January 24, 2008 -
Jeff Brown (left), VP of Communications for Electronic Arts, has requested that Fox News correct Monday's disgraceful trashing of Mass Effect.As reported by Kotaku, Brown sent a letter to Teri Van Horn, producer of Fox News' Live Desk program on which the Mass Effect hatchet job was orchestrated. From Brown's letter:
As the parent company of BioWare... EA would like you to set the record straight on a number of errors and misstatements which incorrectly characterize the story and character interactions in Mass Effect.
Your headline above the televised story read: "New videogame shows full digital nudity and sex." Fact: Mass Effect does not include explicit or frontal nudity. Love scenes in non-interactive sequences include side and profile shots - a vantage frequently used in many prime-time television shows...
FNC voice-over reporter says: "You'll see full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex." Fact: Sex scenes in Mass Effect are not graphic. These scenes are very similar to sex sequences frequently seen on network television in prime time.
FNC reporter says: "Critics say Mass Effect is being marketed to kids and teenagers." Fact: That is flat out false...
Brown also named several of Fox's own programs for displaying a level of sexuality far beyond Mass Effect's single, rather tasteful love scene:
Do you watch the Fox Network? Do you watch Family Guy? Have you ever seen The OC? Do you think the sexual situations in Mass Effect are any more graphic than scenes routinely aired on those shows? Do you honestly believe that young people have more exposure to Mass Effect than to those prime time shows?
Comments
GP members: You actually do something good?
Jeff Brown (imitating Jack Sparrow): We do that alot, but you peoples are always surprised.
Jokes aside, it's a very good move from EA to seek a public apology.
NW2K, It's too bad they don't sue right now, but I do really think that it's a good move. Because if Fox doesn't apologize and that EA sues afterwards, Fox won't be able to play victim since EA can prove they asked them beforehand. And if they DO apologize (which I can doubt considering all you said about Fox), they'll lose a LOT of credibility among their viewers AND they'll probably understand that sensationalism doesn't pay on a news network. So in either way (except if I overlook something), it's a win-win scenario.
I DO think that giving bad reviews on that book based on that experience makes us just as hypocritical as the others. Fighting libel with libel won't go anywhere. On the other hand, I found some GENUINE reviews that shows their dislike of the book.
I think bookstorming is a just and legitimate tactic to use against her. You can't slander gamers and not hear our disaproval.
Thanks for covering this GP
Glad to see gaming companies standing up and defending themselves from outright and blatant lies being spread on news sites. I hope the ESA and other companies step and lend their voices in support of EA.
TAKE HEED:
THOSE WHO WILL ABANDOD THEIR FAITH WILL BE EXILED!
WINTER-EEN MAS'08 IS COMING!!!!
GRAB YOU JOYSTICKS,
GEAR UP YOUR POWER SUPPLY,
TAKE NO PRISONERS!!!
THERE WILL BE PWNAGE!!
WOO!
im psyched!
thats what you are talking about i believe
Okay, okay. Imagine if every game developer company had this same idea / mindset. Gaming in politics might have an entire different change.
I don't want to drag Family Guy into the mud because I really like that show, but I think a quick montage of contributing to the deliquency of minors (I am being nice about this one), incestual themes (pop up occasionally), sexual slave trade (Quagmire), and general perversity (too numerous to count) in what Fox would describe (if they didn't run it) as "a cartoon marketed to children." In reality it is a pretty funny animated show for adults.
I think the main thing is that a number of the news outlets are starting to find out gamers aren't the nerds they used to pick on in school. They are now much more then that. Things like "constituants," "voters," and "consumers." When you insult a political opponent, you generally insult some of your viewers, but a third will agree with you, a third is so stupid they will accept whatever you say, and a third will violently disagree with you but keep watching to see what esle you might say that they disagree with.
However, now, you enanger people who don't watch your show, you have made no advertising dollars from us. And in general, we can make things happen. We can logically argue you on points. We can submit evidense. We can discuss this with your advertisers. You start loosing viewers and advertising dollars by saying the stupid stuff, and hopfully you'll start learning from your mistakes and realize that more of the population is playing games then ever before.
-Auto
note to FOX: stop bashing vieogames so that you can get ignorant dumbasses to watch your news
Hot damn, baby! WHOO!
Actually, considering the free press EA is getting, this may turn out to be a good thing for them.
