As some of you are now aware, Blizzard is set to release a new expansion pack for World of Warcraft in the near future. Titled Wrath of the Lich King, this new add-on will be making some drastic changes including the creation of a new continent and the addition of a new hero class.

Since information on Blizzard’s website was rather sparse, I took some time to look for a more detailed list of changes. The best I’ve been able to locate so far can be found here on the Allakhazam forms. Be sure to check it out of you’re a WoW fan.

In addition, WoWWiki has an entry on the Frostmourne, the Lich King’s sword that may potentially debut with the new expansion pack.

Interesting equip effect…

As GamePolitics reports, after a two year battle, a federal district court judge has ruled California’s 2005 video game law unconstitutional. The law would have blocked the sale of violent games to those under 18, and each offense would hit retailers with a $1000 fine. From the Judge’s ruling:

The evidence does not establish that video games, because of their interactive nature or otherwise, are any more harmful than violent television, movies, internet sites or other speech-related exposures.

Although some reputable professional individuals and organizations have expressed particular concern about the interactive nature of video games, there is no generally-accepted study that supports that concern. There has also been no detailed study to differentiate between the effects of violent videos on minors of different ages.

The court, although sympathetic to what the legislature sought to do by the Act, finds that the evidence does not establish the required nexus between the legislative concerns about the well-being of minors and the restrictions on speech required by the Act.

State Senator Leland Yee (D), the who had sponsored the bill, was clearly opposed to the court’s decision:

I am shocked that the Court struck down this common-sense law. AB 1179 worked to empower parents by giving them the ultimate decision over whether or not their children should be playing in a world of violence and murder.

Yee is clearly not the brightest crayon in the box. AB 1179 didn’t empower parents or give them any sort of decision making power. Instead, it told them that California’s government knows more about what’s right for their children than they do.

Yee continues:

We simply cannot trust the industry to regulate itself. I strongly urge the Governor and the Attorney General to appeal this decision to a higher court and to the Supreme Court if necessary until our children are protected from excessively violent video games.

Well, unfortunately that’s just what the Governator IS doing. As Schwarzenegger stated in a press release:

I signed this important measure to ensure that parents are involved in determining which video games are appropriate for their children. The bill I signed would require that violent video games be clearly labeled and not be sold to children under 18 years old. Many of these games are made for adults and choosing games that are appropriate for kids should be a decision made by their parents.

I will vigorously defend this law and appeal it to the next level.

Hopefully the Governator is met with failure in appealing this case. I’ll be following it closely to see how things turn out.

Perhaps if video game regulation proves successful for State Senator Yee, he’ll turn his sights to something more serious like Pizza Hut. I hear that their product causes children to become fat. Unlike video games and violence, I’m sure there are some good studies to back up the claim that children who consume Pizza Hut pizza on a regular basis can become obese and suffer health problems. I think a good ID check is in order to ensure that no children are subjected to their harmful products.

UPDATE:

For anyone interested in a breakdown/summary of the ruling, check out this post over at Law of the Game.

While the United States currently plays host to anywhere from 12-20 million illegal aliens, and states and cities are being forced to handle the problem themselves, it seems that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is playing games instead of focusing on more pressing matters. According to an August 1 press release (hat tip to GamePolitics):

… agents from 22 offices assisted by representatives of the electronic industry today executed 32 federal search warrants in 16 states as part of an investigation into the alleged sale and distribution of illegal modification chips and disc copyright circumvention devices. This investigation represents the largest national enforcement action of its kind targeting this type of illegal activity.

Having researched the immigration issue far more than most people would ever care to, I hate to say that this doesn’t surprise me. While ICE has upped its enforcement action this year, I’ve felt it’s largely due to political reasons. With President Bush having tried to pass “comprehensive immigration reform,” he needed it to look like ICE was doing all it could to arrest and deport those here. He’s been trying to change his image so it appears he’s tough on border security, while allowing him to slip in the call for amnesty as a way to fix the problem the “comprehensively.” Considering that the Secretary of Homeland Security was Bush’s personal lobbyist on the issue, I’m most likely correct in my assumptions.

