FYI John Kerry has the MOST liberal voting record in the senate. Edwards is not far behind. They are the DEMS candidates. Nancy Pelosi is also extreeeeeeeeeemly liberal... another leader.
In fact, rather than going down this road. Name one conservative democrat in power. Zell Miller (resigning and voting for Bush)... now name one more... can't... that's because if you're a democrat, you can't run for a big office unless you're pro-choice, pro-homosexual marraige, pro-socialism (essentially)
It is either lack of knowledge or lack of looking that causes you to make such a blatantly false statement.
Now ask another question. How many republicans do you know that are pro-choice, pro-homosexual marraige, etc... and you really believe that the dems are the moderates?
There's a lot of, "it doesn't matter if you see it or not, you haven't seen it all so we're still right" comments here...
This is exactly what you guys get onto Christians about. It's called faith - the belief in something that is not seen... and surprise, you're displaying it right now... it's just that it's in the other side of the coin.
This is not meant to start a fight, just point out (what I think is) Hypocrisy.
I think I've got an easy solution for you... though it may trouble you for a while.
Drop Broadband - this will hurt a little, but when they do get you at home, you won't be able to help them because you can't connect to the company network.
Drop Pager - why would you need a pager for non-company use anyway... unless your a drug king.
Drop Cell Phone - This hurts too... but the first time they need you and you're not available, they'll reconsider this decision.
Of course... and I would not condone this as I think truthfulness is ALWAYS the best option... you could just say you did the above.
The problem seems to arise from basic differences between films and games as forms of media.
Yeah right!
The problem is that they just aren't making good games based on these... linear or non-linear. The common assumption is... if we put "The Hulk" or "The Matrix" on it, it will sell itself. So they tend to concentrate more on the brand than the quality of the game itself.
I have a solution! Are you listening movie and game companies? Concentrate on quality as much or more than the brand! I know that sounds hard... but it's not. Developers do that on just about every other game out there.
Could it be that Microsoft is realizing that Rare is just too much like Nintendo (family friendly, quality over bottom line, etc.)???... or that it was really Nintendo that made Rare strong? Remember that some of their best games were Nintendo properties. It could be that Rare is better at bringing the ideas of others to life than bringing the ideas themselves.
Perhaps this is just Microsoft making the most out of a potentially failing investment... perhaps Nintendo knew that Rare's image would be hard to re-shape... and knew getting rid of them would kill Rare... perhaps I'm just rambling.
It's really sad to see what universities and colleges are turning into. I was a major in Contemporary Music at a college in Illinois for two years. It didn't take long to find out that the only reason that they have the degree is:
a) Get people into college that don't want to be in college because it's no fun b) Get people away from other colleges w/o fun degrees
The problem is... the effects of the previous are: a) People who shouldn't be in college (especially a private one where I was) show up, don't want to be in class and pretty much make a separate class for themselves (the people who just don't care or want to be here) b) Nobody likes them because they're just there for fun c) They pay a lot for something that is completely worthless (except for the Liberal Arts stuff that they weren't paying attention to) d) There is no merit to the degree and the school is knowingly setting 99% of the students up for failure. e) They tend to become popular (like sports) and take away from the truly academic leanings of the school. f) The best and most creative get the jobs, period. It's not like teaching, where you have to have a degree to do it.
This computer games thing is exactly the same situation. People will come to it to... Gasp... have fun... not learn... not become part of the institution... they then hurt the institution overall by lowering expectations, education levels, success rates after school, etc... but they are a big draw.
I say... leave these things to trade schools and bring back to colleges and universities the things that make our schools the best in the world... EDUCATION!
Yeah... his is a great arguement, but this isn't a different medium than movies, tv, computer games, etc. They are all visual and watched through a TV set or monitor. Most video games are full of FMV's, many from popular movies. Why can you not discuss censorship just because the movie is played on a ps2 rather than a dvd player?... oh wait... both are DVD players.
These arguements are just attempts to change the subject and not deal with the matter at hand.
