"Outpaces," is the word the FTC's report uses in describing the games industry's conduct among its peers, noting the 80 percent prevention rate in keeping M-rated content from minors, and keeping ads for M-rated games off the television prior to 10 pm.

Further: "The Commission commends the ESRB for its new online ratings summaries, which provide a more detailed explanation of the content that factored into a game's rating. This tool should enhance parental understanding of the ratings and the ratings process."

Entertainment Software Association President Michael Gallagher called the report "a strong acknowledgement and validation that industry-led self-regulation efforts are the best way to provide parents and retailers with the resources and support they need to keep our kids' entertainment experiences suitable."

The report evaluates the marketing and adevertising practices across the entertainment industries. It's the FTC's seventh such report since 2000.

Games Industry Best Regulated of All Entertainment Sectors [GamesIndustry.biz]

There's currently a trial program in place in the state called "Empire 2.0", which is all about the government extending existing services and means of communication to 21st century outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.

Of course, gaming consoles are included in that, and NY are in the process of testing - across Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network and the Wii's network - a means of distributing emergency warning messages across those platforms, so anyone with their console on (and TV or radio off) can be reached. NY residents note: they're not live testing yet, just doing some background stuff.

It's a good idea. I actually had the displeasure of hearing the "whoooop whoooop" of an emergency warning back in 2003, but I only heard it - and evacuated my house in time - because it was on both the radio and television. These days, I'd be far more likely to be on Xbox Live or the PSN.

Not that I live in NY, just saying...it's a good idea.

Interop: New York Tests Xbox-Based Alert System [IW, via Gizmodo]

The dustup comes as the FCC is seeking to define the term "broadband," which isn't just an academic debate. The definition the FCC uses will be part of the National Broadband Plan the agency is writing and, you guessed it, there's money involved with that. About $7 billion in federal stimulus funding, to be exact.

Here's AT&T's comments to the government, according to Ars Technica, which reported the controversy today:

For Americans who today have no terrestrial broadband service at all, the pressing concern is not the ability to engage in real-time, two-way gaming, but obtaining meaningful access to the Internet's resources and to reliable email communications and other basic tools that most of the country has come to expect as a given.

As you can imagine, the Entertainment Software Association didn't take too kindly to AT&T's position. Last week, the ESA's Kenneth L Doroshow, a senior vice president, told the FCC:

What AT&T describes as aspirational services are no less important to the future of the Internet than email and web browsing were to the past and are today. Online video games are a meaningful part of our participative culture. They remove geographic barriers, connecting people from across the country and around the world. They teach cooperation, cultivate leadership skills, and empower users to express their creativity.

AT&T's comments are not entirely hostile to online gaming; but the company is arguing for a definition that includes "the capabilities needed to support the applications and services Americans must access to participate in the Internet economy." That includes using email, instant messaging, and basic Web surfing. AT&T characterized them as things the public would use "to learn, train for jobs, and work online." The ESA's Doroshow pointed out that video games are used in schools and in employee training.

Ars delves into the studies and research showing gaming's place as either a want or a need. The bottom line, the FCC has not made any decision on this definition, and AT&T's influence, substantial though it is, is only in the context of a public comment on a federal study. It's in no position to make the choice itself.

But, yeah, it's not nice if your broadband provider tells you that a big reason you're shelling out so much for the service isn't really an important use of it.

AT&T to FCC: Gaming is not "Broadband," but an Added Service [Ars Technica, thanks tipster Daniel C.]

Quoting the Progress and Freedom Foundation, the report, published Aug. 31, says ESRB ratings are "in many ways the most sophisticated, descriptive, and effective ratings system devised by any major media sector in America." The parental control functions of the three current-gen consoles, plus Windows PCs, are also highlighted. The report mentions that game ratings are highly recognized and useful to parents (58 percent find them helpful, according to a third-party survey), and the percentage of kids buying M-rated games dropped dramatically from 2006 to 2008, according to the FTC.

Significantly, the report also says that the FCC considers "that video game players and video games are not the focus of the Child Safe Viewing Act," the piece of legislation that started this universal-rating discussion. "Video game players are not included among the devices specifically identified in Section 2(b)(2) of the Act, and video games are not mentioned in the Senate Report and were not discussed in the Senate hearing on the Act."

But the FCC inquiry did include video games when it sought comment on universal regulation, in light of their popularity with kids and concerns about their content. The majority of comments, the FCC noted, "take the position that video games should not be reviewed in this proceeding."

