You may or may not recall last year's Mass Effect controversy, when Cooper Lawrence spoke about her objection to a supposed sex scene in the game. She was immediately lambasted for her words, as it was clear she hadn't the slightest clue what she was talking about. Well, she's back, and although she's more careful this time around, the entire crew at FOX proves to be about as sharp as a box of erasers.
You can watch the recent Lawrence video over at BingeGamer – just prepare for a lot of eye-rolling – and then suffer a minor bout of depression as you realize the mainstream media still doesn't get it. After 30 years, they still don't get it . This has gone way past amusing; it's past embarrassing; it's past annoying; now it's just downright idiotic and even obscene. This is how the media does their homework? Really? We won't go into a crazy long rant, but there are just a few points we'd like to make: first, social gaming is the thing these days. Or did you miss the fact that Guitar Hero , Rock Band , and online multiplayer gaming basically rules the world? Secondly, considering that video games are no different than any other entertainment medium in terms of "addictive qualities," why are we still talking about them as if they're the spawn of an alien species? Thirdly and lastly, I am extraordinarily sick and tired of games being blamed for anti-social behavior. Who here doesn't go outside or participate in social events because they'd rather play video games? Go ahead, raise your hands, I'll wait…
Yeah, I see about one or two out of sixty gazillion. The truth of the matter is, and has always been, that games serve as a hobby that, for the vast majority of people, is something they do for fun when there's nothing else to do. We're not missing work because of games. We're not bypassing a night out with friends because of games. We're not locking doors, wearing costumes and screaming at TVs. Video game addiction certainly does exist; I will grant them that, but to no more extent than any other addiction, and the percentage of avid gamers that can accurately be described as addicts is very, very low. When the weather's bad, we like to play. When there's no good movies at the theater, we like to play. We like to play with friends sometimes. This entire philosophy that gaming actually removes someone from social activities needs to die, and until the mainstream media can wrap their puny minds that use quarter-century-old information around the truth, we'll continue to laugh in their faces.
End of story.
P.S. Psssst…Ms. Lawrence…over here….. Considering you only have access to very old info, you know how – in your mind – all gamers are "geeks?" …remember what the geeks were in school? The ones with all the good grades, right? Yeah, well, they all grew up and now they're all smarter than you.
Fit.
lol…yeah, I'd do her.
Better yet, I'd let her think I was gonna do her, then blow her off to play DMC4.
bwahahaha.
yeah…
I hate hearing stories about what someones 8 year old kid did because he was playing Grand Theft Auto IV or some other game. The parents are never found to be in the wrong.
And, it seems this one who was part of the Mass Effect fiasco forgot how that incident resulted in her getting terrible reviews on amazon. That was entertainment. And for anyone who didn't see that Fox Mass Effect thing, check it out on youtube.
"Have you played Mass Effect?"
"HAHA! NO!"
Watching the video, I had to pause it just by the start. "Babysitter in a box". Isn't that one of the problems with parenting today?
"Not conversationalists"
Guess they never put kids playing Smash Brothers Melee or Mario Kart Double Dash. Or, else the kids are the type who wouldn't talk much any way, and its easy to point the finger at gaming.
"Competitive"
Guess real life sports must be thrown out too, huh?
They need to be told two words. Online Gaming.
Oh, also, check this out. Its funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY
I can't think of anything to write that matches in intelligence what her report had in utter idiocy.
Maybe Alexander Hamilton was wrong when he said that old people should run our government because they know better than the younger generation. Seriously?
well on a positive side she did say that we, gamers, have a higher i.q. due to video gaming. so with my greater i.q. i now know that i should laugh at what she said. thank you video game gods!
Hrmm, a person with no real credentials in any sort of industry even remotely relevant to video gaming or researching sociological trends is spouting opinion disguised as fact on a news program? Sounds like Fox News. People like her are not even worth listening to as they're just trying to incite people and would never actually engage in any type of open-minded debate with anyone (kind of like the rest of the religious and republican nutjobs they have on Fox news). As the old saying goes, 'I wouldn't even discuss the color of orange juice with her.' Now that they lost the election they're busy recycling alot of their old stuff like this, the Schiavo case, gay right bans, etc. Everything old is new again with these folks because they never change their views or opinions no matter what type of actual researched data is presented to them.
Oh, those of you who have seen that earlier Fox footage, just in case you missed it she actually recanted that.
"I recognize that I misspoke. I really regret saying that, and now that I’ve seen the game and seen the sex scenes it’s kind of a joke."
