Ben-DutkaEA has been turning heads in the mainstream media lately; first came the freaked-out moms watching Dead Space 2 and now, FOX News has found Epic's Bulletstorm .
So take cover. An article at FOXNews.com has ignited controversy in the gaming world, and no wonder: the title alone – "Is Bulletstorm the Worst Video Game in the World?" – is enough to rile a few feathers with its presumptive language, but wait until you get to the text. The game in question is now well-known for its "Kill With Skill" mantra, and the article says such a theme links sex and violence because of the fact that we receive awards for suggestively named Skillshots. Examples would be Gag Reflex, Drilldo, Mile High Club, Gang Bang, Topless and Rear Entry, and the piece further cites two experts, who say the game is potentially harmful. Dr. Jerry Weichman, a psychologist at the Hoag Neurosciences Institute in Southern California, said:
"If a younger kid experiences Bulletstorm's explicit language and violence, the damage could be significant."
Carol Lieberman, psychologist and author, added that "increase in rapes can be attributed in large part to the playing out of [sexual] scenes in video games." Of course, instances of rape declined 40% in 2009, but…whatever. It's FOX. ESRB boss Hal Halpin defended the rating system and rightly so because…wait, let us check…oh yes, Bulletstorm is most certainly rated "M" for Mature. And the warning specifically mentions content that younger children shouldn't see.
It's why some movies are rated R. At some point, the entire world is somehow, some way, going to have to admit that all video games aren't for kids . Would any of this be an issue if the mainstream population could catch the fu** up? Where are all the articles complaining that torture porn flicks might be harmful to children…? Oh, they don't exist because it's too obvious, and it's why we have the MPAA. …got it. 'rolling eyes'
Related Game(s): Bulletstorm
BulletStorm's Point System makes it suck.
…Hal Halpin?
And his friend Harry Hairpin.
Fox's arguments are negated on the basis that young children shouldn't be playing this game in the first place: the idiots that are buying the game should be criticised not the developers.
I have to question though, why? Why not give these achievements proper names instead. The only thing I can think of is that they are trying to be funny, but 'drilldo,' wonder how long it took them to think of that, if it was any more than 2 seconds that person deserves to be shot. Quite pathetic and desperate in my opinion.
FOX has *never* let the truth get in the way of a sensational headline.
For some reason it has become fashionable to name trophies something that might produce a chuckle upon earning them. And they usually succeed. These are probably the most sexually suggestive, but not the only that are.
If any child understands what those skillshots are referring to, they have more problems than playing M-rated video games.
The worst trophy/ achievement name I've ever seen was 'Smoky Bacon' for Enslaved. To have a moment like that and see that chime in ruined the entire thing for me.
@Highlander
You speak the truth about Fox "News".
just for that, the bullet storm devs should rename their trophy for beating the game to "up yours fox news!"
Every time I buy a mature rated game, I'm ID'd.
On the bright side, I'm sure this media exposure will boost Bulletstorm's sales by a cool million+
Bad Publicity is still publicity right? Lol XD
I still get ID'd for cigarettes sometimes.
"Every time I buy a mature rated game, I'm ID'd."
Unfortunately, for those of us, like me, that buy most of their games online, there is no ID'ing being done. If stores actually follow the rules and not sell the MA games to the kids like they are supposed to, the kids can just go online and buy it no questions asked except for credit card number or Paypal info.
There aren't many under 16's holding credit cards these days, so the number of kids going online with credit cards to buy M-rated games is directly proportional to the number of parents too stupid to care what their kids are doing with one of Mom or Dad's credit cards online.
*sighs, then facepalms*
Well, I think a more serious question is which is a bigger threat to our Society, FOX and it's Faux-News or video games?
Personally I think FOX News is far more dangerous than any video game, or even an entire library of video games.
I agree, especially with confirmed murders done at the behest of false information given by Beck and O'Reilly.
Fox condemns the world
FOX News believes that anything other than God and old 1950's American values are harmful and destroying civilisation.
