Boston Mayor's Flip-Flop: Former Critic Now Courts Game Biz
Boston Mayor's Flip-Flop: Former Critic Now Courts Game Biz
March 14, 2009
Boston Mayor Tom Menino (D) who, as recently as last year tried to legislate video game sales, is now courting the video game industry in a big way.
It's all about the economics, apparently.
As reported by the Boston Business Journal, Menino announced the launch of PoweringUpBoston.com, a website designed to promote the region's video game industry with news, job postings and additional resources.
Menino, who spoke at the Congress Street offices of FableVision, pointed out that game development at Harmonix, 2K Boston, Turbine and 73 other firms employs over 1,500 people in the area. During his speech, Menino declared:
Boston is a game industry friendly city.
The Boston Mayor has not always been so game-friendly, however. In 2007 and 2008 he pushed for video game sales restrictions similar to those found unconstitutional by federal courts around the country.
In 2006 he led a campaign to have ads for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories removed from local public transit vehicles.
Edge Online has more on Menino's game initiative:
The Boston-area videogames steering committee is made up of key members from local game firms, and will advise the mayor and the Boston Redevelopment Authority staff in "strengthening the Boston-area game development presence, raising Boston's profile as a global leader in digital media and specifically the game industry."
The group, which has members from Blue Fang Games, Metaversal Studios and Northeastern University, has been meeting since October 2008.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has also been working hard to bring game industry firms to the area. As GamePolitics reported, Patrick recently visited high-tech firms on the West Coast, including game publishers EA and Microsoft.
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Posted 11/08/09 at 12:24am
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
Posted 11/07/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: BREAKING: In photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
JDKJ: BREAKING: In photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
Of course. When they can put money in your pockets, they are your best friends. When you can take a crap on them so you can get votes from parents and other individuals, they are your enemies.
When is the next Boston Election? Its most likely not close enough to justify an attack on the games industry.
But it is most likely that due to the current economic condition of the country political capital is easier to gain by looking like you are building up the economy than by being a moral crusader.
To me, this just shows how evil being a politician is and I am sorry that the Massachusettsgame industry has to take this just to get some finacial incentives to grow..
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
Didn't this guy make #1 on GP's "Top Ten Biggest Hypocrites" list?
This gives him a lifetime achievement award.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
What a joke. The moment the economy gets better I bet he's gonna attack video games again.
http://www.magicinkgaming.com/
I'll say it again: it's not hypocritical to want to restrict minors' access to violent games (though that first part is unconstitutional), and then want to encourage development as a whole. You can be a very heartfelt supporter of an art form but still not think that some parts of it should be disseminated to kids. I disagree with Menino's bill, but I don't believe that the man himself is an opponent of the whole industry. He's my mayor, and mine to criticize.
www.gameslaw.net
"He's my mayor, and mine to criticize."
Did you win him in a raffle? I didn't realize you could own politicians, or claim an exclusive right to make critical comments about them.
It's not that I disagree with the rest of your post, but can we please avoid this silly notion that a politician's constituents are the only ones who can legitimately criticize him?
That isn't what I meant--I meant that we his constituents will deal with him in matters concerning our city. I suppose I could've worded it better. And even though I did enter the lottery to win him, regrettably I got John Kerry instead.
www.gameslaw.net
Dont mess with my man,
Dont mess with my boy,
Dont mess with my man.
Dont mess with my man,
Dont mess with my boy,
Get your hands off my man.
-- Lucy Pearl, "Dont Mess with My Man"
Pornography is not protected by the 1st Amendment. The mayor of Boston wanted to regulate games in an identical manner to porn. He also used lies & hyperbole to push his legislation. Very bad.
This guy is also the same out-of-touch whackjob who is afraid of lite brites.
He doesn't have to be the mayor of my town for me to notice these things.
As long as it's not obscene, pornography is protected by the first amendment.
He's my mayor too. I think he's a great mayor overall. On this one issue - restricting access to games - he's wrong. He's also very unsuccessful when he tries to push the issue. I'll support a mayor who gets the job done when he's trying to do good stuff and unsuccessful when he's trying to do bad stuff. Heck, better him than almost anyone else. In my opinion, Menino is one of the good guys - he's been good for Boston.
Heck, who knows - maybe this isn't flip-flopping and maybe he's not anti-gaming. I mean what if he knows full well that anti-game legislation can't pass, but supports it because it gets votes. That's not hypocrisy - that's smart politics.
Hipocresy-o-meter:
LOW--------------------------------------------------------------------!--HIGH
We have a winner...