Probably not so good for Cooper Lawrence, though.
You do of course realize that those other networks are equally biased, right? I always get a huge laugh when people say stuff like this.
actually, some people do and will believe whatever any news organization says,so letting them get away with it isn't a good idea
It is about time someone stood up for the game other than its passionate fan base.
It's inevitable that some people are going to (have already) post inane, non-constructive drivel that will indeed reflect more poorly on our community than on the idiot we're trying to shine the light on.
However, there are definitely some "reviews" there that are open and honest. Mine own included, many specifically come out and say "I have not read this book, but I feel the need to point out this author's blatant hypocrisy in other media, such as {example}", which is really the most effective thing to do.
We're NOT stooping to her level, because we're not lying about the content of her book(s). We merely pointed out that she was willing and enthusiastic about offering a completely unqualified opinion, as an "expert" on a subject she knows nothing about, about a product she was unwilling or unable to even bother playing once, let alone devoting the proper research to before speaking about.
These are all facts, and ones worth passing along to others. Honestly, if she's willing to do this on television, what's to say she isn't doing the same sort of thing in her writing?
Amen.
Let's keep up the pressure on her. She recently set her MySpace account to private (It was not set that way eariler today). And get this, her Wikipedia page has been blocked by administaitors. There's got to be more netroot options to take.
@Ren:
Even though EA might benefit from the whole ordeal, I'd say it's still a good idea to sue, just to get more money to acquire more companies.
You are correct about CNN and MSNBC. Our gripes about Fox, or at least my gripe, is how Fox News did not even bother to check the facts about the game and completely sensationalized the story.
MSNBC and CNN do have a liberal slant (I once called CNN a complete political opposite of Fox). At least MSNBC and CNN, however, are more cautious about their reporting and do check their facts. When they are incorrect, they apologize on-air.
In 2006, Bill O'Reilly, in an interview on his show with retired 4-star General Wesley Clark, got his facts on the Malmedy massacre during World War 2 insanely incorrect (topic of interview was about the Haditha incident). He said that American troops killed Nazi forces that surrendered to them. It was the other way around. Nazi troops killed the American soldiers that were surrendering. Bill O'Reilly got his facts on the Malmedy massacre sompletely opposite. He never apologized for it.
January 24th, 2008 at 11:21 am
As well written as this piece is I can is it either being…..
A) Ignored and never read
B) Talked about for five seconds before opening up with Cooper again talking about how men are evil and video games enforces their male ideals
C) Given to Fox’s resident Troll Bill O’Riley who will do nothing but insult EA and Gamers in general. "
A) Most likely
B)Don't even get me started on Cooper(5 min at amazon later) pheew anger relived
C)Bill is just sad, isnt he? Gotta give the Colbert Report credit for making fun of him...time and time again.
Remember when he went after that open forum website? Calling them all Nazis and what not.
Remember when he went after that open forum website? Calling them all Nazis and what not."
Could you show me how tall a Great Dane is?
Lol that cracked me up.
Nail it to her front door, maybe.
That Mass Effect though..
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?9999999997&product_id5706112&s...
Let the Link Radio Network (host of Miss Cooper's radio show) know what you think of their "expert".
http://cooperlawenceshow.1079thelink.com/contact/email.cfm?ID=42
To contact the show through snail-mail
1 Julian Price Place
Charlotte, NC 28208
704-374-3500
Or call her show weekdays (7PM to 10PM eastern time)
at 1-877-6-COOPER
But the phone numbers should work.
Feel free to edit :)
Good to see you! Welcome back ^_^
@ Everyone
It's good to see this community coming together like this. Fox is dead wrong and finally EA, one of the largest players in the industry, is taking them to task.
To all those berating individuals who made comments about this $(#*@$ woman's books, drop it. If Fox will not come out and admit their rediculousness and falsehoods written off as "fact" then by all means she should be shown up as the charlotten she is. Why? Simple. No one learns until they find out there is a cost for stupidity. Darwinism at it's finest. However, I agree that the comments should be listed and noted as a protest against the offer and her "expert" opinion.
We as a community should be her shadow now as we have against JT should we not? Why should we inform those who have JT as an "expert" and not every media she uses? Let's keep our focus and make certain that all who claim falsehoods against gaming are held accountable.
*puts away soapbox*
amazon recent her reviews...