The bit I saw in Fahrenheit was still creepy, considering you can increase the "pace" by pushing buttons. (Indigo Prophecy, the US version, doesn't have this)
Not to say that I agree entirely with tendo82 on this, but your response leaves out the possibility that the company in question placed sexual content in the game, knowing full well that it would attract the attention of various social critics, thus banking on the free publicity the criticism would bring. Just because the advertising is not blatant, doesn't mean that it wasn't intended to have the same effect. From tendo82's examples, I would probably leave out Mass Effect, because I didn't get that impression from their marketing of the game (though the potential for sex was well publicized by the games media, so I can only assume that EA's marketing people made the knowledge available in pre-release material), but Rockstar frequently gives me the impression that they are aiming for exactly the kind of attention their games receive.oneplus999 said:You say this, but then immediately acknowledge that for the major instances of the last few years it was not the case. In San Andreas, Mass Effect, AND Bully, I saw no advertising for sex by the company that made the game. I'm not saying its necessarily false, but next time you make a contentious point and follow it by examples, the examples should probably illustrate the point, not contradict it. You appear to be confusing a multi billion dollar industry with your local radio media-whoring shock jocks. Game developers are in it to make money, not get sued and make gaming look bad.tendo82 said:games that will have publicized censorships will have received that treatment because they were looking for negative attention as a sales tool
Yeah, that did occur to me afterwards, but as a computer programmer, and having played the hot coffee mod, I submit the following opinions:Geoffrey42 said:your response leaves out the possibility that the company in question placed sexual content in the game, knowing full well that it would attract the attention of various social critics
So basically, you're saying, "I'm against censorship, unless they're censoring something that I don't like."SilentScope001 said:The problem is threefolds:
(1) We only got a limited amount of time to live in the world, so we can't afford to go and campagin for EVERY SINGLE ISSUE. This isn't the censorship of The Satanic Verses, this is censorship of a small part of a game that some people dislike. Games are for adults, but games are meant for fun, and we are sort of forgetting about that. The more time we go and vent and waste time campaging against this sort of thing, the less time we have actually playing the games and having fun.
(2)Suppose we do defend these ugly games with bad gameplay, and allow them them to keep ultra-violence and ultra-sex scenes. What do you think the game developers will do? They will assume, possibly rightfully, that people WANT ultra-violence and ultra-sex. After all, if they didn't, then people wouldn't have campagined for them. Therefore, more games will have them, even when they are usually not necessary...and we will suffer a lack of quality of the gaming experience, especially with very, very bad gameplay. Moral decency will go down the tube, and frankly, I know most people don't care, but when we have to deal with even more mind-numbing stupidity, my god...
(3)Related to Number 2, if we aid the gaming industry in defending THEIR free speech, we end up being tools for the gaming industry lobby, assisting them in producing whatever junk they got. That's the last thing I want to do.
I am in full defense of free speech (even the free speech of Fox and other anti-gaming advocates), but we have to be realistic and put this in prespective. If a game is in fact terrible, then expecting me to go and defend its freedom of speech to the death is rather presumptous. If the designer wants to protect his free speech, he can do so, by himself, but I have the right to tell the designer that he must stop using 'sex and violence' to sell games, and rather use gameplay and story.
Basically, pick and choose the battles that actually matter instead of rushing in and wasting your time, and in the process, not have fun.
Even not having played the game in question, I agree with your analysis of this one example. I don't think Hot Coffee was ever specifically intended to be part of their secret ad campaign.oneplus999 said:It just sounds like a conspiracy theory on way too many levels over at Rockstar for the stunt-story to be believed.
Those restrictions are there because they have the potential to cause harm, either mental/ pschological (fear, panic, etc.) or physical (trampled on the way out of the theatre).SilentScope001 said:Sure there is. Try screaming "Fire!" in a movie theater. Or walking naked in a store that prohibits people being naked in public.