Star Wars: The Old Republic community manager Sean Dahlberg quieted talk of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender themes in the forthcoming MMO by writing "As I have stated before, these are terms that do not exist in Star Wars" and locking the discussion thread. That lead to further allegations of GLBT "discrimination," with knowledgeable fans pointing out instances of same sex relationships in the extended Star Wars universe.

Gamers looking forward to the new massively multiplayer Star Wars game were largely civil in their requests for BioWare to reconsider its stance.

"I understand where it comes from, but my advise to Bioware is to rethink this," posted user Elikal. "Blizzard got some really bad press when they tried to forbid the usage of these words, and it would be really disappointing if Bioware would follow such a conservative policy in their forum - and their game."

Today, BioWare reps have decided to remove any filters that bar homosexual topics of discussion, reopening the thread and issuing a mea culpa. Star Wars: The Old Republic community manager Sean Dahlberg issued the following apology and explanation:

I would like to personally apologize to "Elikal" and anyone I may have offended. My intention was not to demean anyone but simply to help promote a community that could discuss topics in a mature fashion. When I first built the word filter list, I added a variety of terms to the word filter that have been used numerous times in derogatory messaging. There were some words added to the filter that should not have been – we corrected this today.

I apologize for the confusion that this has created but I would like to be clear that there was never any intent to limit discussion. That said, I have overstepped my boundaries in my original statement and I sincerely apologize for doing so.

Dahlberg went on to clarify that no Star Wars: The Old Republic forum members were banned for discussing matters of a gay or lesbian nature "with the exception of individuals who were being derogatory and insulting to others."

GLBT discrimination in forums? [BioWare]
There Are No Gays In Star Wars [Kotaku]

Mr. Wilson needed to email Kotaku a nice long letter to recount his version of events at Ion Storm and slam my personal life - way to go Mike! Media manipulation at its saddest. It's analogous to a crotch shot of Britney in Hollywood's media circus.

Anyway, I think we're both mature enough to end this flame war. I just wanna see the cool games that gamecock is gonna release.

It's ok guys - no need to continue this worthless fight and commentary. Mike emailed me and apologized for his response.

But developing a game and publishing a game are completely different things. Gamecock is PUBLISHING other developer's games with the money they have from their investors, it's not personal money. Developers, on the other hand, get money from publishers to create their games. They're the guys with the ideas and the blood, sweat and tears putting in the work to make it all happen. Without the developers there are no games.

Without the publishers......the developers become their own publisher.

...and...

Yeah, approval process of bitch ad:

mike: hey, here's the kickass ad the richards group did - i think it's great and we should do it

john: uh, i would never say that to someone "you're my bitch" - that's kinda gay

mike: don't be a pussy! people will get it - it's trashtalking.

john: ok, whatever...

In the same post, Romero also placed part of the blame on Wilson for the laughable "John Romero's About To Make You His Bitch" print ads that ran prior to the release of the ill-fated shooter Daikatana.

Wilson responds in an open letter to Romero, sent to Kotaku, that he will "not allow you to rewrite the history of it all, more to your liking and to my public detriment, and I will in no way take the rap for what you did (or didn't do) with your dream company", going on to defend his character and refute certain claims.

It gets particularly nasty near the end of the letter, when Wilson says to Romero "your unparalleled work ethic and strong character has [...] left only a bloody trail of ex-wives, fatherless kids, and ill advised breast implants strewn across this fair nation." Insert stunned silence here, then continue for the full "Dear John" letter.

Dear John, I'm writing this letter from Moscow, having just read your lovely post about me, which a good friend forwarded me and implored me to reply to. I really never thought I would relive the joy that was Ion Storm, circa 1997, or that the memories of those times still troubled you so 11 years later. Then again, I would guess you live in the memories of your twenties as much as you can, given the reality of your thirties. Glad to know I'm still in your thoughts.

I enjoyed your comments very much, but several of my friends (especially those that were around for those heady time to witness the truth of it up close) did not find it quite so funny, and thought that I should take the time to set a few things straight as publicly as the flame you chose to randomly launch my way.

While I am not at all interested in reliving those days, I will also not allow you to rewrite the history of it all, more to your liking and to my public detriment, and I will in no way take the rap for what you did (or didn't do)with your dream company. So here are just a few reminders to jog your memory.

While my job title (which you gave me) was CEO of your company, I was one of two "junior partners" in a partnership of 6. I made about 1/3 of what the 'big boy partners' (as you liked to call yourselves back then) did and owned less than five percent of your company. I wasn't awarded a 250k signing bonus like you were for signing up to your own startup and I didn't have a personal assistant like you, nor occupy one of the 4 corners of power in the original Ion Storm building. And unlike you, I didn't get to file a federal trademark for my own personal catch phrase," Suck it Down." I remind you of these things only to remind you that there was absolutely nothing done by me or Ion Storm, including the advertisements which bore your name and which you happily posed for, that didn't require your full approval and grand signature.

And while I did think that famous Bitch ad was pretty funny, I'll remind you that you signed that one too, and I'm fairly certain I wasn't holding your hand or using a Jedi mind trick on you when you did it. I'll also remind you that the whole reason for running the teaser ad was that we felt we should be starting to advertise the game since it you said was shipping so soon, for Christmas in 1997. Even though we had nothing but a logo and that signature promise to use for an ad 6 months before you promised Eidos and your partners that Daikatana would be ready to redefine shooters on shelves worldwide.