I may be the only person who sees the Sony as (possibly) failing with the PSP. I think the PS2 has had a great life, but the latter part of it (the part we're in) is nothing to write home about.
Sony, I think, more than Nintendo and Microsoft, is badly in need of something that will prove itself at about this time. Since the PS3 is not going to come out a whole year before the competition, they had better give more reason to buy it than backwards compatibility. The PSP will also not have the same advantage from the start that the PS2 had...
Sony is still dominant, but hasn't given me much of a reason to buy into that dominance in the last several years. They simply enjoy a larger user base.
Nintendo is in somewhat of a similar situation, however, they don't need to worry about where the next generation gamers are going. Nintendo delivers quality... and there are a lot of people that live by that rule before all else (me included).
DS isn't a guaranteed hit either, but I think it's more guaranteed than the PSP.
Judging by the size of the hybrids that I've seen, I doubt that after being hit by any of the overly large gas guzzling SUV's on the road today, there will be much car to actually cut.
The problem with these things isn't the danger of electricity, it's the danger of being under my suburban!
I realize that the parent post is not about conservative or liberal bias in the media... but since he mentions it, let's look at that shall we.
These quotes are all over the web: "The numbers are stark. Over 90 percent of reporters vote Democrat. The numbers are even higher among editors and White House correspondents. Democrat faculty outnumber Republicans 9 to 1." - PoliPundant
With 90% voting democrat, it's a wonder that people don't laugh when Howard Dean says such lunacy as you (kinda) quoted. Oh wait... they do. You can claim that both sides say the media is biased... and I'm sure that there are some who do, but the FACTS speak against it. The media is completely liberal... and the FACTS prove that. With that said, I think it invalidates your arguement. I think that there are plenty of FACTS that show whether the media is biased against Nintendo or not. This doesn't have to be a "well you perceive it one way and I another" question.
Here's how you do it. Take a sampling of the last 100 articles in the mainstream gaming press for GC, XBox, and PS2 and mark whether they were possitive or not... or poll the media and see which systems they are playing. I think GC would wind up the clear loser there, proving that there is a bias... but I haven't done the research.
Nintendo clearly was launching the DS when they were to take the attention away from the PSP... even if the DS doesn't succeed, the PSP would not have gotten all of the news (or attention). It was simply a marketing strategy designed to steal the PSP's initial thunder.
I think that the reason they are delaying is that by the new release date, the DS will be out for a couple of months... therefore, the DS will quiet down enough for Sony to get the media coverage they desire again.
I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo delays the DS launch as a result.
Well... the subject line may be a bit much, but Sly Cooper definitely deserved more attention than it got. I love all three of these series, but Sly has got to be the most creative, the most polished, the most interesting, and the most original. Hopefully, Sony won't change much of the formula as a result of this games limited sucess.
Again, both Jaks and both Ratchets are great games, but I'm not sure that I'd call either original. Sly actually adds a great deal of new ideas to the Super Mario genre.
Wow... could it be that in a few years, traditional eye doctors will become obsolete, replaced by scientists and machine assemblers who never see a patient. I'm taking this from the guy who said he could see these next to the blood pressure machine in wal-mart.
Could this be the writing on the wall for any similar "traditionally" professional occupations. If this is the case for eye doctors, which I'm sure didn't "SEE" this coming, I wonder what's next. Could there be a machine that analyzes your blood and prescribes through a vending machine your prescription?
OR... could I be thinking the insane thinking that many slashdotters and other people do when this type of thing is first invented.
Remember that cars were going to fly long before the year 2000.
This is further proof that MS should have just let this one go. This is again front page news on slashdot, which they may not care about... I also bet that this is news in any of those countries (which lindows wouldn't have had)... plus all of the tech journals in the US and Europe, plus it'll probably second page news on many sites and papers... AND it's one more reason all of the geeks have to hate Microsoft for being a big dumb bully.
Microsoft has from the beginning of this, given Roberson(SP?) (Lindows CEO) more free advertising opportunities than his product could have ever given him.
Keep it up Microsoft... one of these shots in the foot will keep you from walking!
