February 9, 2007 -
Today is Doug Lowenstein's last official day as the video game industry's point man. On his way out the door, Lowenstein gave a memorable exit speech at the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas.As reported by GameSpot and other outlets, Lowenstein traced the political turmoil that lead to the formation of the ESA (originally known as the IDSA) in 1994. He also discussed the ESA's anti-piracy efforts and the role of the ESRB as positives.
But he also took some shots, as GameSpot Editor Curt Feldman notes:
For the back third of the 40-minute presentation, he railed like a jilted lover, raising his voice and almost, but never quite, naming those people or companies whose inaction and laissez-faire attitude toward mounting a defense to challenges facing the game industry as doing it great harm, and ultimately eroding what the ESA has accomplished.
Admonishing publishers who "make controversial content and then cut and run," he all but mouthed the words Hot Coffee, Grand Theft Auto, and Take-Two Interactive.
”Nothing annoys me more," he said, practically wagging his finger in the direction of the nameless publishers. "If you want to be controversial, don't duck and cover when the shit hits the fan."
Lowenstein also took a few shots at the gaming press:
"It needs to take itself more seriously," he said, chastising the game press for failing to deliver the same level of reporting as coverage that focuses on the film and music industries. A reliance on rumor and sloppy reporting were the elements of press coverage he called out as needing to be rethought and upgraded.
Although GameSpot didn't mention it, Lowenstein also ripped the game media for covering controversial anti-game attorney Jack Thompson. Gamepro notes Lowenstein's comments about Thompson:
It drives me crazy. You know who gives Jack Thompson more attention than anyone else? The games press... Everyone gets so upset that Jack Thompson has so much ability. I just... [head-clearing pause] ...I just think it's nuts.
Comments
I used to think it was a bad thing you were leaving, but now I see that it's irrelevant. Maybe whoever replaces you will have some balls and be willing to fight in the arena rather then hide from it. Like Hal Harpin said, cause you chose to be silent all these years, you let the oppenents take all the attention, and now you wanna BITCH about it?
FUCK YOU! Leave, don't come back. The industry ill needs a coward leading it's defense.
When you grow a pair, then come back to lecture us. But I don't think I'll need to plan for that, as it's NEVER going to happen.
Also, as Yuki pointed out, Hal Halpin is right that we abdicate our voice by staying silent, which is exactly what Lowenstein did all these years regarding Jack Thompson. It didn't work. The industry needs someone who will go to bat with Mr. Thompson, not someone who waits until their very last speech of their time with the ESA to even dare mention his name. The head-in-the-sand approach doesn't cut it.
Finally, I'm baffled that he's angry about the games industry covering Thompson. The MSM occasionally holds up his statements as if they have value, but the games media typically just reports what he's up to. If anyone is to refute his claims, and give the industry and the consumers their voices where it matters, the political arena, we can't be blind to what he's doing. You keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
~~All Knowledge is Worth Having~~
I also think Rockstar should have been more open about Hot Coffee from the beginning. At first they put there fingers in their ears and hoped it would go away. And I don't think they did a very good job expolaining what Hot Coffe was. (content that can only be accessed with 3rd party software) Most of the outrage over the whole thing was based on coinfusion and misinformation. Rockstar didn't defend themselves. They just took a beating and waited for it to go away, and the whole industry suffered because of it.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't think R* is a saint or anything. However, I DO think that the political fallout of the Hot Coffee scandal wouldn't have been as bad as it was if the industry had been pushing games as a legit medium BEFORE it broke. Instead, it mostly let the money keep rolling in, telling themselves that this culture war ended with the establishment of the ESRB in the mid-90s. The sad truth is, the war didn't simply end, it was just a brief lull in the fighting. From the quotes of anti-game activists and politicians after HC, you could tell they were just looking for an excuse to bring out this issue again. If it wasn't R*, it would've been someone else. There were plenty of warning signs, such as the failed arcade bill in Indianapolis in 2000, or the public's critisism of GTAIII even though it was rated for adults. However, Lowenstein-and, by extension-the whole industry-chose to ignore them. For that, they are as much to blame as R* is, if not more.
