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Midway's Slugfest, Ballers Inappropriate For Kids?

Posted by simoniker on from the i-wish-i-was-a-little-bit-taller dept.

Thanks to ABC News for its article discussing controversy over the content of Midway's officially licensed baseball and basketball videogames, as the story explains: "Nine-year-old Stephane Safar likes to play MLB Slugfest, a video game rated 'E', that is, for everyone 6 years old and older... But then he played it in front of his mother Amy, and what she saw went well beyond real-life baseball, as players punched and kicked each other during the course of the game." Amy explains: "Does he know that that's not really how Barry Bonds acts out on the field? Does he know that Nomar [Garciaparra] can't punch somebody?" Midway's NBA Ballers also comes in for criticism, with Kimberly Thompson of the Harvard School of Public Health complaining: "I think the message that kids take away from NBA Ballers is, it's all about money... Women are objects in this game."

23 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Ballers by pudge · · Score: 4, Informative

    Saying women are "objects" in Ballers is an understatement. They are actually purchased in the game, just like a house or car. And the NBA endorses this. Lakers legend Jerry West was slated to have his likeness in the game, and he backed out once he saw the content.

    1. Re:Ballers by pudge · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You're conflating the sporting event with the people who participate in it. I can go to movies without knowing or caring about the lives of the actors. And, in fact, I do.

      Anyway, since when does the fact that something really happens justify its inclusion in entertainment? Saying it happens in real life is a non sequitur.

      Further, the things you speak of are not endorsed by (e.g.) the NBA, but the NBA does endorse this game.

      And besides.. IT IS A FUCKING GAME.

      A game that is rated E for Everyone, and contains prostitution. This is really more about the rating of the game than anything else. If it were rated M for Mature (not that I think it deserves such a rating), there would be far less of an outcry.

      Personally, I think the ESRB has a big gap between T and M. M is a bit of a stigma and implies explicit content, whereas IMO suggestivity, as exists in Ballers, is not appropriate for T and not explicit enough to warrant an M. Regardless, an E rating for this game is just stupid.

    2. Re:Ballers by lightspawn · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And besides.. IT IS A FUCKING GAME.

      Exactly! It's even called NBA Ballers, for crying out loud... what do you expect?

    3. Re:Ballers by Boglin · · Score: 2, Funny
      Are you telling me that these whores who go after guys in bands and sports are there for any reason other than the fact that the dude is rich and/or famous?
      After all, women have never been attracted to muscular or atheltic men.
    4. Re:Ballers by NanoGator · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "If the NBA, NFL and MBA are appropriate for children, then so are these games."

      The E-for-everybody rating overrides this statement. Video games and television shows are not rated the same way. For a fight to happen in a video game, it has to be put in. A fight during a sporting event, however, cannot be prevented.

      "So what, do they want the game to be a lie and pretend that these sports franchises are wholesome and goodnatured? "

      Games are meant to be fun, not to be true reflections of what they're recreating.

      "And besides.. IT IS A FUCKING GAME."

      Normally I'd agree. However, if they're rated as E-for-everybody, they really should respect that as well as they can. The last thing video games need right now is attempts at heavy handed legislation due to complaints that the ratings system isn't an effective babysitter.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    5. Re:Ballers by mcgroarty · · Score: 4, Funny
      I'm one of the developers. (Look under the programming credits.)

      Ballers wasn't our favorite choice, but we couldn't get management to agree to "Shootin' in the Hood."

    6. Re:Ballers by pudge · · Score: 3, Informative
      From the ABC article:
      But Jerry West -- who has been a part of the NBA for 41 years and whose silhouette is used in the league's official logo -- was supposed to be one of the "NBA legends" featured in NBA Ballers. When he learned what was in it, he insisted upon being removed.

      "The only thing that a player has is, to some degree, his reputation and his integrity," West says. "I think all of us would like to feel like that's important to us."
      I had heard this originally when ESPN (both ABC and ESPN are owned by the same company) ran the same story weeks ago, except the link between his asking to be removed because of the content seems, to my memory, to have been more overt. Regardless, we can't know who's telling the truth, I guess, but I'd put my money on the guy who isn't trying to defend his product, and who has a long history of being trustworthy, and nothing to prove or gain by lying. :-)
    7. Re:Ballers by pudge · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And again, I am not saying the game shouldn't be made. I think the idea is kinda lame, but I hate that part of the NBA culture, so I am not the target audience. I just think it an E rating for it is clearly disingenuous and stupid.

