Are you ready to be surprised when G4 broadcasts its third annual G-Phoria awards ceremony on Tuesday, August 9?
Well, too bad. G4 has gone and spoiled the surprise by releasing a list of the winners that were revealed at a Los Angeles ceremony last night.
Readers of this blog will know I'm no fan of Spike TV's Video Game Awards, but at least they didn't totally ruin the tension and surprise of the show by announcing all the winners a week and a half before the broadcast.
Unfortunately, G4 does seems to be following Spike's lead in the all-important area of product placement -- The "Alt Sports Award Fueled by Mountain Dew," "EB Gamers Choice Award," and the "Legend Award Presented by Jeep" really add to the prestige and grandeur of the event (Kudos to GameSpot for taking out this crass marketing in their listing of the winners).
While we're on the subject of categories, why is it "Favorite Character" when nearly every other category is "Best [something]?" Are you afraid of offending all the lesser characters? And while we're at it, how can there be a "Gamer's Choice Award" when, according to the release, every category was decided by "fans who cast more than 1 million votes online and via text message." And "Best Boss"? What is this, Nintendo Power?
I didn't catch thefirst two G-Phoria broadcasts, but I'll probably try to watch this one out of morbid curiosity. And to see who wins, of course.
In other G4 news, the company is looking for "exceptional geeks" to answer an open casting call for a new Attack of the Show host. Requirements include being "fast, funny, engaging, pleasant-looking enough to not scare more sensitive viewers, and confident." Also, you have to be a guy ("sorry, girls!" the posting proclaims). Finalists will get an unpaid (Joy!) guest host gig for a week before one is picked as the full time host. Should be interesting to watch.
In even further G4 news, Icons is excellent. I've been watching a lot of it on my newly acquired Tivo, and I've been consistently impressed with how focused and interesting it manages to be. Almost redeems the whole network, it does.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Bloody Errors
The Associated Press has a great human interest story about a blind 17-year-old gamer who routinely beats opponents with his back turned away from the screen. The article has one quote, though, that makes it seems like the story's author wasn't watching the screen either.
In describing a Soul Calibur II (the article misspells it "Soul Caliber") match, the author writes:
"'That's what happens. It's why I don't play him,' O'Banion said after his blood-spattered character's corpse vanishes from the screen." [emphasis added]
"Blood-spattered" is an interesting adjective to use, considering Time magazine described the game as "mercifully blood-free." Many fan reviews also point out the game's lack of blood, and anyone who has played or watched the "corpses" are remarkably unblemished after a loss.
It's likely that this throwaway line was just a bit of colorful embellishment on the part of an overzealous writer or editor, trying to punch up the copy long after the match took place. And given the fact that characters in SC2 are routinely hacked with extremely sharp weapons, it's easy to imagine how the faulty image of a bloody corpse might form in the author's memory. In the grand scheme of things, this small error doesn't really detract from the quality of the rest of the article.
But it can be just as important get the little things right as the big ones. Adding errors to the small details of your text can distract readers from the larger focus of the article, and make them doubt the rest of the facts. Given the extremely sensitive nature of the video game violence debate, errors like these can also serve as the basis for some truly baseless claims.
One of my journalism teachers always told us "If your mom tells you her name, ask to see some ID." It's an extreme example, but the point is clear: check everything, assume nothing.
In describing a Soul Calibur II (the article misspells it "Soul Caliber") match, the author writes:
"'That's what happens. It's why I don't play him,' O'Banion said after his blood-spattered character's corpse vanishes from the screen." [emphasis added]
"Blood-spattered" is an interesting adjective to use, considering Time magazine described the game as "mercifully blood-free." Many fan reviews also point out the game's lack of blood, and anyone who has played or watched the "corpses" are remarkably unblemished after a loss.
It's likely that this throwaway line was just a bit of colorful embellishment on the part of an overzealous writer or editor, trying to punch up the copy long after the match took place. And given the fact that characters in SC2 are routinely hacked with extremely sharp weapons, it's easy to imagine how the faulty image of a bloody corpse might form in the author's memory. In the grand scheme of things, this small error doesn't really detract from the quality of the rest of the article.
But it can be just as important get the little things right as the big ones. Adding errors to the small details of your text can distract readers from the larger focus of the article, and make them doubt the rest of the facts. Given the extremely sensitive nature of the video game violence debate, errors like these can also serve as the basis for some truly baseless claims.
One of my journalism teachers always told us "If your mom tells you her name, ask to see some ID." It's an extreme example, but the point is clear: check everything, assume nothing.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Now That's Sarcasm
Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad is Good for You, has an excellent commentary piece in today's Los Angeles Times defending Grand Theft Auto. He makes great use of sarcasm, statistics, and specific anecdotal examples to make a thoroughly convincing argument. Johnson expressed a similar sentiment on NPR's Fresh Air last week.
That remind me, I really have to pick up his book.
That remind me, I really have to pick up his book.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Thompson: Gaming News Sites Are Useful for Something
"Sims 2, the latest version of the Sims video game franchise ... contains, according to video game news sites [emphasis added], full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia, and pubic hair."
-Attorney Jack Thompson, as quoted in a Gamespot article
Nice to know that Thompson is willing to use the games press to his advantage, even while he refuses to speak to them unless it suits his purpose.
Also... what news sites is Thompson reading that include such graphic descriptions? Is he counting Sims 2 modding forums in with "gaming news sites?" Would I be surprised if he was?
The answer to that last one, by the way, is "no."
-Attorney Jack Thompson, as quoted in a Gamespot article
Nice to know that Thompson is willing to use the games press to his advantage, even while he refuses to speak to them unless it suits his purpose.
Also... what news sites is Thompson reading that include such graphic descriptions? Is he counting Sims 2 modding forums in with "gaming news sites?" Would I be surprised if he was?
The answer to that last one, by the way, is "no."
Friday, July 22, 2005
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Scorching!
A brief lesson in beverage dynamics, courtesy of the media headline writers.
Question: What can you do to "hot coffee"?
You can:
Question: What can you do to "hot coffee"?
You can:
- Spill it
- Cool it
- Let it get stale
- Brew it (and brew it again)
- Pour it
- Steam it (or get steamed over it)
- Heat it up
- Serve it
- Spit in it
- Stir it (and stir it again)
- Have a storm in a cup of it
- Choke on it
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