However, since ICE was created in 2002 and assumed some of the former INS’s functions in 2003, it hasn’t exactly had a successful track record of strong enforcement. In fact, in 2004, only three employers were fined for hiring illegal aliens. Now, ICE appears to be diverting resources to going after people with mod chips instead of dealing with the illegal alien influx that’s actively encouraged by the Mexican Government and aided by the Mexican drug cartels. How wonderful. It’s great to know our government is looking out for us. Next time I hear someone complain about illegal aliens in their town, I’ll just remind them that ICE has more important things to do. They’ll understand.

There have already been some stories showing up online from people who have been targeted by ICE. According to GamePolitics, an Ohio man was raided this week and is now living out of his car. Xbox Scene posted his account of what happened:

When ICE hit me, they had a warrant for my grandma’s house where I had all my packages sent. They had a picture of the house, and a description of it, meaning they were ready to come find me. When they were there, they didn’t find much, since I hadn’t had my computer and most modding stuff there for a while, but I continued to have the orders sent there for security of the packages. They went in the house and woke everyone up and watched them get dressed and started going though everything that was in my old room, and the stuff I had in the garage. They took anything that was related to gaming. They opened all the mail I had waiting for me there (which included someone’s Xbox and $150 for a mod and 400gb), and took all the consoles and all console parts that I had stored there they even took my original xbox1 games, that were in retail cases. They took my 360, power brick and video cable, while its modded with xtreme 5.1b, it has never had 1 single burned game booted on it. They also felt it necessary to take all my old Xbox parts, mostly dead, my controllers for the 360 and Wii (?) and packed it in a box, and left.

They got my phone number from my grandma and they called me, but I was sleeping, just like everyone else in Ohio. They eventually figured out where I was, and came to find me at my girlfriends’ house. They asked me about modding and what I did, and how I did it. They showed me the list of modchips that they collected, and asked me if I ever imported modchips from Canada. I told them I did, but I didn’t know it was a Canadian site until after I made the order. They asked me how much money I made, and how many mods I’ve done, and how many chips I still had, and where they were and where my computers were.

I wasn’t forced to turn over my stuff since they didn’t have a warrant for where it all was, but they told me that if I volunteered it, it would look better when the case is reviewed. They also said that I would have a better chance of getting it back (at first, they promised that I would get it back in 10 days, but once we got to the location, that was changed to “better chance” and “looks better in the eyes of XX”. I did the only thing I felt I could do, I let them take what they wanted. We went to where I had my workshop area. They took my laptop, and desktop, and the soldering iron (which was one of their main things to find for some reason). All the chips and relative parts were taken on the recommendation of the computer forensics guy who was to be doing the analysis on my things.

Needless to say, the online response to ICE’s actions has generally not been in their favor. MAXCONSOLE wonders if modders are really on par with child exploiters and cocaine traffickers:

On August 1st 2007, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) claimed a great victory over so called gaming pirates. Websites across the world picked up on a press release which indicated that ICE had conducted 32 search warrants across sixteen U.S. states in a bid to clamp down on the distribution of modchips and disc copyright circumvention devices. Glorified headlines rang in such as ‘US storms homes to snag gaming pirates’ (MSNBC) and ‘Homeland Security Makes US Safer From Gaming Pirates’ (TechNewsWorld) providing an even bigger tangent on the alleged illegal activity. Throw in some irrelevant ballpark figures about how counterfeiting and piracy costs the U.S. economy between $200 billion and $250 billion and the issue rockets into new territories. Beyond all the sensationalism, one must ask whether the sole activity of those in the U.S. distributing modchips itself warranted such an operation…

Over at Gearlong, reader Matt S comments:

Sigh. This is really what ICE chooses to do with its limited resources? Like there isn’t enough child pornography and other, actually dangerous people and things crossing the border to keep them busy.

Rob R gives his 2 cents worth at Dvorak Uncensored:

Julie Myers, assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security? You know, defending copyright protection isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about “Homeland Security”. So, we can’t keep 12M Mexicans from coming here illegally, but we’ll make sure Sony is taken care of…..

Julie needs to get a real assignment over at Homeland Security, like working on actual security.

According a CyberNet News reader:

You should have the right to mod your system. Technically, you paid the system manufacturer before you modded it. Editing your Hardware in the system is also not only be to play pirated games! You could add several features to your expense and your convenience! it is your decision. Not all system modders are bad.