Why anyone watches FOX News is beyond me!! I've seen and heard far more disturbing stuff in films than any video game I have ever played.
I hear about FOX News being popular in America, but outside of the country, others looks in and wonder how a country can be so backwards and confusing in its ideals. Nothing against the U.S. Great country like any Western civilisation. Just so darn confusing to anyone looking in.
As for Bulletstorm, I'm getting it. It looks like insane fun. And if FOX thinks it's for kids, they clearly have no idea what those ESRB funny signs in the corner of the cover are for.
Good old Bill O'Reily trying to claim that the Earth having a moon and not Mars proves the existence of God…… except for the fact that Mars has 2 moons.
Fox doesn't let facts stand in their way.
@highlander nu uhh not if the videogame library falls on top of you… jk
Well, as of this morning, it looks like there are at least three people that drink the Fox News Kool-Aid regularly!
Also, I read several of the comments left in the comments section of that article yesterday. Most of the comments left at the time were obviously mature gamers that stressed the point that Bulletstorm is for adults and NOT for 9-year old kids.
I disagree Highlander (if my sarcasm meter is working). The biggest threat to society is when people become sheep and base their opinions on what others say instead of formulating it for themselves.
Fox News, like CNN, MSN and the other networks are guilty of the same agenda driven reporting.
@Max, I'll agree that Sheeple and their inability to think for themselves is about as dangerous as News organizations that claim to be objective and factual actually being biased and non-factual.
When you mix the two, it's a potent and dangerous combination. I think the reason I put the blame on the news media is that they claim that they are objective and factual and trustworthy. When news organizations manufacture news from opinion, when they fabricate information or simply exaggerate it beyond reason, when they dredge up year old opinion pieces as supporting evidence for a piece of heavily biased news reporting, when they… You get the idea. I'm not absolving other news organizations, I just feel that FOX News is the worst of a bad lot.
Like you say though, without sheeple to listen without critical thought, it would all be nothing more than news fiction, opinion and bluster. Unfortunately there are millions upon millions of people who just want to be told what to think.
Whatever happened to critical thought? What ever happened to parenting? Whatever happened to the traditional ethics of news journalism to report nothing but the facts? This is why I sometimes think I was born in the wrong era.
I agree Highlander.
Society as a whole seems content with not accepting responsibility for their own actions, as well as looking for someone to make their own decisions.
I understand what you are saying in regards to the news agencies, but I just don't see the necessity to focus blame on Fox news (for example).
Ah, parenting. In my eyes, that is a major problem today, and by far one of the worst. I am by no means stating that I am the world's best father, but I am shocked at the general lack of direction that children have these days. I am an active youth sports coach and youth leader, and I can't count the times I see kids with behavior problems.
Ethics? In my book this discussion will lead towards religion (gasp)!!
Last edited by maxpontiac on 2/9/2011 11:19:11 AM
What a surprise. Fox is just trying to get some attention. Before I talk about how this subject shouldn't even be an issue, considering that the game is intended for adults and not for children, I should ask how our very credible and highly esteemed psychologist and author, Carol Lieberman knows that video games are the sole cause of the supposed rise in rapes. I have a feeling he's just making a blanket statement; and happens to throw in the words video games and rape in the same sentence to strengthen his point.
The Fox article forgets to incorporate the fact that the prefrontal cortex of and adult is more developed than a child's frontal lobe. Consequently, a normal adult will not decide to go on a raping spree because he or she saw it in a video game. However, a child is more at risk of doing this. Therefore, to prevent this, the child's parents must exercise good judgment and not buy games that they feel are potentially harmful to their children. And if they fail at exercising right judgment, it is not the game's fault, but rather their fault. Fox should not spend their time bashing a game; but rather reaching out to parents telling them to be more responsible. But as we all know, this is FOX.
Stay classy, FAUX News…
Stay classy, Faux Noise…
-fixed
As my old man always says to me: World (He doesn't call me that) Consider the Source.
