danrosenthal.org

GameStop Stores on Military Bases Won’t Sell MOH

Dan — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:15:30 +0000

A bit delayed, but I have an article up from late last week discussing AAFES and Gamestop’s decision that “out of respect for our past and present men and women in uniform we will not carry Medal of Honor in any of our AAFES based stores”. As a combat veteran and a gamer, I am disgusted and appalled by this attempt at censorship by AAFES bureaucrats that have not been subjected to the dangers and risks that our combat veterans are exposed to on a daily basis. Simply put, it’s not for them to decide; especially not on such a subjective basis that games where the player can be a terrorist are allowed, or games where players can commit virtual violations of the UCMJ. It is an utterly ridiculous decision, and is a slap in the face of our troops, who need all the fun that they can get.

PAX 2010 schedule

Dan — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:14:52 +0000

For those PAX attendees looking forward to my panel on Legal Issues in Gaming, we’re scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 5 at 3:30pm in the Wolfman Theater. If you are an iOS user, consider picking up “The Conventionist” (it’s free) and downloading the PAX plugin. You can then build a customized schedule, set an alarm for the panel, check the latest information, get a map, and all sorts of useful little tricks. I’ll be available throughout the conference for meetings and meet-ups; so please feel free to send me an email if you want to catch me on the floor.

New Article: More on FCC’s Rejection of Free Broadband

Dan — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:09:35 +0000

I have a new article up at Gamepolitics.com, expanding a bit further on their previous story regarding the FCC’s announcement that it rejected a plan that would bring free broadband internet to 95% of the country. The reasons behind that rejection may be more complicated than you might think. Check it out here.

GP Article: Starcraft II Sales Not Meeting Expectations.

Dan — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:11:33 +0000

Although I’m still slogging my way through the (admittedly pretty awesome) singleplayer campaign on Starcraft II, I did take some time to cover the launch week sales numbers. It seems to be the hot button topic to try and predict how well Starcraft II will do this year. My predictions are being revised upward a little bit, and I think it has a fair chance of doing 5 million worldwide, with the key factor for me being how well the game sells with the OS X market.

GamePolitics on the Wikimedia FBI response

Dan — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:02:29 +0000

Though I didn’t write the article, GamePolitics has a great bit of coverage on the response to the FBI demand letter we got at Wikimedia. You can view the response letter here, while the Wikipedia article in question is available here.

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.