I also agree with the1jeffy's sentiment. Where was all this passion and vitriol when people condemned GTAIII? Or Vice City? Or even following HC? And yet this man blames individual publishers for trying to "duck and cover when the shit hits the fan?" I don't think he realizes that this isn't just their individual fights, it's a struggle the industry-at-large has to shoulder. Because, like it or not, people WILL continue to use individual games to attack them all. Thus, the ESA should be standing up for these games, not try to displace blame onto them. What kind of message is Lowenstein trying to send to the developer community? That if they try to push the envelope, you'll be mostly on your own? How is that conducive to the industry's creatvity?
All in all, I think Lowenstein did an okay job in recent years. However, if the ESA is going to get through this fight, it needs to acknowledge that they need more than lawyers and lobbyists. It needs to get more active in articulating the positive things about video games, and it needs to get behind developers and publishers when they become the target of "moral crusaders" like Jack Thompson. The ESA should NOT think of abandonment or appeasment. Ever.
In other (and more polite) words, on one hand, he had to justify the attitude of a couple of game companies I won't name, and on the other hand, he had to make sure that the whole game industry and the whole video game medium wouldn't have to pay for controversies sparked by these same companies. So I understand it left him exhausted and frustrated.
This being said, he may have made mistakes or bad choices. But that's another story.
So thanks for all the job, bye and good luck for the rest of your career.
Firstly, it's HE, Yukimura Sanada was a Samurai during the end of the Warring states period in Japan.
Secondly, I know I'm Vitrolic, but Lowenstien needs to shut his mouth and accept blame where it's due. And it's due to him that Thompson became the Loudest voice at the debate table. The industry should have put him out of the debate years ago, by any means necessary. God knows they had plenty of chances to do it.
So, that being said, you all are free to disagree with me, But even HAL HARPIN, president of the ECA said that thompson should not have gone un opposed.
So, I say it again, Doug, you ARE A COWARD!.
Good riddance.
It was only the vitriol that I don't share. I agree with your opinions, absolutely. Also, my apologies for the misuse of gender-- Yuki (without the second syllable) is also a female name, and I've heard it more often that way. No offense was intended.
None taken, didn't mean to sound like I was mad or nothing. As for the vitrol, can't help it, I'm angry right now and needed to vent. That being said, you all have a good day, I'm gonna run off and take a nap, see you later.
Not calling out Jack Thompson by name? He's practicing what he preaches. Why fuel the fire? He's only doing it now in reference to how the gaming press gave Thompson so much press. If you look at his comments, it's not even about Thompson, it's about the gaming press.
How many bills has the ESA shot down? It drives me crazy to see this negative reaction, saying he doesn't have balls, after the ESA has constantly gone to battle (and won) over unconstitutional anti game bills.
Frankly, I don't think people actually know what he has done. This good bye speech was everything our industry needed to hear. I for one will miss Doug as the head, and hope we find a capable replacement.
Compare this to the coverage Jack has received in the mainstream media. When he appears on shows like Nightline and 60 Minutes, Jack appears to be a reasonable, sane, rational individual. A radically different person then the guy who tried to get Gabe and Tycho arrested. By giving Jack such heavy coverage, the games media provides a much better picture of Jack, and by doing it in such volume, the accurate viewpoint tends to drown out any positive spin he's gotten in the mainstream media.
By giving a more accurate picture of Jack, and keeping constant track on what he says and does, much of the damage he can do is mitigated. Political allies are alienated because now more people are aware of his extreme viewpoints and incendiary tone, thus making it dangerous to be politically tied to him (for example, NIMF's split with Jack last year). More importantly, as it becomes easier to see the real Jack, more people will find out about his politics and positions, and thus will choose not to support politicians who ally with Jack, because of what it may imply (lack of support for the First Amendment, willingness to make a big deal on whatever issue is politically controversial, whether or not it's what the people of the state/country/county/whatever are worried about most, etc.)
However, I do agree with Doug that the games media needs to clean up its act. It seems to me that far too many games magazines and sites make hay by acting "all back of the bus," and antagonizing and insulting their readers in the Letters section (EGM), showing a radical bias against and making insulting remarks about consoles (PC Gamer), printing columns that could be described as homophobic or derogatory (EGM - Seanbaby), etc. Now, games sites and magazines don't need to get all "suit-and-tie". Having a certain amount of "casual" in their tone is important - however, this isn't a "certain" amount, this is practically putting on a persona, which is what I find obnoxious. If the games media could find a happy medium between "casual" and "professional" in their coverage it would be a great improvement then the current tone that permeates their coverage.