And if I may remind you, Fox News is the same source that was happy to play host to non gamers who called Mass Effect a "Sodomy Simulator"
I fear for any segment of the population that takes fox news seriously.
The enquirer, or better yet Edge, has more journalistic integrity.
How are they gonna react to Duke Nukem?
If The King of video games is censored here is Australia, my money might just have to go overseas.
Funny that they claim this game will cause an increase in rapes yet they have no proof to back up that claim. They act like there's depictions of rapes in the game itself and there isn't, but they don't say anything about the films and TV shows that do show them. I also don't like how they have the mindset that videogames were meant for kids when the average gamer is over 25 years of age. Kids shouldn't be playing M rated games, but that wouldn't stop parents from buying it for them.
Also notice that she said…
"If a younger kid experiences Bulletstorm's explicit language and violence, the damage COULD be significant."
That means she's assuming its significant. I took psychology and I'm telling you some of the 'educated guesses' they make is bullshit. And hasn't there been studies that proved that games DON'T cause violent behavior? So what the hell is the point in this at all?
…And 'gangbang' is just a term for group sex; it's totally different from 'gangrape'. Lol, like a kid or Faux Noise would know about that xD
Last edited by The Doom on 2/8/2011 10:28:37 PM
Ah, well, I think you will have to argue the point with Ben as to whether video games can cause damage to young and easily influenced minds. He's far more qualified than most to comment on that.
I will say though that based on my experience as a parent and a gamer, I can see how a constant diet of violent games could make kids more aggressive and could result in vulnerable kids (those whoa re more easily influenced than others – yes, they do exist) having their outlook and personality shift permanently.
That said, I don't think that games are truly dangerous for a mature individual. Since this is an M-rated game, the entire argument about damaging kids assumes that parents are utterly failing to keep their kids away from such material. I fail to see how that is the fault of the game. That would be like blaming beer companies every time a kid drinks one of Dad's beers. Total BS. This comes back to parents needing to be parents and stop abdicating their responsibility and blaming video games, TV, the Internet and/or God for their own failure.
What bugs me about this story is the fact that FOX News is once again making a story out of less than nothing except pure speculation and sensationalism, and of course the finger of blame points at video games. FOX doesn't like video games much. Then again, FOX doesn't like a lot of things, including the truth.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 2/8/2011 10:40:19 PM
I would like to see FOX News do something about this other than just rant about it for once.
If they can survey who plays a game like Bulletstorm, who purchases it and what they're daily habits and jobs are, then we can see just how horrible and immoral this game really is.
I'm going to guess, no worse than what Gears of War, Dead Space or Call of Duty are. Violent, but mostly played by adults.
Anyone else here hate hearing a kid's voice whenever going online for a deathmatch?
There are multiple studies that prove violent entertainment (movies, video games, music, etc.) certainly causes more aggressive behavior and resistance to authority figures.
But that has only been proven amongst those who are still developing; i.e., children under the age of 14 or 15. I don't believe there's any evidence that supports violent media causing violent behavior in mature, stable adults.
That being said, considering that most all humans in this society start out amongst multiple dangerous influences, there's every chance that they can be impacted by anything they see. Children are like sponges, and their brains don't forget as they grow.
Hence, all games and movies and anything else that could potentially harm children should be be rated. …and all of it is.
Again Ben, like you argue, it all comes down to the parents supervising their children and monitoring what they play. Why FOX News doesn't focus on the parents is beyond me!!
It's like when I was a kid. All my neighbours kids had Mortal Kombat on their SNES and Mega Drives (Genesis), and while I mostly watched others play Mortal Kombat, rarely having a turn myself, there was no way my mum would buy that game for me or my older brother. She didn't even let me watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons until I was about 7.
I knew heaps of kids in my street that played Mortal Kombat and even the original GTA on PC, and they were all friendly and nice.
I guess it also comes down to what other factors or influences children are exposed to in the household.
Drunk parents seems to be a common problem, why not create a system where parents are given certain ID from the day of birth of their child that prohibits them from drinking alcohol until the child is 18. But no, alcohol is not a big problem in this day and age, according to FOX News, but it is VIDEO GAMES!!! Oh the horror!!! Think of the children!!!