Final score: The ESRB gets a thumbs-up to Congress, and the legislation in question does not even concern video game consoles in the first place. If you like, you may download a pdf of the entire report and read it yourself.

FCC Cites Success of VIdeo Game Rating System [CNET]

Philadelphia City Paper spotlighted the five-man band - an audio engineer, an executive, a dev, a lawyer and a professor at Drexel University - this week. They're not the first civic group pitching the public sector on the economic development power that video game studios bring. But they do have a couple selling points.

• The city's cost of living is lower compared to major metros such as New York, Boston or, God, yes, Silicon Valley. Eating solid gold for dinner and using copies of Giant Size X-Men #1 for toilet paper is less expensive than Silicon Valley.

• Strong university partners. The story points out that the University of Pennsylvania has Ivy League's only game development program, frequently sending its graduates to the west coast. St. Joseph's and Drexel also have relevant sequences.

The rest of the story looks at their efforts to get into the conversation, although in a city and state such as Philadelphia, Pa., with its own budget problems and economic ills, convincing those with the public purse strings to lay aside incentives will be difficult.

All in the Games [Philadelphia City Paper; image by Mark Stehle, City Paper. Thanks, tipster John E.]

It's not in the ever-increasing "Federal Debt as percentage of GDP" ratio. Because that looks bad. The good part is that, if I remember my Pac-Man animation cycle, we're just a few years away from a completed chomp. Then the Pac-Man (or is that Super Pac-Man) cycle can begin anew. Spend wildly, America!

If you'd like to see Sen. Voinovich go on and on and on and on about this in front of a Pac-Man pie chart illustration, you can do so at his official web site.

United States Sentor George Voinovich

Yes, America's Army 3 is only a week away from release, and right now you can pre-load the game/recruitment tool on Steam so you're ready to drop into the action as soon as it goes live. Like the previous two installments of the game, AA3 is completely free, unless you count the taxpayer money that went into development, promotions, and marketing. Other than that, completely free.

For those of you who just can't wait for the hot military action, head over to the official website to read the America's Army Graphic Novel, the comic book paid for by American tax dollars.

The five countries are the ones singled out by the Anti-Piracy Caucus as priorities for 2009, with Congress urging said countries to improve enforcement legislation and practices. How are they urging? Through a series of announcements that I am sure weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of those countries' governments, should they be paying any attention at all.

Still, the Entertainment Software Association seems pleased.

"The copyright-based industries will be leaders in our economic recovery – and the entertainment software industry, which had record sales in 2008, will continue to be a strong contributor to our nation's GDP," said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "Exports can comprise as much as 30% of our members' sales, and are a direct contributor to domestic job growth. The work of the Caucus helps us to grow our export markets, create jobs and strengthen our balance of trade. Additionally, stemming the flood of pirated creative works benefits and protects legitimate consumers everywhere.

The ESA specifically thanked the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus for singling out Mexico and Canada, from which many mod-chips flow into the U.S., and Spain, where peer-to-peer piracy is running rampant.

Canada was also added to the U.S. Trade Representative's priority watch list this year. If they keep it up, we'll have no choice but to invade.

The game in question is "Border Patrol" (sample its tastefulness above), a 2006 release that sees you trying to stop Mexicans from crossing the US border. The game tasks you with stopping three kinds of Mexican immigrants: Mexican Nationalists, Drug Dealers & "Breeders". Classy.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the game Dowdy, in his infinite wisdom, thought he'd pass it along to his office colleagues, along with the following recommendation:

THIS IS WAY TOO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!! Makes you feel better anyway, I did my part today, I kept a few from coming over!!! GET READY —- THEY ARE FAAAST! ! !

It will not surprise you to learn, then, that once this came to light (and he was sued), Dowdy resigned from his post.

Georgia City Councilman Resigns, Is Sued After e-mailing Racist Game [Game Politics]

The ads warn that "many of the skills required for winning a background, defeating an opponent, [and] beating games" can be hindered by hitting the bong, a claim that many "never play sober" gamers are likely to contend. No longer will you simply be slovenly, slothful and regularly stained with Cheetos dust, you're going to suck at Halo.

The Man is supporting the ads with testimonials from in-game characters, including pink-haired ninja girls and elfin dungeon dwellers who lament their real-world masters newfound lack of skill.

