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Virtually creepy Christians go gaming

I spend a fair amount of time browsing sites as part of my job in the games industry. Yeah, not all of it is 100% applicable to my subject matter, but sometimes you never know what you may find on either the more general or esoteric sites.  Today, I ran across an fascinating tidbit about a Christian themed game on one of my daily distractions - Boing Boing.

My interest was purely job related at first glance, knowing what is happening in the industry is a normal expectation. However, I quickly realized that this was something a bit, well, different. In an article written by Jonathan Hutson, named "The Purpose Driven Life Takers" (clever and catchy), he proceeds to delve into the game design, its ties to dominionism and specifically its direct support by Left Behind publishing and series co-author Tim LaHaye. Hutson also references a connection to "stealth" pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life and his drive to use this as a youth recruiting tool.

Now while Rick Warren has some interesting views of Christianity. the eerie part to me about this whole kerfuffle is the supposed nature of the game. I haven't played the game and it hasn't released yet, so who knows what features will actually see the light of day. You can check out some footage from the game from an ABC News segment during E3. You can also look here for some game descriptions on the publisher's site. Basically, this looks, feels and can be described as another game, one that has been vilified in the industry and press - Grand Theft Auto. Now, some people will react about how jacking cars and killing cops is so much worse than this game, but I'm not sure I see the distinction. You are converting or killing anybody who doesn't agree with you.  You also get to act on the side of the Anti-Christ's peacekeeping forces or be the actual Anti-Christ. Before anybody gets into semantics about reality versus fantasy, let's not forget that 63 million copies of the Left Behind series have sold and they aren't strictly to people like me who are trying to choke them down to see what all the fuss is about. There are people who are soaking this poorly written tripe in and digesting it as the "truth" of the coming apocalypse.

This whole affair just seems strange and odd that after attacking other entertainment industries (movies, theater, literature, art and even games) that it is somehow acceptable to hypocritically adopt a hyper-violent game and deem it worthy merely because it has been clothed in religious terms and anointed by a "Christian" publisher.  And this isn't even getting into some of the claims Hutson makes about convert or die for all the non-believers (including other Christians), which if true brings this game even closer to the realm of being extremely warped.

Now that I've said that I may actually play the game when it releases.  If nothing else I would like to see the features that made it into the final product and see where they have drawn the line. I should state that beyond selling the game to children outside of the recommended ESRB rating, GTA didn't bother me in the least.  It wasn't going to bring society crashing down around us and neither will this game.  But I will say that how this is pushed to the religious masses is something that does concern me. It's one thing to produce a violent video game and attempt to sell it to the mass market. It's quite another to create a hyper-violent game, push it to kids through their parents and pastors (authority figures of trust) and pretend that it's morally acceptable due to altered content matter.

No pun intended, but hell, I'm just looking forward to playing as the Anti-Christ.

Hoffa Search - Who Cares?

I have to ask just who exactly cares about Jimmy Hoffa three decades after his vanishing act? I'm all for the FBI doing their job and staying on target for the long haul, but this seems to be a bit of overkill.  I have a hard time believing that they would dedicate 40 agents "as well as demolition experts, archeologists and anthropologists" for any other 30-year-old disapperances. Hell, I would be curious to know if they have that many folks dedicated to each of their high priority active cases.

Link: Congressman Questions Cost of Hoffa Search.

Too Short For Long Sentence?

WTF? How the hell is this possible? This isn't some property crime or other non-violent offense.  The guy molested a child and the worst he gets is probation because he is a shorty.

Link: Too Short For Long Sentence? - May 25, 2006.

Time off makes me tired

I took Friday and Monday off this past week to recuperate a little bit after E3 and to give myself some time after grinding out a lot of work before the conference. It was nice to spend some time with my girlfriend and work on knocking out a few items around the apartment.  The girlfriend was ecstatic since it meant doing some chores that have been sitting on the to do list for a very long time.

Specifically, I got around to re-arranging and hanging up some pictures in the living room.  Now, for me this wasn't that big of deal and it sat for quite a while since I considered it a low priority.  What I didn't know was that she considered my lack of attention to it a cardinal sin that bordered on unforgivable.  On the other hand she was so overjoyed by the completion of the task that I think she let her annoyance fade away.

After three days of chores, spring cleaning and other miscellaneous tasks, I finally got a day to relax. Of course, I mostly slept, played a few games and read for a while.  When I got back to work today I was as tired as when I left. I think taking a couple of days here and there will help, but if I really want to relax (which is something I'm fairly bad at doing) I need to take a week or more off from work.

NSA Ringtone

They Might Be Giants, one of my favorite groups, came out with a very cool ringtone that gets a nice dig into the whole NSA/domestic spying hubub. I'm pretty happy about it since I use a Cingular 2125 Smartphone, which means that I can use the free MP3 they are giving away on their website. Windows Mobile for the win.

10 Things I Hate About Commandments

I've seen some interesting remixes of movie trailers in recent days, but this was too damn funny.

Link: YouTube - 10 Things I Hate About Commandments.

Just another day in paradise

Okay, WTF people?  First, USA Today, the nation's #1 newspaper for the ADD crowd, comes out with a fairly stunning report detailing the compilation of a domestic phone call database. Oh sure, it's just "there if we need it", but nobody is going to mine, collate, index or sort the information. Who the hell is buying that crap beyond some Republican sycophant? Second, Bush doesn't confirm the database, but does volunteer that the government isn't listening to domestic phone calls without a warrant.  This whole affair seems to be so far beyond reason that its level of absurdity is hard to fathom.  People toss around jokes like "1984", which seems patently like a knee-jerk reaction, however the laughter is getting to be a bit uncomfortable.

