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Industry Leaders Frustrated With Game Culture
Well known designer Warren Spector let his opinions fly in a keynote at the Montreal Game Summit, reports Edge Online. From the article: "While admitting that the largest part of the criticism stemmed from general ignorance and misunderstanding of videogaming by the 'cultural gate-keepers,' he noted that simply staying the course and waiting for mainstream acceptance to catch up could lead not only to political intervention, but a 'coarsening of our culture,' and 'eventual cultural irrelevance.' Instead, he joined a growing chorus in the development community by strongly advocating the diversification of games to be more inclusive of women, older gamers, and traditionally excluded ethnicities." Next Generation is covering a similar statement by ESA President Doug Lowenstein about his views on the gaming industry's image. Unfortunately, societal parasite Jack Thompson took Spector's remarks to be validation of his viewpoint. GamePolitics has that story.
Jack Thompson would take being hit by lightning bolt while playing outside in a thunderstorm waving around a lightning rod as validation of his viewpoint. And he'd probably blame gamers for any harm that came to him. The man is just crazy. I don't think he even knows what he's doing all of the time. One minute Warren Spector is a bitter enemy, the next, he says something useful to Jack, and he morphs into a respected video game developer. Completely, utterly, fully insane.
I used up all my sick days, so I'm calling in dead.
To give it credit where the credit is due, Civilization 3 and now 4 made victory through peace much more possible. In Civilization 4 there are 3 seperate peaceful victory possibilities, winning by generating a huge amount of "culture" (points you get by creating wonders and promoting things like art), building the space ship and getting to Alpha Centauri or being elected head of the United Nations. In comparison there are only 2 military victory conditions, dominating the map or wiping out everyone else.
The peaceful victory conditions are completely viable, and it's quite interesting to play with these goals in mind.
I hate that. In the middle of my Genocide of all other living things I keep accidentally culturally winning. (CIV3, MOO 1, Moo 2, Moo 3). Why can't you all die in peace.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
that the guns in GTA carried non-generic ammo. I mean, honestly, I cant take that guy serious after the catastrophe that was Deus Ex:Invisible War.