January 29, 2008
In 2006, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) threw her support behind a proposal to legislate video game sales. What she said then was:Parents today face new challenges that we didn't have when our children were younger. Video games and music lyrics promote violence...
The bill ultimately failed to win enough legislative support to pass.
That was then and this is now, however. These days, the Guv's 23-year-old son John, a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, is marketing a board game called Don't Drop the Soap. From an Associated Press report:
The governor's spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran, said both parents "are very proud of their son John's creativity and talent."
John Sebelius is selling the game on his Internet site for $34.99... The contact information on the Web site lists the address of the governor's mansion.
Here is a brief description of what happens in the game:
Fight your way through 6 different exciting locations in hopes of being granted parole... Escape prison riots in The Yard, slip glass into a mob boss' lasagna in the Cafeteria, steal painkillers from the nurse's desk in the Infirmary.
The game includes five tokens representing a bag of cocaine, a handgun and three characters: wheelchair-using 'Wheelz," muscle-flexing "Anferny" and business suit-clad "Sal 'the Butcher..."'
"This game is intended for mature audiences -- not children -- and is simply intended for entertainment," Corcoran said.
GP: So... sorta like Grand Theft Auto, then?
UPDATE: Here is the Don't Drop the Soap website.
Comments
Crazy...
[I should've known it was a joke]
The two next paragraphs are not directed at you, jds, but to people who with a straight face go about saying stuff like what you said in jest.
Well, yes, if you had been serious about what you said (and a lot of people are), what that "opinion" would've stated is that you're a complete simpleton. I'm sorry, but I don't hold such "opinions" in very high regard. I don't tolerate idiots very well.
And, your freedom of speech doesn't preclude me from calling such opinions idiotic and people who say things like that mindless idiots. I, too, have freedom of speech, even to call idiots as such.
You need to make your point clearer in future. You seem to be the only person who thinks this article is about John (past the point he made a boardgame).
As for the site. GamePolitics. This story is about a Govenor and her hyopcritical stance on adult entertainment. How does this not fit in with the sites theme?
Goon = Troll
There... I'm done with my coding for today ;)
But when it is a company making a violent video game, she is outraged.
Sounds about right.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
Although with digs like a guv's mansion, I guess I can see why.
He's no victim and I'm sure he's had an easy life, but I'd be bursting at the seems for offensive humor if I were to be surrounded by political parents.
I love me some board games, too, so I like him already.
I lived with my parents until I was 26. Sometimes stuff happens.
It comes in handy when you are going to callege locally.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
John Sebelius, 23, has the backing of his mother and father, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Sebelius. The governor's spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran, said both parents "are very proud of their son John's creativity and talent."
You can bet they'll change their tune as soon as a teenager buys the game...
Mindless idiot.
It's not just democrats. Isn't JT republican?
Wow. If that isn't a hypocrite then I don't know what is. She states that videogames promote violence. Then when her 23 year old son makes a "Don't Drop the Soap" game, she says she's proud of her son's "creativity and talent"? XD
Hey, Republicans are not immune from this crap either. Just so happens this lady is a Democrat, and the Democrat's logo is an ass; hence, the small line about her being a democrat.
I was making a joke. And if that was enough for you to call me a mindless idiot... well... you need to get a hobby or something.
T'was a joke. All politicians are hypocrites. Alluvem.
Assuming you are a Democrat of some sort, you aren't very tolerant of my opinion and freedom of speech. Maybe you should change parties.
Good on you, mate.
Ah, okay. Didn't get it there at first.
And to because it came up, and should be relevant to this topic somewhat I add a quote(probably heavily butchered since I can't find the original):
"Free Speech is debating and arguing against one another, to the point of open hatred, but then defending to the death your opponents right to say it."
This is partisan hackery at its finest. So this lady is responsible for the game her son made? And then she's supposed to whip him in the town square for it?
Hey this reminds me of something:
Someone throwing blood on someone's fur coat..
Someone yelling at a young girl outside of an abortion clinic..
Oh! how about just another member of a special interest group?
I think you are missing the point. This woman cried foul at game developers for making violent video games. She called for legislation on them.
Now her son has made a violent board game. She is proud of her son's creativity.
Just because one is a board game does not make it any more "artistic" or "creative" than the other.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
The story should be about the fact that her son - who is cast in a bad light BTW in this story - has joined our ranks.
I'm just saying there should be a dislaimer on this site that it is a special interest. It's gotcha journalism and he knows it.
I thought I was imagining this article...
Irooonyyyy.
The son of this pro-censorship governor has not "joined our ranks" as you so insinuate. The offspring of an anti-video game politician is not automatically a friend of the industry just because he sells a violent themed board game on a website.
I call bullshit on you. What the fuck is your problem?
All this article was doing was pointing out that Kathleen Sebelius thinks that violent video games need legislation however a board game about feeding people glass is "creative".
Why is pointing out a possible case of hypocrisy suddenly partisan hackery? And exactly how does this compare to your examples?
Stop fucking trolling.
As opposed to all those other games, marked "Mature", obviously intended for children to use as murder training rather than entertainment?
Seconded.
This article is not picking on her son. It is picking on her. She is the hypocrite. Not her son.
We don't care that her son made the game. We care that she supports this violent board game, but not violent video games.
We care because the only reason she supports it seems to be that it was made by her son and it is not a video game.
One has to wonder what she would say if he made an actually video game using the same content.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
@ Goon
I call bullshit on you. What the fuck is your problem?
And I say:
And I call triple dog bullshit on you, Mr. Yes man for being a lemming and not listening to my point at all.
This site is supposed by about not letting government infiringe on people's free speech (i.e. game developers, publishers) and here we have some guy who has nothing to do with anything being dragged into the light because of his mom and because he created something. Yeah way to promote his first amendment rights to creativity.
Yeah his mom's a hyocrite. We get that. The point is what did he do to deserve this?
Partisan hackery.