Oh no she didn'! EA Calls Fox News Out, Gets Surved.
Nothing makes me happier than watching two people go at it (in the gloves thrown sense of the word). Earlier I reported on Fox News making biased, and fundamentally incorrect statements on the game Mass Effect and it's 30-second long, optional love making cut-scene. EA, parent company of Bioware, got wind of this and proceeded to send Fox News a rather stern, yet reasonable tap on the sholder.
Your headline above the televised story read: "New videogame shows full digital nudity and sex." Fact: Mass Effect does not include explicit or frontal nudity. Love scenes in non-interactive sequences include side and profile shots - a vantage frequently used in many prime-time television shows. It's also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate and players can chose to avoid the love scenes altogether.FNC voice-over reporter says: "You'll see full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex."
Fact: Sex scenes in Mass Effect are not graphic. These scenes are very similar to sex sequences frequently seen on network television in prime time.FNC reporter says: "Critics say Mass Effect is being marketed to kids and teenagers."
Fact: That is flat out false. Mass Effect and all related marketing has been reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and rated Mature - appropriate for players 17-years and older. ESRB routinely counsels retailers on requesting proof of age in selling M-rated titles and the system has been lauded by members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. In practical terms, the ratings work as well or better than those used for warning viewers about television content.
It's fantastic that they basically call Fox out on their programming being as, if not more adult than the game itself. It's great to see publishers "defending their honor" so to speak.
The resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards. As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.Do you watch the Fox Network? Do you watch Family Guy? Have you ever seen The OC? Do you think the sexual situations in Mass Effect are any more graphic than scenes routinely aired on those shows? Do you honestly believe that young people have more exposure to Mass Effect than to those prime time shows?
This isn't a legal threat; it's an appeal to your sense of fairness. We're asking FNC to correct the record on Mass Effect.
Sincerely,
Jeff Brown
Vice President of Communications
Electronic Arts, Inc.
Lets just hope that an apology is in order from the offending parties. They know they did wrong, and fear and hate mongering in any form should not be tolerated.
EA Calls Fox Out on "Insulting" Mass Effect Inaccuracies [Kotaku]
Asterick
Posted to Video Games on 24 January 2008
· Comments (13)
Other stuff like this: bioware, ea, fox news, insulting, omg gauntlets thrown, poor fact checking, video games
Fox got owned, but something tells me that with all the false facts and stuff, they still won't apologize, or get anything straight.
go EA!
It's REALLY good to see EA standing up for this.
I give them total props.
They also bring up a very valid point in their rebuttal about the fact that games are taking over the media industry. Hollywierd and various other media outlets are scared beyond belief about the power of games :D
Remember when Halo 3 came out and they saw dips in profits at movie theaters for September? (they didn't exactly put out any good movies mind you... but still)
Still man... The fact that fox went that far out of their way to blatantly lie about the game is so disappointing :_:
I don't think there is a single media outlet available to the general public that doesn't skew things now days... le sigh!
Wow. This is the single most impressive thing I've ever seen EA do. Never thought I'd say this, but: Good job on that one, EA.
I like EA now. ^_^
*WARNING* This comment contains very strong images and is definiteley not for the weak at heart..
So here goes: Classic media companies are still clinging to their old ways of distribution like an old demented person who can't make new memories or experiences. Everytime they realize the world is moving at a different pace than them, they get really pissed off and scream stuff like "porn" and "piracy", fleeing into memories of past wars. Since you've known them for all your life, you feel obliged to listen and try to help, even though you they are not even in the right state of mind to show gratitude. Even the few people who still show up can only expect hatred for belonging to a different world.
Nobody needs to watch the news on TV any more or read the newspaper. Everything is already on the net. Even worse, information on the web may have a spin at times, but that can easily be remedied by using more than one source. And I can get what I want, when I want it and how I want it. They don't want that, well they can go to hell for all I care. The world has moved on, if they don't get with it, they can find customers somewhere else. They hold no authority any more. Let them babble and scream while I'm watching loadingreadyrun.com , more entertaining than anything I've seen on TV for a long time.
Perfect, just perfect. Not only do they correct the false statements, and take a strong position, but they make it very clear that they know the social/psychological reasons (fears) behind Fox's shenanigans:
"As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment."
Awesome. Couldn't have said it better.
Like Adempton, this is one of the few times I'll support EA. They actually deserve it (and Fox basically pulled a borderline slander move).
The sad part is whatever "retraction" Fox manages (which will probably be minor) won't do much to stem the damage done by shoddy, sensationalist reporting like this. Parents have already heard the game has graphic sex, is some letter by EA going to set the record straight for them? Sadly, probably not.
It's a shame this sort of sensationalism is now what Fox is passing off as "News".
Walter Cronkite is rolling over in his grave.
I would still sue! It IS tottaly unjust and Fox should pay. Well done EA!
Fox won't make a retraction. They're too busy speaking ill of the dead.
http://www.gaywired.com/article.cfm?section=66&id=17924
Maybe they'll give Fred Phelps his own two-hour call-in show as well.
Faux News needs to just...die. Seriously, it's ruined news coverage in the world and helped put one of (if not THE) worst Presidents ever into office.
They may not be as evil as oil, pharmaceutical or insurance companies, but Fox News is still pretty evil in my book. Some of the stuff Bill O'Reilly says about gay people is infuriating.
simply delicious...
I'm tired of various uninformed outlets taking pot shots at my favorite 360 title.