Kotaku
Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association, spoke on the past twelve years with the organization only a few months before he's due to step down. His keynote ranged from nostalgia to some extremely harsh words for the games press, high level execs, controversial content creators and the rank and file soldiers.
In his final public speech as ESA lead, he reflected on the beginnings of the association, with a colorful recounting of the US Senate hearings spawned from then controversial violent video games Night Trap and Mortal Kombat.
Doug recalls, "Howard Lincoln, representing Nintendo, and Bill White, representing Sega, were testifying about the emergence of some of these, at the time, more violent video games. Howard was talking about how Nintendo was the socially responsible company, that in their version of Mortal Kombat there was no blood, and they were taking the high road. As he's going through his remarks, from below his seat Bill White lifts up and holds up for everyone to see a big red gun peripheral from a Nintendo system."
Then, "Suddenly you have this explosion of multimedia effects inside the senate room. The senators are delighted, but people outside the room are mortified. We came together and tried to create something that would represent this industry in some meaningful way. It was a rather inauspicious start."
Lowenstein went on to praise the work the ESA by saying that "Perceptions about this industry are very different from how they were 12 years ago. It was a backwater, a stepchild. It had no presence at all." Later saying, "This industry is taken more seriously than it ever has been before."
On first amendment rights and protected speech, Lowenstein illustrated his passion for his work, saying "This first amendment stuff is where the rubber hits the road. In my view there has been nothing more important that the ESA has done than putting its money and resources out there to defend your artistic freedom. And sometimes that's not easy. Plenty of things are put out as art that don't necessarily ennoble the culture, but they're protected. We made a decision at the ESA that we're going to defend constitutional freedoms no matter what. And I think we've done that, and we'll continue to do that."
Then adding, "The genius and the talent is still scratching the surface."
He also highlighted the important research work the organization was responsible for, data that is change mass perception, saying that "When people begin to understand how ubiquitous this industry has become, it changes their attitude." He also took time to make note of the ESA's anti-piracy work, spotlighting one unnamed employee who travels three weeks a month to train customs officers and law enforcement officials on cracking down on pirated games. Just for clarity's sake, Lowenstein reveals "He's not going to Maui. He's going to the least interesting places in the world. It shows incredible dedication."
Lowenstein has less kind words for many in the industry, what he referred to as his "pet peeves."
First up for a reaming?
"Publishers and developers who make controversial content then cut and run when it comes to defending their creative decisions. If you want to push the envelope, fine, but get out there and be responsible for it. Don't duck and cover when the shit hits the fan."
Next?
"The boss level chattering class. The Greek chorus who always think there's a better way to do something. It's very easy to pontificate why the ESA doesn't do something right. Then you look and... where are these people? Are they fighting the fight? Are they meeting with their senators? Are they making political contributions? I'm sick and tired of people in this industry complaining then sitting on their hands."
He then moved on to another target asking the gathered crowd "How many of you have signed up for the Video Game Voters Group?" A meager display of raised hands.
"That's pathetic. It makes me sick. What is the problem? You cannot expect this industry to grow if you continue to pass the buck. We're good, but we can't win the war without an army. Most of the people who have the most at stake are too lazy. If you want to be taken seriously as an industry you have to be able to ask yourself what you're willing to do. In the end we won't have enough soldiers to succeed."
Lowenstein also had some harsh words for the enthusiast press.
"I'm also annoyed with the game media. I think there's a lot of maturity that needs to happen with the game press. I think the game industry press needs a higher level of maturity and seriousness. Great other forms of media have powerful forms of critical components. The game industry press has the ability to push this industry to greater heights of success. People in the industry care more about what the game press say more than what I would ever say. I don't think the games press has asked enough of itself."
"In the last six months, I cant tell you how many ridiculous rumors I've read. I've heard people say that I'm leaving the ESA because I'm upset with what happened with the E3 decision. This stuff is stupid and it's wrong. It's lazy reporting. I think the game industry press is capable of much better."