I work for a meeting-happy fortune 500 company and here's what I've learned about it. The only way to stay out of pointless meetings is to not have them happen in the first place!
There are many people in depts that I work with who meet 8-5 monday through friday. These people constantly try to include you in meetings and frequently try to set up recurring meetings (the real beasts). You can sit through these things and try to be "cutting edge" or you can sleep... or whatever, but there's always the same outcome. Nothing gets done. This is because these people live to meet. That's what they identify their importance at their jobs by... "Whooo... it was a busy day... I HAD MEETINGS ALL DAY!!!"
Ok... here's how you do it. If it's a customer in the company (or another)... you HAVE to do the following:
1. ALWAYS APPEAR BUSY - of course you're not... but you have to give this impression. They know that as a developer, your time is important... and if they think that the meeting will really set you back, they're less likely to schedule it.
2. If it's more of a when can we do it meeting... take care of it (or start and have the answer to it) before you get there. This leads to shorter meetings. Then remind them... "I'm busy... I have to get back and work."
3. A recurring meeting is something you fight as though your life depended on it. These things will suck the life out of you... do whatever you can to convince the customer this isn't neccessary.
There you have it... not the complete list, but a good start.
Nintendo today, released to the open source community the source code for the virtual boy smash hit "Panic Bomber".
From Nintendo VP of Open Source, "We feel that we're doing the world a service by releasing such a popular game to the masses for their free consumption and alteration."
Linus Torvalds says, "The open source community has a new friend in Nintendo. Of course, releasing a free dev kit for the gamecube would be nice, but this... this is even better. We can now program for the virtual boy."
Slashdot user TechBoy880 had this to say, "My life is now complete... I can now mod my favorite game of all time. Now we just need to press Nintendo to release the hardware specs and a dev kit to go along with this..."
I wonder if anyone here has a problem with the fact that the government restricts the sale of Alcohol and Tobacco to minors... I mean, afterall, I want to choose what my kids smoke or drink, not the government.
To this, I would just like to ask one question.
Is there a time when enough parents are not policing themselves or their children in where society is forced to react?
There are numerous studies proving the effect of violent videogames on minors. There are, to my knowledge, no ligitimate studies proving the opposite... however, untold millions of kids have games like Grand Theft Auto, BloodRayne, Manhunt and what not. If we know it's bad... if society can be harmed by it (not just the child themselves), and if WE KNOW that many parents are not restricting their kids from these purchases, what else can we do?
Perhaps at one point, it was a good idea to let a parent monitor their child's alcohol usage. Afterall, a drop here and there won't kill anyone...or make them alcoholics. However, we've seen that this approach doesn't work (oh sure, I know it worked for you and your parents, but we have to generalize about some things). At some point, someone stands back and has to make the call that the current system isn't working... then we have to decide what to do about it.
Now, there are two potential answers.
1. There is no problem. 2. There is a problem, what can we do about it?
I'm afraid that most/.ers are stuck with number one.. which in my opinion, is a problem with denial. Because of this, you guys will be surprised when the answer to number 2 is enforced... and it will be because you weren't in the debate.
Here's the thing. Voice control is great if it works... and if it's not tied to simply five or even fifty commands. I think if someone's talking to you in your game, you should be able to talk back freely... and I'm sure that's where it's going. Here's my problem however:
I'm playing the game with virtually the same joystick that I played the atari 2600 with. Sure, it has a couple of more buttons, but that's about it (and yes, digital and analog blah blah). In fact, with Kirby and some other new games, one button is all you need.
Voice control is about immersion. And Further Immersion into the game is a good thing... However, the industry is bad this way. The immersive controls (like those where you stand or tilt) don't sell well so they don't invest into them. Joysticks do well by default... there's nothing else. Because there's an immediate payoff with the voice features, we'll have to settle for only partial immersion... and still play with ancient controllers.
This is why I love the eyetoy. It's completely useless, sure... but could lead the way to real complete immersion into video games.
In other news, runner dies of heart attack during morning jog.
2 points.
