Capcom is holding a Top Secret Dark Void event in San Francisco on Monday. So top secret that they won't tell anyone where it is, or what they are doing. For all we know they could be testing out vertical combat and you'll be the live guinea pig. All they will tell you is where to be picked up to be ferried to the event, and even then you need to apply.

In order to be eligible to enter you have to be 21 or older with a valid form of ID, and must be able to make it to the assembly point by 2PM, with the event lasting until 7:30PM. To submit yourself for consideration, click on the link below and follow the instructions there. Then get picked, attend, and let us know how that works out for you.

Join Us for a Top Secret Dark Void Event [Capcom Unity]

The Eagle Forum isn't much different from your typical gasbag family values think tank, except that it was founded in 1967 by Phyllis Schlafly (pictured), so it was a gasbag family values think tank before that was cool. It's also funny they're teaming up with Jerry Brown, the former "Governor Moonbeam" and current California Attorney General, who's appealing a lower-court decision striking down a 2005 law against the sales of violent video games.

In a laundry list of evils, the Eagle Forum attaches video games to everything wrong in the world, including high school dropout rates and the lack of preparedness freshmen have for a college curriculum. Nothing, of course, is cited, but that's should be expected from the paper's author, Andrew Schlafly. He founded "Conservapedia," the free online encyclopedia any knuckledragging flat-earther can edit.

The dated references to Sega and the 27-year-old death of Peter Burkowski make me think these are just talking points cut and pasted from the Eagle Forum's video game file.

Video Games Are Equivalent to Fighting Words, Conservative Group Argues in Supreme Court Brief [GamePolitics]

The WoW: Emergent Media Phenomenon exhibit, which runs from now until October 4th at the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, California, explores different forms of cultural production (read: art) that have been influenced by video games in general, with a strong focus on World of Warcraft. The exhibit uses work by Blizzard artists Chris Metzen, Sam Didier, Chris Robinson, Justin Thavirat, and Roman Kenney, along with work from nineteen other artists from around the globe, exploring themes of desire, the collapse of fantasy, medievalism, creative critiques, and public intervention.

It all sounds rather deep, but that's the world of art for you. Throughout the exhibition, various artists will be lecturing and performing, integrating the World of Warcraft into their work. Visitors will have a chance to actively participate in collaborative art, or simply listen to someone explore the fantasy religious themes in the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch to the imagery found in World of Warcraft.

It actually sounds fascinating. Perhaps I will get a chance to make it out there during this year's trip to BlizzCon.

WoW: Emergent Media Phenomenon [Laguna Art Museum - Thanks Steven]

The Times pointed out the law's obvious flaws - too broadly defined, zero causal link between violent games and the harms claimed, etc., before winding up with the common sense that seems to flee this sort of debate whenever it gets into a statehouse:

The primary responsibility for protecting minors from potentially harmful influences lies with parents, as it did long before video games were a twinkle in a programmer's eye. Parents don't need a law to urge makers of video games to strengthen their current voluntary ratings systems. More important, they don't need permission from a legislator or judge to keep an eye on what their children are doing - or playing.

Remember, the law didn't ban violent games, just required their labeling and stiffened fines for selling them to minors. It still fell short of justifying any prior restraint of free expression.

The state's struggling with cutbacks to balance a budget that was $50 zillion in the hole, and the worst drought in a generation is expected later this year. Plus Brown's tangled up in the Prop. 8 appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. This stupid law should not be anywhere near a priority.

Violent Video Games: who Controls the Joystick? [Los Angeles Times via GamePolitics

"This is the same technology the armed forces use to help soldiers kill the enemy," said state Sen. Leland Yee, the San Francisco Democrat who wrote the legislation. "All we're saying is, 'Don't sell it to kids.' "

I predict this appeal will get them absolutely nowhere, though I suppose we can't fault them for using taxpayers' money to check back every now and then, just in case the Constitution changed while we weren't looking.

California violent-video-game law faces showdown in federal appeals court [Mercury News via Gamasutra]

The California game law was terminated in federal court last year. The state, never the brightest of the bunch, is currently pursuing an appeal.

CALIFORNIA REIMBURSES TRADE GROUP OVER $280,000 FOR ATTORNEY’S FEES

AUGUST 5, 2008 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - The state of California today reimbursed the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) $282,794 for attorney’s fees. The monies were received after the state attempted to defend an unconstitutional law restricting the constitutional rights of video game publishers, developers and consumers.

“California deserves more from its legislators than pursuing flawed legislation. State employees are facing pay cuts. California’s services are being scaled back. And, anxiety is rising in Sacramento to find funds,“ said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “Rather than tackling real problems affecting Californians, they chose to waste time, money and state resources. It is shameful that legislators pursued personal agendas in spite of the facts.”