"You know who gives Jack Thompson more press than anyone else? The games press legitimizes Jack Thompson. Everyone gets so upset that Jack Thompson has so much ability." Becoming visibly flustered, he ends with, "I just think it's nuts."
He also blasted gaming press outlets for ignoring the games as learning tool "Game industry press never write about this."
But Lowenstein let internet gossip queens and the gaming masses sum up the end of his career. Some select comments from the internets on news that Doug was leaving the ESA.
"This is so weird. I had a dream the other night that Lowenstein stepped down and I was the new president. I wish I was joking. My dreams are that stupid."
"The ESA has put a serious face on entertainment, not just keeping the government out of it, but helping to build a serious reputation for an industry previously seen as the kiddie side-kick of movies and music. You may or may not like the monster developers like EA and the mega-blockbuster treatment and pricing of games, but without the ESA, there would be no major investments into our industry and you'd probably be picking between Bubsy 8 and Bonk 12 for your action fix."
"I've never heard of this guy. I doubt most gamers have. Why should anyone care?"
"Who gives a shit? Don't you have real news to report."
Lowenstein ended with, "And that I think sums it up."
Well, Doug, thanks for giving a shit.
Comments
It kinda' sucks for him, spending so much time fighting the good fight, and most any common Madden NFL player doesn't know who the hell he is.
I however, thank him greatly for all that he's done.
It's nice to see the honesty you get when someone is moving on after a time at a job. It's quite refreshing. Does anyone have a source of the press quotes at the end? I'd love to know which sites said what.
He makes a good point about JT.
Has Kotaku seriously thought about just completly not talking about him? just completly scrub him from your reports, try to encourage all the other game sites to do the exact same thing.
Nothing better than having him on some Main-Stream news channell with some gaming 'experts' who proclaim "No, ive never heard of you, are you important?".
Unfortunatly I doubt this will ever happen, sensationalism is too good to pass up I guess.
Pale, the quotes seem to have been lifted from a Gamespot story on Lowenstein, as well as the linked Kotaku post just prior to the quotes.
I applaude Lowenstein. He's right about the industry, the consumers, and the media. It's just a shame he's leaving.
I would love to see a video of this speech.
Although I don't care much for games which exist simply for violence sakes, I am highly against censorship and I think many developers take the fact that they CAN develop these games for granted.
We will definitely miss you, Doug.
Now where are all the AO games!
I'd be pissed too. That point about pushing the envelope then just putting your head in the sand is 100% on the money.
Take Two... he means you
I definitely agree with him to a certain extent that publishers are often afraid of the reaction of the vocal few, but I didn't see that he really showed where the ESA was also to blame. It is widely known that the MPAA ratings are largely arbitrary; minor changes make the difference between an NC-17 and an R or a PG-13 and an R. What I have always found more disturbing is the self-censorship aspect of the ratings system. To get the rating that they want, the artistic team must often mold their original vision so that the film will achieve the rating that they want. So instead of the rating as a reflection of the film itself, the film is molded into what will achieve a specific rating. If the team chooses to have the film go unrated by some nameless, faceless panel, the film will not be eligible for many of the distribution venues of the self-censored film. An NC-17 rating is the kiss of death.
And when the government pushed, the ESRB was created. When people like Joe Lieberman push for censorship with threats that the government will need to get involved in censoring art, we back down and roll out an even more restrictive policy of ratings than the MPAA. Hot coffee would get an R rating in a film, but gets the equivalent of an NC-17 for games. So, our industry self-censors, turns blood green or eliminates blood altogether. We live in a world where morality bullies determine what everyone else can play or watch. In a country that is often viewed (mistakenly) as the champion of free speech, we have internalized the censors. When you cut content to fit a rating or to avoid a confrontation, they win.
I would like to have Bubsy 8 and Bonk 12...where the hell are they?
it's a shame that the man decided to go, and at first i questioned why he was saying what he was saying to end it, but i completely understand where he's coming from.
i'm a member of the video game voters network, but i live in california so i rarely get a chance to participate in anything....
"I'm also annoyed with the game media. I think there's a lot of maturity that needs to happen with the game press. I think the game industry press needs a higher level of maturity and seriousness."
