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ESA, Games Industry in for Big Changes
An anonymous reader writes to mention an EToyChest article with a bit of perspective on the departure of Doug Lowenstein from the Entertainment Software Association. Lowenstein, who helped to kickstart the group, was instrumental in the ESA's grown and continued well-being. Now that he's moved on a new gig, the article points out that the industry is in for some changes in the years ahead. From the article: "Doug Lowenstein, a man that Jack Thompson has likened on separate occasions to such delightful despots as Saddam Hussein and Hitler, has been the advocate de jour for the industry since he signed on in 1994. Refusing to directly engage firebrands like Thompson in televised debates, Mr. Lowenstein has a history of picking and choosing his battles. Where Thompson prefers to argue his position in front of cameras, Mr. Lowenstein fought his battles quietly, but persistently. Under his guidance, the game industry has undergone its biggest transformation; it's now expected to gross in the area of $12 billion worldwide, more than four times the business it was doing when he signed on. While one would hesitate to give Mr. Lowenstein credit for the industry's success, his steady hand has been instrumental in sidestepping many of the media landmines that we've come across on the way.
"
So is the enemy of my enemy my friend, or what?
I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.
Honestly, I can't agree with the article that he's the man for the job. Reggie's very good at talking trash, pumping up crowds, and being awesome. Basically, he's a good entertainer and businessman. However, these aren't the skills the ESA needs.
The ESA needs someone who is cool, but that's only one of many factors. It needs to be someone new, unaffiliated with any of the big 3, yet someone who can go toe to toe with politicians, the media and write off whackos like Jack Thompson skillfully.
Reggie's an interesting idea, but he's not the man for the job.
Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
Later in the article it mentions Reggie of Nintendo to be the next best public speaker due to his vast amounts of charisma. He wouldn't be too bad of a choice to advocate the voices of gamers because that seems to be what Nintendo is about. It may piss of a few Microsoft and Playstation fanboys though :P
I believe that phrase is more aptly used in reference to people or organizations with whom you share no positive common ground except the shared emnity of a third party. Especially in cases where you would otherwise be in conflict with the group without the threat of the third party there to unite you.
In this particular case if you are opposed to Jack Thompson it is presumably because of your feelings about issues involving video games and/or free speech, issues about which Doug Lowenstein has expressed his own views and by which you can judge him on his own merits rather than just the fact that he and Jack Thompson don't get along.
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Wikipedia claims that Mr. Lowenstein is now "heading up" the newly-formed Private Equity Council.
He seems like a nice guy, but I think he was just along for the ride, especially if what the article says about his non-interventionism is true.
I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.
What does the European Space Agency have to do with games?
/ The Arrow
"How lovely you are. So lovely in my straightjacket..." - Nny
So maybe my ISP won't receive another letter about making available copyrighted Xbox titles?
Didn't even make it past the summary.
Is someone who is willing to say it like it is. Can you imagine someone standing up soberly, calmly in a Senate hearing and saying, "with all due respect, Senator Clinton (or Senator Lieberman), the majority of customers of the XBox 360 and Playstation 3 are 17 or older. This is not about 'the children,' but about legislative overreach into an area that is demonstrably dominated by adults. Even where there are issues with children, this is not a fault of our members. We provide parents with a painstakingly thorough breakdown of every possibly offensive aspect of each game we vouch for. If they fail to take advantage of the information that we not only provide to them, but provide in a convenient, easily seen location on the packaging material of every game we vouch for, that is a failure of the parents."
I guarandamntee you, that it would send shockwaves through the media. Someone who is willing to stand up for their principles and call it as it is would get a lot of publicity that might force some honest discussion.
This is a Dup!/ 164211
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/19
Sorry, Slashdot. I didn't care about this last month and I still don't care this month.
Amusing you say that so early when Microsoft hasn't even made a single profit off of either of the consoles, while Nintendo most definitely has.
I'm afraid that Microsoft's attempt at playing a version of "last man standing" while no one is losing money from this isn't working well at all.
XBox Live turns a nice profit, actually. In any case, the profitability of the Wii won't stop it from ending up a niche product just like the Gamecube was. Nintendo's latest offering is destined to be squirreled away in the back of the game store next to the discount controllers.
The failure of titles like Psychonauts and Shadow of the Colossus demonstrates that the gaming public isn't interested in imaginative new games. People simply want incremental innovations to the games they play over and over again, hence the perennial popularity of Madden and Halo.
Far and away the biggest hit of Next-Gen gaming has been Gears of War, a generic shooter with a few tweaks thrown in. Halo 3 will build on that popularity, cementing the 360s dominance.
Meanwhile in the PC market, everyone who's anyone is either playing WoW or Half-Life on a Microsoft PC. Vista's new graphical capabilities will serve to increase the popularity of those games, and Games for Windows cross-branding will make the terms "Microsoft" and "Videogaming" synonymous. The miniscule Mac and Linux gaming fanbases don't even warrant mention by comparison.
The videogame wars are over. Microsoft has won.
I think that Lowenstein was the man for the job when the IDSA (now ESA) was first formed. He did a great job in the beginning helping stem the Lieberman PR machine to give himself a platform. By forming the ESRB for the industry, he was able to effectively get the Lieberman monkey off the game industry's back. However, he got a pretty big head after E3 was launched but, he wasn't the man who launched it. IDG (the group that publishes GamePro) launched that event. After 2 years of huge success in LA (and after he wrestled control of E3 from IDG to the IDSA) he was influenced by the Georgia Convention and Visitors Bureau to move the show from LA to Atlanta. Did I mention he also got supreme VIP treatment to the Olympics the same year the decision was made? Once a Washington politico, always a politico. Graft in action. Who should run the ESA now -- it's a lobby people...so you need a politician to carry on the tradition.