1. You can get hurt or die regardless of who you are and what you're doing.
2. This is only a story becuase of 2 other reasons. 2.a. Video-gamers are seen by the rest of society as lazy and dumb... so are naturally good targets. 2.b. This doesn't happen often so it's news.
Of course, the PSP and whatever's next will be in the same boat. Here's why I think this: Home gaming seems to be for adults and older kids. Supposedly, the average age of a gamer is over 20, etc. etc. etc. This is, as far as I know, with consoles (home) not portables. The only people I see with gameboys are kids. They carry them in there backpacks, pockets, whatever... they play them in backseats (because they don't drive), they play them in school, church, wherever.
Adults (save a few... I actually have a gba -- but rarely play it) don't fit in well to the portable market for the following reasons:
1. They drive 2. They listen when they go to meetings, classes for work, church, etc. 3. They go home after work and CAN take over the tv set 4. Because of 3, would rather play on a 50" tv than a 3" LCD Screen. 5. Why buy something for the same price on one of these when I'd rather play a better one on a bigger screen at my only disposable time (which is at home) 6. These are always going to be a generation behind the at-home model... even with the PSP. 7. Because they are a generation behind, the games are fine, but not as good. 8. more reasons, but am supposed to be working...
The price point is aimed at adults. The games will be aimed at adults. But, I THINK, adults aren't as interested as they think they are...
Nintendo owns this market because they're cheap, the batteries last long, and they KNOW kids.
Ok... I hear you. It's M rated, you should take an active interest in your kids, etc. etc. etc. This is a very shallow arguement that does not take the rest of America and the world in mind, only your little corner. I'm all for personal responsibility, but let's call it like it is, not like we view it to be.
Here are the facts:
1. Half of all marriages end in divorce. Many, many of these have kids. One parent tries to woo the kid by giving them what they want. The other does the same. Pretty soon the kid has GTA... (this is not remote, it's common)
2. The number of children born outside of marriage is approaching (or overtaking) the number born within marriage. There are millions of kids out there with no dads. Mom works... or doesn't. Leaves the kids at home... to do??? Get's GTA.
3. Many parents are idiots. The buy into all of this stuff that you guys are saying. Like... it's not real... or it's only in a video game... any healthy person can tell the difference... They buy their kids GTA.
Don't take this post for what it's not... it's a simple statement of fact. Half or more of the kids in the country right now do not have responsible parents that are capable keeping this game out of their kids hands for whatever reason... and yes... it's their fault. But, your answer, to ignore it, won't work forever. Sure, Lieberman is a moron, but at least somebody is not naive enough to ignore this fact.
Someone, somewhere needs to wake up and realize that the dream world we live in, where everyone has two parents and a dog and goes to church on Sunday is not America anymore. Someone has to start encouraging society to at least set some sort of standards for itself. I'm one of the last people to want this to happen, but I see the wisdom in at least approaching the subject.
I would have to question to sense of number 1. I mean, it sounds great and all... but is not practical for several reasons.
1. One of the primary reasons to make robots is to do military work where it is unsafe for humans to be involved. For example, a raid on a secret base... or even a drug house, where it is suspected the occupants will be carrying fire arms. I don't think we would send a multi-million dollar robot in there without the ability to kick some serious tail... but if we wouldn't do that, but had the technology to, it wouldn't be too long after someone's kid died, and the rest of our country/world realized a properly armed robot could have done it instead.
2. And this is the same arguement used for guns. Ok... so we (the civilized world) agree to never build a robot that could hurt someone (and then all smoke dope and smell flowers). Who's going to stop the rest of the world from doing so and taking a real advantage over us. It's the idea of "if we outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns."
3. Since law 2 and 3 rely on law one... and also on the idea that no one would ever break the (civilized) rules. They are equally absurd.
Slashdot Mirror
FYI
John Kerry has the MOST liberal voting record in the senate. Edwards is not far behind. They are the DEMS candidates.
Nancy Pelosi is also extreeeeeeeeeemly liberal... another leader.
