:42pm
Andrew Eisen: Note to JT, it is not illegal to sell kids a ticket to R-rated movies.
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