Games Criticism Is Flawed And/Or In A Golden Age.
Two views on the state of games criticism over at The New York Times. Here are excerpts:
Xbox Live Has Got A Binder Full Of Awful Debate Questions
I've been watching the Presidential debates on my Xbox 360. I'm not alone—Microsoft reports that more than 100,000 people watched last night's debate on their gaming console. While I applaud Microsoft for making these vital discussions available on the Xbox, there's one big downside to watching them this way: Those…
In Moral Debate About Shadow Complex, Both Sides Have Their Say
Kim Wong refuses to buy the new Xbox 360 game Shadow Complex. Revolted by the political views of a novelist associated with the game, the 27-year old gamer's conscience holds him back. But there's another side to the story.
Indie Dev Asks 'Why?' and Pirates Reply
Independent developer Cliff Harris, of
Positech Games , asked pirates why they choose to pirate his games, promising them immunity and anonymity in exchange for their honest rationales, which he would aggregate and post on his blog. They reciprocated, and of about six reasons, a righteous indignation at DRM seemed to…