In fact, rather than going down this road. Name one conservative democrat in power. Zell Miller (resigning and voting for Bush)... now name one more... can't... that's because if you're a democrat, you can't run for a big office unless you're pro-choice, pro-homosexual marraige, pro-socialism (essentially)
It is either lack of knowledge or lack of looking that causes you to make such a blatantly false statement.
Now ask another question. How many republicans do you know that are pro-choice, pro-homosexual marraige, etc... and you really believe that the dems are the moderates?
Just pointing something out to all of you...
There's a lot of, "it doesn't matter if you see it or not, you haven't seen it all so we're still right" comments here...
This is exactly what you guys get onto Christians about. It's called faith - the belief in something that is not seen... and surprise, you're displaying it right now... it's just that it's in the other side of the coin.
This is not meant to start a fight, just point out (what I think is) Hypocrisy.
I think I've got an easy solution for you... though it may trouble you for a while.
Drop Broadband - this will hurt a little, but when they do get you at home, you won't be able to help them because you can't connect to the company network.
Drop Pager - why would you need a pager for non-company use anyway... unless your a drug king.
Drop Cell Phone - This hurts too... but the first time they need you and you're not available, they'll reconsider this decision.
Of course... and I would not condone this as I think truthfulness is ALWAYS the best option... you could just say you did the above.
The problem seems to arise from basic differences between films and games as forms of media.
Yeah right!
The problem is that they just aren't making good games based on these... linear or non-linear. The common assumption is... if we put "The Hulk" or "The Matrix" on it, it will sell itself. So they tend to concentrate more on the brand than the quality of the game itself.
I have a solution! Are you listening movie and game companies? Concentrate on quality as much or more than the brand! I know that sounds hard... but it's not. Developers do that on just about every other game out there.
Could it be that Microsoft is realizing that Rare is just too much like Nintendo (family friendly, quality over bottom line, etc.)???... or that it was really Nintendo that made Rare strong? Remember that some of their best games were Nintendo properties. It could be that Rare is better at bringing the ideas of others to life than bringing the ideas themselves.
Perhaps this is just Microsoft making the most out of a potentially failing investment... perhaps Nintendo knew that Rare's image would be hard to re-shape... and knew getting rid of them would kill Rare... perhaps I'm just rambling.
It's really sad to see what universities and colleges are turning into. I was a major in Contemporary Music at a college in Illinois for two years. It didn't take long to find out that the only reason that they have the degree is:
a) Get people into college that don't want to be in college because it's no fun
b) Get people away from other colleges w/o fun degrees
The problem is... the effects of the previous are:
a) People who shouldn't be in college (especially a private one where I was) show up, don't want to be in class and pretty much make a separate class for themselves (the people who just don't care or want to be here)
b) Nobody likes them because they're just there for fun
c) They pay a lot for something that is completely worthless (except for the Liberal Arts stuff that they weren't paying attention to)
d) There is no merit to the degree and the school is knowingly setting 99% of the students up for failure.
e) They tend to become popular (like sports) and take away from the truly academic leanings of the school.
f) The best and most creative get the jobs, period. It's not like teaching, where you have to have a degree to do it.
This computer games thing is exactly the same situation. People will come to it to... Gasp... have fun... not learn... not become part of the institution... they then hurt the institution overall by lowering expectations, education levels, success rates after school, etc... but they are a big draw.
I say... leave these things to trade schools and bring back to colleges and universities the things that make our schools the best in the world... EDUCATION!
Yeah... his is a great arguement, but this isn't a different medium than movies, tv, computer games, etc. They are all visual and watched through a TV set or monitor. Most video games are full of FMV's, many from popular movies. Why can you not discuss censorship just because the movie is played on a ps2 rather than a dvd player?... oh wait... both are DVD players.
These arguements are just attempts to change the subject and not deal with the matter at hand.
I may be the only person who sees the Sony as (possibly) failing with the PSP. I think the PS2 has had a great life, but the latter part of it (the part we're in) is nothing to write home about.
Sony, I think, more than Nintendo and Microsoft, is badly in need of something that will prove itself at about this time. Since the PS3 is not going to come out a whole year before the competition, they had better give more reason to buy it than backwards compatibility. The PSP will also not have the same advantage from the start that the PS2 had...
