Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force? We have a task force dedicated to internet crimes in the middle of Missouri? And they’re keeping the Internet safe by writing about Animal Crossing: City Folk? [Smacks forehead on desk]

For the uninitiated, the Animal Crossing series is by Nintendo (Of Mario and Zelda fame) where you live an idyllic life in a town.  That’s it.  There is no end goal to the game, no gigantic boss battles, no credits, nada.

The game is whatever you want to make of it. Go fishing, help your neighbors with chores, pluck weeds, furnish your house, go shopping, etc.  Think of it as Sims-light.

One component of the game, but not required to play, is the online component.  You can share messages, send gifts and visit other people’s cities. On the Wii version of the game you have to use friend codes.  Friend codes are unique to each Wii and allow you to connect with your friends in particular Wii games. These codes in turn must be shared in the real world or via some other form of communication outside of the Wii software.

According to officer Andy Anderson of the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force:

“There is no reason an adult should have [Animal Crossing: City Folk],”

Anderson says adults playing “Animal Crossing” and similar games are likely doing it for the wrong reasons.

What? Did I hear that right? It gets better. From Wired’s GameLife:

Before you gamers verbally assault Anderson and the Missouri police, please note that they almost have to focus on the Wii, as apparently it’s the only console they could get the funding to purchase. “The equipment is real expensive and we cannot afford to buy all of the systems and do not have the resources either to examine all of the possibilities,” Anderson said.

I’d like to link to the original artile at KMIZ (a local ABC affilate) but they’ve since removed it from their site.

In an updated statement, the task force reiderates thier concern:

The agency issued another statement urging parents to watch children who play the game, but stressed that all adults using the game or game system likely are not contacting children inappropriately.

That sounds a little more rational.

Since the original story broke there’s been a lot of further coverage of this blunder.  I can’t help but feel like this is all a misunderstanding, but something bothers me when the uneducated try to educated the uneducated.

Parents who don’t know what Animal Crossing is may read these reports, trusting of thier source and then go off acting suspicious of anyone playing the game.  It just doesn’t settle right with me.

My suggestion?  Hire someone like Ted or myself to help bring you guys up to speed.  Heck, pay my bus ticket and I’ll bring my gaming systems out to the ol’ HQ. I’ll answer any questions you may have about how the different current gen systems work ON THE INTERNET!

[via GamePolitics]

Photo by MrBeck (an adult!) – Licensed under Creative Commons

Well, well, well… Three holes in the ground and all have been created for Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. Thanks to THIS ARTICLE from our friends at Kotaku, we are aware of the Guinness top 50 most influential games of all time.

In all honesty, this is not an easy list to create due to the very subjective nature of the medium. I believe that they attempted to avoid the natural shortfall of trying to choose the 50 “best” games of all time. However, if you are going to claim a criteria, you should adhere to it and I don’t believe that they did. Defining something as influential should be more easily proven than deciding whether or not something is good. If a game is influential, its impact should be observed by how it has changed the industry. I question whether or not many of these titles have had enough time to become influential. Furthermore, some of these more recent titles have been included at the expense of others which I believe have proven their influence.

Before I go any further, let us look at the list:

1. Super Mario Kart
2. Tetris
3. Grand Theft Auto
4. Super Mario World
5. Zelda Ocarina of Time
6. Halo
7. Resident Evil IV
8. Final Fantasy XII
9. Street Fighter II
10. GoldenEye
11. Super Mario 64
12. Tomb Raider
13. Metal Gear Solid
14. Call of Duty 4
15. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
16. GTA San Andreas
17. Super Mario Bros
18. Zelda: A Link to the Past
19. Gran Turismo
20. Final Fantasy VII
21. Pro Evolution Soccer 4
22. The Orange Box
23. Lego Star Wars Complete Saga
24. Tekken 2
25. Wii Sports
26. Pokemon Red/Blue
27. Guitar Hero
28. Project Gotham Racing 4
29. Super Mario Galaxy
30. Resident Evil
31. Ico
32. Chrono Trigger
33. Gunstar Heroes
34. Soul Calibur
35. Advance Wars
36. Ridge Racer
37. Super Metroid
38. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
39. GTA Vice City
40. BioShock
41. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
42. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
43. God of War
44. Sega Rally Championship
45. Starfox 64
46. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
47. WarioWare Inc
48. Saturn Bomberman
49. Crash Bandicoot
50. Outrun 2

Now I won’t argue whether or not any of these games are good. Most of them, if not all, are exceptional games in one way or another. What I am most concerned about is the title of “influential.” In order to know whether or not something is influential one must have enough time to measure its impact on its environment. Now Chris and I both agreed that Super Mario Galaxy was a great game back in Game Apparent Episode 3 and our 2007 Holiday Recommendations. However, we have not yet witnessed the way it has shaped a generation and inspired other developers and artists to change their point of view. In contrast, I was saddened to see a true lack of historical perspective with the absence of titles like Donkey Kong, Pong, Zork, and Space Invaders.