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
the PHX corp Hypocracy o-meter
LOW-----------------------------------MED----------------------------------HIGH----!OL
We not only have a winner but, would someone tell the mayor that he broke my hypocracy meter
Watching JT on GP is just like watching an episode of Jerry springer only as funny as the fights
Well think about how over worked that damn thing must be after all the stuff that has happened just this past week. How many meters have you run through in the past month?
I adjusted my new Hypocr-o-meter to run on plutonium, I think I'm good....
...Except for the extra arm growing out of my face, yeeaahh.. I'm good.
I've been in Boston all week, and I must say that I've not talked to a lot of people who are big fans of their mayor. I've heard good things about the governor, though.
/sarcasm Wow a politician flip flops on an issue? stop the ****ing presses *roll*
I have to agree with Liz on this one. There is a major difference between legislating on moral public policy grounds (i.e. content of mature video games) and wanting to benefit your city's economic well-being on a whole by bringing in new media businesses.
Example: Almost every state regulates adult film making and adult film distribution with a fairly heavy hand, but that doesn't mean they won't offer the film industry certain tax credits and other economic incentives to bring their film crews, offices, and business to those states. The MPAA wouldn't consider this hypocritical-- adult entertainment SHOULD be regulated to some extent because it would irresponsible to do otherwise.
Wanting to regulate some aspect of an industry on moral grounds doesn't make them an enemy of the entire industry. Wanting an industry to act responsibly isn't such a bad thing. Most people in the games industry would agree with that.
Again, he wanted to treat games like porn, which is not protected speech. What is so wrong about making sure games are protected by the First Amendment?
I sure as hell dont' want to go to a porn store to buy Halo or GTA. Games are not porn.
Sorry, that is a very bad analogy. There are very clear differences between the Adult film industry and the "Hollywood" film industry. There is noone who would consider adult films to be a part of traditional film.
This would be more like them attacking the Film industry for making R rated movies and then deciding to invite the film industry to make movies in the state. R rated movies are not part of the adult film industry. They are part of the traditional film industry.
Now if this mayor had been trying to pass legislation classifying Hentai games as porn and under those regulations, I don't think anyone would have been up in arms. What this mayor was doing was trying to classify the game industry's R rating equivolent as porn and regulating it as such.
Now he is saying, "forget all the times I punched you in the face and gave you wedgies, come over to my house for a party."
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
You're right, not the best analogy, unless you live in LA.
But I still think there's a line that should be drawn between moral legislation and economic legislation. He doesn't have a problem with the video game industry, he has a problem with those who produce violent games and freely distributes them to children. It isn't nearly as big of a problem as people blow it up to be, but it is a social concern and it is something that concerns the moral welfare of a city. For similar reasons, in 1999 many members of the MPAA started the ID at theaters campaign after the federal government put pressure on the film industry re- accessibility to R rated films.
I'm not saying state regulation of content is remotely constitutional or appropriate. I just think the motivations behind the mayor's behavior have two very different directives.
And for the record, pornography is protected under the first amendment unless it is considered obscene. That's why states can't ban it outright. They can, however, regulate "indescent" speech and prevent it from falling in the hands of minors.
It ain't for nothing that Mayor Menino is also known as Mayor Mumbles. You can't never get a straight story outta Mumbles.
I assume then you've got the legislation worked out for regulating books, music and movies too then yes? No?
How about the bible? It's full of rape, torture, genocide, and a whimsical power hunger overlord that regularly flip flops between defending his people in horribly violent ways and demanding that they kill their own children in cold blood. No child should be subjected to that sort of horror!
Oh. You don't have anything else lined up? Funny it always works out like that...
Jack Thompson calling this guy a rape victim of videogame and protecting his rapist (the video game industry) in 3...2...1
Glad to see another video game critics changing a new leaf when it come to video game. When JT hear of this, the shits is going to hit the fan.
I'm sorry, dude, but I don't see that happening. He's too busy whining over his Utah bill to pay attention to Menino going game industry.
And guys, it's "hypocrisy" now stop making us look bad!
(Jack thinks we're retarded b/c of our games)
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Doesn't JT read gamepolitics also. I think he's going to shit himself when he finds out his former partner is now a rape vicitm of video game industry and saying that he defending his rapist. He's going to say the video game industry manipulate the guy to like video game.
IDK when he was last here, but I know he was seriously focused on his bill.
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He could be reading at this moment.
JT always look at GP to see what's going on at GP. I found out he read Kotaku and joystiq also. JT is known for that. He do troll around the area.