Sony is still dominant, but hasn't given me much of a reason to buy into that dominance in the last several years. They simply enjoy a larger user base.
Nintendo is in somewhat of a similar situation, however, they don't need to worry about where the next generation gamers are going. Nintendo delivers quality... and there are a lot of people that live by that rule before all else (me included).
DS isn't a guaranteed hit either, but I think it's more guaranteed than the PSP.
Judging by the size of the hybrids that I've seen, I doubt that after being hit by any of the overly large gas guzzling SUV's on the road today, there will be much car to actually cut.
The problem with these things isn't the danger of electricity, it's the danger of being under my suburban!
Is anyone thinking the same thing?
We've seen pictures of the phantom, we know it's the most powerful thing out there, but we've yet to see any software.
We're about to see the XBOX2's software, which is arguably (according to MS) the best in the world EVAR!!!!!, but will not see any hardware.
Maybe the two companies should join together and actually make a full console?
Or maybe I should go back to work and quit trying so hard at humor.
I realize that the parent post is not about conservative or liberal bias in the media... but since he mentions it, let's look at that shall we.
These quotes are all over the web:
"The numbers are stark. Over 90 percent of reporters vote Democrat. The numbers are even higher among editors and White House correspondents. Democrat faculty outnumber Republicans 9 to 1." - PoliPundant
With 90% voting democrat, it's a wonder that people don't laugh when Howard Dean says such lunacy as you (kinda) quoted. Oh wait... they do. You can claim that both sides say the media is biased... and I'm sure that there are some who do, but the FACTS speak against it. The media is completely liberal... and the FACTS prove that. With that said, I think it invalidates your arguement. I think that there are plenty of FACTS that show whether the media is biased against Nintendo or not. This doesn't have to be a "well you perceive it one way and I another" question.
Here's how you do it. Take a sampling of the last 100 articles in the mainstream gaming press for GC, XBox, and PS2 and mark whether they were possitive or not... or poll the media and see which systems they are playing. I think GC would wind up the clear loser there, proving that there is a bias... but I haven't done the research.
Nintendo clearly was launching the DS when they were to take the attention away from the PSP... even if the DS doesn't succeed, the PSP would not have gotten all of the news (or attention). It was simply a marketing strategy designed to steal the PSP's initial thunder.
I think that the reason they are delaying is that by the new release date, the DS will be out for a couple of months... therefore, the DS will quiet down enough for Sony to get the media coverage they desire again.
I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo delays the DS launch as a result.
Well... the subject line may be a bit much, but Sly Cooper definitely deserved more attention than it got. I love all three of these series, but Sly has got to be the most creative, the most polished, the most interesting, and the most original. Hopefully, Sony won't change much of the formula as a result of this games limited sucess.
Again, both Jaks and both Ratchets are great games, but I'm not sure that I'd call either original. Sly actually adds a great deal of new ideas to the Super Mario genre.
Wow... could it be that in a few years, traditional eye doctors will become obsolete, replaced by scientists and machine assemblers who never see a patient. I'm taking this from the guy who said he could see these next to the blood pressure machine in wal-mart.
Could this be the writing on the wall for any similar "traditionally" professional occupations. If this is the case for eye doctors, which I'm sure didn't "SEE" this coming, I wonder what's next. Could there be a machine that analyzes your blood and prescribes through a vending machine your prescription?
OR... could I be thinking the insane thinking that many slashdotters and other people do when this type of thing is first invented.
Remember that cars were going to fly long before the year 2000.
This is further proof that MS should have just let this one go. This is again front page news on slashdot, which they may not care about... I also bet that this is news in any of those countries (which lindows wouldn't have had)... plus all of the tech journals in the US and Europe, plus it'll probably second page news on many sites and papers... AND it's one more reason all of the geeks have to hate Microsoft for being a big dumb bully.
Microsoft has from the beginning of this, given Roberson(SP?) (Lindows CEO) more free advertising opportunities than his product could have ever given him.
Keep it up Microsoft... one of these shots in the foot will keep you from walking!
