Essentially, Jack Thompson has sent out this huge, completely-untrue press release that claims that The Sims 2 includes full frontal nudity.
Characters in The Sims 2 are built like Ken and Barbie. If that level of nudity is inappropriate for teenagers, then Mattel should order a massive recall of the toys they distribute to children.
This quote just kills me:
"The sex and the nudity are in the game. That's the point. The blur is an admission that even the 'Ken and Barbie' features should not be displayed. The blur can be disarmed. This is no different than what is in San Andreas, although worse."
So after being forced to ACKNOWLEDGE the fact that his press release is a LIE, he asserts that the pixelation is an "admission" that Ken and Barbie are too hot for kids? How about admitting that the pixelation effect is specifically designed to OBSCURE the fact that the Sims' bodies have been neutered for the benefit of young or sensitive players?
And comparing The Sims 2 to the Hot Coffee mod is ridiculous. Sex in The Sims 2 involves disappearing under some covers while fireworks go off. Hot Coffee showed clearly-pantomimed sex acts that would be inappropriate to show on late-night cable, even without the nudity.
I know from personal experience how serious EA has been about limiting the "adult" content in Sims games. Nudity is played for comedy, and occasionally for realism (you don't take a shower with clothes on) but it is always completely tasteful, and there is nothing present on the disc that would allow you to transform the game into something pornographic without creating the pronography yourself.
Now, if Thompson's plan works, the press backlash against The Sims will mean that EA will have to clamp down even more tightly on my team (which is working on The Sims 2 for PSP), which will mean more late nights away from our families as we try to make insane and pointless changes in addition to our already-heavy workload.
posted
Heeeheee I have Sims 2 and I've never seen any nudity, but I also don't know the disarm codeword.
Posts: 2867 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
kojabu, if you want to see REAL nudity in The Sims 2, you have to make it yourself or download it from a porn site. The game ships with Ken and Barbie bodies ONLY.
What sucks is, people who read the press release will most likely equate nudity in The Sims 2 with the Hot Coffee mod, and since they have no personal knowledge of the game, they won't realize they're being lied to.
Jack Thompson didn't go after The Sims because it's dangerous. He went after it because it's profitable, popular, and innocuous. If he can make the America's most popular, mainstream family-friendly PC game sound like the devil, he'll get the entire industry by association.
He's an opportunist and a liar, and he cares much more about getting his name in the news than he does about the truth or his cause.
Posts: 1539 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
I hate the pixelation and always turn it off. But still it's extremely tame.
I think that their ought to be a statutory rape button just because it makes no sense that the person you were in a relationship with as a teenager is a child now that you're attending college.
But I suppose that's a natural side effect of how the aging goes.
Posts: 1751 | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
The article makes it pretty clear that he's being unreasonable and it's published in what seems to be a trade publication. Are there any articles planned for more mainstream outlets? What are the chances of this article being reprinted or quoted in one of those outlets? How much influence does he actually have?
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Exactly, Chris. I cannot imagine a way to look at The Sims as being in any way "worse" than the Hot Coffee mod. Unless, of course, you're trying to enrage an ignorant public without giving them the benefit of the truth.
Thompson himself doesn't have a lot of power, but he is the official guy that gets quoted in the mainstream press as an opponent of the video game industry. And that is seriously what he is, from this latest volley. He's not against violent or sexual content. He'll go after ANY game that will get him a little attention.
Posts: 1539 | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Hot Coffee showed clearly-pantomimed sex acts that would be inappropriate to show on late-night cable, even without the nudity.
I dunno if there's a difference between late-night cable here and late-night cable south of the border, but having seen the Hot Coffee video, I have to say that late-night cable is more explicit (though not by all that much).
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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quote: Thompson himself doesn't have a lot of power, but he is the official guy that gets quoted in the mainstream press as an opponent of the video game industry.
So... are you saying this guy gets paid to criticize and find things wrong with current games, even if he has to make it up in order to find a fault?
posted
Well, there is a tiny bit of a bright side here.
I'm anti-video games for my children (not that I'm anti-video games for all children, but I doubt a child of mine and Andrew's will be able to play them in moderation), so I will severely restrict my children's games if I allow them to play at all. After reading this article and learning more about the situation, I will do much more research before I forbid a game.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
If he's upset about that, why isn't he making a stink about Fable's infamous moaning when you sleep with your wife (or wives)? That's more surprising and overt than a couple of nudie-sims, IMHO.
Though I have to wonder why someone lying about a video game qualifies them to "rot in hell." I mean, there's a good deal more serious things one must do to earn THAT little blessing. eh?
Posts: 325 | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
Silly. Even the babies are pixelated when naked in that game. He needs to chill. Cool. You're workiing on Sims? What do you do for it? That is soooo cool.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:[UPDATE] Thompson this afternoon updated his earlier statement, saying he is aware certain mods only remove "the blur," but adds that "Electronic Arts has done nothing about this." Thompson's new conclusion: EA is "cooperating, gleefully, with the mod community to turn Sims 2 into a porn offering."
quote:What makes you think that people and/or the media won't realize it is a lie, Geoff?
The people that Thompson is aiming to impress are parents who know nothing about video games, and are easily panicked by mysterious, half-understood threats to their children. And not coincidentally, they are a major source of income for the video game industry.
quote:Though I have to wonder why someone lying about a video game qualifies them to "rot in hell."
It isn't the fact that he "lied about a video game" but the fact that his crusade typifies everything I detest about dishonest advocacy and bad journalism.
quote:You're workiing on Sims? What do you do for it?
I'm designing the spinoff game that is coming out for the PSP this holiday season. It's pretty different from the original Sims 2. It's got the core, important stuff, but we're on such a different platform that we thought we'd try a few new things. [crosses fingers] Posts: 1907 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Geoff, I'm just wondering was that supposed to be about Sims 2 or just about Grand Theft Auto? I didn't see anything about Sims 2.
I think it's kind of silly for congress to get involved in the GTA case, but if they're actually going after Sims 2 based on this guys saying "Yeah, I totally heard that there's like super porno going on." that's super-crazy.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
No, the congressional thing is about Hot Coffee. Which is already being dealt with in a perfectly honorable way by both Take Two and the ESRB. I can't see what we could possibly gain from a congressional investigation, except perhaps to see some senators' names in the news during an otherwise slow month for them ...
Posts: 1539 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Goeff's right though about how many people will believe the lie. I've seen my own mother glance at a news cast or an article in a magazine about how terrible a game is, and immediately ban my younger brothers from playing it. She sees everything that's published about video games at face value...at it always seems that she sees the negative stuff.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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