Overall, this whole thing just makes one wonder what really goes on at ICE. With problems like mass illegal immigration and drug trafficking, both of which are encouraged by our southern neighbor and its drug cartels, why ICE is all of a sudden convinced that resources must be diverted to go after mod chips is beyond me. It seems that our government needs to stop playing games and start focusing on more important things.

Over a mere trailer, the race card is now being played in response to Resident Evil 5.

According to Kym Platt at Black Looks (hat tip to GamePolitics):

The new Resident Evil video game depicts a white man in what appears to be Africa killing Black people. The Black people are supposed to be zombies and the white man’s job is to destroy them and save humanity. “I have a job to do and I’m gonna see it through.”

This is problematic on so many levels, including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages, the killing of Black people by a white man in military clothing, and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults. Start them young… fearing, hating, and destroying Black people.

Later, Platt decided to post more on her own blog, Ask This Black Woman:

Last night I posted a short piece on the new video game Resident Evil 5. I linked an article in the Village Voice by Bonnie Ruberg, a self-proclaimed white person, who questioned the possibility of racially problematic images (racist?) in the game. I also posted the piece at Blacklooks. Never before have I received more hateful comments by angry gamers who called me everything from a “nigger” to a “black hooker” for agreeing with Ruberg that these images of Black people (Black zombies) are problematic.

The response from gamers around the world was shocking. While I think we could have an intellectual debate about racist imagery in video games, there is no debating the blatant racism from many of Resident Evil 5’s supporters. Their comments were hostile and violent…much like the game itself. The ability to post comments, both on ATBW and Blacklooks, had to be disabled. Here’s a direct quote from a gamer who disagreed with my post: “Get back into the cotton fields, you filthy nigger.”

I am not the first or the only person to question the imagery in Resident Evil 5. Check out this post by blogger Jason Ellis at microscopiq. Ellis’ post is an interesting look at the images of Black people throughout modern time.

I confess I don’t know much about video games, gamers, etc. I don’t play video games, but I occasionally play solitaire on my gfs PC. However, given the response from gamers… I think we should all be very afraid. Many of these folks seem like the type who would try to reenact scenes from Resident Evil 5. Can you say Columbine?

I’m sorry Ms. Platt, but as much as you’d like to think so, there is no giant conspiracy out to get you. In fact, you should really think about what you’ve said. Resident Evil games have featured players shooting white zombies for years. Now all of a sudden when the scenery changes to Africa and the skin color to black, it’s supposed to be racist? You’re greatly over-playing the victimization card here.

Zombies are zombies regardless of skin color. When one comes at you, you don’t discriminate - you simply unleash total pwnage.

In addition, while the some of the emails Ms. Platt claims to have received are obviously out-of-line, drawing a parallel between video games and Columbine is uncalled for. Need I remind Ms. Platt that video games don’t cause real-world violence?

In conclusion, while Kym Platt wants to think this game is putting her down as a black woman, Resident Evil 5 is a video game about killing zombies - nothing more, nothing less. Anyone who makes this into a race issue needs to get out of the past. How can we get over race issues and move on if we interpret things the way she does?

Perhaps Archgabe says it best in a comment on GamePolitics:

Black this, White that… Blah, Blah, Blah.

They are Zombies! RE1-4 had white zombies. This one has black zombies. Does it matter? No! They are zombies! Zombies are not people and they should be put down regardless of the race they happened to be in life. What does this person want? The game is set in Africa. I think it would be pretty stupid to have an all white cast (zombies included) in an area that is known to be the location for one race. What’s next? French zombies in Tokyo? Russian zombies in Brazil? Japanese zombies in India?

In fact, if you look at it. Zombies are the ultimate in equality. They don’t care about race or religion. They don’t care what country you are from. They are equal opportunity eaters and are all equally (un)dead.

So what if they are African zombies? The race card is the only card too eager to be played in any given situation. A zombie is a zombie and there is only one way to deal with it. Kill it for good. Hell, it is a Resident Evil game, so the chances are that you are going to have to end up trying to save some local anyway. Zombies are never about race. Zombies are a story of humanity. Watch any of Romero’s zombie films and you will see that point being abundantly clear.

