Want to show off your best GTA IV stunts?

You'd better post it on YouTube since video hosting site Vimeo has decided that it will no longer accept game play footage unless it is of the machinima variety. Currently hosted videos containing "game walk-throughs, game strategy videos, depictions of player vs player battles, raids, fraps," etc. will be deleted on September 1st.

A post on the service's staff blog explains the decision:

The Vimeo staff does not feel that videos which are direct captures of video game play truly constitute "creative expression". Further, such videos may expose Vimeo to liability from the game creator(s), as we have already seen action from popular video game companies against videos such as these... Gaming videos are by nature significantly larger and longer than any other genre on Vimeo...

 

 his decision was not easy, and there was much debate internally; however, we feel this decision will benefit Vimeo in the long run and better benefit the video makers it was created for. Our resources are limited and they must be channeled towards maintaining our goals.

 

Negative reaction to the decision is beginning to trickle in. From Spinfocalypse:

The reasons cited seem to be a little contradictory and subjective... “Creative Expression” is not something I’d personally want to touch, because it gets into a social subjectivity issue. A game video for one person may not be ‘creative’ and a ‘lip-dub’ video may not be to another...

 

The second reason cited is the ‘processing time’... This part of Vimeo’s argument is rather weak– and as someone always looking for reliable video hosting– doesn’t give me much faith in the ability of their transcoders or stability of their bandwidth... Game videos can be one second or one hour, the same as traditional video...

 

What’s a bit disturbing about Vimeo’s decision is that a service is taking the role of editorial... Games, gamers, game videos– however you view them– will be forced into a box and segregated because of perceived notions about the space... I know I’ve personally exposed people to ideas and concepts, by way of games, that don’t require anyone to play or have an interest in games. That just won’t be happening on Vimeo anymore.

Connected Nation, a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding access to broadband services, issued a press release today announcing that it is partnering with the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) to promote univeral access to broadband Internet connections.

The issue seems like a no-brainer for gamers, especially those who play online. But beyond that, Connected Nation maintains that the US economy will increase by $134 billion when everyone has the access to broadband. Connected Nation CEO Brian Mefford is quoted in the press release:

Connected Nation aims at promoting greater adoption of broadband services to improve the overall standard of living in our communities and the quality of life of citizens across America. We’re eager to partner with a preeminent organization such as ECA to work together to add the voices of hundreds of thousands of citizens to the call for programs and policies that will accelerate the impact of broadband in the United States.

ECA Director of Government Affairs Jennifer Mercurio was also enthusiastic:

We are thrilled to collaborate with Connected Nation to promote consumer rights and make the Internet accessible to all. Our Gamers for Universal Broadband initiative was created in direct response to member outcry over limited broadband access across the country. Now is the time for consumers to get involved to ensure that we have a powerful voice in shaping the future of the Internet.

The ECA also maintains the Gamers For Universal Broadband Facebook group. Under terms of the partnership, ECA will join Connected Nation’s Advisory Committee. 

FULL DISCLOSURE DEPT: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics.

August 1, 2007 is a date that 32 American families are not likely to forget.

On that Wednesday, more than 100 federal agents from the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) service, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, executed search warrants on 32 homes in 16 states. The ICE agents, who were seeking mod chips for console systems, were acting in concert with employees of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade association operated by US video game publishers.

Among the feds and the ESA, the raids were code-named "Operation Tangled Web." The mod chip investigation began in the ICE field office in Cleveland and the case continues to be coordinated by the U.S. Attorney's office there. The raids generated a fair amount of publicity as well as criticism from some quarters.

In the more than 11 months since Operation Tangled Web, GamePolitics has been attempting to find out what happened to the 32 mod chip suspects who were targeted in the raid. In that time the feds have made no announcements concerning arrests or indictments. Although we've been in contact with ICE several times we have received no information so far.

Our search of publicly-accessible federal court records has turned up only one of the 32 search warrants. That's an indication that the others are still sealed. And in the one we did manage to locate, the probable cause section is not available, so we don't know the basis for the investigation, what the agents uncovered, etc.

But an April 7th website post may yield some clues as to the investigation's status. The author reveals that he received a target letter from the Department of Justice in relation to the raid on his home. The DOJ letter, as described by the author, seems to encourage a quick guilty plea in lieu of a full-blown indictment and federal court trial :

A few days ago I received a letter from the Department of Justice. The letter stated that I was the target of an investigation by Homeland Security (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). In the letter, they inform me, that the potential violations are:

 

1. Title 17 US Code, Section 1201 (in connection with the sale and installation of modification chips)
2. Title 18 US Code, Section 545 (relating to the importation or smuggling of modification chips)
3. Title 18 US Code, Section 1956 (money laundering)

 

The letter goes on to say that if I want to resolve the matter before I am indicted, they suggest I obtain a defense counsel. It also states that defense counsel will be in a much better position to explain the advantages of a one count felony plea. The letter goes on to say that a plea would present significant sentencing concessions on the part of the government, over the sentence that I would get, should I let the indictment process (and subsequent multiple felony convictions) proceed.