The "Above the Influence" campaign has been running print ads in video game magazines over the past year, but the new online presence has a much more gaming performance related bent.

Drug Czar: Getting High Hurts Your Video Gaming Skills [The Huffington Post]

While video game players have long dreamed of traveling into the stars and meeting exotic alien species, real outer space is relatively boring. Now NASA seeks to change all of that with the development of a massively multiplayer online exploration game called Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond. NASA has selected three development studios to work on the project - Project Whitecard, Information in Place, and Virtual Heroes - the last of which did work on America's Army.

Astronaut will have players team up in order to complete various missions involving the past, present, and near future of space exploration. How exciting is that?

"Players will pick a profession like a roboticist, space geologist, astrobiologist or mechanical engineer and work together as a team as they explore space and complete missions, establishing bases and outposts and traveling to the farthest reaches of the solar system," explained Jerry Heneghan, founder and CEO of Virtual Heroes, which has previously worked on the U.S. Department of Defense's "America's Army" videogame. "The game will offer both individual challenges and team-based objectives to encourage players to use real-life applications of science, math and engineering to unlock new in-game vehicles, spacesuits, robotics and mining apparatus that will propel them further into space."

Wow. Not that exciting at all. I mean, the robototicist and astrobiologist classes sound like a hoot, but space geologist? That's just geologist with the word space in front of it. That's lazy.

Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond is being groomed for release sometime next year. Let's hope that between now and then they come up with a name that doesn't make me want to buy bath towels.

NASA Unveils New Online Game [Yahoo! Games - Thanks Jeremy!]

So how does the U.S. Army make a sequel?

"In AA3 we've taken all of the best features in AA2, incorporated feedback from the AA community and added the latest technology to develop a high-tech game that can be customized by the player to create a much more detailed interactive experience," said Michael Bode, executive producer of the America's Army game.

By the book, that's how! Take what works, add in new stuff, and boom - America's Army 3.

The new game will have a strong focus on training, Army values, and the Warrior Ethos, highlighting the Army lifestyle both on and off duty. Sounds just like Stripes with Bill Murray! Where do I sign up?

U.S. ARMY ANNOUNCES AMERICA'S ARMY 3 PC ACTION GAME

New Game in Hit Series Features New Missions, Training and Gameplay Features

Silver Spring, MD January 20, 2009 - Six years after the U.S. Army revolutionized military action games with the launch of the free PC game America's Army, the U.S. Army today announced the upcoming release of America's Army 3 (AA3). America's Army 3 is the only free action game that delivers an authentic and entertaining Army experience by reflecting the training, technology, actions and career advancement of a Soldier within a unique exciting game experience. AA3, which will be rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), will be released in 2009. As with previous versions of America's Army, AA3 will be constantly updated to include new features and missions and to highlight new technologies being incorporated in today's Army.

Using the state-of-the-art Unreal Engine 3, America's Army game developers brought the most popular trademark gameplay features from the previous versions to AA3. Highlights include authentic weapons and technologies, realistic training and exciting gameplay missions. AA3 provides players new insights into the Army and Soldiering while making the game easier to play, easier to install and easier to download.

"In AA3 we've taken all of the best features in AA2, incorporated feedback from the AA community and added the latest technology to develop a high-tech game that can be customized by the player to create a much more detailed interactive experience," said Michael Bode, executive producer of the America's Army game. "One of our key design philosophies is to make the game easily accessible to a new player, while at the same time keeping a deeper layer of complexity for the more advanced players to discover and take advantage of."

AA3 highlights different aspects of the Army from Army Values and the Warrior Ethos to Army career opportunities and lifestyles both on and off duty. Through their in-game characters, AA3 players will be able to experience the way Soldiers train, live, and advance in the Army. AA3 players will also experience different types of technologies and equipment used by the Army's high-tech Soldier. Players are bound by Rules of Engagement (ROE) and gain experience as they navigate challenges in team-based, multiplayer, force on force operations. In the game, as in the Army, accomplishing missions requires teamwork and adherence to the seven Army Core Values. In the game, a player's actions and demonstrated Army values will have consequences that are integral to success in gameplay and will affect a player's career progression.

"With AA3, we're taking military gaming to an all new level where every detail counts," said Col. Casey Wardynski, originator and Director of the America's Army game project. "We want our America's Army 3 players to have a greater understanding of the Army and its values. Our Soldiers are aspirational figures and our players are able to virtually experience many aspects of a Soldier's life from their training, to their missions, to the way the Army has influenced their lives."

