FOX goes insane over Mass Effect
January 25th, 2008 by Colin Temple
Fox recently aired a segment about BioWare’s Mass Effect game. In the segment, which is labelled “SE”XBOX, they talk about how the game contains graphic nudity and sex scenes. They talk about how Mass Effect carries a Mature (17+) rating, but how at the same time it’s marketed to kids. They talk about how, in reality, kids will play it. And finally they talk about how children and teens are apparently stupid, and can’t tell fact from fiction.
I honestly can’t help but to get angry when I watch it. It’s difficult for me to express, in words, just how much I disagree with nearly everything they said about this game.
Look, I’m all for good parenting. Kids shouldn’t be watching sex or shooting people in video games at young ages. But that doesn’t mean that total censorship is the answer, or that anyone wanting a realistc video game is a horrible person. You just need to put some of the responsibility where it lies. Parents need to decide what their kid can and can’t handle, and do their job.
In truth, Mass Effect contains a few seconds of partial nudity. The game itself takes some 30 hours to play. The nudity in the game isn’t any more graphic than what you might expect from a movie that’s rated PG-13, or 14-A in Canada.
I have no idea what these people actually propose. I’m not sure if they want to ban video games from having any nudity (ie censorship), restrict games like this to adults-only stores or… well, what?
EA, which took ownership of BioWare this year, responded with a letter claiming, truthfully, that FOX’s portrayal of Mass Effect was absurd and inaccurate.
FOX has apparently just come back with a statement asking why EA won’t come on the air to give its argument. (I think EA should come on FOX to point out all the questionable material FOX has ever shown on its channel.)
Let’s go over some quotes from what was said in the discussion at the end of the segment. I’d give these people’s names, but I don’t respect them enough to record that information at this time.
“You have to pick up the box, look at the back for the rating.”
Incorrect. It’s on the front and back, more prominently than it is on most films.
It says on the back: “Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence”. That’s accurate. The game does contain some sexual themes. The game does contain a little bit of partial nudity.
The game absolutely does not contain “graphic sex” or “full nudity” as claimed in this segment.
“Who can argue that Luke Skywalker meets Debbie Does Dallas is a good thing…. it’s not. It’s just not good, and I’m definitely not going to let Mass Effect in my house.”
Uhm…. Debbie Does Dallas is a pornographic movie. You’re insane if you’re serious about that comment. If you don’t want Mass Effect in your house because of your kids, fine. It’s a violent game and it’s supposed to be 17+. That’s fair. But it’s not porn.
One woman goes on to explain that the “reality” is that a kid can’t be controlled.
“‘I wanna play my dad’s video game while he’s not here.’”
First, your saved game shows up on the Xbox and is attached to your profile. Dad can go and see anytime if it’s been played. Second, parental controls are available. Third, the sexual encounters in the game take a while to get to. So if Dad really wants to control what the kids are up to, he can. It’s called parenting.
At the same time, if the kids want, they can get hardcore pornography in about 2 minutes on any PC. Mass Effect is hardly hurting things here.
“…Adults Only — that’s the highest rating it can have. First of all this board that rates them has to have its head examined.”
Mass Effect is rated M for Mature, which means 17+. AO games are 18+ and not carried by most stores.
You see about a second of a partial bum and a little bit of side-boob. Depending on who you go after, that body might be blue and alien. Seriously. That’s it.
“What happened to Atari and Pinball and Pacman?”
Industries evolve. This didn’t happen overnight. Gamers aren’t interested in playing games from the 70s exclusively. Should developers stop making games that use current technology? That tell real stories about emotional people, in the way that films do? You’re not big on video games, I get that. Why are you on a panel talking about them?
The last guy came across with some sensibility, at least.
“It’s up to parents to control what their kids are seeing.”
Finally, someone with half a brain.
Here’s a clip of the whole thing:
(Sorry for the rant, folks… but this insanity needs to be kept in check.)
#1 incubi21
January 25th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Wow… I have played the game 2 times through and I can honestly say I don’t remember the partial nude scenes. Ratings are on the box people, grow up. Fox news needs to censor their own reporters!
#2 Colin Temple
January 25th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
You can easily get through the whole game without even getting the scenes.
Cooper Lawrence here says that the game objectifies women. It’s actually the complete opposite. To get the scenes you have to be NICE to the women and gain their interest. If you’re a jerk to them, the relationships don’t develop along those lines. I really wish she had played the game or tried to understand it before coming on a show to criticize it.
#3 GameJobHunter
January 26th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
We should expect FOX to air a special soon on the movie industry siting the same problems. This is the most worthless report I’ve seen recently. This is the perfect example of individuals not understanding that video games are not just meant for children. You would think that this types of reports would stop after the growing popularity of Wii amongst older age groups, but alas it continues. This why there is a rating system - parents should pay close attention as they would to TV program and movie rating systems.
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#4 Free Online RPGs
January 27th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
what’s the big deal??
#5 Colin Temple
January 27th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Fox News’ report is factually inaccurate. It’s actually completely WRONG, not just an unpopular opinion. That’s just bad news.
Not that big a deal for the average consumer, but it’s really bad for EA/BioWare since it misleads the market (or, those who believe what they see on Fox) into thinking the game is pornographic in nature.
#6 Cooper Lawrence repents after Mass Effect criticism | Roleplay: The Galbadia X Blog
January 28th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
[...] Psychology/self-help writer Cooper Lawrence, who recently appeared on Fox News, has apologized for her criticism of the Xbox 360 game Mass Effect. Lawrence’s appearance on the program was to comment on the game’s alleged nudity and its effect on children. If you’ve read this blog recently, you’re probably familiar with my thoughts on the matter. [...]
#7 Mr.Roger
January 29th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
“What happened to Atari and Pinball and Pacman?” Fox news is controlled by a bunch of conservatives who are afraid of change. People need to understand that the video game industry is fiercely competetive, and games now days aren’t primitive like pong. Gamers expect high quality gameplay, storytelling, eye-candy etc. I guess alzheimers has taken it’s toll on Roger Ailes, and I just can’t stand watching how ignorant the anchors are on that channel. The conservatives just want to blame society’s ills on miniscule matters like a tit hanging out in a video game. Also, why do the anchors and Cooper Lawrence continue to argue against the game, when they have admitted the fact that they have not touched the game at all.
#8 James
February 3rd, 2008 at 10:56 am
ive played through mass effect and have seen both scenes with the slight nudity that hell, watch spongebob you see his butt there. well i guess spongebob is part of this horrible industry too. back to wat i was sayin the nudity is hardly anything sexual, this is probably one of the least violent video games and its rated M for Mature. To tell the truth i am a 15 year old boy. i know the difference between video games worlds and the real one. i think fox is just running out of stories and is a bunch of liberal Hilary Clinton Lovers. Mass Effect has to be one of my favorite games of all time because of its interesting storyline and ability to chose how the story will unfold. MASS EFFECT 9 out of 10 in excitement and playability.
FOX NEWS 10 out of 10 lying liberals