Quote of the Day

"Hey Rich, will you eat a cheese steak? It's like a salad ... except it's a cheese steak." - Rob, to the guy who only eats salads at lunch

I'm Choosing Early to Back This Horse

2 1/2 Years and 10,000 Views

It's been two and a half years since I started writing here and I've accumulated 10k hits in that time. Your hits. Thanks for stopping by ... you stay classy, San Diego.

Addendum to Previous Post

Upon re-reading what I wrote, I realize that it will be immediately apparent that one comment in particular could strike readers as being a bit crass: "they might be wrong, deluded or mistaken..."

By wrong, I don't mean their opinion is wrong - there is no such thing as a wrong opinion. However, many statements people make are wrong. Holocaust deniers? Wrong. Just plain wrong. It's an historical fact that the Holocaust occurred. We know this. The existence of 6 million people was purged during the Holocaust. But Holocaust deniers have the right to make their comments - they're just incorrect; they're just wrong.

The great thing, though, is that people who make stupid or incorrect statements to support their beliefs are really showing their own ignorance, making it easier for us to ignore them.

Remember, they have a right to say what they want, but we also have a right not to listen. :-)

USC Interactive Media Division Withdraws Slamdance Sponsorship

I haven't felt compelled in quite a while to write anything here, but I saw this and realized that, as I am at a moral and ethical crossroads with regard to the issue above, it would be a great time to once again speak out to the people who frequent this site (or find their way here by accident).

I am a firm believer in the right to freedom of speech. I feel that every person, moronic or not, deserves the right to speak to whatever they believe. They might be wrong, deluded or mistaken; but they are also allowed to speak their mind.

However, sometimes in doing so, they reveal how little class they have. Sometimes speaking your mind for the sake of creating controversy and challenging our supposed national belief in the right to be free from persecution for your beliefs is just ... well, crude and disgraceful. The creators of the game "Super Columbine Massacre" have clearly shown that when it comes to quality of ideas that are used to progress the independent development of video games, some people are scraping at the bottom of a slimy, empty, smelly barrel.

How many original and highly creative themes or stories did the developers of that game pass over before they thought to take a national tragedy - a loss of human life in a painfully grotesque fashion - and exploit it for their own fame?

This underscores a valid criticism of the entertainment industry - it seems more and more so that it lacks the creativity to do anything but shove out product that relies on the visceral reaction that many of these events create in the paying audience. Where is the material that signifies a maturing of the collective ability to fully absorb the depth and meaning of the actions and motivations that lead to the loss of human life? Where are the games that leave you truly understanding what it means to shoot a person in the head - either as a good guy or a bad guy? Where are the games that leave you feeling despair for being forced to resort to violent measures?

Aren't those the creative games we should be embracing?

USC is correct; dropping "Super Columbine Massacre" from Slamdance showed a gross violation of the founders' intentions for the festival. It's a place where even the ugliest of themes can get face time in an effort to display creativity in the development of new and innovative technologies and content. However, that does not mean that anyone has to like any of those despicable products.

The creators of "Super Columbine Massacre" should be criticized. They've exploited a tragedy for their own gain - that's a disgusting behavior. But Hollywood at large does that all the time. The question remains - does their product, in any way, contain any redeeming qualities? Innovation in game play, control scheme, graphics or storytelling? It must, if Slamdance initially accepted it.

However, if it is only worth acknowledging because of its content, it seems that this is a game that should be relegated to exposure to people of such limited grace that they would feel at all compelled to support a game where you destroy the lives of the families of mercilessly slaughtered children and steal the innocence of a community.

Classy, that ...