As with the previous America's Army games, AA3's authenticity is second-to-none. Our Army development team worked closely with Subject Matter Experts from across the Army to make sure that everything about the game is as realistic as possible. AA3 has more authentic military elements including training, technology, weapons, and audio than any other military game. Built on Unreal Engine 3, AA3 delivers stunningly realistic environments, lighting effects, animations, and team-based experiences so that America's Army players can experience how the Army has strength like no other within its game that is like no other.

AA3 players will have persistent characters that they customize by embarking on career paths in which they advance by completing specialized training and accomplishing missions. The evolution of the player's career follows the same progression as it would in the Army. Players are rewarded at significant milestones, such as graduation from basic training or returning from a deployment, through pride moments — vignettes represented visually as an achievement screen, movie or a slide show. These pride moments transition the player from one state of training or character progression to another.

Initially, the core of the gameplay focuses on an Infantry Soldier (11B). Players can select from a variety of roles that the 11B performs such as Rifleman, Automatic Rifleman, Designated Marksman and Grenadier. The first additional Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) players can explore is 68W Health Care Specialist (Combat Medic) which will be added this summer. Players who complete advanced individual training modules can take on new MOS roles that will affect gameplay. For example, by completing medic training players will be able to treat minor and major injuries in single player training missions and render advanced medical aid in multiplayer missions. In subsequent game releases, players who complete Combat Engineer training will be able to assist in mission pre-planning, such as emplacing an obstacle to impede the mobility of enemy forces.

Training is a key element in the AA3 game just as it is in the Army. The game offers a variety of new training levels that will give players an advantage in the game. After completing basic training players can go to advanced training to increase their in-game skill level and progress in their Army career. Success in the game earns players the privilege of taking specialized training. This specialized training allows players to unlock new abilities and gear, and to customize the gear they carry as well as their equipment loadout. As players advance, they will be able to 'cross-train' on many different MOSs available in today's Army. Such players will be highly sought after due to the capabilities they bring to multiplayer missions. Additionally, as a new feature, players will have the ability to join online games with limited capabilities using the "instant action" feature.

That's right, Illinois, home of Senate seat firesales and previously abortive (and unconstitutional) efforts to regulate game content, made sure that in a raft of anti-drinking measures, no E- or T-rated game sold in the state may include any advertisement for Mike's Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff Ice, Hooper's Hooch, et cetera. Because it was just rampant up to now.

Video games aren't singled out; in Illinois, you can't market these things at live performances or concerts "where the intended audience is primarily children" either. Tough shit, Jonas Brothers! Still, I'm wondering if this will be challenged simply because of it's another asinine precedent, not because Mortal Kombat vs DCU needs a thirsty Sub Zero to pound a Bacardi Breezer after a fatality. On the other hand, you could look on it as Illinois keeping what would surely be a most obnoxious in-game advert out of our consoles.

Anyway, there you go. Alcopops in video games is added to the list of shit everyone should fear. But if we're now passing laws against fictitious threats that are more retarded than sinister, then for consistency's sake Illinois should outlaw Gargamel and Skeletor, too.

New Illinois Law Bars Alcopops from Kid-Centric Games [Gamepolitics]

"The Army takes this seriously," said Lt. Col. Gary Stephens, of the Project Executive Office — Simulation Training and Instrumentation, which will supervise this unit. "We own gaming for the Army — from requirements through procurement."

While the Army will not compete with video game development per se, nor is it producing commercially available products, it will still be interacting with the civilian games industry. The Army will be closely monitoring trends that may be able to help its video game training unit. It also has an undisclosed budget to purchase or have developed a state-of-the-art successor to its "DARWARS Ambush" trainer (pictured), basically an FPS with 20th-century technology limitations.

The new trainer, "Game After Ambush" will require much stronger technology, including support for more trainees participating at the same time, full-featured terrain and scenario modification, and playback/review capability so that instructors can assess trainees' tactics and choices. It sounds like they want to get this up pretty soon.

Leslie Duvow, project director for gaming at PEO-STRI, said the Army will have 70 gaming systems in 53 locations in the United States, Germany, Italy and South Korea between February and September 2009.

"Each system will consist of 52 computers with ancillary equipment including steering wheels, headsets and mice," she said.

Soldiers will be able to drive virtual vehicles, fire virtual weapons, pilot virtual unmanned aerial vehicles and do "most anything a soldier does" in a virtual battle space as large as 100 kilometers by 100 kilometers, she said.