    8. Re:Ballers by mcgroarty · · Score: 4, Informative

      Do me a favor and play the game before taking the article for its word. In the game you acquire friends -- girls and boys. And all of the female images were cleared by the ESRB. You're being joined by women (and men) dressed far more tastefully than your average modern school student.

  2. Hrm.... by Hank+Reardon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What the heck, I suppose I'll take a Karma hit for this...

    I think the message that kids take away from NBA Ballers is, it's all about money... Women are objects in this game.

    I guess I must have missed something. With all of the endorsement deals, players being paid so much that only one team can afford to pay them, tales of sexual conquest (a-la Wilt Chamberlain), and the inconsistent enforcement of the rules, isn't this an accurate representation of the NBA?

    I quit being interested in the NBA as players like Dennis Rodman became more and more common. I miss the general good-natured playing of Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. Bring back that level of sportsmanship and finess and I might change my opinion.

    --
    There's so little difference between politics and jihad lately...
    1. Re:Hrm.... by pudge · · Score: 3, Funny

      You mean Bird and the somewhat racial comments he's making now?

      What's wrong with being sexy?

    2. Re:Hrm.... by Hank+Reardon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I never meant to imply that they were squeaky clean. Sorry if it sounded that way. I suppose a little explaination is in order.

      I couldn't care less what kind of racial comments Bird is making; he's entitled to his opinion, as is everybody else. I haven't heard any of the racial comments he made, so I don't know much about them. In all the time he played, I can't recall a single racially-based incident on the court. It's a non-issue for me.

      Likewise with Kareem. Who the hell cares if he hung out with Hugh Heffner? He was also busted for smoking pot after he retired. He played ball very well and kept his personal bullshit off-court.

      Same with Jordan. His marital issues are his. How did they affect his playing and conduct on the court? And, if he was a decent baseball player, why shouldn't he play that, as well? Kobe also has marital issues, and has been accused of rape, however unlikely the charges appear to be. Why didn't I use him as an example of the players I miss? According to his teammates, he acted aloof and wasn't really a team player. You never heard that about Jordon.

      And Magic is a perfect example, in my opinion. He screwed up, he admitted it, he used his star power to get the message out about how not to make his same mistakes, and he quit the one thing he was good at not because he wanted to, but because he was worried that some of the physical contact in basketball could put his fellow players at risk.

      Neither Kareem, Jordon or Magic were seen bragging to the news media about sleeping with multiple-hundreds of women and lamenting about how nice it was. To his credit, Kobe seems very contrite about his missteps.

      Look at Rodman's actions on the court. Belligerant and unsportsman-like as a rule, not an exeption. I recall a game where he hauled off an kicked a reporter in the crotch. All Rodman ever appeared to care about was promoting himself, not playing a good game of basketball.

      Wasn't it Spreewell that choked his coach on the sidelines on national TV? I think he paid a fine to the NBA for the assault where your or I would have been jailed.

      The current professional players have been tainted in my eyes by the constant wrist-slaps that the organization gives them for criminal offenses on the court. I'm sure there are pleanty of good players who don't let their personal lives intrude on the playing of the game, but they get harder to find as the younger players emulate those who get all the screen time because of the on-and-off-the-court bad-boy bullshit.

      --
      There's so little difference between politics and jihad lately...
    3. Re:Hrm.... by pudge · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I couldn't care less what kind of racial comments Bird is making

      The word is not racial, it is racist. Racial means "of or pertaining to race." Saying Michael Jordan is black is racial. Saying black people suck is racist. Racial is neutral, racist is negative.

      FWIW, Bird made no racist comments. He said that basketball is a black man's game, and blacks are -- in regard to basketball -- better athletes. That's not racist, that's being minimally observant.

    4. Re:Hrm.... by Hank+Reardon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You are correct that the word is not "racial". The parent poster used it, so I responded directly to his comment; next time, I'll be sure to quote from the parent message as I just noticed that it was posted by an AC, so not everybody will see it.

      And, knowing the quote now, I'd say Bird's comment was, in fact, racial in nature. :)

      --
      There's so little difference between politics and jihad lately...
  3. a-HA! by orangesquid · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does he know that that's not really how Barry Bonds acts out on the field? Does he know that Nomar [Garciaparra] can't punch somebody?

    Tell that to my black eye!!! Damn that Garciaparra...

    Oh, and, how does Barry Bonds act out on the field, if you would be kind enough to explain?

    --
    --TheOrangeSquid Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in a sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive
  4. Message by sbszine · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think the message that kids take away from NBA Ballers is, it's all about money...