This is so true.
I'm a big supporter of the video game industry and the right of artistic freedom. I'm signed up with the Video Game Voters Network, but I discouraged others from doing so.
Why would I do that?
The entire reason the Video Game Voters Network was created was so that gamers and developers would have a voice to combat game legislation. This is a good thing and I support it fully. We needed some centralized organization that allowed us to speak our minds on the topic, so that Senators and the government wouldn't ignore us like they had been doing.
Upon joining the VGVN, I was treated with having a chance to directly send a message to legislators about an upcoming bill that was making the rounds in Congress. "Great," I thought. "Here's my chance to make a difference."
However, much to my dismay, I found out that the letter had already been typed out for me. It said what it wanted to say, and I got no voice in the matter. I only got a chance to basically sign and send it.
These were not the words I wanted to write. I wanted to let them know how I felt as a gamer, not how the industry thinks I should feel. While, yes, by giving us our own voice, you may get gamers that are a little "less influential" than others. However, I personally believe it to be more important if we were allowed to say what we wanted to say, and not have some organization that we barely know supply those words for us.
Luckily I had (mostly) agreed with what was said, so I felt confident enough to send the message anyway. But what about those people who didn't like what was said? What about those people who wanted to say something else? Their voice would be ignored, just like the it was being ignored by Congress.
After I sent the message, I was immediately greeted with something along the lines of, "Spread the message! Enter your friends' email addresses below and get them to join! For every additional address you enter, you get blah-blah-blah!" This didn't belong in a website about the First Amendment and artistic freedom. This belonged on a chain letter, or an ad site.
To make a long story short (too late), I felt like the VGVN was one gaint cattle call, and therefore didn't feel comfortable telling my friends to join. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about joining (or who already has) to really examine what message the VGVN is trying to say, and make sure that it properly matches the message you want the government to hear.
"In the last six months, I cant tell you how many ridiculous rumors I've read. I've heard people say that I'm leaving the ESA because I'm upset with what happened with the E3 decision. This stuff is stupid and it's wrong. It's lazy reporting. I think the game industry press is capable of much better."
"You know who gives Jack Thompson more press than anyone else? The games press legitimizes Jack Thompson. Everyone gets so upset that Jack Thompson has so much ability." Becoming visibly flustered, he ends with, "I just think it's nuts."
From Lowensein's mouth to God's ear.
Too bad that, by this time next week, his words will be long forgotten.
"To get the rating that they want, the artistic team must often mold their original vision so that the film will achieve the rating that they want."
It usually doesn't work like that - for the most part, developers are willing to drop stuff that's a problem if their vision doesn't really rely on it. "Can we put tops on those topless backup dancers?", Harmonix may say. And they can, because they can make the game rock in other ways that don't get the censors upset.
I think Lowenstein has a point on the game press - they're not so much 'press' as 'enthusiasts who get paid to write about games'. That's changing - people like N'gai Croal, Jason Hill, Stephen Tolito are at the vanguard - but most of the gaming press are dreadfully smallminded. I think a lot of the popularity of the gaming blogs has been, well, they're blogs, so they're quicker off the mark, but also that they wear their biases on their sleeve. There's no need to be fully objective, and somehow that manages to keep the writers mostly objective.
That and 90% of gamers, like everything else in life, are idiots. This is no slight on them, after all 50% of people in the world are below average, but it does make me glad that the VGVN gives them a form letter rather than inviting them to crap on the page and send it to their congressman. I've seen what gamers have written to JT. A lot of it doesn't really paint a rosy or mature picture about the industry ("OMG U R AN ID1OT!!!!!11!!!!" sort of thing) - it's just lucky that JT doesn't matter.
I think back in the early 80's/late 70's gamers as kids may not have had "political activism" high on their agendas. But I respect the fact that as we gamers get older, and games become more sophisticated, an association like this has tried to stick up for first amendment rights.
As far as our own voices are concerned, we don't necessarily need to be a part of the VGVN to send letters to our representatives. Form letters are just a way to involve more people faster by having them sign something which they agree with in principle.
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