GBN: Gaming Blog Network

“Society looks down on relevant forms of media as lacking the capability for intelligent and coherent storytelling; however, as soon as a medium takes steps to achieve that form, it is chastised for hitting too close to home.”

This was the single sentence description that I conveyed to my mother in describing a book that I had just completed reading, “The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and how it changed America.” I heard about this book via an interview done my MSNBC.com Games editor Kristin Kalning, which can be found here. The question that she asked, whether or not every generation has a form of entertainment that adults will never understand, resonated through me as I leafed through the books lengthy but fascinating 300+ pages.

The book goes into great detail describing the history of comic books, and it even delves into detail about how some of today’s iconic heroes. It might surprise readers to know what led to the inspiration of Superman; the fact that he has seemingly unlimited power was due to his designers’ intent to portray him as a ‘Christ-like’ figure.

Comic book history aside, what drew me to this book and made me eager to turn each page were the parallels that existed between the evolution of comics and the rise of video games. The book’s early chapters are dedicated to describing how comic books originated and the first character designs; its later chapters then delve into comic books’ increasing popularity and how it made its writers, artists and creators successful. Finally, the book closes by mentioning how authority figures and watchdog groups percieved comics to be a ‘threat to the children’ and succeeded in having them removed from society.

Successful in this case means that comics were burned, it was considered criminal to own one and that comic book workers were actually out of work. While this is a fantasy that Jack Thompson would notably love, along with the people who nominated him for an award, for me it is something right out of Farenheit 451, where books were burned that promoted free thought.

Ironically, in the book’s closing, it is mentioned that comics only became relevant when they stopped tackling serious issues and just focused on fantasy.

It takes me back to my above quote; people complain when the media fails to tackle intelligent issues, but when it does, it draws controversy. Once I closed the book, I silently hoped that games do not follow the same path to ruin that befell comic books.

For anyone who wants to gain a greater understanding about the changing roles of media in our society, I highly recommend this book.

Those are my two cents.

What would you do with $65,000?

If that were me, I would use it to pay some bills, purchase myself a working car and invest some of it in stocks; after all, with the way that our economy is going, setting aside money is turning out to be a viable solution.

In terms of the gaming industry, I am sure that they can come up with some creative uses for $65,000, considering that is the amount the state of Minnesota has to pay them over their failed law that would fine buyers. Gamepolitics has the report here. Personally, I am glad that states are recognizing the influence of the gaming industry, even though we still have a ways to go.

Also, having read Grand Theft Childhood sometime after it was available in stores, I was impressed by its balanced take on answering the age-old question of whether or not video games make individuals more violent.

Fortunately, I was not the only one, as other gaming industry luminaries have praised the books methods. One review is here.

Of course, the book has its detractors, which Gamepolitics mentions here. What I find interesting though, is that the person who is chasting the book’s authors has affiliation with Jack Thompson. That, to me, ruins his credibility. Fortunately, Grand Theft Childhood’s authors took the time to respond here.

I have been out for a while tending to some personal issues; what with trying to figure out the direction that I want to take with my life and trying to navigate some challenging personal relationships that I am facing. Despite that though, there are some positive pieces of gaming news that I want to highlight, furthering the cause that games can be used for good.

First, I would like to highlight a piece written by the site GameGirl.com, which details what you can learn from games. The piece can be read here. I found the life lessons mentioned here impressive and I make sure that I apply them as I conduct my daily affairs. The same site also mentions how the Nintendo DS can soon replace text books. The piece can be read here. Personally, I think this is a great idea, but its execution would have to be used in a way that can benefit everyone. Classes that this would work best for would be English and Math.

Also, who has seen the advertisement below?

I have viewed it on various occasions, and I hold the opinion that it is a great method to reach children and warn them about the dangers of smoking. Gamepolitics ang Gamecouch have the history behind the ad. Gamecouch’s full interview can be seen here, while the Gamepolitics excerpt can be read here.

With positive news such as this, it almost makes this Conneticut Senator look like a non-issue, especially in light of her recent remarks regarding a ‘rape scene’ in GTA 4 that never existed. Gamepolitics has more information here.

After taking a brief hiatus from blogging, I decided to check on how my pet project was doing. I was glad to see that it was handling well, which is more than I can say for the state of the worlds of gaming and politics.

I was reading about this report which shows yet another video game bill that is pending passage. What caused me to laugh at this report is that the law has provisions for items such as consoles having parental controls. The point of humor is that they are already there!

Just another example of our legislators being completely out of touch with video game culture.

Fortunately, I was buoyed by the positive reinforcement of this piece, which shows the extent to which games can serve a positive role in our society.