Also, nobody in the gaming culture knew who Jack Thompson was until gaming publications started talking about him so much and that's why Jack stays around. Nobody with much credibility takes him seriously, as shown by his court record and the number of judges who have file things against him. But the amount of press the gaming media gives Jack makes him out to be some sort of influential figure who is leading the world against games. Games made more money than movies in the past years, and continue to grow, I think that is evidence enough to say that most of the world isn't against games.
And honestly, most of the gaming defense is a laissez-faire attitude, in that the gaming companies defenses are usually "The courts say we can make games", not looking at moral claims of the release of games. I've done research in the American Psychological database on games and there is almost always a correlation to increased aggression if every case they have done. Hell, Who's never thrown a controller at a TV or the ground? Whether this aggression is safe or not isn't being talked about by anyone.
I think he was Doug was dead on.
Yes, he could have gone on the offensive, yes, the best defense is a good offense. However, we live in a society where PERCEPTION rules over actual facts. The time may not have been right for the INDUSTRY as a GROUP to fight back. Maybe take2 should have fought back and not expected the ESA to do it for them or maybe they should have stood next to the ESA instead of behind it.
I don't know, most of us will never know the internal workings. None of us really have a complete picture of what went on inside of the ESA and none of us can ever know what Doug was truly thinking.
The gaming press.....
I stopped subscriptions to my last 2 last November. EGM and one other who I can't find(CGW i think?). I got tired if the complete lack of professionalism in the articles that were supposed to be. I got tired of them picking the letters that were easy to make fun of. I got tired of their respective anti console anti pc rants.
I got tired of the "exclusive" behind the scenes pre release bullshit for a game that turned out to be a complete let down. Hell I just hate sean baby on principle, regardless of the crap he spews.
Hell demo disks are worthless now... in fact they are gone.
However, I will agree that Jack Thompson is, to coin a phrase, a 'Media Whore', there's no depth he will not stoop to if he thinks it will get him attention, and he's found the perfect dancing partner, the Internet, the place where no stupid deed goes un-noticed.
Jack is, effectively, the clown in this Media circus, and though it's funny seeing him tip whitewash down his own pants from time to time, he's got pretty boring and repetitive, the only thing that gives him attention now is the fact the computer press like to point and laugh, but even that serves his purpose.
And yes, most definately, the gaming industry in general need to start putting their foot down and making their feelings felt on the matter, silence suggests guilt to some people, and when they don't slam down on stupid accusations like the Playstation Controller being 'conditioning' or SCMRPG being a commericial game, then those beliefs will breed like urban myths. The Industry needs to be pro-active, not just promoting its games, but promoting itself and its ethos as well.
It's the mainstream media that needs to shape up when covering games, not the gaming press. The mainstream media treats gaming with that "human interest smirk" style I hate so much instead of treating it like a valid form of art and entertainment. The gaming press treats it just the way it should.
The same thing goes for his comments about Jack Thompson. The gaming press will cover him because he's a public official treating the medium seriously. But they also know the real side of him, the side that mocks the industry and tries to humiliate everyone who calls himself a gamer. The side that said he was just "trying to make a point" when he promised to donate money to a charity. What does the mainstream media do? Have that same damn smirk when they cover him, not even bothering to look into everything he's written online and everything he's done that would discredit the hell out of him.
The gaming press is fine. It's the mainstream media that needs to pull its head out of the sand.
"Yes, we were considering this minigame and wrote the engine for it. We decided midprocess to cut it from Final and removed all references to the code. We didn't think that someone would reverse engineer our product (which is technically not a legal process since this is our intellectual property) and using a hex editor reactivate the function calls. We apologize for the trouble it has caused and will remove the code from future copies. To show our loyalty to all of our customers, we will even put out a recall. If anyone has a copy that has the Hot Coffee code, they can send it back for a copy without the code. Once again, we are sorry for our carelessness."