GamePolitics has learned that at least one other individual has also received such a letter. It would seem likely that many, if not all, of the 32 suspected mod chippers will be offered quick plea bargains in this fashion. Perhaps ICE and the ESA are waiting for the upcoming anniversary to make an announcement.

On the fallsinc website, the author goes on to say:

I honestly do not believe that I have violated any law, and as such, I feel I should not be charged with any crime, nor should I have my property confiscated. The actions of big business lobbyists is very apparent in this action, and destroying the lives and livelihoods of 32 people just to satisfy “The Big Three” is not a move that I see in the best interests of the people.

 

At this point I need all the help I can get. If you are a video gaming or linux enthusiast, or just a user who enjoys the ability to get more out of legally purchased hardware, I need you at my side...

A copy of an Operation Tangled Web search warrant obtained by GamePolitics from publicly-accessible federal court records shows that 10 WiiKey modchips and one Xeno modchip were among items seized from an Ohio residence believed to be that of the author of the fallsinc website. 

Mod chips are illegal in the United States under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). They are not illegal, however, in some other countries, including Australia and Canada. Last month, a court in the UK dismissed a case against a British mod chipper, ruling that mod chips do not violate copyright under English law.

ESA CEO Michael Gallagher is quoted on Operation Tangled Web in the organization's 2007 year-end piracy report:

As an industry, we protect our intellectual property, encourage our government to crack down on those who break the law, and urge other governments to take similar action against video game pirates. Yearly worldwide game piracy costs total over $3 billion and it impinges on businesses and employees who create, develop, and distribute innovative products.

 

The ESA will work with federal law enforcement to ensure that those engaged in the illegal trade of circumvention devices are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Hal Halpin, president of the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), pens a guest column for The Escapist today.

While Hal touches on a broad range of subjects from digital distribution to online trolls to the slow death of gaming magazines, we took special notice of his comments on the politics of gaming:

"Games will be respected soon because gamers will grow up and become politicians."

 

I get this one all the time. And sure, it makes perfect sense in theory, but the reality is that politicians - young and old - make political hay out of what they can. Just because the average age of gamers is in the early 30s and there are plenty of brilliant 40-somethings that are eager to get into public life doesn't mean that they won't exploit games when the opportunity arises. To believe that they would not is nothing short of wishful thinking.

 

Again, I'm willing to concede that 20 years from now we likely won't be dealing with First Amendment arguments about interactive entertainment, but that fact has little to do with the age of politicians... In the meantime, we're stuck in the trenches fighting misperceptions, negative stereotypes and ill-conceived legislation. To my mind, you can do one of two things: Get involved (IGDA and ECA come to mind) or shut up. Both organizations are quite easy to join. To put it another way, "You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result."

FULL DISCLOSURE DEPT: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics.

Middle-East website Al Bawaba reports that Disney Pixar’s Wall-E will be the first Arab localized video game.

Luke Keighran, THQ Export Sales Manager remarked:

We are delighted to be part of this, launching an Arabic game is every Arab gamers’ wish. This is a great opportunity for us to grow further in promising territories like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and a solid demonstration of our commitment to the Middle East market. It is [distributor] Pluto Games’ enthusiasm and will that made this commercially possible and we hope it will be the first of a long line up for Arabic titles in the future.

 

There are only few games that would suit the Middle East’s morals more than WALL*E. The game depicts family virtues in a fun adventurous story line immersing the players in a world of passionate pursuit for adventure.

Rabeeh Zakaria, THQ Product Manager for Pluto Games, added:

Wall-E is the first next generation video game to be produced in Arabic, we are seeing encouraging growth of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 formats and are delighted to be able to finally distribute a product that speaks our language. We hope others will follow with THQ’s step and help contribute to the growth of the gaming industry in the Middle East.

The House of Commons yesterday debated the merits of requiring game developers to ensure that their software won't cause players to experience epileptic seizures, reports Spong.

The issue was raised by Conservative John Penrose after a constituent's son experienced what is known as photosensitive epilepsy (PSE) while playing Ubisoft's Rayman Raving Rabbids. Penrose argued:

A couple of games-makers, notably Ubisoft, with which I have been in contact, have decided voluntarily and admirably to apply the sort of screening that I am suggesting to their games... and I hope that many other games manufacturers will follow their example. 