The Entertainment Software Association issued a press release today about the Video Game Voters Network (hat tip to GamePolitics). Here’s a short excerpt:

“The response to the VGVN is overwhelming and dramatic—over 100,000 members, generating thousands upon thousands of letters defending video games. It’s impressive. Ordinary Americans’ passion for computer and video games is driving a desire to be counted and speak out,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “They are a political force that not only votes, but actively makes their voices heard in Washington, DC and in state legislatures across the country.”

In my last post, I discussed the VGVN’s new anti-regulation video and my thoughts about their strategy. From what I’ve been able to gather, the organization is essentially a resource that encourages gamers to contact federal and some state legislators. While that’s not a bad thing by any means, I do have doubts about its effectiveness for two main reasons. First, I don’t believe that the video game issue is strong enough to necessarily make or break an election (although I do think it could be effectively used to intimidate local politicians). Secondly, Washington is full of organizations that claim to have 100,000+ members ready to vote according to what they’re told. I hate to say it, but I don’t think politicians buy that sort of thing.

It seems that some of my scepticism is shared by Dennis McCauley of GamePolitics. As he said in a recent interview with Postal Nation:

I don’t know that gamers as a group even register on the political radar. At least, not yet. There are a number of reasons for this. First, the most passionate gamers are generally younger, perhaps not even of voting age. And, even if they are legal voters, statistics show that younger people tend to exercise that right far less than older folks.

Second, there’s no recognized gamer voting bloc. The ESA made a nice try with the Video Game Voters Network, but let’s take a reality check. As currently set up the VGVN is basically a platform for sending e-mail form letters to politicians. The whole thing seems automated. Who is the VGVN, anyway? Can the average gamer name a single person directly associated with it? A movement needs a leader, needs a rallying point.

When gamers start attending—and speaking—at public hearings on game bills, when gamers start lobbying efforts, when gamers start getting on the six o’clock news—that’s when the politicians will take notice. And those are some of the things the ECA plans to do, especially the grass roots advocacy stuff.

McCauley mentions that the ECA does plan to do grassroots activism. I sincerely hope that they’re able to do it right because that sort of thing is needed. At the same time, the term “grassroots” is often applied in a misleading way. Without naming names, some organizations that I’m familiar with claim to do grassroots work, but essentially sit in the office and do nothing but blast emails or send issue mailings that are actually nothing more than fundraising letters. What the ECA should do is get out and connect with people on the ground. Build networks in critical states, produce a media strategy, organize an online activism team, identify friendly politicians, produce an anti-regulation pledge for state legislators to sign, work with friendly organizations, etc. With that said, I do have hopes for the ECA and it will be interesting to follow the organization as it further develops.

The Video Game Voters Network has released its new anti-regulation video on YouTube (hat tip to Zach Whalen at Gameology).

My feelings regarding this are mixed. On one hand, I’m thrilled that an organization is trying to do something regarding this matter. On the other hand, the idea that the video game issue will make or break a congressional election is laughable.

I remember a luncheon I attended one day where Grover Norquist denied that the immigration issue could even make an impact come time to vote. Granted he isn’t exactly the best on the issue, but he did raise a valid point. As he also said, threatening a Congressman that you’ll mobilize X number of voters over an issue which people don’t vote on is ridiculous and doesn’t work.

On its website, the VGVN encourages people to call members of Congress and let them know how they feel about regulation of games. But honestly, is that going to do anything? Even if VGVN was to sign up 100,000 members, there are a plethora of tiny interest groups around this country who claim that they have that many members ready to vote. The problem is nobody believes that every member will do what the the organization says. I’m not here to attack the VGVN as it’s attempting to do something worthwhile, but I just wish that there was a more effective organization.