The ESA noted that this payment comes at an especially troubling time for the state, calling to mind other pressing budgetary and legislative priorities and issues, including:

* California is currently facing a $15-billion budget gap[1]
* More than 10,000 California state employees were laid off last week in light of the budget crisis[2]
* Governor Schwarzenegger is seeking to cut wages for nearly 200,000 state employees[3]
* The state already cut 10 percent to its Medicaid reimbursement rate and deferred payments to vendors[4]

“Caregivers are not well-served by court battles and legal fees. Rather, they would have been far better off if state officials worked together with our industry to raise awareness about video game ratings and the parental controls available on all new game consoles—both of which help ensure that the games children play are parent-approved.”

On August 6, 2007, Judge Ronald M. Whyte ruled in favor of the ESA's Motion for Summary Judgment, permanently enjoining enforcement of the California video game law that regulated the sale of computer and video games in that state. Judge Whyte acknowledged that video games are protected by the First Amendment and found there was no evidence that playing violent games results in real world violence. The state currently is appealing this decision.

“It is unfortunate that the state is stubbornly pursuing an appeal that is likely to lead to even more court-awarded fees,” concluded Gallagher.

The Entertainment Software Association is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. The ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, owning the E3 Media & Business Summit, business and consumer research, federal and state government relations, First Amendment and intellectual property protection efforts. For more information, please visit www.theESA.com.

###

Consumer site GameCyte recently interviewed Sen. Yee and asked him to explain why he thinks games are more dangerous than other forms of violent media, such as films and television:

LY: Well, the bill that we had, that was signed into law, is a bill that deals with interactive violent video games. It's not just any violent video game - it is the interactive nature of these violent video games that are particularly harmful to our children. This is where literally, youngsters are sitting with their computer and pushing buttons not hundred s of times, but thousands - hundreds of thousands of times, whereby their action is coordinated with what happens to a human being, what happens to an individual. So pushing a button will then decapitate someone. Pushing a button will hack of a limb of a particular individual, burn some individual. It is this interactive nature that connects your behavior to a particular consequence that is particularly horrific.

think there's two major problems with the ESRB (the rating board): one is that there is a conflict of interest. The money that is used to sustain their particular activity is paid by the industry — the industry that that board is supposedly trying to regulate. So long as you have that conflict of interest, there's no way that anyone's going to believe that these rating scores are going to be objective.

Number two, the ratings are not valid; because the way in which you determine those ratings is that you get a snippet of these particular video games. The industry will provide you with some of the information that causes one to rate in a particular way. So, getting the information from the industry; number two, not being able to look at all the content, the rating system is a flawed and an invalid system. It is those two reasons that I don't believe that the ESRB is accurate for our parents to make some informed decisions about whether or not these games are appropriate for kids.

Discussing Game Violence with Maturity: Senator Leland Yee [GameCyte]

This wet blanket wants video game publishers to notify consumers before they buy a game that someone will gather marketing data and push advertising on them.

Supposedly they're concerned about kids installing malicious software and protecting our privacy rights. I think they're just looking to ruin everyone else's fun! Thanks a lot, you fascists. Guess I'll have to turn on my television if I want to be bombarded with advertising. Michael McWhertor

In-game Adware Targeted by California Legislator [GamePolitics]
Privacy Experts: Legislation Needed To Curb Video Game Spyware [10News]

Hal Halpin, president of the IEMA, sent out an email response to Judge White's ruling today freezing the California Vide Game Law.

Here you go:

We are, of course, unsurprised by Judge Whyte's decision to enjoin the law and pleased that his decision came before the holidays were upon us. Our position has been, and shall remain, that Government should not be involving itself in the entertainment decisions that consumers make. Our members are already voluntarily committed to a self-regulatory process and games should be treated no differently than music or movies in how they are merchandised, sold and enjoyed. Judge Whyte's preliminary injunction reaffirms our long-held position that these laws are unconstitutional and unnecessary. It is unfortunate that politicians have chosen not to respect the will of the courts and of the people, and it is our continued hope that they will now, given the extraordinary amount of precedent, choose to instead work proactively with us.

And I thought I was the only one working this week.

A California judge has slapped the state's video game law with a preliminary injunction, halting its implementation.

U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte wrote that "games are protected by the First Amendment and that plaintiffs are likely to prevail in their argument that the Act violates the First Amendment." His ruling follows a trend of finding video game laws unconstitutional and forms of prior restraint.

Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association, is said to have danced a little jig. His statement after the jump.

We are extremely pleased by today'’s announcement. We deeply respect the concerns of the Governor and the Legislature that gave rise to the law. For the sixth time in five years, Federal Courts have now blocked or struck down these state and local laws seeking to regulate the sale of games to minors based on their content, and none have upheld such statutes. It is therefore time to look past legislation and litigation in favor of cooperative efforts to accomplish the common goal of ensuring that parents use the tools available to control the games their kids play.

We believe that between the ESRB ratings, parental education, and now with the announcement that all next generation consoles will have parental controls, there is a wealth of ways that those concerned can ensure that children do not have access to inappropriate games. In sum, we believe a combination of parental choice and parental control is the legal, sensible, and most importantly, effective way to help parents keep inappropriate video games from children, and we dedicate ourselves to working with all parties to accomplish this goal.

Now that's a Christmas present.

California Countdown [Game Politics]
Game Off: CA. Lawmakers Pass Sales Bill