I work for a meeting-happy fortune 500 company and here's what I've learned about it. The only way to stay out of pointless meetings is to not have them happen in the first place!
There are many people in depts that I work with who meet 8-5 monday through friday. These people constantly try to include you in meetings and frequently try to set up recurring meetings (the real beasts). You can sit through these things and try to be "cutting edge" or you can sleep... or whatever, but there's always the same outcome. Nothing gets done. This is because these people live to meet. That's what they identify their importance at their jobs by... "Whooo... it was a busy day... I HAD MEETINGS ALL DAY!!!"
Ok... here's how you do it. If it's a customer in the company (or another)... you HAVE to do the following:
1. ALWAYS APPEAR BUSY - of course you're not... but you have to give this impression. They know that as a developer, your time is important... and if they think that the meeting will really set you back, they're less likely to schedule it.
2. If it's more of a when can we do it meeting... take care of it (or start and have the answer to it) before you get there. This leads to shorter meetings. Then remind them... "I'm busy... I have to get back and work."
3. A recurring meeting is something you fight as though your life depended on it. These things will suck the life out of you... do whatever you can to convince the customer this isn't neccessary.
There you have it... not the complete list, but a good start.
Nintendo today, released to the open source community the source code for the virtual boy smash hit "Panic Bomber".
From Nintendo VP of Open Source, "We feel that we're doing the world a service by releasing such a popular game to the masses for their free consumption and alteration."
Linus Torvalds says, "The open source community has a new friend in Nintendo. Of course, releasing a free dev kit for the gamecube would be nice, but this... this is even better. We can now program for the virtual boy."
Slashdot user TechBoy880 had this to say, "My life is now complete... I can now mod my favorite game of all time. Now we just need to press Nintendo to release the hardware specs and a dev kit to go along with this..."
I wonder if anyone here has a problem with the fact that the government restricts the sale of Alcohol and Tobacco to minors... I mean, afterall, I want to choose what my kids smoke or drink, not the government.
/.ers are stuck with number one.. which in my opinion, is a problem with denial. Because of this, you guys will be surprised when the answer to number 2 is enforced... and it will be because you weren't in the debate.
To this, I would just like to ask one question.
Is there a time when enough parents are not policing themselves or their children in where society is forced to react?
There are numerous studies proving the effect of violent videogames on minors. There are, to my knowledge, no ligitimate studies proving the opposite... however, untold millions of kids have games like Grand Theft Auto, BloodRayne, Manhunt and what not. If we know it's bad... if society can be harmed by it (not just the child themselves), and if WE KNOW that many parents are not restricting their kids from these purchases, what else can we do?
Perhaps at one point, it was a good idea to let a parent monitor their child's alcohol usage. Afterall, a drop here and there won't kill anyone...or make them alcoholics. However, we've seen that this approach doesn't work (oh sure, I know it worked for you and your parents, but we have to generalize about some things). At some point, someone stands back and has to make the call that the current system isn't working... then we have to decide what to do about it.
Now, there are two potential answers.
1. There is no problem.
2. There is a problem, what can we do about it?
I'm afraid that most
"...and our strategy is clearly to have more devices."
Step 1. More Devices
Step 2.
Step 3. Profit
Here's the thing. Voice control is great if it works... and if it's not tied to simply five or even fifty commands. I think if someone's talking to you in your game, you should be able to talk back freely... and I'm sure that's where it's going. Here's my problem however:
:)
I'm playing the game with virtually the same joystick that I played the atari 2600 with. Sure, it has a couple of more buttons, but that's about it (and yes, digital and analog blah blah). In fact, with Kirby and some other new games, one button is all you need.
Voice control is about immersion. And Further Immersion into the game is a good thing... However, the industry is bad this way. The immersive controls (like those where you stand or tilt) don't sell well so they don't invest into them. Joysticks do well by default... there's nothing else. Because there's an immediate payoff with the voice features, we'll have to settle for only partial immersion... and still play with ancient controllers.
This is why I love the eyetoy. It's completely useless, sure... but could lead the way to real complete immersion into video games.
