Normally we wouldn’t post content from Fox News — but honestly, this was just too much. We’re all for having a debate about whether or not sexual content in the media is harmful to kids; but if you want to discuss a video game with “graphic sexual content,” you probably should make sure that all parties involved in the discussion have actually played the game.
Props to SpikeTV’s Geoff Keighley for actually being a voice of reason.
Seriously: we know parenting is hard, we know the world is just dirty and violent and, uh, “pornified” — but trying to police the output of game companies and eradicate any and all sexual content from the world just doesn’t seem like a viable solution.
After all, we grew up playing “Leisure Suit Larry,” and we turned out just fine. Maybe because our parents took the time to discuss what we saw and make sure we were getting the right messages.
-
What is Boinkology?
Insightful analysis of sex, relationships, dating - and everything in between.
Popular Posts:
-
Most Discussed:
RSS
Comments
All I have to say is a huge thank you to Geoff for making the truth about this fantastic game heard, because everything he said is true and the other so called “expert” is simply spewing out generalizations about sex and the media. Being a gamer you have to deal with seeing this crap all the time, so, props to Geoff for trying to be reasonable with such unreasonable people.
January 25th, 2008 at 2:02 pmYeah, I have a huge crush on Geoff now.
January 25th, 2008 at 2:10 pmWell, I am a bit torn. I despise Microsoft for their anti-competitive monopolistic business model, and I despise Fox News because, well… it isn’t. So, anything that puts Microsoft in a poor light and makes Fox News look like a bunch of idiots that they are can’t be all bad.
However, on balance, a two minute sex scene in a thirty plus hour game, that has to be developed in the context of a personal relationship? Isn’t that what we want to teach our kids? That sex is a part of life, and that it is about personal relationships that take time and effort?
OH, NO SPACE BOOBIES! EVERYBODY PANIC!
January 25th, 2008 at 4:39 pmMy roommate just played the game, and found it pretty incredible. I happened to be in the room when that less-than-one-minute cut scene happened. It was artfully done, dimly lit, and far less graphic than a lot of sex/nudity you see in “R” movies, which kids get their hands on just as easily as this game.
Fox got plenty wrong in its initial statement, more than the SpikeTV guy was able to talk about. One point that wasn’t refuted: once the scene starts, you have no control over what happens. And it happens at the end of a lot of character interaction over the course of the game (which you don’t have to bother with if you just want to run around shooting people). As far as I can tell, it’s the complete opposite of the “Hot Coffee” sex mini-game hidden in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
The Bottom Line: Microsoft has done nothing wrong but put out an amazing game, and parents are still responsible for raising their kids. Boo hoo.
January 26th, 2008 at 4:59 pmWell, if you’re torn between hating Microsoft and Fox News, go for Fox because Bioware actually made the game and I believe Microsoft may have simply helped with the “after it was made” details and, of course, it is on the Xbox.
You guys have made great comments, definitely agree with you. The “Oh noez we have to raise our own kids? Let’s blame someone else k.” is getting old.
January 27th, 2008 at 6:19 pm….*sigh*….Geoff is a true hero, if it were me in that position, “Did you play Mass Effect”, “No, but…”, i would have flipped out, i couldn’t have restrained myself from such retardedness, it’s really an outrage that people these days are literally judging a book by it’s cover….or at that, saying that a video game is what makes a person violent, children these days don’t need a video game to turn into a psychopath and go on a shooting spree we all know about a little thing called history, what happens the most in history? war, well Adolf Hitler sure as hell didn’t play Mass Effect and look what happened with him…look at The Romans, they didn’t play Mario Cart64 or anything like that, why oh why did the cavemen build clubs of stick and stone and bonk each other on the head all the time? HUMAN NATURE video games don’t change the way people feel or act in real life when they’re not playing the game…video games simulate violence and shooting and killing, and sex, rather in a video game where it’s not real than real life where there could actually be consequences? Grand Theft Auto you can run around shooting cops and crashing cars, that doesn’t give the message “Hey kids, go out and do this”, it’s entertainment….the boring games….now that’s what makes serial killers….
November 10th, 2008 at 12:50 amLeave a reply :