The point is that some games manufacturers may decide to do that, but there is a huge number of games-makers and manufacturers throughout the world. Some are large and responsible, such as Ubisoft, but as in any industry, there is a large number of manufacturers who are relatively tiny, and although some may be responsible, we cannot be sure.

Minister for Culture, Media and Sport Margaret Hodge, however, seemed to favor pursuing a voluntary compliance approach rather than a statutory one:

If I am unsuccessful in extending voluntary agreement for a voluntary code of conduct or if we find that it is insufficient, we can always return to the matter at a later stage.

I would like to take the issue away from today's debate and meet with ELSPA ... to see what progress can be made on a voluntary code of conduct.

Concerns over sexual predators lurking in online gaming venues are highlighted in a pair of reports.

USA Today interviewed investigators in Michigan and Arizona about the issue. Lt. Thomas Kish of the Michigan State Police told the paper:

Child predators are migrating from traditional methods to alternate media. They are going to places where children are.

Meanwhile, Lt. Jessica Farnsworth, head of the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, said her unit has seized a number of Xbox systems during investigations. She credited Microsoft with providing training to law enforcement personnel on how to extract messages and other data from the consoles.

Philadelphia's CBS-3 interviewed an investigator with the New Jersey State Police. Detective Cy Bleistine told the station:

We have kids growing up in computer age that are leaps and bounds ahead of the adults and as the parental controls come out, they find ways around them.

Last week GamePolitics reported on the prosecution of an alleged predator who abducted a victim he met through World of Warcraft. 

Entertainment Consumers Association President Hal Halpin will be today's guest on Shift Radio - Your Digital Life in Overdrive.

Host Chris Melissinos will interview Hal and  listeners can call in with questions. Hal will discuss what the ECA does for the gaming community and how gamers can get involved.

Chris also promised to discuss "a cool gadget..."

UPDATE: This is the premiere episode of Shift Radio.

UPDATE 2: If you missed the program live, use the widget at left to listen to a recording.

Full Disclosure Dept: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics.

Underage buyers are routinely able to purchase violent games via online auction sites, according to the Welsh Heads of Trading Standards.

As reported by the Daily Mail, a test group of 12-16 year olds were successful in 38 of 44 attempts to buy 18-rated games like Manhunt, Grand Theft Auto, The Godfather and Hitman. Lee Jones of the Bridgend County Borough Council Trading Standards commented on the results:

This survey shows how easily children can gain access to age-restricted violent video games.
 

A spokesman for the Trading Standards Institute added:

Traders selling goods over the internet have a responsibility to make sure they have methods in place to avoid breaking the law. If traders cannot be sure the person they are selling to is over 18 then they should not be selling.

GP: While the video game industry has made significant strides regarding retail enforcement of ratings, auction sites are beyond their control. It's an interesting quandary for parents and government officials. Moreover, it's questionable how much influence the auction sites are able to exercise over thousands of individual sellers. As the Daily Mail notes, the sellers place themselves at risk for a six-month jail sentence for selling 18-rated games to minors in the UK.

Wired's Threat Level blog dishes on a U.S. District Court judge's ruling that promotional music CD's are owned by the person they were given to not the record company that distributed them.

The case surfaced when UMG Recordings sued a California man for selling promo CDs on Ebay. However, Judge James Otero ruled against the company, writing:

UMG's distribution of promo CDs provides the recipient with many critical rights of ownership, including the right to perpetual possession and the freedom from obligations to UMG... [Distributing the promo CDs] is properly characterized as a gift or sale, not a license, and title to the CDs transferred [to the recipient].

Lawyer-gamer Mark Methenitis offers some legal insight on his Law of the Game blog:

The victor here is clearly the consumer. This means that if you get your hands on a promotional CD, DVD, or game, even one labeled not for resale, you can keep it or sell it on eBay without worry about repercussions from the game's publisher. More importantly, it prevents an expansion of the first sale doctrine, which could have limited your ability to resell games you've purchased at all. Game resellers, both those on eBay and the major retail chains, should be applauding this decision as it supports their livelihood.
 

Corinne McSherry of the Electronic Frontier Foundation told Wired that the ruling has many beneficiaries:

This is a very important ruling for consumers, and not just those who buy or sell used CDs. The right of first sale also protects libraries, used bookstores, and businesses that rent movies and videogames.

A pair of gamers have filed a class-action lawsuit against Electronic Arts over its exclusive licensing deal with the NFL.

