danrosenthal.org » News

Shakeups in the IGDA Board and Leadership

Dan — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:26:44 +0000

Details are a bit sketchy right now, but allegations are surfacing that the shake up in the IGDA leadership has something to do with the major restructuring of the organization, recently announced by board members Wendy Despain and Gordon Bellamy. Personally, I’m not convinced yet. Joshua Caulfield is apparently moving on to a new ED position elsewhere, which makes me think he wasn’t forced out and the timing is just coincidental. Brenda Brathwaite’s resignation appears to be the same way, per her twitter post: “@DC_IGDA @tinysubversions Nothing exciting on my end. My current work/personal responsibilities are such that I just don’t have bandwidth.” Also makes sense; she’s a busy, working designer/educator with a lot of responsibilities on her time. So at this point, I’m not convinced that there is a case of anything other than coincidental timings.

Surely Jessi Slaughter Could Have Benefitted From Anti-Cyberbullying Games?

Dan — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:19:26 +0000

I have a new article up at Gamepolitics.com discussing the regrettable situation surrounding Jessi Slaughter and her family. It explores whether anti-cyberbullying games could have taught her and her family how to use the internet safely.

Korean Game Regulation Uncertain

Dan — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:01:56 +0000

I’ve done a new piece at GamePolitics covering the uncertainty surrounding the proposed Korean mobile game regulation. This is the one that includes mandatory in-game penalties for exceeding playtime limits. Check it out here.

Class Action Lawsuit Against Sony and Square Over FF13 Console Brickings

Dan — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:43:53 +0000

Square Enix and Sony Computer Entertainment of America have been hit with a class action lawsuit filed by a San Diego gamer upset over a glitch in Final Fantasy XIII that can cause PS3 consoles to freeze up and become useless. My coverage and a copy of the complaint are up at GamePolitics.com and a detailed analysis should follow in the next few days.

Gamers Petition: Support the ECA’s Amicus Brief in EMA v. Schwarzenegger

Dan — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:33:43 +0000

The ECA has started up a petition that will be delivered to the Supreme Court along with their amicus brief in EMA v. Schwarzenegger. It’s important that people sign the petition, even though the Court is likely to rule in our favor anyway, because this is a rare opportunity for our voices to be put into the public record for the courts.

There are two checkboxes under the petition that you probably want to look at; one is something on signing up for the ECA, which you may or may not want to check, and the other is for their newsletter which is kinda meh. Finally, after signing the petition, it will give you a form letter you can send to friends, if you so choose.

Gizmodo blogger gets searched, seized over iPhone 4

Dan — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:51:55 +0000

In our ongoing coverage at Negative Gamer, I have some legal analysis of the situation surrounding the seizure of several computers from Jason Chen, a blogger at Gizmodo. Check the post out here.

EMA v. Schwarzenegger gains cert with SCOTUS

Dan — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:49:02 +0000

The Supreme Court of the United States has granted the petition for a writ of certiorari on Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) v. Schwarzenegger. GamePolitics editor Pete Gallagher and I have ongoing coverage of the event, and reactions from industry players, as it unfolds. (Note: if you get 404 errors, just increment the number of the update by 1, and that should work).

LAPD Chief Daryl Gates Dies at 83

Dan — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:41:36 +0000

LAPD Chief Daryl Gates has died at 83 of bladder cancer. Gates was a designer on the Police Quest and Police Quest: SWAT series of games from Sierra in the 1990′s.

Followup on EMA v. Schwarzenegger

Dan — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:37:36 +0000

In light of the recent decision in U.S. v. Stevens, GamePolitics has done a followup article with Gameslaw discussing the implications of Stevens on the Court’s acceptance (or denial) of certiorari in EMA v. Schwarzenegger, the long-running Ninth Circuit case on video game violence. Catch the article here.

U.S. v. Stevens

Dan — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:32:16 +0000

The SCOTUS has made their ruling in U.S. v. Stevens, a controversial case about crush videos that has broad implications for violent games legislation. Check out our continuing coverage at Gamepolitics! Also, I should point out that my Fantasy SCOTUS team totally called this one, right down to the breakdown.