Done! The company takes responsibilty, the industry takes the moral high ground, and parents can see that we are reasonable businesses. Everyone wins (except may JT). But that's not what happened. They lied that it didn't exist and forced the ESA to get involved. Doug has EVERY REASON to blame R*. We've all been following this site. When any politician or news station says things about video game violence, they are usually talking about a R* game (Either GTA:SA or Bully). But we don't see R* making a public statement to argue in favor of their titles (which they know are controversial). They don't sue voices that call their games very derogatory names (such as a cop-killer sim or a columbine sim). They don't have to sit there and accept these accusations, but they do. But since it reflects bad on our entire industry SOMEONE has to get involved. And up to now, that's been Doug.
So to all you who consider him the monster and R* the victims... shame on you all.
Attacking bad laws puts the industry in the role of underdog fighting against bad government decisions. Directly striking back at attack yorkies like JT would make the industry look like bullies trying to crush someone who annoys them ... the sort of thing that spawns Hollywood conspiracy movies.
I'll stay away from ranting about the game press except to note that I've never been particularly impressed by it as a whole. I've met a few good journalists over the years whose opinions I respect (waves at Gamerdad and gamepolitics) but for the most part, I consider them to be fanboys justifying playing games for a living (as a game developer, I have to, of course, keep my tongue partially planted in my cheek with that comment).
And yes, the press, both game related and mainstream media, are JT's chief enabler. Without them, he'd still be chasing ambulences in Florida.
"How many bills has the ESA shot down? It drives me crazy to see this negative reaction, saying he doesn’t have balls, after the ESA has constantly gone to battle (and won) over unconstitutional anti game bills."
The problem I, and many others share, is that we didn't want it to GET to that point. The ESA stopped any number of bills, but what we wanted was to see the ESA making more lobbying effort to get these politicians to wake up and stop this crap in the first place. Perhaps it simply wasn't mentioned in gaming news outlets, but while I saw a great many legal challenges issued by the ESA, I didn't ever see news of them arranging to convince lawmakers that it wasn't necessary, or discredit the ones who persisted. That was the problem I had, at any rate, and why I feel new leadership is needed. Lowenstein may have made the ESA a strong shield, but sooner or later, if you never hit back, the weakest assault will break the strongest defense.
"Not calling out Jack Thompson by name? He’s practicing what he preaches. Why fuel the fire?"
The problem is that we don't believe he's preaching the right thing. He can practice what he preaches until the end of time. It means he's no hypocrite, which is good, but it doesn't necessarily mean he's correct. A lot of gamers believe that the "don't fuel the fire" policy has run its course, and failed. Unconstitutional bills are still being proposed, and at least one legislature is even still turning to Jack Thompson to write them. He's made a lot of noise about how evil games are, and we just quietly say, "No they're not." That was the correct route to try first, but it obviously hasn't worked. It's time to push back.
Why is it that anti-game politicians constantly are found to be against games when they are trying to make a PR stunt, but as soon as they get shot down they just back off into the corner?
Because they know that a game legislation is pointless. They only jumped on the bandwagon to gain the support of simple minded parents who are to ignorant to realize what they are actually supporting
Loweinstien has really hit a new low, Halpin's the guy who's REALLY helpin' around here.
I don't know that there's anything Lowenstein could have done to stop those bills in today's political climate. Even those lawmakers who vote for it acknowledge that they only do so because a "Nay" vote would end up being used against them in an election. There's a lot of pressure from family rights activists to pursue these laws, and they have a lot more political and financial influence within individual states than the ESA would.
So? Where was this fire and motivation before? If he practiced what he preached right here at the end, we would all be having a different conversation right now. I don't disagree with him - I simply think it's weak-kneed to be calling out 'the industry' and the 'gaming press' as he leaves a position with influence on both of those things. Cop out to the max.
Thanks, Doug, now we know you knew exactly what needs to be done/solved/worked on, and did little to do it when you had the chance. Odd way to exit, eh?
Without truly knowing the ins and outs of what Lowenstein has had to deal with on a day to day basis, how can we make an honest or accurate judgement on the job he did? How can we know if we would've acted any differently? Personally, I still think our side's in pretty good shape. Hmm, I guess my agnostic side's showing. =)
@AM:
Side note, Yuki is not normally a girl's name, it would be some derivative like Yukiko or Yukiye, which is probably what you're thinking of.
Posting from Aunty Social's work.
