Dear Jeff Brown.
Thank you for absolutely making my day:
[From his letter to Fox News Channel, regarding their recent, shameful coverage of Mass Effect]
As the parent company of BioWare, the studio which created the game, 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. It’s also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate and players can choose to avoid the love scenes altogether.
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. Mass Effect and all related marketing has been reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and rated Mature – appropriate for players 17-years and older. ESRB routinely counsels retailers on requesting proof of age in selling M-rated titles and the system has been lauded by members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. In practical terms, the ratings work as well or better than those used for warning viewers about television content.The resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards. As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.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?
This isn’t a legal threat; it’s an appeal to your sense of fairness. We’re asking FNC to correct the record on Mass Effect.
Sincerely,
Jeff Brown
Vice President of Communications
Electronic Arts, Inc.
And there was much rejoicing.
The worst part is Fox probably doesn’t care about “videogames”, so they probably won’t apologize/change their story.
This story just makes me angry, since I know the average person watching Fox will probably believe them more than the unknown-to-them “videogame guy” trying to disprove them.
Never saw this but its a good reason why I hardly watch the news anymore, I’m just tired of half-truths, no truths, and about how some young celebrity decides to screw up again. When an actor dies that merits a news report, but when someone is found drinking after rehab or not showing up to important court dates that involve family issues and its expected of them, then it doesn’t really merit the attention it gets.
Any who to this particular issue, I agree with Kilrogg for the most part, Fox is interested in telling their own version of the news. Sadly people will blindly believe what has been said here because they don’t feel like taking a few moments out of their time to look at a source that actually knows what they are talking about, ignorance may be bliss but its not a good excuse. Obviously we as a people haven’t learned yet that we need to do some of our own research into things before listening to others perceptions as facts.
Its not like this is the first time the gaming community has had its media misrepresented and it won’t be the last. Its good to see a company not just sit there and take it on the nose when a game gets unjustly reported on. So the “big bad video game” is taking “your” money because its a more entertaining product, well maybe if TV stations (not just Fox) invested in new and original material rather than copying the latest TV craze maybe you could keep people entertained with your product.
In closing I provide humor in 8-bit proportions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHdXG2gV01k After all DnD has been chastised by the news as well back in the day.
Late yesterday afternoon I heard that Fox invited EA to be on the show rather than make a formal apology. To me it reeks of them attempting to gain further ratings from this event and make themselves look good in the end.