Madden owners Geoffrey Pecover of Washington, D.C. and Jeffrey Lawrence of California are the named plaintiffs in the class-action, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California.

The suit, which essentially follows a line of reasoning laid out by GP, describes how EA, faced with competition from Take-Two's excellent NFL 2K5, reduced the price of Madden from $49.99 to $29.99 in order to stay competitive with NFL 2K5, which was aggressively priced at $19.99. From the lawsuit:

By signing the exclusive agreement with the NFL, Electronic Arts immediately killed off Take Two's NFL 2K5 software, the only competing interactive football product of comparable quality to its Madden franchise...

 

Once again without a competitor Electronic Arts raised its prices dramatically... nearly seventy percent to $49.95

The suit also notes EA's ongoing campaign to acquire Take-Two:

A successful takeover of Take-Two Interactive by Electronic Arts would remove one of the few companies with the ability  and expertise to compete in the market for interactive football software in the event that the Electronic Arts exclusive agreements were terminated or voided by a court.

Two law firms appear to be involved on the plaintiffs' side at this point: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro and The Paynter Law Firm. Both are experienced in class action suits.

Read the complaint here...

Via: Gamespot

Decent games about the political process are few and far between, but Stardock (Sins of a Solar Empire, Galactic Civilizations II) will release The Political Machine 2008, a turn-based election strategy sim for PC, on June 18th.

And, while real politics is an expensive business, the virtual kind is relatively cheap. The Political Machine 2008 retails for a mere $19.95.

Over at GameSpot, Jon Miller, who played as manager of Barack Obama's simulated campaign, has a detailed preview:

In The Political Machine, one turn breaks down to one week. The amount of stamina your candidate has limits the number of actions you can perform for each turn. Early on, the country is one giant mass of undecided voters, and it's your goal as campaign manager to sway them with lofty campaign promises...as well as blatant negative campaigning...

 

Of course, no election is complete without fundraising. Each action in the game, even flying from one state to another, will drain your campaign budget. If you have enough stamina, it helps to hit the fundraiser button, especially in wealthy states loyal to your party. Obama cleaned up in California and New York, routinely bringing in more than $200,000 per fundraiser, but he floundered in South Dakota where he raised only $6,000.

 

And so the campaign season goes... The Political Machine 2008 is not the most complicated strategy game out there, but it's a fun, lighthearted look at American politics.

GP: I enjoyed the last version of the game (2004), and can't wait to get my hands on this one.

Ubisoft has announced that it will release a handheld video game designed to help users kick the cigarette habit.

Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking is scheduled for November release on the Nintendo DS. The game  is based on the smoking cessation program of the same name, which currently features books, DVDs and clinics. According to an Ubisoft press release, over 10 million people have already availed themselves of the Carr method. Ubisoft exec Christian Salomon commented:

Ubisoft’s creative team has worked hard to deliver a game that successfully communicates Allen Carr’s Easyway method via play. The player experiences a truly interactive engagement with the game through which he or she learns that it can actually be enjoyable to quit smoking.

Robin Hayley, managing director of Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking, added:

There was an amazing synergy between Allen Carr’s Easyway team and Ubisoft as we worked on this project. Our experts worked hand in hand with the Ubisoft team to create an entertaining and illuminating game that delivers Allen Carr’s Easyway method in a new, dynamic and highly effective way.

PALGN reports that a comparison of the Australian and UK versions of Grand Theft Auto IV indicates that blood and animated sex scenes with prostitutes were removed from the game in order satisfy government censors. 

As GamePolitics has previously reported, the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification threatened to ban GTA IV unless certain cuts were made. PALGN credits a reader known only as "Mick" with chronicling the edits:

According to Mick, when players pick up a prostitute in the Australian version, there is no way to select a 'service' from the prostitute. The sexual intercourse sex animation has also been completely removed, so players will only see the car bounce from a locked rear-view. In the uncut version, after selecting a service from the prostitute, players can rotate the camera to see the prostitute's actions.

Also in the Australian version, no blood pools will appear beneath a dead person after shooting or stabbing them to death. There are blood splatters, but no blood pools. In the uncut version, blood will slowly ooze out from under a body...
 

Via: IT Wire

The Coalition of Entertainment Retail Trade Associations has issued a press release declaring June to be “Entertainment Ratings and Labeling Awareness Month.”

CERTA, which includes the Entertainment Merchants Association, a trade group representing video game retailers, hopes to remind parents to check ratings on movies and video games as well as parental advisories on music.

The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) announced yesterday that is now has 40 local chapters. The ECA, of course, is the non-profit organization that represents video gamers.