    Whereas in real life, they do it for the love, plus a small stipend for meals and cab fare.

    --

    Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling

  5. Re:well... by NanoGator · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Saying this game influences kids to act violent while playing sports is like saying that when your friend calls you a knuckle head you poke his eyes out and hit him with a 2x4..."

    There was a story a couple of weeks ago about lightning strikes. Somebody in that thread described a friend of his wife's dying due to a strike. I play UT2004 a LOT. The lightning gun is my favorite weapon. Sniping with it was fun as heck for me. (still is! just haven't had time to play...) Despite finding so much pleasure in shooting video game sprites with lightning, reading the "A friend of my wife's was killed by lightning" really jolted me. I found that heart breaking. I have to ask: How desensitizing can games be if I react like that to somebody dying?

    I'm at a point now where I don't even think 'scientific proof' will convince me that video game violence is dangerous.

    --
    "Derp de derp."
  6. Well... by Poseidon88 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Women are objects in this game.

    That only proves they used good encapsulation.

  7. That's your problem by duffbeer703 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    "Does he know that that's not really how Barry Bonds acts out on the field? Does he know that Nomar [Garciaparra] can't punch somebody?"


    If you don't think that the game is appropriate for your kid, don't buy it. Professional sports is a scummy business... maybe kids wouldn't be affected by the portrayal of athletes if we didn't program them to idolize athletes.

    --
    Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
  8. wait... by Hinkey · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Does this mean parents assume anyhting sold with a "g" label is what they consider appropriate? Last time i checked they were guidlines for parents. Anyone who lets there 10 year old kid play a game they have never even seen before shouldnt have them :) Seriously, you dont have the 10min it'll take to watch your kid play the game when you get it for them? I think far to meany people are blaming there kids behavior and influences on media,school,tv,games, etc. instead of on the fact that parents spend allmost no time with there children anymore, but then again im only 20 years old what do i know :)

    --
    -=Hinkey=-
    1. Re:wait... by bckrispi · · Score: 2, Insightful
      but then again im only 20 years old what do i know

      Since I assume you don't have kids, let me answer your question: You don't know shit.

      As a parent, I *do* use the rating system to determine what's appropriate, that's the whole reason the ESRB system is there.

      Anyone who lets there 10 year old kid play a game they have never even seen before shouldnt have them

      Yeah, that's great. I have no problem knowing the contents of each and every game I get for my kid. The probelm is is that he has four grandparents and three great-grandparents (uncles, aunts, etc.) who aren't as tech/game savvy. The ESRB should be a simple-to-use (and ACCURATE) way of discerning the games contents and appropriateness.

      Seriously, you dont have the 10min it'll take to watch your kid play the game when you get it for them?

      Uhhhh, you mean to tell me there's a way I can preview an entire store's game library before I make a purchase?? Last time I checked, there were demo consoles set up for a limited number of titles.

      I think far to meany people are blaming there kids behavior and influences on media,school,tv,games, etc. instead of on the fact that parents spend allmost no time with there children anymore

      The reason games are being blamed is because uneducated parents purchase inappropriate titles. The ESRB system is meant to be a way of informing parents of the game's contents. If the game has graphical violence and "prostitution", I would expect to see that on the label (and I *certainly* woudn't expect it to get an "E" rating. As far as your last silly statement, I could spend 23 hours a day with my kid, it's the 1 hour where he goes unsupervised that I need to worry about.

      --
      Xenon, where's my money? -Borno
    2. Re:wait... by mcgroarty · · Score: 2, Informative
      Hell, even without the implied prostitution, it is indefensible
      Please play the game before you make this kind of comment. You gather a posse -- boys and girls. At no point does the game suggest that you're acquiring a girlfriend or a boyfriend. The people you gather in your posse stand courtside and cheer you on as you play. Period.
  9. Barry Bonds? by BTWR · · Score: 2, Informative
    "Does he know that that's not really how Barry Bonds acts out on the field? Does he know that Nomar [Garciaparra] can't punch somebody?"

    Barry Bonds is not in the MLBPA (MLB Players Assoc). Therefore, he is not "bought" along with all the other players when EA buys the rights. In fact, in one game (MVP Baseball?), instead of buying Bonds in addition to the MLBPA, they made a charachter with Bond's exact stats, and he's some white guy on the Giants with some generic name. It's the biggest rip-off since "Mr. Dream" was the double of Mike Tyson in "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out" in all ways except he was just some no-name with Mike's former abilities :)