"Before the show I had asked somebody about what they had heard, and they had said it’s like pornography. But it’s not like pornography. I’ve seen episodes of Lost that are more sexually explicit."
Hmmm…..
That last statement lends to the assumption that she went totally on hearsay to form her entire opinion about something and then reported on it as being the worst thing ever….
Nah, she couldn't have done that she is a reporter who would never do such a thing especially since she works for a network with a slogan of "Fair and Balanced"
Hilarity Ensues!!!
Took the words right outta my mouth Coverton
Somehow that doesn't help my opinion of her. Before she just looked stupid because her opinion was insane. Now she looks like someone with no integrity. She went on a national news program being completely and utterly uninformed about what she was talking about. I like that she is smart enough to realize in hindsight that she is stupid maybe eventually she'll realize that she has no business talking about things she knows nothing about.
Cooper Lawrence……..don say anythin against vdo games world….if u do so…then i might publish ur secret sex vdos online……so beware:)
That news segment was so bad…I think it gave me cancer. WTF, FoxNews?! (Sly Fox) The latest game they showed was of GTA3….3!!!! That's like 7-8 years ago! Man, I hate ignorance.
And I thought that chick with the 2 last names was banned from even saying the phrase "video game", after her last ingenious rant.
yea and they showed the N64 more than anything lol. watching things that people put together when they have absolutely NO clue what their talking about is funny.
Well the site that posted the video had an updated saying that the video of Cooper Lawrence was "old. Quite old." So maybe that's why they showed old games?
FOX is the cancer of television
Even the Simpsons have hidden messages behind them.
I avoid Fox as much as I can.
Aaaaand yeah this woman probably plays v-games all day.
Only on special occasions would I rather play video games than go on social event. On the release day of Killzone 2 there will be nothing stopping me from playing it.
@Ben – I actually know, and know of people who are addicted to games. And from reading comments on here, I can tell there are quite a few posters here who are the same.
I've read about 10 comments in the past months of people on here bragging about clocking in a DISGUSTING 400+ hours or more in FF12, or putting in 500+ in COD4 and MGO. Or the freaks who have 5000 races under their belt in motorstorm.
I also know of a few people who would rather stay home and play their favorite MMO than go out on the weekends.
I actually have a very close friend from high school, who I love to death, but is addicted to MGO, and usually spends his weekends playing it. I try to say s*it to get him to realize he is throwing his life away playing video games, but it just doesn't get through.
It happens, but it happens in everything else that CAN be addicting.
Don't hold your breath to have anyone raise their hand, but trust me, they're here.
I wish I could convince myself to put in more time when it comes to videogames, but it's too hard to have a healthy active lifestyle and keep up with all the awesome games.
I try to really pick my games wisely.
I would love to play Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, Fallout and Gears 3, but I just cant… too much other stuff to get done.
I'm waiting for Killzone 2 and SF4.
Last edited by Fabi on 1/8/2009 1:29:09 PM
Im not sure you have a right to judge your friend.
Maybe you don't know whats going on in his life or mind that he invests so much time into escapism. Besides mentioning MGO is a bad example because it is an AMAZING game even though i don't play as much as i'ld like.
No disrespect, but even if you're his friend, that doesn't mean you know whats going on with him if hes as bad as you try and make him seem.
"Don't judge people, lest you be judged"- Its in the bible.
Really? I can balance out my professional life, social life and my video games quite easily.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 1/8/2009 1:42:07 PM
Putting a lot of hours into a game you like doesn't qualify you for addiction status. It's only an addiction once it starts messing with your normal day to day life. I much prefer staying up late on the weekend and getting in a good game marathon to "going out." And I have a fulfilling social life, and I keep up on my other responsibilities.
Fabi: I'm sorry to hear that, but I consider all of it an INTERNET addiction, which is already documented in the Psychology community. The vast, vast majority of video game addicts are addicted to a MMO…that should tell you something. As far as I'm concerned, they're not even games. They're just virtual chat rooms.
As for the 400 hours in FFXII, so what? The question is, how long did it take to reach that number? I've probably put a good 500-600 hours into the likes of FFT and FFVII over the years…but it has been a decade. ACTUAL addiction is when whatever you're "addicted" to significantly impacts your way of life. For the most part, an extremely few number of gamers qualify. Certainly nobody I've ever met.
Yeah, internet addiction is a beast. When people start dropping dead from week-long WoW binges, things have gone a bit overboard. But, I think it's one of those "chicken or the egg" things. Does the internet make people withdraw from real life, or are people who are already withdrawn more likely to develop internet/video game addiction?