The ESRB thinks of the children. Who at the breweries or bars think of the children, hmmm??
"it all comes down to the parents supervising their children and monitoring what they play. Why FOX News doesn't focus on the parents is beyond me!! "
The reason that FOX doesn't focus on the parents is that the parents are in their target demographic and attacking them would potentially hurt their viewership.
Parents that let their kids play games like this should be funking ashamed of themselves!
There's been extreme gore in games for like at least 15 forking years now eg resident evil on ps1& doom ect on pc.
If games effected people like what theses news station say then there would be chaos on the streets of most modern countries.
Some kid kills someone and then his lawyer tells him to blame it on dexter,a movie or some videogame to put doubt in the jury's mind,then its all over the papers
It used to be heavy metal and stephen king novels now its south park and videogames.
Videogames at not at fault here crappy childhood upbringing's are,Take that society!
End pointless rant.
I'm not sure what's worse. The fact that FOX News actually puts this crap out there, or the fact that there are people that will actually take this seriously.
BTW – I have to admit, the article is quite hilarious. Here are two of my favorite quotes:
"Games without sufficient quality of gameplay — games that include highly objectionable violent or sexual content — often pump up the level of this kind of content to gain media attention. This tactic typically fails" – Thank God FOX News has enough intelligence not to play right into their han…oh wait. 😉
And then there's this little gem:
"Remi Sklar, the vice president of Public Relations at Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, which makes numerous video games (though is unconnected to Bulletstorm), offered the following statement: 'We don’t have a comment for that story.'" – LOL! Gee, thanks for the awesome insight.
Irony is an advanced concept that totally defeat's Fox News executives ability to comprehend.
I love how their tactic to winning an argument is to shout back even louder. And never give the guest a chance to speak. Warping anything a person says into anti-American statements is what FOX do best.
I'm glad that at least some of America sees FOX news for what it is, because here in Canada-and pretty much the rest of the world- it's viewed with less journalistic respect than Entertainment Tonight. However, it is scary that there are a relatively large amount of people who think FOX is the only truth telling news network and all the others in the world are lying for their own agenda.
Matt,
It's depressing seeing from the inside how many Americans are utterly ignorant (sometimes intentionally so) of the way America is viewed in the rest of the world, and the reasons why. Of course as a transplant to the US, I perhaps have an advantage over most – in that regard at least.
The idea of video games make people violent is like saying eating too many blueberries and you'll turn into one. I was 12 when I first played Mortal Kombat and I didn't want to rip someone's heart out or try to rip off someone's head off because I knew that's a video game and not reality.
Instead of questioning what's going on in society at large people look for the quick and easy scapegoat what's the easiest scapegoat? A video game that has blood in and cuss words in it.
Early PGU: I beat Star Wars the Force Unleashed II I liked it but man that game was short.. Mass Effect 2:This might sound gross to some but it seems Shepard is going to hook up with Jack.. I'm trying to hook him up with all the female characters but it seems I pissed off Miranda after helping Jack.
Yeah I pissed off Miranda doing the same thing, but Jack is right about her, she's a total Cerberus b*tch.
I work with a guy who has a 7-year old son and he lets him play GTA and CoD all the time. I swear, in one sitting, he can go from a conversation about him and his killing people online to questioning why his son got into a fight in school. Video games aren't the problem, parents are.
Oh, and by the way, it's very hard for me to just bite my tongue and not go off on him in some kind of fanboy pro-violent-video-games rant.
Maybe a better rant would be to wonder aloud why any parent would let their child play a game where they do the kinds of things that you do in GTA4 or CoD. I don't mean in an incredibly conservative (small 'c'), but seriously, it doesn't take much parenting talent to understand that M-rated games are not intended for kids.
Highlander
Exactly. If anything parents are the ones who are responsible for the content their child/ren indulge in. It's like saying let's blow up the world because violence will only continue if we don't. Where does that get you?