The Sandbox

On the heels of Rob's post about the possibility of a DSM classification for "video game addiction", Destructoid recently found an article on the research of Oregon psychiatrist Jerald Block which concluded that the denial of violent games to teen killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold was a catalyst for what became the Columbine massacre.

As someone who has worked on several FPS games, I completely understand this conclusion. FPS games are widely misunderstood in the popular media.

Yes, I should be posting about E3: it's the biggest video game show in the US, and it's going on right now. Even though it has been moved to a gas station bathroom in Santa Monica, apparently, it's still a big deal. No more roaming for unknown gems in the wilds that were Kentia Hall anymore....

Anyway, on the heels of my last but one post, which was on the heels of Rob's post, about video games and their effects, yet another researcher has come out saying that violent video games may be good for some kids.

Not living in a battleground state, and not watching any network television, I don't see a lot of Election 2008!! commercials, but gamepolitics.com informs me that I've missed out on a truly excellent Mitt Romney commercial. Titled Ocean, Mitt comes out against liking things that are bad.

No, he was mildly more specific than that, belaboring a "society is an ocean in which we swim" metaphor, and video games get mentioned non-specifically for their pernicious influence. Yeah.

I would encourage Mitt to read The Sandbox, specifically this or this or this. Get with the program, Mitt.

The gaming world is rejoicing in yet another victory over Jack Thompson, who has been recommended by the reviewing judge to be found guilty of 27 misconduct charges. The weird thing here is how a process like this points out the disconnect between the reality of the law, and a lay person's understanding of the law, because really, it seemed like it was incontrovertible, that Jack Thompson is a fruitbat.

Here is the summarized list of judgments against old Jack. As an overall, "let's strip this guy of his right to practice law in Florida" motion, the layperson would say, "Um, obviously?" So why this stuff goes on for review after review, with appeals and so forth, it's beyond my non-lawyerly mind to understand. Obviously the accused need protection against abuse by the state, but there is always a situation like this that makes one wish that you could just cut to the chase, because it's so apparent that this person is abusing the system.

The good news here, one hopes, is that Jack will be able to free his time up from his busy ambulance chasing schedule, and devote himself full-time to promoting games. Stirring up controversy around games is the main service he provides me, and that he can spend more time on it, that will help me and my colleagues immensely.

Found on Kotaku, Disbarment with Extreme Prejudice, that's the recommendation by the Florida Bar, for Jack Thompson. OK, "enhanced disbarment" is the term, but whatever, I'm a violent game designer, and I am trying to immolate your very soul with my overtly destructive vocabulary. Rawr!

So it goes to the Florida Supreme Court, for review on September 2nd: mark your calendars, I'm sure it will be a colorful countdown come late August. It doesn't look good for Thompson, who declared that the reviewing judge did not have the authority to rule over him and walked out on the hearing. "Do too," she said, unecclesiastically.