Curse

FrauValis · Jul 24, 2005, 07:27 PM // 19:27

Hello...I know I don’t post much to this board and often times I'm ignored....but I thought I'd post this because this affects ALL serious gamers....

http://gamespot.com/news/2005/07/22/news_6129609.html

Quote:

How do you like your hot coffee? If you're Jack Thompson, you like it scalding game publisher's laps. The Miami attorney and antigaming activist has done his share to see that games don't fall into the wrong hands. And lately, those hands have belonged to almost everyone.

Thompson was among those who spearheaded the recent effort to slap an "Adults Only" rating on Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and he's often been on the forefront of many other gaming issues, several of which have targeted the crime-spree-based GTA franchise. In the past, he's represented defendants who have been the victims of GTA-inspired crimes, including the triple homicide of three police officers by an 18-year-old boy in Alabama.

His beef with San Andreas? Unused code in the game that depicts sexual acts. These minigames can be unlocked by using game-cheat devices or patches available on the Internet.

Thompson is on a roll...and he's not done yet. His latest goat is a game that doesn't involve guns, carjacking, or prostitutes: He's going after Electronic Arts' The Sims 2.

In a manifesto sent today to press outlets, Thompson focuses on dismantling the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and exposing what he calls the industry's "latest dirty little secret." The secret's out now, and it involves nude sims.

In the statement, Thompson says, "Sims 2, the latest version of the Sims video game franchise ... contains, according to video game news sites, full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia, and pubic hair."

The Sims 2 is a "life simulator." In the game, players steer their digital beings around their cyberlives. Actions include everything from the spectacular (getting married, having children, receiving promotions at work) to the mundane (cooking microwaved meals, going to the bathroom, mopping the floor). Such activities, as in real life, sometimes require nudity. EA circumvents inappropriateness by "blurring" out the nether regions, almost to a comical sense.

Knowing that the game is popular among all ages, EA has even taken steps to ensure that Sims fans aren't exposed to indecent depictions. In the recent expansion pack, The Sims 2 University, gamers can send their teenage sims off to college. However, instead of packing the expansion with "keggers" and "reefer," EA chose to use juice and bubble blowers.

Thompson doesn't seem to care. He cites a cheat code that can remove the blur that covers the nether regions. "The nudity placed there by the publisher/maker, Electronic Arts, is accessed by the use of a simple code that removes what is called 'the blur' which obscures the genital areas. In other words, the game was released to the public by the manufacturer knowing that the full frontal nudity was resident on the game and would be accessed by use of a simple code widely provided on the Internet."

It's not just the adults that are liberated from their wardrobes. Sims kids can also be nudified, "much to the delight, one can be sure, of pedophiles around the globe who can rehearse, in virtual reality, for their abuse."

Were this to be true, Thompson would have his smoking gun, and EA would be forced to recall all copies of The Sims 2. However, it's what's under the blur that Thompson's after. And what happens when the blur is lifted? A simple mannequin-esque smooth body, according to EA.

Jeff Brown, vice president of corporate communications at EA, in response to the accusations, told GameSpot, "This is nonsense. We've reviewed 100 percent of the content. There is no content inappropriate for a teen audience. Players never see a nude sim. If someone with an extreme amount of expertise and time were to remove the pixels, they would see that the sims have no genitals. They appear like Ken and Barbie."

Thompson doesn't buy it. "The sex and the nudity are in the game. That's the point. The blur is an admission that even the 'Ken and Barbie' features should not be displayed. The blur can be disarmed. This is no different than what is in San Andreas, although worse."

The last time we checked, The Sims 2 was rated T for Teen by the ESRB, which means that anyone 13 years of age, with $50 to spend, can purchase the game.

I don’t know about you....but I'm afraid...if this guy has his way....well than what game is next? Could Guild wars be targeted for the underwear of the female characters? Who knows....I'm really scared guys.....

What are your thoughts?

PieXags · Jul 24, 2005, 07:29 PM // 19:29

Don't fret, Rockstar Games had been taking hits for weeks due to several murders supposedly linked to their game along with them creating the material for the "3rd party" Hot Coffee mod, which while was put together by a 3rd party, they created the material and left it on the disk. Which is why they had to give it the AO rating.