Now, I'm not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, but to put it plainly, I don't trust the government in general, and this one in particular, to ensure my rights as a citizen.  Yes, giving up my privacy and civil rights can produce more opportunities to prevent terrorism. Hell, I'm pretty certain of it. However, I don't care if it makes me safer. Why? Because my civil rights and my privacy are more important to me than an increased security or the perception thereof.

There is the famous urban legend of a frog thrown into boiling water will jump out immediately. However, if a frog is placed in tepid water and the temperature is slowly turned up, the frog will remain and die. Whether or not it's true it is still an interesting metaphor in this ever increasing trade-off of privacy vs. security.

E3 Ends

It's been a long week and E3 finally ends.  I'm tired of Los Angeles and will be happy to head home tomorrow.  I was at the Roosevelt Tuesday and Wednesday and while it's billed as an upscale, hip and trendy spot, I wasn't impressed.  It was a run down, dingy hotel that has seen better days, which also seems like a good metaphor for Los Angeles. I've never been a big fan of the city as it comes across as completely superficial and soulless.

During my cabs back and forth to the Roosevelt we passed through Beverly Hills and West Hollywood which produced interesting impressions:

1. People seem to drive very nice cars but live in complete shit-hole apartments/homes. I've lived in my share of crappy apartments and even without that pedigree, I think they are easy to spot.  I was surprised to see expensive cars such as high-end Range Rovers, seven series BMW's, brand new Hummers and a Ferrari or two parked in completely dilapidated apartments. The first time I saw it I convinced myself it was a fluke, but I kept seeing it again and again.  It was very strange.

2. Beverly Hills is it's own country. It was very stark difference between Beverly Hills and its surrounding areas.  The streets, hell even the street signs, were cleaner than everywhere else.  The vehicles on the side roads next to the upscale shops were stereotypical in luxury - Bentley, Lamborghini, I even thought I saw an Aston-Martin.  Another item worth mentioning were the women, they were almost all incredibly attractive.  Some looked like one too many visits to the breast implant shop, but they were still eye-catching. I don't think I can over emphasize the radical difference between the inside and outside of the city, very striking.

Something else weird about this city is how often you run into celebrities.  You can't swing a dead cat without hitting one. There was a Hollywood party at the Roosevelt after the press and partner briefings, which I skipped.  Apparently, Matthew Perry and some actors from the show Alias showed up, which provided an opportunity for a co-worker to fawn embarrassingly over them. There were plenty of celebs at E3, which is kind of expected - Paris Hilton, Robin Williams, Dave Navarro and Steven Spielberg (whose presence locked up the upper level of our booth with honest to god guards in three-piece suits blocking the stairway). My personal celeb spotting was of Michael Madsen. I loved him in Reservoir Dogs as Mr. Blonde, but wouldn't think of approaching him, it's just an odd concept to me.  Anyway, he was outside of E3 just after it closed by the limo pickup area with his kids.  He looked like any other father after a long day at E3 with his kids, tired and just wanting to go home.  Also, while I was just downstairs shipping some equipment back home from the show some girl came rushing in to make copies in the business center.  She kept dropping Lindsey Lohan's name to emphasize the urgency of her request for copies of some seating charts.  The hotel is hosting some disco night tonight and there are TV crews and lots of well-dressed people in the lobby.

Anyway, time to pack. Sleep, flight and then home again by 6:00pm tomorrow. I'm so looking forward to it.

Ahhh, Los Angeles

So here I finally am in Los Angeles to start my E3 week (after another trip with the commercially acceptable scarlet letter). I've been here less than two hours and so far I've been in argument with a cab driver, had to call hotel guest services to repair two items in my room and the connectivity is questionable, at best. 

After an uneventful flight, I got my bags queued up for a taxi and was on my way to my hotel.  Now, before heading down to L.A. I looked up the taxi services and made sure they accepted credit cards. I'm traveling on the company dime and paying via plastic is the easiest method to expense.  We are riding along and I notice a sign that requests letting the driver know if you will be paying by credit card. I do so and the driver says "No credit cards, cash only".  I tell him that I would prefer to pay with a card and he tells me there are plenty of ATM machines around and he would be happy to stop and let me get cash.  I tell him again, that I don't want to do that I want to pay with the company credit card.  At this point, he tells me he is going to drop me (and I have no idea where I am at this point).  I ask if he is fucking kidding me, which he is not, and I tell him fine, I'll pay cash. He starts to tell me about how he gets charged five percent more for credit card purchases and I tell him "I don't care, I'm paying cash now, what does it matter?"  Obviously, the rest of the ride is silent for both of us.  When we arrive at the hotel, I give him some cash. He actually has the audacity to ask if I want change. I replied "Yes please, I would like my change," but it came out like "Fucking A, I want my goddamn change!". He reluctantly gives it to me, I tell him thanks for nothing and leave.  I had his name and permit number and I reported his ass to his company "City Cab" and to the L.A. DOT.

Now if that wasn't enough fun...

Upon arriving at my hotel, the Hyatt Century Plaza I was in my room in no time. Unfortunately, one of the phones and the television remote was broken. They brought a new remote, but then said it wasn't the remote, it was the TV. Guest services was finally able to get the TV fixed, but the phone is out until tomorrow. Which is pretty odd considering this seems like a fairly upscale hotel with nice amenities; full spa, several pools and three restaurants. I was interested in trying out "Breeze" which has a sushi bar, but I don't think a dress code of upscale casual would allow for blue jeans (which is pretty much all I have).

I'll probably be ordering room service tonight since there aren't any other options since the hotel is surrounded by office buildings as far as I can see.  Good thing the company is picking up the tab since just an appetizer is $12 before the 20% + $3.00 surcharge.

I'm still tired as hell and hoping that I will get a good nights sleep tonight. My roommate won't be here until later tonight, so I can relax for a while by myself, which will be nice.