Our former employee also reminded me that I fought on a daily basis to try to save that company from the poison which you had invited into it (and watched spread like a cancer while you kept your head in the sand), only to find myself ushered out the door, since it was such a buzz kill to hear my incessant complaints about the way things were being run, which were really those of the 80 or so young fresh faced developers we hired in the 10 months I was there. But hey, it was clear that I was the problem there, as you guys really took off the year after I left. Or, more accurately, nearly every one of those 80 hires did.

I do owe you a thank you for that little shove to get me started on Gathering of Developers, a company that I was an actual partner of, and which Take Two 'reigned in' buy buying for 30 million dollars, two years after we opened an office, which resulted in no less than eight million unit selling PC games and over 350 million dollars in revenue for TTWO (my investors) during roughly the same amount of time that it took you and the remaining 'big boy partners' to shit away Eidos' (your investors) 30 million and deliver one of the biggest heaps of dung ever put onto a CD Rom, just before being foreclosed on. Thank god for Warren Spector, who was also made a 'junior partner', and later delivered Eidos Storm's only salvation in the form of Deus Ex.

And please don't be too concerned for the independent developers I work with... just like with GodGames, and like the deal I struck for you with Eidos, Gamecock owns their IP and is branded above the publisher on everything, and has a great royalty rate. Royalty rates are what you make if you actually make a game that is good and sells. Remember Quake one?

I'm also grateful for your concern over my incessant partying, which has somehow led me to be married to the same beautiful woman for 17 years now, while raising two incredible daughters together. You should maybe try the partying, since your unparalleled work ethic and strong character has (just in the time I've known you) left only a bloody trail of ex-wives, fatherless kids, and ill advised breast implants strewn across this fair nation, even before you flew all the way to Romania for your latest wife. If she's not still around, let me know, and I'll see if I can pick another one up for you here in Russia.

Its been great catching up, but I'm off to dinner now with Harry Miller, my best friend and business partner for the past decade (ever had one of those, John?), and our very happy new investor, followed by some crazy partying to keep it real, just for you.

You take care now, and remember just because id, Eidos, and then Midway fired you doesn't mean you're not still awesome!

Suck it down,

Your pal Mike

Happy weekend, everybody!

"We are disappointed that the BBFC has decided to appeal its own Video Appeals Committee's judgment in favor of an 18-plus certificate for Manhunt 2," said Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.

"We believe the VAC decision was correct and do not understand the BBFC's decision to expend further public resources to censor a game that contains content well within the bounds established by the BBFC's 18-plus ratings certification."

See? The news is always more interesting if you apply the vast power of the human imagination to it. Otherwise this would have just been a giant "Duh!" of a story, but now we have a gripping tale of tragedy for the ages. Were it a movie it would end with the sound of quiet tears as the camera slowly zooms in on a pile of forgotten pizza boxes.

Take-Two disappointed with BBFC decision [GamesIndustry.biz]

GameRankings editor Lee Alessi writes today on his GameSpot blog, "No, I didn't get rid of their data 'on purpose'. I honestly have no clue how it disappeared and before anyone asks—-no, I didn't delete the site. I am no Tech but I will take a guess and say there will have to be a restored backup to get close to 10,000 in reviews and 60,000 in other articles back on GR."

Yes, GameRankings did indeed drop GameSpot reviews, but looks like it found them, plans to put them back in their spot, restore balance to all important percentages and (hopefully) defuse any further potential drama.

We've contacted CNET and GameSpot reps to get an official statement on the matter. Regardless, it sounds very much like this is not news.

Before people jump to conclusions/ make assumptions [GameSpot]

There are a couple of themes from all of this, both the personal accounts that have wound up in our inbox and the wider discussion as a whole: this is nothing new and the ramifications are a little further reaching than a single reviewer, game company, or site.

I've been musing on all of this, mostly because reviews are part of an academic's life - epic flame wars have been fought on the pages of academic journals in every field, frequently over a scathing review or editorial. Feelings get hurt, professional relationships get strained - but money is almost never a concern. Your average PhD may make shit for a salary, but the upside is that professional integrity is rarely compromised in an attempt to hold on to the all mighty dollar.

It's amazing to me that some companies find this an acceptable course of action in some situations, and even more amazing that some bosses go along with this. Is losing credibility and mountains of bad press really worth those advertising dollars? But Kevin Gifford's Gamasutra editorial points to the very way video games are reviewed as part of the problem:

But many outlets have failed to stir up any reader interest in the text behind the review, or the overall atmosphere of the mag or website they're exploring — instead, readers increasingly care exclusively about the score, so they can praise and/or whine about it online. Entire game-media outlets have been, and are defined by, the numerals they publish...instead of, you know, how fun they are to read.

The Internet has largely made the job title "critic" redundant. The problem is that no one at most game mags and websites got the memo. Until they do — until they realize that it's their content that defines them, and not their scores — they'll have to be content with being abused by publishers and their readership for the rest of their existences.

I don't expect that game reviews are going to start looking like something out of The New York Review of Books - but getting away from the numbers would probably help on a number of levels. That's not to say that all of us - or even most - are somehow in some company's back pocket. Write anything, be it critical or glowing, and someone, somewhere will accuse you of horrid biases, even if you're simply speaking your mind and not acting as a surreptitious corporate mouthpiece. Our inbox attests to that. It would seem that game reviewers (and journalists at large) are frequently in between a rock and a hard place, and something needs to give.

It'll be interesting to see what the long term fallout from all of this is. It just makes me glad I've never aspired to a high powered career of game reviewing for a big site. I'll take my chances in the shark-infested waters of the Journal of Asian Studies and Modern China, thank you.