What I’d like to see is some tactical grassroots activism on the local and state levels. Forget the United States Congress, this issue isn’t big enough yet to pressure them. However, if some state legislator decides to introduce a bill making it illegal to sell GTA to a 15-year-old, then there is some work to be done. State legislators are more likely to be intimidated and it should not be hard to rally local gamers into a frenzy. Simply communicate that Legislator X is going to destroy your right to play video games. He’ll start with this, but soon it will be other things. Make a 4×6 pledge card that pledges the signatory to ensuring Legislator X never gets elected to not only the state congress, but also the school board and every other random office in the state. Make the card communicate that he’ll be targeted his entire career and that each person will never forget him if this bill passes. Sign people up at events. Sponsor local LAN parties with prizes, organize Halo and Madden tournaments on college campuses, work with local video game stores, and just get every person possible to sign a pledge card.

Essentially, you’re doing more than saying we’ll vote against you during re-election. You’re telling him that you’ll not only vote him out of office, but you’ll target him in every public position he ever runs for. After you have a massive stack of these cards, send someone to Legislator X’s office and dump them on his desk or on the floor. That’ll get the message across. Chances are that your average state legislator could be intimidated by this sort of thing.

The video game issue isn’t big in Congressional elections, but it’s possible that it may be able to do some damage on the state level. When someone looks at the ballot, that random state legislator is all of a sudden a recognizable name - and he wants to take away your right to play video games.

Now, that’s just one idea however good or bad. But the point I’m trying to make is that we need to do something more than having people place calls to Washington DC. The battle needs to be fought first on the local and state level. The video game issue isn’t yet large enough to tackle on the federal level, but we have the potential to make some serious gains close to home.

MercuryNews.com published an interview today with new ESA President Mike Gallagher. Among the more interesting parts were questions about China’s game market.

Q: What’s up with the game market in China?

A: The Price Waterhouse Coopers report went market by market. It said the Chinese distribution market is so radically different. You can’t sell a PC game there because it is pirated by the review board authority before it hits the marketplace. (pounds hand on table). It’s already in the market for free. You have no hope of making a profit. And they ban consoles! It’s all played online through Internet cafes. They’re missing the boat on the consoles that gaming presents to the rest of the world. They’re probably assembling video game consoles for all the major producers. They’re missing out on the opportunity that they’re assembling for the rest of the world.

Q: I’ve heard that they’re working on getting the ban lifted?

A: Yes, they are working on it and they should do it quickly because the rest of the world is moving quickly, enjoying the richness of entertainment that these consoles offer. It should be to their own benefit that they re-look at that policy. I’m familiar with working with the Chinese through my time at the Department of Commerce. It takes great patience to work with them. We can connect with them. We have had great success in the past.

In another interview, GameDaily.biz chats with industry PR veteran Bill Linn about handling controversial games. He touches on some important issues including the media’s general opinion of games:

“I think the industry has learned quite a bit about the boundaries for games and the extent to which we can become the focus of the media,” ventured Linn. “But worse, I think we have realized that the mainstream media, particularly television reporters, are quick to compare things like porn and GTA. Or Columbine and GTA. Or whatever the comparison du jour is. And that alone, creates a bigger issue out of a smaller one. I have watched a lot of that kind of news coverage lately and I’m still amazed when reporters talk about Doom like it was released yesterday and then go on to compare that to ‘a button mashing Nintendo game for kids.’ It’s sad and very unfortunate for the industry.”

Linn raises a good point. It seems that the media often times has is out for video games even before scandals hit . In addition, many sources seem to examine violent games in light of whether they’re appropriate for children, regardless of the fact that nearly 70% of gamers are over 18. Hopefully under Gallagher’s direction the ESA will make some strides in putting the myth to rest that only children play video games.

Both interviews are worth a read.

Mitt Romney’s comments on video games have sparked a lot of discussion in the blogosphere, though not surprisingly, many conservative sites have ignored it.

Nevertheless, there has been some interesting commentary. Consider for example the following excerpt a post at Law of the Game.

Both Presidential and Congressional approval are at historic lows, and yet, rather than deal with issues that matter, the politicos of the United States have opted to gravitate to video game violence. Why? It’s always easy to amass votes under the guise of “protecting the children” from the evils of society, whereas it seems like an impossibility to win support on a platform of parental responsibility. And yet, it has become apparent that many parents are, simply put, failing their children. But should the battle cry of those wishing to defend those who cannot defend themselves really be “The government should do it for us!” Do we, as a people, really want to leave the decision on how to raise our children in the hands of a body that is barely approved of by a fourth of the population?