These two reports clearly demonstrate that games can be used as a force of good, if politicians would only give them a chance. Sadly, it will take a while before that happens.

John McCain’s greatest challenge this election, in my opinion, will be to try and make himself appealing to younger voters. Consider the fact that your opponent is young enough to be your son and has full support of the youth demographic. McCain has a lot of work to do to make himself look ‘hip’ to our generation and not like some old creaky jalopy that will probably break if you drive it too long.

McCain has apparently heard the constant calls of “I need to be hip” and has decided to turn to the magic of Facebook. He has created an application called “Pork Invaders” whose premise is an obvious riff of “Space Invaders.” More information can be found here.

As a gamer, I have to admire his determination; Space Invaders is a time-tested classic, and considering the fact that it is currently a hot property, thanks to Tatio’s latest remake of the product.

However, speaking once again as a gamer, I also have to be disappointed in McCain as well, for thinking that he can appear hip by stealing concepts from game that was made in the 80s. It shows how out of touch he is with the youth demographic.

Oh well, at least he has some taste in modern games…as shown in this report.

Obama, to me, still is the more youth-centered candidate. Best of luck in the election Barack!

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to interview the owner of Kezins.com, a blog dedicated to gaming and technology news. I originally did this for a writing course that I am taking, but I felt that the content was rich enough to post on my blog. I know that it is a bit on the long side, but I hope you enjoy it regardless!

The Kezins Files: My interview with Will Snizek (WS)

By Jason Townsend-Rogers (JTR)

For those individuals who enjoy playing video games, having the opportunity to work at an association dedicated to promoting and expanding your craft, would be a match made in heaven, equivalent to completing a speed run of the original Super Mario Bros, or even conquering Ninja Gaiden on the Master Ninja difficulty level.

Will Snizek is one who had such an opportunity, as he was a news editor and marketing assistant at Ziff Davis Media, known for being the owners of Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine and its online subsidiary, 1up.com.

I recently had the chance to interview Mr. Snizek and find out his thoughts regarding his time at Ziff Davis Media. Having resigned from the company to form his own gaming and technology blog, Kezins.com, we discussed his opinions on the state of gaming journalism and how the industry could better police itself against negative influences.

(JTR): What made you decide to pursue video game journalism, and did you see yourself running kezins.com during that time?

(WS): Initially I never planned on getting into game journalism. At the time I started, I was working heavily with photography and a model friend of mine had a boyfriend who ran a small game blog. Knowing I was interested in video games, they asked me to help out and the rest is history. I never really had plans to run my own website, but blogging is certainly addictive and I don’t think I’ll ever find myself not writing in the future.

(JTR): Interesting, my next question is this: prior to kezins.com, you were the news editor and marketing assistant at Ziff Davis Media, if I am reading the site’s bio correctly. What was a typical day like serving in that capacity?

(WS): That’s correct. The typical day usually consisted of spending several hours researching topics and then I’d have to post anywhere from 5-10 articles in a working day. On the marketing end, I spent most of my efforts spreading news about the site in forums and also on social bookmarking sites like Digg.com

(WS:) I guess it varied from day to day, but I usually put anywhere from 5 hours to 12 hours of work in on any given week day.

(JTR): Interesting, do you ever miss working at Ziff Davis? What was your favorite/least favorite aspect of working there?

(WS): I do miss working there. My main reason would probably be that when Daniel and I were hired on, Gaming Today (news.filefront.com) wasn’t a very well known site and needed tons of work. So we were able to turn it into a very popular site in less than a year. So I guess I feel half responsible for the success of the site, but it’s no longer something I can control.

(WS): The things that I do not miss would be article quotas. I always felt like quotas detracted from the value of articles. I always felt quality of articles should be the way to go, but it’s simply not like that in the corporate world. They tend to see numbers only, so I definitely don’t miss the corporate aspect of things.

(JTR): What was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, or in your case, the point where you finally decided to leave Ziff Davis?

(WS): The breaking point was really when my paychecks started bouncing when ZD first filed bankruptcy

(WS): I had already been thinking about leaving, because I wanted more freedom to write about a wider range of topics and I guess that event gave me my reason to finally leave. I’m typically a very loyal worker and hate to leave a job unless necessary

(WS): When it comes to writing about games, I guess I really wanted less restrictions and the ability to communicate anything I wanted

(JTR): That is very interesting; based on my experiences with reading about games and observing gaming publications, both on and offline, freedom seems to be a pretty strong word

(JTR): I mean, just recently, Konami was limiting what people could and could not say in their review of MGS4

(JTR): The game still got near-perfect scores though

(WS): Yeah, and that’s more common than people want to admit, but Konami did take it further than most companies do

(WS): I think the Konami situation is bad for gaming journalism, because readers are losing faith in the knowledge of the writers, along with losing faith in how true reviews are… or at least it raises an eyebrow.