Just a rant... no point really
Of course ( and no offense ) the same applies to deer hunters.
2.a. deer-hunters are seen by the rest of society as lazy and dumb... so are naturally good targets.
In other news, runner dies of heart attack during morning jog.
2 points.
1. You can get hurt or die regardless of who you are and what you're doing.
2. This is only a story becuase of 2 other reasons.
2.a. Video-gamers are seen by the rest of society as lazy and dumb... so are naturally good targets.
2.b. This doesn't happen often so it's news.
Of course, the PSP and whatever's next will be in the same boat.
Here's why I think this:
Home gaming seems to be for adults and older kids. Supposedly, the average age of a gamer is over 20, etc. etc. etc. This is, as far as I know, with consoles (home) not portables.
The only people I see with gameboys are kids. They carry them in there backpacks, pockets, whatever... they play them in backseats (because they don't drive), they play them in school, church, wherever.
Adults (save a few... I actually have a gba -- but rarely play it) don't fit in well to the portable market for the following reasons:
1. They drive
2. They listen when they go to meetings, classes for work, church, etc.
3. They go home after work and CAN take over the tv set
4. Because of 3, would rather play on a 50" tv than a 3" LCD Screen.
5. Why buy something for the same price on one of these when I'd rather play a better one on a bigger screen at my only disposable time (which is at home)
6. These are always going to be a generation behind the at-home model... even with the PSP.
7. Because they are a generation behind, the games are fine, but not as good.
8. more reasons, but am supposed to be working...
The price point is aimed at adults. The games will be aimed at adults. But, I THINK, adults aren't as interested as they think they are...
Nintendo owns this market because they're cheap, the batteries last long, and they KNOW kids.
Ok... I hear you. It's M rated, you should take an active interest in your kids, etc. etc. etc. This is a very shallow arguement that does not take the rest of America and the world in mind, only your little corner. I'm all for personal responsibility, but let's call it like it is, not like we view it to be.
Here are the facts:
1. Half of all marriages end in divorce.
Many, many of these have kids. One parent tries to woo the kid by giving them what they want. The other does the same. Pretty soon the kid has GTA... (this is not remote, it's common)
2. The number of children born outside of marriage is approaching (or overtaking) the number born within marriage.
There are millions of kids out there with no dads. Mom works... or doesn't. Leaves the kids at home... to do??? Get's GTA.
3. Many parents are idiots. The buy into all of this stuff that you guys are saying. Like... it's not real... or it's only in a video game... any healthy person can tell the difference...
They buy their kids GTA.
Don't take this post for what it's not... it's a simple statement of fact. Half or more of the kids in the country right now do not have responsible parents that are capable keeping this game out of their kids hands for whatever reason... and yes... it's their fault. But, your answer, to ignore it, won't work forever. Sure, Lieberman is a moron, but at least somebody is not naive enough to ignore this fact.
Someone, somewhere needs to wake up and realize that the dream world we live in, where everyone has two parents and a dog and goes to church on Sunday is not America anymore. Someone has to start encouraging society to at least set some sort of standards for itself. I'm one of the last people to want this to happen, but I see the wisdom in at least approaching the subject.
I would have to question to sense of number 1. I mean, it sounds great and all... but is not practical for several reasons.
1. One of the primary reasons to make robots is to do military work where it is unsafe for humans to be involved. For example, a raid on a secret base... or even a drug house, where it is suspected the occupants will be carrying fire arms. I don't think we would send a multi-million dollar robot in there without the ability to kick some serious tail... but if we wouldn't do that, but had the technology to, it wouldn't be too long after someone's kid died, and the rest of our country/world realized a properly armed robot could have done it instead.
2. And this is the same arguement used for guns. Ok... so we (the civilized world) agree to never build a robot that could hurt someone (and then all smoke dope and smell flowers). Who's going to stop the rest of the world from doing so and taking a real advantage over us. It's the idea of "if we outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns."
3. Since law 2 and 3 rely on law one... and also on the idea that no one would ever break the (civilized) rules. They are equally absurd.