I did not have sexual relations with that woman.
Not only did the words of Winston Churchill live on in infamy, but the words of Bill Clinton will live on in infamy. I did not have sexual relations with that woman will be a phrase that will live on longer than the memory of Bill Clinton. Spin is nothing new in life. It may be that we are all so attuned to the use of spin, or, misguided by political propaganda, that many people tend to just ignore when it happens. One of the things that happened to gaming this year was the use of spin by Rockstar games to cover their arses when they made a mistake. I can't remember another moment like this in gaming and, unfortunately, it seems to be something that was just digested by people and forgotten shortly after it happened. For that seems to be the way people cope with garbage in. I must say, from the start, that I am a fan of Rockstar. I think they are one of the software houses who are producing better than average quality games. I am a big fan of Max Payne and a fan of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but I am not someone who simply forgets. I guess it is a sure sign that the industry in which we all participate in has become a part of that giant corporate beast when a marketing department feels the need to deceive the public with regards to a stupid mistake.
The whole controversy was sparked by a mod called "Hot Coffee" for Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. I'm sure I don't have to go into what the mod did, unless, of course, you have been living under a rock(star). Rockstar originally said that the modders had added the content in to the game rather than the mod unlocking content that was already in the code. "We are deeply concerned that the publicity surrounding these unauthorized modifications has caused the game to be misrepresented to the public and has detracted from the creative merits of this award winning product," said Mr. Eibeler. At the time that Rockstar made this statement they were telling the public, and more importantly, the gaming public a giant porky. Furthermore, they said that the mod was in violation of the End User License Agreement (and if this is the case then any mod for this game, including the multiplayer mod and other mods that have been released for it) would be illegal under the EULA. What we have here is a corporation which would not own up to its own indiscretion and decided to blame the gaming public for their own mistakes. What we have here is a definite case of a company trying to add spin to a situation to get themselves out of the responsibility of their own actions. It happens all the time, but as far as I know, had not happened in gaming. This, as far as I am concerned, is more about a system with no ethics or moral obligation to its customers. Where do they get off? Their immediate concern was to protect their share price with regards to the controversy which they had created by leaving the illicit code in the game.
"Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) announced today that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the rating of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on all platforms from "Mature 17+" (M) to "Adults Only 18+" (AO) because of the so-called "hot coffee mod," an unauthorized third party modification that alters the retail version of the game. Take-Two cooperated fully with the ESRB's investigation." A Take-Two press release stated.
As far as I am concerned this is not about the illicit content. I don't really care that it is included in the game, but Rockstar have a moral obligation to their customers to ensure that the user gets what they paid for. The game has an M+ rating in Australia which means that it is suitable for the ages of 15 and over. However, that will not stop parents from purchasing the game for their children who are under 15. As far as I am concerned that is their choice. However, parents should be concerned that their children can unlock pornographic content in game when purchasing something in good faith. But, like the words of Bill Clinton, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman", Rockstar intended to spin their response to the general public before admitting that the code was included in game. If the code wasn't included in the game and was only included in the "Hot Coffee" mod then there would have been no need for the company to pull the game from the shelves and release a new version without the illicit content.
I think it is a sad state of affairs that gamers did not spend more time debating these spin based publicity tactics used by such a reputable software company. As far as I am concerned, it is the gamers who suffer more than anything else. As consumers we should demand that those companies which we make rich by purchasing their products operate with honesty and not utilize spin in order to pull the wool over our eyes. The other thing that annoys me about this is that Rockstar could not just say, "Well, we made a mistake. We are sorry buy we made a stupid error." This would have been the easiest way to deal with it. I make mistakes all the time, just as everyone does. That is a way of life. No one is perfect. Just as corporations are not. A little bit of honesty from the start would have made Rockstar stand out above others who utilize spin in order to control the public perceptions of a negative situation.
Not only did the words of Winston Churchill live on in infamy, but the words of Bill Clinton will live on in infamy. I did not have sexual relations with that woman will be a phrase that will live on longer than the memory of Bill Clinton. Spin is nothing new in life. It may be that we are all so attuned to the use of spin, or, misguided by political propaganda, that many people tend to just ignore when it happens. One of the things that happened to gaming this year was the use of spin by Rockstar games to cover their arses when they made a mistake. I can't remember another moment like this in gaming and, unfortunately, it seems to be something that was just digested by people and forgotten shortly after it happened. For that seems to be the way people cope with garbage in. I must say, from the start, that I am a fan of Rockstar. I think they are one of the software houses who are producing better than average quality games. I am a big fan of Max Payne and a fan of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but I am not someone who simply forgets. I guess it is a sure sign that the industry in which we all participate in has become a part of that giant corporate beast when a marketing department feels the need to deceive the public with regards to a stupid mistake.
The whole controversy was sparked by a mod called "Hot Coffee" for Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. I'm sure I don't have to go into what the mod did, unless, of course, you have been living under a rock(star). Rockstar originally said that the modders had added the content in to the game rather than the mod unlocking content that was already in the code. "We are deeply concerned that the publicity surrounding these unauthorized modifications has caused the game to be misrepresented to the public and has detracted from the creative merits of this award winning product," said Mr. Eibeler. At the time that Rockstar made this statement they were telling the public, and more importantly, the gaming public a giant porky. Furthermore, they said that the mod was in violation of the End User License Agreement (and if this is the case then any mod for this game, including the multiplayer mod and other mods that have been released for it) would be illegal under the EULA. What we have here is a corporation which would not own up to its own indiscretion and decided to blame the gaming public for their own mistakes. What we have here is a definite case of a company trying to add spin to a situation to get themselves out of the responsibility of their own actions. It happens all the time, but as far as I know, had not happened in gaming. This, as far as I am concerned, is more about a system with no ethics or moral obligation to its customers. Where do they get off? Their immediate concern was to protect their share price with regards to the controversy which they had created by leaving the illicit code in the game.
"Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) announced today that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the rating of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on all platforms from "Mature 17+" (M) to "Adults Only 18+" (AO) because of the so-called "hot coffee mod," an unauthorized third party modification that alters the retail version of the game. Take-Two cooperated fully with the ESRB's investigation." A Take-Two press release stated.
As far as I am concerned this is not about the illicit content. I don't really care that it is included in the game, but Rockstar have a moral obligation to their customers to ensure that the user gets what they paid for. The game has an M+ rating in Australia which means that it is suitable for the ages of 15 and over. However, that will not stop parents from purchasing the game for their children who are under 15. As far as I am concerned that is their choice. However, parents should be concerned that their children can unlock pornographic content in game when purchasing something in good faith. But, like the words of Bill Clinton, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman", Rockstar intended to spin their response to the general public before admitting that the code was included in game. If the code wasn't included in the game and was only included in the "Hot Coffee" mod then there would have been no need for the company to pull the game from the shelves and release a new version without the illicit content.
I think it is a sad state of affairs that gamers did not spend more time debating these spin based publicity tactics used by such a reputable software company. As far as I am concerned, it is the gamers who suffer more than anything else. As consumers we should demand that those companies which we make rich by purchasing their products operate with honesty and not utilize spin in order to pull the wool over our eyes. The other thing that annoys me about this is that Rockstar could not just say, "Well, we made a mistake. We are sorry buy we made a stupid error." This would have been the easiest way to deal with it. I make mistakes all the time, just as everyone does. That is a way of life. No one is perfect. Just as corporations are not. A little bit of honesty from the start would have made Rockstar stand out above others who utilize spin in order to control the public perceptions of a negative situation.
posted by thecynicalgamer @ 12:10 pm
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