(JTR): I agree, with your time at Ziff Davis, have you noticed any changes in the company since your departure? Also, if they wanted you back tomorrow, would you go?

(WS): I haven’t noticed too many changes. I do know people are getting paid right now lol. For the most part, you can’t really discuss inner workings with people at the company. Once you are out, you’re out of the loop. And I can be general about the stuff I knew when I was there, but still can’t give out company secrets or anything. I think if they asked me to come back, I’d probably do it but only if they allowed me to keep working on Kezins.com

(WS): I made the mistake of giving up projects in the past and then when I was back out on my own, I had to start from scratch and I really don’t want to start from scratch again. The reason for that is they have you sign a contract stating you will not do similar work for other sites

(JTR): I would like to ask you about the state of your site, but I would also like to know your opinions on the current state of video game journalism.

(JTR): If you were to assign it academic grades right now, what would you give it, and why?

(WS): Currently, we’re still in the process of trying to develop our goals and define who we are. As for video game journalism, if I assigned a grade, I’d probably say a D+, as most of what I read practically falls into the category of plagiarism. However, as things progress, I am hoping more and more sites will work harder on publishing original thoughts. At the same time, it’s not possible to always be original, but it’s very evident that most sites swipe ideas back and forth

(WS): I guess I could say the problem is that right now it’s a race to see who can get things out faster and a race to get your articles on Digg.com. There’s not a huge emphasis on quality

(JTR): These are very interesting points, it leads me to my next question; I have noticed that gamers have shunned getting their information from ‘established’ publications and have sought their news from smaller sources. I get the impression that sites such as Giantbomb.com and other smaller venues have more credibility than sites like Game spot and IGN.

(JTR): Is this a valid assessment and what do you think can explain it?

(WS): I’d have to say that the smaller sites (the good ones) are more credible and more honest. They aren’t in bed with any of the publishers and really don’t have a corporation restricting their actions at all.

(WS): The only problem is that the smaller sites don’t have the same resources; also, the difference between a regular writer on Game spot, 1Up, IGN and some of the writers on the smaller sites is very small. The smaller writers aren’t making the same paychecks, but they’re often just as knowledgeable about gaming

(JTR): My next question regards how games are being portrayed in mainstream media, what do you think video games, and the industry as a whole, can do to improve their societal image?

(WS): I don’t think we’ll ever get rid of the negative images entirely, because negativity is what sells news these days in the mainstream media; also, places like Fox News etc will always rather interview a wacko like Jack Thompson who is going to make off the wall and shocking statements than someone who has a more academic approach to things.

(WS): I really think the best way the industry can improve their image is to simply continue publishing game blogs and get the information out there. The smart people will do their research and discover what’s real and what’s media spin. Another thing I have noticed over the past few years is an increase in video game research from the academic community. I think as research continues, gaming will be seen in a more positive light

(WS): On another note, I do think the game companies need to make a stronger stand against minors getting their hands on “M” rated titles. That is a big issue now, and the only way to reverse the public image of this would be for game companies to start taking a stand against children playing the real violent and adult games.

(JTR): Speaking of companies taking a stand, what is your opinion on the actions of the ESA as of late, it seems that since Gallagher has assumed the position of president, restructuring has taken place everywhere, and not for the better.

(WS): I have always been a big fan of the ESA and I’m just hoping they are going through growing pains right now and will come out shining in the near future. However, I have always wondered if Gallagher was too politically connected for the position though. It’s also interesting how major companies are dropping out of the group lately and that certainly does not look good at all.

(JTR): If you could devise a solution to the disarray around the ESA and its constituents, what would it be?

(WS): At this point, I’m not really sure. I wish Lucas Arts and others had explained their reasons for leaving more in-depth. I don’t think I have enough information on the situation to solve it. I do think they will need either a leadership change or Gallagher needs to evolve quickly

(JTR): What do you mean by ‘Gallagher needing to evolve?’

(WS): I think he needs to find a way to fit into the situation better. It’s always been my opinion that his actions are politically motivated. It’s fairly obvious that’s he’s in bed with Microsoft and George Bush. I think he needs to evolve in his role and do what’s right for the organization and industry. Will that actually happen? I doubt it, but it’s possible

(JTR): Back into the topic of gaming journalism, where do you see it headed, and, if you could plot its course, where would you like it to go?

(WS): I’d honestly like to see the focus go away from being corporate controlled and sees writers and game journalists get the same freedoms that newspaper journalists get for example. I’d like to see an end of the 1-10 rating scale for games and less article recycling. I think more sites need to separate themselves from others.