Not a big deal in my eyes, they screwed up.

I've read about this Thompson guy for a while now, he's been at it for a long time, and EA knows what they're doing. There won't be a change in any Sims, me thinks.

AceSnyp3r · Jul 24, 2005, 07:36 PM // 19:36

One man against a whole industry and subculture. He's in over his head with EA, and I'm half-hoping he takes on Microsoft, they'd have him eating out of the trash for the rest of his miserable life

Besides, games have nothing to hide, and try as he might, he'll never find anything. Within a few weeks, he'll probably have faded from the media spotlight and the memories of everyone.

Madjik · Jul 24, 2005, 07:39 PM // 19:39

I think frau is more worried about the eventual censoring of whatever games this guy can bring up a case against, right down to the underware clad elementalists of guild wars. I think thats a bit extream myself, but then, maybe so is what he's doing with the sims 2. I've kinda got mixed feelings on censorship when it comes to games, sometimes its a good thing its there, somtimes it isnt. It depends.

PieXags · Jul 24, 2005, 07:42 PM // 19:42

I'm not worried, still. This guy's trying to move against the way of media on Earth as a whole, games and TV don't get safer as time goes by, they get more obscene and more daring. He isn't going to be able to stop it, thus far he hasn't been able to stop anything. It wasn't him that got the rating slapped on GTA: SA, it was an assload of people and other companies to boot.

He's just a dead fly on the end of me swatter, IMO.

ManadartheHealer · Jul 24, 2005, 07:45 PM // 19:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrauValis

What are your thoughts?

This guy is a total wanker who doesn't know how to have fun.

Guild Wars is safe. The Sims is safe.

The more and more crazy things this psycho goes after, the less people will take him seriously.

Quote:

The blur is an admission that even the 'Ken and Barbie' features should not be displayed. The blur can be disarmed. This is no different than what is in San Andreas...

In response to this stupidity:

First, the blur is not an admission that the Ken and Barbie features are bad. EA wanted to make the game as realistic as possible, but wanted to omit nudity. As simply showing the "ken and barbie" aspect would not be realistic, they blurred it out so peoples imaginations' are left to their own devices

Second, it's completely different from what's in GTA

This person won vs. GTA because that is a game that was already under heavy scrutiny. I doubt he will win vs. other games and other companies, especially against really popular games like the Sims where there really is no problem.

I bet people start writing this bozo off after he attacks another game that is as popular and perfectly fine as The Sims.

Kiiron · Jul 24, 2005, 07:46 PM // 19:46

Pfft. Don't worry about Thompson. He's the real world equivilant to a message board troll. His complaints against The Sims 2 are without grounds, and you can be sure EA isn't going to take this sitting down.

EchoSex · Jul 24, 2005, 09:57 PM // 21:57

"Wait a minute, whats this? Sex? SEX?! S-E-X?! Your telling me that virtualy rendered reprisentations of fictional charictors are having sex in an equaly polygonal rendered world? WHAT?! Look buddy, we just wanted gang violence, big guns, robbery, drug abuse, dead children, slaughtered animals and murder in our game. Sex is taking it too far. I mean, its something that is part of life that is required for the human race to continue. What in god's name is it doing in a game?! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!"

Winterclaw · Jul 24, 2005, 10:12 PM // 22:12

I checked out that guys site and he says video games are like the porno that Ted Bundy watched (but I think bundy was into snuff and hard core violence which he called porn).

Having played sims 2, I think it isn't that bad, even uncensored. I mean unless there is some mod on a paysite out there I don't know about, all of the "sex" is done under the covers and the nudity isn't enough to get worked up over.

While I appriciate that there are some watchdogs out there, I think this guy is going too far.

neoteo · Jul 24, 2005, 10:13 PM // 22:13

lol , that a closed thread post

clap clap clap to echosex

EchoSex · Jul 24, 2005, 10:17 PM // 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoteo

lol , that a closed thread post

clap clap clap to echosex

o_O I don' get it. I do somethin' bad? (Wanders off saying: Can I feed da wabbits, George?)

neoteo · Jul 24, 2005, 10:23 PM // 22:23

no , the oposite ...

thats the perfect post for this thread , i really mean it !

