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Mass Effect SeXbox Feud Continues; Fox Responds, Says EA Ignoring Invitations
by Chris Faylor, Jan 24, 2008 9:29pm PSTThe ever-growing controversy regarding BioWare's Mass Effect (X360) and Fox News Channel's gross misrepresentation of the RPG as a graphic sex simulator shows no signs of slowing down.
Despite Electronic Arts' demands that Fox News correct the multitude of errors made when reporting on the game earlier this week, the network now claims that EA has ignored all invitations to appear on-air and set the record straight.
"Fox News Channel has extended several invitations to EA through a company representative to appear on 'Live Desk With Martha MacCallum' to discuss 'Mass Effect' and the segment which aired on Monday," a Fox News representative told MTV Multiplayer. "We have received no response."
The whole affair began this Monday, when Fox News hosted a segment on Mass Effect that involved longtime gaming journalist Geoff Keighley, who had played the title, and five other participants who had not. Baseless accusations began flying shortly into the segment, with Fox News incorrectly claiming that the game featured "full digital nudity and sex."
While Mass Effect does in fact permit characters to engage in sex at certain points, the action occurs off-screen without full nudity or any involvement from the player.
One panelist even went so far as to compare the title to pornography. "Who can argue that Luke Skywalker meets Debbie Does Dallas is a good thing?" they asked.
Electronic Arts, which owns BioWare, was quick to respond. In an letter to Fox News, EA communications VP Jeff Brown claimed the inaccurate coverage "represents a new level of recklessness" and "was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards.
"EA would like you to set the record straight on a number of errors and misstatements which incorrectly characterize the story and character interactions in Mass Effect," wrote Brown, who argued that popular Fox-produced shows, such as The OC and Family Guy, were no more graphic or demeaning than Mass Effect. "This isn't a legal threat; it's an appeal to your sense of fairness."
Comments
*Contention: Critics argue that Mass Effect is being marketed to kids.
Response: Microsoft, in a statement, sidesteps the marketing criticism and focuses on ratings and parental involvement.
*Contention: The bottom banner makes a claim of "full digital nudity". Response: The game features a moment of posterior nudity and side boob. "Full" is a bit of a mischaracterization of the content.
*Cooper Lawrence, a psychologist, asserts that while games may be 'targeted' to adults, statistics show that it's adolescents, and not their dads, who play video games. She points to studies that show violence in video games have a desensitizing effect. This is a matter of dispute, but not an outrageous claim.
She goes on to assert that sex in video games can also have a desensitizing effect, and give adolescents a distorted view of females, overly represented in video games as sex objects. Again, the actual effect this has is disputeable, but come on, there is no question that the preponderance of female portrayals in video games is of big chested hotties.
*The host correctly marginalizes the ridiculous ass-covering 'age verification' system many websites employ.
*Geoff Keighley correctly frames the amount of nudity that is in the game, and correctly clarifies that you can play as a woman. He doesn't address the portrayal of females in general, or the impact of sex/violence on adolescents.
*The fact is, Keighley is put up against ONE other person, and is given as much time as the other guest. The host merely facilitates the debate.
*The panel seems to be a general group of people on the show to discuss a variety of topics. They didn't seem to be listening to the previous discussion closely, but mostly speak in generalities. The Luke Skywalker/Debbie-Does-Dallas comment was stupid, but the realities of parental supervision are accurate. One of the panels shows her ignorance how content is rated, but another panelist makes the point that government doesn't have a place in censoring content.
All in all, despite the mistakes made, it was a fairly innocuous segment. The rancor it has stirred is ridiculous. This is hardly an example of a big bad news network trying to promote a devious agenda. Asking EA to send a representative to correct the record is perfectly reasonable.
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