The all around awesome girl we all know and love, Virtual Girl, has a new article up on The Girls Entertainment Network detailing her final project for her ethics class. We've all come to expect great things from her after all of the amazing pieces she has done, and this is no different. Well, it is different in the sense that this isn't an actual art piece. But it is amazing nonetheless.
Virtual Girl has designed a Web site called Beyond the Hype aimed to be the go to guide in helping parents and the like cut through the bullshit that the media gives videogames and help people make intelligent decisions based off a collection of research all in one easy place:
To achieve this, the content on my web project encompasses many subjects. When you visit Beyond the Hype you can read about the history of the video game, learn about some common misconceptions and sift through facts and figures about the industry. You will also find more information about the self-regulatory body for the industry – the ESRB – as well as information on retail enforcement and methods of self-regulation. I also touch on the video game legislation that it is my ultimate goal to avoid.
I have to admit, there were some interesting facts here that I had no idea about. Such as the fact that Pinball machines were used for illegal gambling and were banned in a lot of places. The design of the Web site is very simplistic too, which is great for parents who don't understand the Internets.
[Via The Girls Entertainment Network]
Hamza Aziz, Destructoid's Community Director, has been here since day one. He was born when a tiger coughed up a hairball into a pool of ooze. He was one of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before budget cuts. Hamza works as a previews editor and manages a team in San Francisco. To date he has given away tens of thousands of dollars in prizes to readers. What a dick. Actually, Hamza is as kind as he is hairy.
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Contest:
11:46 PM on 01.21.2008
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Trust me, they will understand.
(for hardcore gamrz, Dtoid of cours)
What you said.
As an aside: Isn't it a slow ass news day?
This may help with a dissertation idea I've been cooking up.
THANK YOU!
Site design quables aside though, this is a great idea and something we need to see more of.
Noel Bushnell sits down one day and creates a murder simulator called; "Pong".
This causes a chain reaction of murders throughout the next two decades. With the Light Gun being the man offender.
In the 80's, Leisure Suit Larry spawns the AIDS epidemic by spitting AIDS in someone's eye.
In 2004, Bully's source code burns down a synagogue, while eating a canned ham.
3 years later, BioWare creates the hard core porn in space simulator; "Mass Effect"
If a parent is too stupid to simply read a rating on the front of a game box, there is no chance in hell they are going to get on the internet, find a website like this and read up on the subject.
Oh, and JESUS FUCK THE TEXT! WHO DECIDED ON THAT COLOR SCHEME!?!
@Liqidoes: That is how I heard it!
@Boolean: I decided on the color scheme and I stick by it! Unfortunately, I can't please everyone and don't bother to try! Criticism does not bother me much, especially when I know that I went out of my way to try and make a positive change in the industry that I love! The fact that I made that attempt more than compensates for any negative reviews!
@Everyone else: Glad you like!
sorry this is long, the site needs more, but good idea.
The site's a good start. I'm afraid I doubt it's going to make much of an impact as is, though. It's going to need a lot more exposure and information and it'd need to have more content being added to it. It's a good piece in the puzzle. It seems like there's a number of places, such as GamePolitics or GamerDad, amongst others, who are also good pieces... I just wish they could all gather in one place, so outsiders could get a more complete picture.
Well done, Meagan.
I mean the links. They burn with the power of a million suns.
And no matter what you do, NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, DESIGN YOUR WEBSITE IN FLASH. In fact, don't even consider using Flash. Uninstall it, take it back to the shop and get a refund. Perform a purification ritual on your computer. Pray for your website's soul.
Lol.
@Virtualgirl
Excellent job. You have made the Robolord happy.
Well done in getting the cold hard facts together in such a presentable form.
It must have been extremely tough to write without letting your passion for games come through in what you were trying to say.
However, I do have to agree with Spongbros that the actual design of the website, though initially user-friendly, is hampered by the lack of true accessibility. This may not be of any effect to your grade, but if it is I suggest you visit http://www.w3.org/ for information on how to create a site that follows their Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.
I would ask you to not be part of the problem as well. Like I said, I can handle criticism and appreciate it to a certain degree, but what do you hope to achieve by knocking down someone's hard work, especially if I already addressed the issues you are moaning about? What bothers me more than your critisism of my project is the meathod you went about presenting it. I guess I just don't understand the point of bitching for the sake of it. If you have some beef with my project you could at least go about the critique in a helpful manner like Sharpless and JimJam. Also like I said above, I am consoled by the fact that I got off my ass and tried to do something positive.
I don't understand why legislation is a bad thing to keep games out of the hands of minors. My 13 year old nephew can't rent an "R" rated movie from blockbuster (and he's tried) because they can get in trouble if caught. Why should video games be any different than other forms of entertainment (movies, strip clubs, alcohol, cigarettes, porn mags) if we want it to be treated as an adult form of entertainment? As long as they aren't preventing people that are "of age" to purchase M rated titles, why should anyone care?
"If you want to be taken seriously, you might want to present yourself as a serious subject matter expert. " We are GAMERS who PLAY games. GAMING.... which is a fun thing to do. Not an ethics paper.
VG is showing her personality and her love of gaming which is why she posted that picture up there. I think that it is exactly the sort of things that she needs. Someone who actually GAMES talking about gaming. Someone who is a gamer, and a passionate one, doing the research and proving a point.
This isn't rocket science. She's not going for a Noble Peace Prize. It's a college project that she put a TON of time, energy and heart into.