- Warren Lewis
Consumer responsibility is just as important as Corporate responsibility. So, be responsible consumers.
But, the industry is no longer young. It's in the rebellious teenage years. Right now, it needs someone with a firm hand. Someone who will lead from within, and who will punish from within. Someone who won't take the crap from the outside, for poking their nose in where it doesn't belong.
Doug was too motherly, and is now too bitter. Fresh blood, who will kick arse and take names is what's needed.
Too bad Reggie doesn't want to take the job.
The "Sloppy Reporting" comment, I agree on to an extent. It's true that the gaming press treats news like a mix of tabloids and TIME magazine, but when the industry itself has a basis in virtual technology and garners most of its information over the intertron, it's easy to understand that things can be made of half-truths or have only a rumor to attach them to- such a thing is hard to locate in a large series of tubes.
The JT reporting, I need to have a 50/50 stance on. I can understand WHY Doug is sick of JT- this is the man who has compared Doug Lowenstien to Saddam Hussein, and has probably spent every waking moment HARASSING him, to the point that to hear his name in the news as an insightful expert witness is like listening to iron nails across a chalkboard- it hurts to hear, and it damages the board, which could represent the media. That there are outlets that report on him probably drives him up the walls, and in his aggravation at Jack essentially trying to tear things down and being given a camera to show him doing it, he may have forgotten that the media NEEDS to report it because it is relevant to the ESA, ESRB, and the video game industry as a whole. That a technophobic hate-mongering ambulance chaser is reported is a necessity, if only to reveal Jack's true character and allow him to discredit himself just by being who he is.
But again, when 1/3rd of your emails probably come from Jack himself, it's kinda hard to keep yourself settled enough to think about it.
And no, I don't know this for a fact, but... Jack tossing e-mails every 3 seconds to Doug?
... I could believe it. -.-
Again, it's the mainstream media that needs to change how it covers Thompson. It needs to investigate Thompson, do some thorough research, and if a good solid report came out about all the things he's done and said, it would be the beginning of his end as a "credible" source or expert.
Nightline had the right idea but didn't go nearly as far. http://youtube.com/watch?v=cM7cwLTSnkQ
Do you think its right for Take Two to simply ignore the fact that its games are controversial? I mean, they make the game and try to get away with not having to answer for it (until they are forced, like when they had to pay millions in a law suit).
Its not Lowensteins job to tell people publishers/developers what they can or can't do. It's his job to tell publishers/developers that they need to consider what they are doing and once made have to answer for it. I guess the best saying I can compare this to is "Take it like a man!"
As for the press and Jack Thompson, everyone needs to listen to Michael Brooks, he said it best:
"Again, it’s the mainstream media that needs to change how it covers Thompson. It needs to investigate Thompson, do some thorough research, and if a good solid report came out about all the things he’s done and said, it would be the beginning of his end as a “credible” source or expert."
"The mainstream media treats gaming with that “human interest smirk” style I hate so much instead of treating it like a valid form of art and entertainment. The gaming press treats it just the way it should."
To drive an event into the ground, what could be a better counterexample than the Hot Coffee incident?
While developers have certainly matured gameplay, the whole of the artistic statements made by games is in no way comparable to the maturations of American film or popular music. It's rather presumptuous to claim that the people who claim the "Star Wars" hexology and modern fantasy novels as influences are producing "Ikiru"-level artistry.
Have any of you been in his position? Have any of you taken his job at the ESA and seen everything he's seen and experienced everything he's experienced? Do any of you have a clear, 100% idea of what he's been through as the president of ESA?
The answer is no, so who are you to judge? You have absolutely no idea what he's had to go through since you've never been in his shoes, you've all just been hiding behind the safe veil of the internet and letting your overweight fingers do the work instead of actually getting things done like Lowenstein has. I personally applaud him since he's gotten more done in ten years than any of you will have done in your entire lives, and even though so much of it was positive, he never got the credit he deserved, not from maintream media, not from hacks like Jack Thompson, and certainly not from the industry and populace he was working so hard to defend.
It's clear who the real cowards here are: the gamers.
I agree though, us gamers need to stop bitching on the comps and do something about what matters to us (not in terms of Lowenstein though, he's the least of our worries). There's a lot of us out there; we could be a strong force if our views were shed light on in mainstream media and the real world. That's part of the reason I became a journalist, and why I love this site.