Now our friend Josh suggested that this list could have been for console titles only. That would fit considering the lack of any arcade titles or games that were released only on computers. However, doesn’t that seem to contradict the very nature of the premise? If the list is supposed to document what games have had the most influence, why would one include GoldenEye and Halo without even a nod to the title that created the first-person-shooter genre – Wolfenstein 3D? As for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, it’s hard to consider the latest installment of an influential franchise without reflecting upon its own roots and originally The Elder Scrolls titles (Arena and Daggerfall) were both PC-based.

There are other clear issues with the list. For example, three different Grand Theft Auto games? As much as I appreciate the franchise, I don’t think that it deserves three separate entries. Heck, there’s only one Metroid title, one Castlevania title, and no entries for Megaman or Contra – yet they give three slots to GTA. And as much as I enjoy the Lego Star Wars franchise, I don’t know if I’d place it on this list. That’s more of an example of how influential Star Wars has been on our culture.

Please, forgive the rant. I am just concerned how easy it is to re-write history and the more people repeat something, the more credible others perceive it to be. Like any art or entertainment form, one must remember the “classics” in order to appreciate context and the evolution of the medium. Whether studying literature, music, and sculpture or film, comics, and videogames, our most recent expressions are built upon the insights, ideas, and innovations of those who have passed before. To lose perspective of what has been “influential” to a medium discredits the accomplishments of the true visionaries who paved the way for others to follow.

Now that I’ve said my piece, feel free to comment.

It would appear that others in the gaming press were also wondering about Sony’s commitment to backward compatibility in the PlayStation 3. A recent article at The Koalition quotes a response from Sony regarding a rumored PS2 emulator for the PS3. Sony states:

I am not sure where you are getting your information from, but at no point did we say that there would be some sort of emulation being brought to PS3. At no point has this strategy changed and therefore I can tell you that there are no plans to bring back backwards compatibility to PS3.

For Sony’s full response, read the entire article HERE. Ironically, the statement emphasizes the importance of the current titles and downplays the need for backward compatibility in general. Yet, the current PS3s are still backward compatible with the original PS1 system.

Yet another article at The Koalition harshly criticizes Sony’s approach as failing to support their “10-year life cycle.” This article is a scathing commentary on the elimination of backward compatibility in subsequent PS3 hardware releases. Be warned, the frustration shines through in some more mature language, but for the most part this is a well-formed argument and not some childish rant. I particularly like the author’s suggestion for Sony in his conclusion.

Perhaps Sony is still hoping to sell new PS2s since they are still publishing new games for their previous generation system. Who knows. All I can say is that as a parent of three who enjoys gaming and expects my kids to continue to enjoy gaming, I need to find any way to stretch my money – especially with our current economic challenges. If Sony and Microsoft still insist on abandoning their previous libraries in hopes of making their audience purchase all new games, I fear that they will alienate their followings and Nintendo will smile as we all abandon our 360s and Ps3s to play our Wiis.

I had no idea Grand Theft Auto was a such a good teaching ad for learning how to drive. Apparently the game meant for adults is able to teach 6 year olds how to get to school. Man, what awesome parenting!

According to the Associated Press:

The boy, whose name wasn’t released, missed the bus, took the keys to his family’s 2005 Ford Taurus and drove nearly six miles toward school while his mother was asleep, police said.
He made at least two 90-degree turns, passed several cars and ran off the rural two-lane road several times before hitting an embankment and utility pole about a mile and a half from school.
The boy told police he learned to drive playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam video games.

This is a terrifying and it’s very lucky the child (or anyone else) was not injured. However, the kids dedication to get to school is commendable. But next time, just ask your neighbor for a ride!

Update: Ted found the news story on youtube!

(via Kotaku)

Photo from Rappzulla – Licensed under Creative Commons

“To be fair, his selection should come as no surprise. After all, Spitzer complained about GTA’s cartoon hookers in campaign speeches and then get caught paying big bucks for the real thing as governor.”

Well, at least Mr. Spitzer won at something in life.

 ”/doh” from striatic via Flickr.

It seems that any time anyone reports on his ludicrous claims that the only outcome is his face on TV. Which doesn’t add anything to the discussion, only deludes the important matters at hand and gives him the attention he so craves.

The young man who felt that the only option was to go on a violent shooting spree was just another soul who society had failed. Violence was the result of his internal issues and could perhaps be a cause, but I serioulsy doubt the man ‘trained’ in Counter Strike.

I understand Thomson spent umpteen hours studying to be a lawyer. And I understand that he’s apparently successful in his career choice. But sometimes (read: all the time) he just sounds totally off his rocker. Apparently in his latest attempt to get attention he’s contacted the NIU public safety department asking the following:

“Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request production of copies of all documents that reveal Steven Kazmierczak’s play of violent video games,”

With comments like that it’s just too easy to pick on him. I can only hope it’s just as easy for those in positions of power and in the media to ignore him.

BTW: Curse GamePolitics for having such good content. I keep linking to them.

Jack Thompson sculpture in Central Park from *PaysImaginaire*‘s Flickr page.