(JTR): EGM has used an A-F system, so at least they are trying in that respect

(WS): By separate, I mean most days if you read one or two game sites, you’ve read them all because the stories are the same. I guess I just prefer giving facts and opinions to gamers and letting them decide; the 1-10 score is just outdated and really impossible to get right.

(WS): People will spend more time arguing about the number score than actually discussing the content of the game

(JTR): My last question is this: for individuals interested in getting into games journalism or the gaming industry, what advice would you give them?

(WS): The best advices I can give are for them to actively blog and participate in various community sites. For the most part, you don’t send in an application to get jobs. You get jobs writing about games through people you meet and if you get noticed. Unlike many other jobs, people will come to you with offers in this industry. An example of a community site would be what they do on Destructoid.com. If you start a community blog on there and get enough comments and followers, there’s a good chance that will get you noticed.

Be sure to check out Kezins.com after you read the interview! Also, to see the Kezins.com interview pick-up, go here!

Two very interesting posts to report on how games are finding their way into society.

The first one involves the U.S. army using video games and technology to boost their recruiting efforts. Gamepolitics has the excerpt here, while the full report can be found here.

I am starting to think that the Army is desparate right now in terms of rallying new troops to their cause; with the current state of the Iraq war, and the continuing polls showing that more and more Americans do not deem this war a wise decision.

On a more positive note, a UCF student found that games can be used for educational purposes. The report is here, and it advocates something that I have long supported, which makes the research that went into it that much better.

Today is Father’s Day; regrettably, I don’t have a father to celebrate it with. However, I wish to take this moment to recognize all the fathers out there who are doing their best to give their children direction in a world where it is not always easy to find.

As this is a gaming blog, I was able to find some interesting information that pertained to fathers and gaming, some good, others not so much.

First, Barack Obama made an interesting speech regarding the role that parents should play in children’s immersion in entertainment culture. Gamepolitics has the excerpt point here, and Politico has the full speech here.

Sadly, not all the news relating to games and fathers is good. Gamepolitics also has a depressing report about a young father who was a gamer and lost his life while in Iraq. The Boston Globe has the full story here.

The war in Iraq, in my opinion, should have never been fought.

In some disturbing news, the Chicago Tribune reports on the decline of video game arcades here. Having gone to places such as Boomers, Grand Prix Race O’ Rama and other assorted hang outs when I was a kid, I can say that while they may be limited, there is still fun to be had in them. I love arcades; only real place where you can face time and meet random people, lol.

In more disturbing news, Jack Thompson might run for political office; Gamepolitics has the report here.

BAD IDEA, and that’s all I will say.

With all the negative press and attention that video gaming gets, I do my best to cover the positive aspects of our occupation. Though I may not always catch these events at the right times, I do try to make them known when I find them.

One such example lies in this Newsweek article, which highlights the shared lessons that gaming taught a father and son. It can be read here.

Speaking from personal experience, even though it was my mother who allowed me to buy my first Nintendo, and subsequently, my Super Nintendo, it was my father in both instances that made me treasure the interactions that I had with him while playing. I still remember playing Super Mario Bros. 2 for the original Nintendo at his house, staying up very late in the process and probably making him wonder why I was not asleep.

Speaking of fathers, I wish a happy father’s day to everyone, I miss my father, but I know that he is in a better place.

Moving on to other news, I had always wondered what John McCain’s stance was on video game violence. Yahoo.com has an article here that effectively summarizes the positions of key presidential candidates at the time. Of course, some of those individuals are not with us anymore.

McCain’s mention in that article was limited, so one individual attempted to set the record straight. Gamepolitics has the report of that blogger’s attempt here, and from what it appears, he appears to sound a fair tune, though he did compare games to child pornography, which is odd.

Maybe if he wanted some positive reinforcement about the world of games, he should read this piece, which highlights an individual who has allowed a game’s second life to give him a new lease on his.

Society thinks of gamers as nothing more than rude shut-ins who lack a social life and have no respect for authority.

While gamers may have something to say that would disprove that misconception, society may have a point if it were to spend some time on Xbox Live, a service regrettably known for its disrespectful behavior.

Adam Sessler of G4 highlights this problem in his latest soapbox below:

Interestingly, society is not the only group of individuals trashing gamers; in some respects, gamers are doing it to themselves, witness the split that exists between what is considered ‘hardcore’ and ‘casual.’ To these people, casual games like Wii Fit and other Nintendo software will signal the death of the industry.

Perhaps they would have a second thought if they read this report, which notes that about 20% of casual gamers are disabled. For these people, playing games gives them a sense of purpose and enjoyment.

Games should be able to help everyone, not just individuals who derive enjoyment from fragging one another.