( geee , people are paranoid in this forum :S )

xxhell · Jul 24, 2005, 10:24 PM // 22:24

i dont see the big deal, i personaly think as long as it has a mature rating they should be able to throw in cutsceenes with real people having sex, hell who cares its a game, and guildwars couldnt be targeted, theres nothing there to target underwear isnt indecent exposure, this guy will be dead in a few weeks(i mean dead to the media) and then well have another person going after an other game, see my plan is to write a movie so sick and so twisted that evan marlin manson himself will be pickiting it, then ill make it into a video game

neoteo · Jul 24, 2005, 10:29 PM // 22:29

this people just want some fame , and something to look important ...

he is talking about nude cartoons .. wth . what about the milions of girls making porn movies ?

at this rate , in the future there will be only one profession for woman , and thats porn movies.

he want to protect is lilte children from seeing naked cartoons having sex.

but more then half of internet is real people having sex ...

mmmm , LOL

Mariena Feladon · Jul 24, 2005, 10:39 PM // 22:39

Why people will always make a fuss about video games (you know; VIRTUAL reality?), I will not comprehend.

At least it's something different than 'my 16 year old son beat up the dog after playing a video game omgz! The video game is teh reason he did this!'

Varcon · Jul 24, 2005, 10:44 PM // 22:44

I wouldn't really worry about this, tackling a company such as EA (However much I dislike them pretty much taking over everyone) isn't going to result in much. He's one guy against many companies, and of course us gamers.

Spike · Jul 24, 2005, 10:51 PM // 22:51

The guy is an moron. He should be ignored and hopefully he will go away. I find it very strange that a game that includes so much vilonce is ok but some animated consental sex in a 18 rated game (in this country ie UK) is just TOO much.

EchoSex · Jul 24, 2005, 10:52 PM // 22:52

I hoesntly find it funny that when it's sex, every polition has an opinion against it. Okay, lets face the facts folks: sex is how you were made. Aint nothing to be ashamed of, or afraid of, or anything like that. I'm sure aliens would make fun of us because we are literly self desturctive when we make such a big fuss about this and say it's wrong. It's like that situation at the Super Bowl a while ago, with the "wardrobe malfunction." While it was obviously done intentionaly, it's still NOT a big deal. I mean, when you were a baby, guess were your nurishment came from?

So in my endpoint, if we've seen it before since we were a baby, and it's as natural as sleeping and eating, then why be ashamed? I don't see anyone complaining about a fat kid eating at McDonald's on TV, and thats just as natural.

*Gets in a horse stance, being prepaird to be flamed, deleted, or closed*

I did my best to be to the point and nonsuggsetive. Hope I did okay >.< I'm not used to kinda cencoring myself.

PieXags · Jul 24, 2005, 10:59 PM // 22:59

Yeah, echo sex makes some good points. If people didn't treat sex as if it were the forbidden zone of mortality maybe it wouldn't be such a problem with teenagers and these "ratings". I mean honestly, who here hasn't seen a human being naked? Oh my God! A SHOWER SCENE!!! My virgin eyes are blinded! ...right, it's not like it's insanely awkward/brutal/bondage/animal costume sort of sex, it's just sex. Big deal. The human body isn't anything to freak out about, or as EchoSex put it, be ashamed of.

Some people just need to grow up.

ManadartheHealer · Jul 24, 2005, 11:00 PM // 23:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by EchoSex

...it's as natural as sleeping and eating, then why be ashamed?

Ah, the common sense approach. Unfortunately, the "religious right" opposes such common sense on moral grounds.

And your very excellent and rational point has been argued by many before (such as Bertrand Russell), but it has still been trampled upon by our "righteous and moral" society.

Wow I hope this post doesn't start a flame war

Disclaimer:Not responsible for any subsequent posts provocative or flaming in nature