I should've been more clear. There is a difference between disagreeing and judging. What I was aiming for was that the gamers shouldn't be slamming Lowenstein because he has probably done the most for the industry out of anyone, yet people are lambasting him and denouncing him despite that fact. It's sort of irritating.
"To drive an event into the ground, what could be a better counterexample than the Hot Coffee incident?
While developers have certainly matured gameplay, the whole of the artistic statements made by games is in no way comparable to the maturations of American film or popular music. It’s rather presumptuous to claim that the people who claim the “Star Wars” hexology and modern fantasy novels as influences are producing “Ikiru”-level artistry."
Perhaps, but there ARE games out there that are wonderful examples of art; and I'd go as far as to say that the GTA series is one of them (because of its social commentary). It's unfair that the games that are true works of creative talent don't get covered, or only the "negative" aspects of games are commented on. This is as much as the mainstream media's fault (of which I'm more harsh on since they seem to hold themselves in such high esteem), as the industry's and fans, who are busier trying to argue why games aren't negative influences on people and not the positive, creative aspects of them. A film like The Departed has a huge amount of violence and language and it got nominated for numerous Academy Awards. Why? Because intelligent people were able to see its true value as a movie AND were able to convey that to others.
Before you all start to moan that thats not true, stop and think about it. How many of you have had your gaming purchases influenced by gaming legislation? How many of you have been affected by the Hot Coffee incident? I could go on and the answer is simple - none of you have been affected at all. For all intents and purposes, the ESA, with the exception of the Hot Coffee incident (which could not have been prevented by the ESA) has sucessfully defended the industry without even breaking a sweat.
Now think about how gaming piracy has affected you. How many people do you know who have pirated games. They may use a modchip, run emulators, crack their games, download from Bittorrent, and it is all piracy.
It is quite honestly possible for me, using Bittorrent and other tools to play ANY COMPUTER game (with the exception of some online games) without paying for it. Think about that. If someone told you that a large proportion of bookstore shoppers stole books without even feeling guilty about it, and that there was NO WAY to catch them, would you be worried? Have you noticed that more and more developers these days are making for console? Where have all the PC games gone? The answer is simple. Piracy
Gamespy did a feature about hardcore gamers where they asked different members of the game dev industry how hardcore gamers affected them (from a commercial/design consideration). One man, who worked in marketing, nailed it. He said statistically speaking hardcore gamers pirate (number around 1/4 to 1/2, can't remember exactly) a lot of their games.
This is the true enemy of the gaming world. While most of us are distracted by Jack Thompson waving the red cape at the flame happy gaming community, Doug has fought the real enemy, despite having support from no one. I salute you Doug Lowenstein, for the courage to do what is right against withering criticism.
I fully agree with Software piracy is illegal, but, since most stores have a 'no returns policy', something bought about because of piracy, people don't want to shell out £30 in the UK for something that may or may not be useless, if there were more support for buyers in the marketplace, I think you'd see a drop in people downloading games. I wouldn't be surprised if about 80% of games that get downloaded either get played once and deleted or forgotten, or the full versions are bought to allow for updates, support etc. I do get the feeling that the computer Piracy market is far more a 'try before you buy' type attitude, since most pirated games won't even let you play multiplayer on them.
Every game I have ever pirated that I like was purchased within a week of the finish of the DL.
That has been alot of games. Most of my games are PC games. Also most games cannot be played with online if your copy is a pirated making your point moot.
I can also tell you that that attitude is what lead the music industry to the hell its in right now.
I can almost guarantee you that any game dev(The creative and the engineers) would tell you about a cold day in hell before they let games go the way of the music industry. However, with EA and the publishers having such control I can see a shift towards an RIAA style drm hell.
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
He was ripping at the gaming press. Can you not fucking read?
Jesus, its like you see 2 names and you connect them with what ever whim your brain decides on.
He was ripping them for giving Jack Thompson importance. I hate Jack Thompson and I think it's a good thing that he ripped the press for giving anti-game activists attention. No one should give them attention and everybody should ignore them.
Everybody should ignore them? Yeah, that's great, but that's never going to happen. Try telling that to Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman, and everyone else who's fallen under his sway. We can't simply ignore Jack Thompson. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."