I wonder how much longer it will be before we start seeing game-developer trading cards, complete with stats like "Games Programmed On."
News Blips:
THQ opens a new studio in Montreal with noted game director Patrice Désilets as its head. Désilets, a former employee of Ubisoft, has helmed past blockbuster titles such as Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. "We expect calendar 2011 to be a watershed year for THQ," said THQ Executive Vice President Danny Bilson. "Simply put, we can’t wait for Patrice to join. Patrice brings a passion for games rich with action-packed sequences, gripping characters and cinematic flair, and we’re all looking forward to having him and his newly formed team develop an all new franchise with us.” I guess Désilets's "creative break" from the industry is over. [IndustryGamers]
The Parents Television Council (PTC) compares the game industry to "violent thugs." In a short article on its website, the organization denounced the industry's apparent use of "half-truths" in opposing the debated California law in the upcoming Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Association Supreme Court case restricting video game sales to minors. "Like the violent thugs which populate so many of the games it sells, the video game industry has responded to the ongoing court case with vicious attacks," the PTC states. "The video game industry and those who support them are bullies, plain and simple." Wait a minute — wasn't that an attack in itself? Or do parents know something I don't?
The Video Game Voters Network (VGVN) urges gamers to help preserve First Amendment protection for video games in a "day of action." Supporters can utilize social networks (such as Twitter and Facebook) to spread messages of solidarity via the VGVN's official website. "Today's action is a rallying point for anyone who is passionate about protecting video games from censorship," said Rich Taylor, senior vice president of communications and industry affairs at the Entertainment Software Association. "The more game enthusiasts and industry members that join VGVN in this day of action, the louder our message of video games deserving the same First Amendment protection as other forms of entertainment becomes." I'm glad we've found a better use for Twitter other than useless entries such as "Eating sandwich. Tastes great."
A new research study suggests depictions of violence can dull reactionary responses in teens. The National Institutes of Health showed 60 violent scenes from a variety of media to 22 boys aged 14 to 17. The results indicated that repeated exposure to violent images touches off a blunted affect in an individual's emotions towards violence. Professor David Buckingham, director of the Center for the Study of Children, Youth, and Media, challenged the study's findings, saying, "The suggestion is that, over a period of time, people can develop a kind of tolerance to these images — but another word for that is just boredom." It all makes sense now. I can only be entertained by rolling heads in God of War for so long. [Gamasutra]
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