From the press release:

These newly formed networks give consumers the opportunity to connect with like-minded gamers in their area. Participation is open to activities like ECA-sponsored LAN parties, fund-raisers and contests in addition to attending local events, conferences and shows.

 

ECA chapters are forming now in local gaming communities and college campuses all across the country. They adopt the collective goal of educating the community on political issues that directly affect the interactive entertainment industry and broadening the ECA’s mission – to give gamers a voice.

ECA chapter relations manager Thomas Valentino added:

With over 40 ECA chapters already formed and many more on the way, we’re incredibly encouraged by the number of gamers that have taken the initiative and embraced our vision. In the coming months, we plan to coordinate group advocacy efforts that continue to preserve our rights as gamers.

The ECA also announced that it had assumed management of the National Association for the Protection of Video Games (NAPVG), a Facebook group for politically-minded gamers.

Full Disclosure Dept: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics…

Soon, when you condemn your Sims character to death by locking it in a doorless room with only a VR headset and an espresso machine, you'll at least be able to provide a nice Ikea chair for the unfortunate Sim to collapse upon.

That news comes by way of the International Herald Tribune, which reports that Electronic Arts, publisher of The Sims, has reached an agreement with Ikea to feature the Scandinavian houseware retailer's furniture as virtual items in The Sims. The IHT reports that players will be able to purchase an Ikea "stuff pack" for about twenty bucks and then import the virtual items into their game.

EA's Nancy Smith, president of The Sims franchise, credited fans of the series, who demanded more realistic virtual items, as a driving force in getting the Ikea deal done:

Because we have such a direct relationship with our players, the players help shape the product strategy.

Should Activision be eligible to win a "Best of E3" award even though they are technically not a participant in the show?

That's apparently one of the issues driving a reported flareup between the embattled ESA, which owns and operates E3, and the Game Critics Awards, an independent group which makes the annual "Best of" selections.

According to Kotaku, the issue has become "heated:"

[ESA] assumed that the departed companies' games would no longer be eligible for any of the annual "Best of E3" awards, given out by an independent group of Game Critics' Awards judges at each year's show.

However, Geoff Keighley (left),  executive producer of GameTrailers and co-chair of the Game Critics' Awards, told Kotaku that no decision has been made on eligibility. And while several publishers have said they will not participate in E3, the recently-departed Activision and Vivendi apparently will have some sort of unoffical presence outside the July expo's L.A. Convention Center venue. Said Keighley:

The fact that Activision is not a registered exhibitor for E3 has brought to light the issue of how to determine the eligibility of games... A precedent has been set that in the past, judges have voted on games that have been presented off the show floor at hotel suites and across the street from E3. It would be a shame for me if the best game of E3 didn't win the Best of Show award because it was demoed across the street from the show floor...

 

The fact we are independent awards [lets us] define our own rules for eligibility... Our organization isn't for profit. It's a volunteer organization, a consortium of journalists, so we can be pure.

Both Activision and the ESA declined to comment.

Apparently in response to recent complaints about violent and sexual video game content, Rob McKenna (R), Attorney General of Washington, has issued a press release reminding parents to check video game ratings for their children.

McKenna said:

A Washington state law requires retailers to inform consumers about video game ratings. Parents need to be aware that some of the most popular games contain content that is potentially harmful for youth and may be deemed offensive. A rating of ‘M’ for mature can include intense violence and sexual scenes.

Grand Theft Auto IV came in for a brief mention in the press release, which also noted objections to the game lodged by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

With so many elected officials bashing video games these days, GP naturally has a soft spot for any politician willing to get hands-on with our favorite pastime.

Kudos, then to Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert (R) who played a bit of the Pat Benatar anthem, Hit Me With Your Best Shot at a charity Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock marathon today in Dallas. The event is sponsored by Blockbuster and benefits Education is Freedom, a local nonprofit which is part of Mayor Leppert's Igniting Opportunity for the Children of Dallas Campaign.

The Dallas Morning News reports on hizzoner's performance:

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert attempted to play Hit Me with Your Best Shot during a 24-hour charity event featuring the video game Guitar Hero.

 

Once the mayor began to play he handed the guitar to 11-year old game whiz Aaron Blockmon to play most of the song. At the end, the mayor grabbed the guitar, dropped to his knees and cranked out the last few fake chords rock-star style...

 

After the mayor won a coin toss, Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes kicked off the event with School's Out. While Mr. Keyes was playing, the mayor stuffed his guitar strap with $5 bills.

GP: Awesome, Mr. Mayor. Simply awesome... The marathon runs through Saturday. Click here for details.

UPDATE: GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen has tracked down a video clip of Mayor Leppert's GH3 performance.