Since when is an MMO not a game? More time and effort is put into top MMOs than almost any playstation game. You seem to have a definite bias against PC games Ben.
I think the point Ben was trying to make is that these people are more addicted to the internet than they are to the game itself. It's the whole virtual world that's the draw. I'd say being addicted to WoW is closer to being addicted to Second Life than it is like being addicted to GTA.
Joema: That's because PC gaming is a waste of most people's time these days. And no, MMOs aren't games. They're virtual chat rooms, as I said.
Ok, my best mate is addicted to WoW. In a span of 12 months, he spent a total amount of 3 months worthof time in that game. Now THAT to me is addiction, when you spend the average of 6 hours a day playing a game. This is when we were back at school, so 9-4 school, 4-10 WoW. Thats hardly any time for anything else. No homework, social life, nothing. And I tell you now, he is getting more and more depressed with his life. I got a text today with an admission to suicide. I cant say I link this with gaming at all, but rather the loss of social interaction with people face to face. I think it is sad.
I know a lot of people who are addicted to games (mostly MMO games). One friend of mine during college did his thesis on people who are addicted to MMO's and you'd be surprise at how far people would go just to play WOW. Using their children's tuition fee money, selling their family car, etc and etc. Very sad. For the record: I consider MMO's as games.
For anyone interested, the Dictionary of Psychology by J.P. Chaplin defines addiction as – the state of being physically dependent upon a drug. In general, addiction implies increased tolerance to a drug, physical and psychological dependence, and withdrawal symptoms when the drug is stopped.
Sorry Ben you're wrong MMOs are games. Dumb ones. But games none the less.
I just know I'm going to become and Old Republic addict. I just know it. Damn you to hell Bioware!
Ben I honestly can't tell if you are joking or serious.
I played WoW for about 2 months when I got to college. The gameplay became monotonous (quest: kill x of y monster, collect x of y item, and any combination thereof), and I had no friends on WoW. I realized that I was throwing too much money at Blizzard, so I quit. On one of the pages where I finalized the deal, Blizzard tried to convince me that the game was cheaper than most other forms of social interaction like going to the movies or whatever. While I played, I did see plenty of chatter about real world issues when I went to the major cities.
Bottom line, I don't think MMO's are virtual chat rooms. They are a LOT more socially based than other games, though. I think Ben is placing MMO's on one polarized end of the spectrum just to take a noticeable stand.
Which brings me to my next point: Ben, and everyone, everywhere, avoid jumping to polarized conclusions. As in, if you just saw a movie, please do not dumb down your thoughts about it to just "boring," "bad," "good," "loved it," "hated it," and countless other phrases that say absolutely nothing about the subject you're describing. Ideas and positions about anything don't have to be absolutely groundbreaking. If I would describe Resistance 2, for example, I wouldn't say "It was totally awesome, yeah!" I'd tell you that the story allowed Hale to become much more involved in what was going on with the war, which I found more engaging than Resistance 1. Also, the hold-to-zoom system made aiming guns much easier.
Doesn't that say so much more? This is why I hate when LA teachers have students write persuasive essays and have them pick one of two positions. When has the truth ever been completely on one side or another when it comes to issues like these?
Fox News is the biggest load of crap to ever disgrace television. Everything about every topic they talk about is straight up Horse****, it doesn't even deserve to be called bull dung. They're the pathetic tool of the insane "old man"(thats how they talk about him in his own business) Rupert Murdoch.
Its incredible the crap they'll keep on and who they'll get rid of. They had one decent guy, Coleman and he got canned. He wasn't full of **** like the rest so he had to get axed. Cause he actually resembled a true journalist/anchor/news person.
I can't believe how idiotic it all is over there.
It is. FOX basically thinks that we are friggin 10 year olds that will take their word. I've come to a contrarian point of view. NEVER listen to what people have to say and learn for yourself.
I think if a Game can detach you so much that you have no interest in the Real World, than that is where the problem arises imo.
*Puts up the big board*
Alright, lets see if I have a slot for her, … yup right here Cooper Lawrence you may consider yourself "On Notice."
@World – Good for you. I have too much going on aside from a 9-5. I'm not saying it's impossible. But it's far from being easy, if you work 40 hrs a week and have activities that can take upwards of 2-3 hours after work.
I get off at 5, and don't get home until close to 6, then I have dinner and get finished with that at around 6:30. Then I have other activities which take up a good 2-3 hours. I then get home and shower, and by that time it's close to 10-10:30 and go to sleep at around 11:30 (which is already too late because I have to wake up at 6 to get ready and drive to work)
I'm sure as hell not staying home on the weekend to play my PS3. At least not after 5. Although on a lazy weekend I'll find time to play it in the morning time. So when do you find the time?