While I understand a bit of critisism, I can't understand the lengths to which many of you are posting here. It's a school project which VG, who is a GRAPHIC DESIGN major not a website creator, did an AMAZING job on! We should be thankful that she chose our hobby to focus on in her projects as it leaves us with so many incredible things to be in awe of.
The reason "anyone cares" is because accepting this legislation is in a way giving our consent to the belief that video games as a whole are detrimental to our society. While some games are obviously inappropriate for minors, the majority are fine for them to play. If we allow Wisconsin to apply a Tax to all video games and game consoles that will give the proceeds to juvenile criminals, what kind of a message are we sending?
"If you want to be taken seriously, you might want to present yourself as a serious subject matter expert. " We are GAMERS who PLAY games. GAMING.... which is a fun thing to do. Not an ethics paper.
VG is showing her personality and her love of gaming which is why she posted that picture up there. I think that it is exactly the sort of things that she needs. Someone who actually GAMES talking about gaming. Someone who is a gamer, and a passionate one, doing the research and proving a point.
This isn't rocket science. She's not going for a Noble Peace Prize. It's a college project that she put a TON of time, energy and heart into.
While I understand a bit of critisism, I can't understand the lengths to which many of you are posting here. It's a school project which VG, who is a GRAPHIC DESIGN major not a website creator, did an AMAZING job on! We should be thankful that she chose our hobby to focus on in her projects as it leaves us with so many incredible things to be in awe of.
But I like the cute icons on the bottom left.
I find this to be the biggest problem with the video game crowd. They cry that they aren't taken seriously and are "adults" who game, yet act juvenile and don't understand why they aren't taken seriously.
I'm a "passionate" gamer and have been playing games for probably longer than most of the readers on this site have been alive. The problem is not that the article is attempting to be a "nobel peace prize" award winner, but as it's attempting to reach out and be a informational piece to other "adults" presenting one's self as an "adult" would go some ways to credibility.
We don't see Chad C, going on TV shows giddily yammering on about dolphin ratings of VC games because that would be unprofessional and he knows he'd be laughed off of the TV.
"why are the ESRB ratings not good enough to keep "M" rated games out of his hands?"
Because the ESRB is useless and too small. It has no clout in Washington, DC,is a "U.S.-Centric" entit, and is not really treated with much legitimacy (much like the FSA). The MPAA/MPA is an international entity that has enough clout and power that it can wag the dog.
The backlash all comes and goes in waves, first it was movies, then music (Rock n' Roll, Elvis, Public Enemy, etc), and now video games.
I do have a question though, just out of curiousity. How many times have you voted in all the elections since you've been able to?
@JamnOnTheOne: You really think that using a photo (which is the one I used on the Video Game Voters Network Wall of Protest) negates all the other work I have done? I hardly think that a photo - which I included on the GEN site and NOT in the actual Beyond the Hype website for a reason - completely discredits me. The article I wrote for GEN was catered to that audience. The people who visit GEN are lighthearted and fun. The picture is appropriate for them. I intentionally included very little about myself on the original project to avoid any problems.
I am an adult. I am married, I own a home and am financially secure. I also have fun, play games and am proud of who I am. I hope I never become one of these adults that you speak of. I think I can be intelligent and fun at the same time. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Not that it is any of your business, or that you have a right to question me, but I have been voting since I was 18, even in small local elections.
I have to leave for an interview, I look forward to reading your responses.
This is an internet message board where people ask questions and have spirited discussion, I can certain pose a harmless question to you about voting ;-D. If I asked something private, then that would be overstepping the bounds.
I asked about your voting to confirm that you are actively taking part in the election process. Nothing infuriates me more than idiots that "want their voice heard" or like to get on pedestals yet sit at home on their thumbs come election day. Had you said you have never voted, I would have lumped you directly into the "adult" crowd I spoke about. Good for you.
In regards to the photo, I would hope that you ensure that if you were to submit your piece as a resource you personally ensure that it wasn't linked from the other website. The problem with posting content to the internet for certain sites because they "get it" is that the content can come back to bite you if you intend on "making a difference" and to be taken seriously. It doesn't take much for someone to "Right-Click --> Save As" on pictures/comments/etc and then be able to destroy credibility. Having worked on some local campaigns, it's unfortunate when someone's message can be ruined by a photo or post on a website.
It's not "awareness" that gives an establishment like the ESRB clout...It's money and lobbyists. Unless gamers are willing to actually financially help out the ESRB to become a behemouth like the MPAA/RIAA (which they may not want to be - they may be content to just sit around and rate games), raising awareness will only get you so far. As for resorting directly to legislation, the program has been around for almost 14 years...In the meantime, if the ESRB is going to be any kind of defense against game censorship, it needs to start acting like it. So far it is serving as an instrument of the pressure groups working for game censorship far more than it is serving as a deterrent from governmental censorship.
I personally don't feel that restricting sales of "M" rated games from minors is "censorship". Though if the ESRB was acting appropriately, they would lobby (there's that word again) the politicians to make it an across the board restriction on movies, music, etc. in addition to video games or nothing at all.
Then again how many voting age "gamers" are a) going to know about the bills, b) are going to actually write a letter (not an email) to a representative/congressperson c) vote out someone from office that they disagree with the policies on. It unfortunate that the youth have become such a non-factor in the voting process. I wonder how many people that have posted in this thread and/or that complain about policies (other than you and I) that actually get out there and vote, send letters, etc?
*coughs*
Can you please explain how a picture of a gamer girl holding her DS and making a kissy face is going to destroy ANYONE's credibility. I'm just curious.