The blog’s author ends with:

I don’t want Washington dictating what video games can and can’t be played in the privacy of my living room. Do you?

This brings up some serious issues. Sometimes conservatives find themselves attacking video games violence and promoting regulation as a way to convince voters that they have proper family values and ethics. Its kind of like the generic “I’m against pornography and alcohol” statement, although video games never feature graphic sexual intercourse or run the risk of harming vital organs. However, in making these statements about games, conservatives are essentially telling families that they don’t need to worry about their children because the government will.

Let me demonstrate how this is problematic. Imagine two families of similar characteristics that both have a 14 year old son. Family X’s son is very immature and acts more like a 12 year old. He hasn’t grown up yet. Family Y’s son on the other hand acts more like an adult and is extremely mature. His parents sometimes wonder if he was born into a body ten years younger than his mind. Family X, takes their son to Gamestop to purchase a new video game. While their son wants the new Grand Theft Auto, they recognize that the ESRB rates it Mature, and therefore they assume it’s probably not appropriate for their son. In making the same trip, Family Y decides that their son is mature enough to handle the violent content and allows their son to purchase GTA - even though he is younger than the recommended age. This scenario could even be modified to have Family X believe violent video games are morally wrong while Family Y believes them to be acceptable. You get the point.

In promoting regulation of violent video games, Mitt Romney is effectively telling families such as Family Y that he knows what’s right for their children and they don’t. He’s proposing measures that will curtail their freedom to decide what’s appropriate for their own offspring. In effect, his proposal would place the final decision on a moral judgement issue in the hands of the government. If anything, its anti-family.

Conservatives who support these regulations also find themselves at odds with the idea of limited government. Take Sam Brownback for example. On one hand he says things like the following:

“I think we have lost track of a core Republican principle of limited government…”

On the other hand, he has introduced legislation on multiple occasions that would insert the government into the ratings system and control how ratings are assessed - to protect the children of course.

In short, the video game issue while seemingly small is important for a number of reasons. The support of video game regulation via the government by some conservatives really calls into question their supposed belief in limited government and family values. Perhaps instead of writing about the same material week after week, conservative columnists and news sources should start to hold politicians like Romney and Brownback accountable for these inconsistencies. It would surely be more interesting than asking them about abortion or gay marriage for the 1,000,000th time.

As GamePolitics reports, Mitt Romney has added video games to the list of things supposedly destroying our children. As he states in his new ad “Ocean,”:

I’m deeply troubled about the culture that surrounds our kids today… I’d like to see us clean up the water in which our kids are swimming. I’d like to keep pornography from coming up on their computers. I’d like to keep drugs off the street. I’d like to see less violence and sex on TV and in video games and in movies. If we get serious about this we can actually do a great deal to clean up the water in which our kids and grandkids are swimming.

He elaborates further in a July 19 press release:

While the current system of voluntary self-regulation of video games has improved, we still need to do more to protect our children. There must be strong punishments and fines for retailers that sell violent and sexually explicit video games to minors.

One can’t help but to chuckle at these sort of things. After all, politicians look rather goofy when they treat video games like cigarettes and alcohol. If anything, video games should be embraced as a viable way for parents to connect with their children and become part of their lives.

Nevertheless, this ad raises some serious questions that need to be addressed by Mitt and the other presidential candidates if they wish to talk games.

1. Does regulating the sale of video games fall under the responsibilities of the President of the United States?
2. If certain parents fail to ensure that their children only have access to age appropriate video games, then is it the government’s responsibility to force retailers to assume their role at the checkout counter?
3. According to the ESA, the average video gamer is 33 years old and around 70% are over 18. Does it make sense to attack companies for producing certain games, that while violent, are clearly appropriate for the majority of their customer base?
4. In light of available research, can one honestly claim that video games are causing children to engage in acts of violence?

Of course, these questions should all be answered with a resounding “no.”

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to create a blog that provides commentary on politics, technology, and the electronic entertainment industry. While I’m a gamer at heart, I’ve also spent time working in Washington DC with various conservative organizations. Unfortunately, conservatives and many on the right largely ignore gaming issues. It’s my hope that through this blog I’m able to provide not only good commentary, but also questions that provoke thought and stimulate discussion.