And this is including hitting the gym on a regular basis.
I wont say everyday is the same, because sometimes I'll stay home after work and not do anything, I'll play for about an hour (If I'm lucky) then I'll take that time to socialize at home.
Xanavi – I'm not judging him. I'm trying to help him. I know him and his personal life very well and try to help him with anything I can. I give him all the advice in the world and try to get him involved in positive things, including religion.
And what do you mean MGO is a bad example because it's a great game? Are you crazy, no game is good enough to invest 500+ hours in it.
Last edited by Fabi on 1/8/2009 1:57:14 PM
Fair enough man. Im glad to hear that. 500+ hours is alot, but it depends how long he's owned it.
i had 2 names on socom 2 and i clocked in around 1000 hours of gameplay. one name was up over 600 hours and the other i think was around 400. i have met people on there and here we are 4 or 5 years later and we still keep in touch. im working on getting my clan on socom back up to and im sure ill clock in many more hours than that by the time were done. im not a big people person, i cant stand just hangin out with a big group of people for to long but i still go out, i go to church 4 times a week and hang out with my friend and stuff. so just because someone clocks in 500+ hours on a game dont mean their addicted. i just prefer playing a game to going out all the time and meeting people and you cant blame video games for that either, ive bin this way my whole life, ive just never bin a big people person but i can if i have to, its not a big deal.
Last edited by MetalHead09 on 1/8/2009 5:27:15 PM
I also have a friend who was a total geek when it came to PC gaming. He would play for hours upon hours, then some really bad stuff happened in his life, and to make a long story short, he's facing life in prison in Santa Ana.
Now he tells me that he regrets putting in all those hours on his PC, he would have rather spent it with us (our crew from high school) and his family.
Last edited by Fabi on 1/8/2009 1:59:35 PM
I'll bet that isn't the only thing he regrets.
As far as the argument that 500 hours is too much to invest in any single game, consider this:
Many people don't have the money to shell out for every new game they want to play. So they only get the ones they know they're gonna love and can play over and over again for long periods of time. Now, if you put in say, 10 hours a week playing this game, over the course of a year you would have just shy of 500 hours. 10 hours a week isn't so unreasonable, nor is playing a good game for a year or more after it's released.
I'm not trying to argue that there is no such thing as video game addiction or that I know your friends better than you do, I'm just saying that I think you need to have different standards for determining addiction than "likes to play games a lot."
Please refer to my earlier statement of my friend who put in 6 hours a day. I think spending so much time on your own is detrimental. Social interaction is needed to get on in life.
I'm sorry to hear everything that's happened, Fabi.
I guess we really shouldn't completely ignore her report; there has to be at least SOME truth in it.
I think we get so involved in video games because, unlike other forms of media and entertainment, we are in control. We get to play the hero and save America from being nuked. We get to bring an end to the Dark Hour and defeat Death. Believe it or not, at least in games with a story, we make a bond with the characters in them. And we feel what happens. And it's extraordinary.
Have you ever thought about how hum-drum everyday life can be? The grind of it all can be extraordinarily boring–maybe that's why people want to escape it and become someone completely different in a video game.
The problem is when this escape isn't just for fun. When it becomes a regular way to avoid everything in the real world, then we have problems.
I may have just underlined what an addiction really is. But I believe that it takes more than this property of something to become an addiction. Otherwise we could attribute anything fun to an addiction. In the end, I believe it's squarely our fault; guns don't kill people, after all. People do.
I think her and Jack Thompson should get married. Speaking of Jack thompson, look what happened to him when he tried to mess with the video game industry (karmas a bitch). She should take notes from that.
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I'd like to know how you think Ben is biased. And he is very intelligent for your information.
just looking for trouble or what?
You're lacking of a mind are you ?
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. At least try and bring something intelligent to the table than knocking someone without anything to back up your statements.
What is this the third IP we've had to ban for you? Grow up kid. You are not welcome here.
You just strait torched her ass!
Okay, I actually have to defend this Cooper Lawrence broad on this one. I watched the segment, and she CLEARLY said that video games are fine (even good for you) unless they become an addiction. And, I agree with her completely. Plenty of things can become addictive. Gambling is fine…unless you're addicted. Porn is fine…unless you're addicted. I think a lot of people are missing that about her commentary. She wasn't blasting video games. She was blasting video game ADDICTION.