[Col. Mark] McManigal [of Training and Doctrine Command] said the game will replicate what soldiers encounter on today’s battlefield — from fighting in urban terrain and convoy operations to reacting to contact and ambush operations.

"Your imagination will be your only limiting factor," he said.

Not Playing Around: Army to Invest $50M in Combat Training Games [Stars and Stripes via Blue's News]

"I hardly play any games, I'm not from that generation, but because of my job, I had to research the industry. The vast majority of my parliamentary colleagues are always wanting to ban the latest game, but they don't know the details of the industry. Few people in this country realise how important it is to the UK economy."

Instead of trivializing or dismissing something he didn't understand, he looked into it and gave it a fair evaluation. It's part of being a representative and a leader, and I wish others would practice it more — and on subjects other than video games, of course.

Foster was noting how the UK games industry had fallen to fourth place overall in world development, and backing UK publishers who need stronger education policy to deliver them trained graduates, and tax breaks to stop the drain of development to nations with lower costs of doing business. Eidos' creative director and head of acquisitions recently said that the mainstream of the UK still treats games makers as "one notch up from pornography," and the government's posture doesn't help. Not sure how effective Mr. Foster will — Liberal Democrats are the third largest party in Parliament — but at least he's showing some support.

UK MP Backs Games Industry [Edge Online via GamePolitics]

Retailers would be hit with a $5000 civil fine should they be found in violation of the act. Similar legislation has been attempted in Massachusetts, New York, Louisiana, California and beyond to hilarious, ruled as unconstitutional result.

Terry argued for the bill, saying that "In some games high scores are often earned by players who commit ‘virtual’ murder, assault and rape." Ah yes, the old "virtual rape" fantasy game. Glad to see this fiction still being tossed around by our elected officials.

Bill targets teen gamers [Variety - thanks, Carlos!]

Bartle smugly namechecks Tanya Byron's level-headed report on the plight of raising children in a digital age, with access to realistic, sometimes violent video games. He finally warns "Gamers vote. Gamers buy newspapers. They won't vote for you, or buy your newspapers, if you trash their entertainment with your ignorant ravings." Yeah! Get 'em, Rich!

We've won: get over it [Guardian]

Second Life is a convenient punching bag for gamers, and I feel kind of bad caning on it two days straight. But it invites the abuse with this kind of oblivious, self-serious self-parody: Rep. Ed Markey's avatar gaveling the online hearing, and in the public gallery there is "a goth character with feathered wings, a pink cat, a phantom with shimmering gray dreadlocks, a winged grasshopper, women in tube and bikini tops, and a naked man floating through the air." At least the griefers didn't show up to overrun the meeting with flying penises.

Here's something: In real life, I loathe it when some demonstration making a point I support is inevitably overtaken by stilt-walkers, puppeteers and bongo-drumming hippies. Like, way to take that message to the mainstream, folks. In Second Life, aren't they sick of having every furry, faerie and goth speak for the whole — especially in Congress? Or are they the communities busybodies, the ones who come to every Second Life PTA meeting?

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank, writing about the hearing, notes that its ostensible purpose was in probing the downsides of online worlds (child exploitation, terrorist recruiting, etc.) He correctly points out that it amounted to "an infomercial for Second Life." The founder got to play a promotional video and boast that Second Life is changing the nature of communication itself. Um, no. Sequestering people at their computers for hours out of the day and ensuring their only contact with a human being — some of it sexual — is through the prism of a computer screen, is not for my money a real communication breakthrough. A variant, sure.

This reminds me of the time on King of the Hill, when Hank confronts the Christian rock band. "Listen, you're not making Christianity better, you're making rock and roll worse." I'd like to say the same thing, substituting "communication" for Christianity, and "online gaming" for "rock and roll."

Goofy Characters and Weird People — Sounds Like a Hearing [The Washington Post, thanks OriontheSmiter]

Wii controls to defuse bombs [Metro.co.uk]

The Sony marketing coup disguised as purchasing request reads "The processors in the Sony PlayStation 3 are the only brand on the market that utilizes the specific cell processor characteristics needed for this program at an acceptable cost." We can only assume they're going to be running something fairly code intensive in a Linux install or that an announcement about the the War On Giant Enemy Crabs is imminent.

Presolicitation Notice: 70 — 40 GB Console Systems [FBO.gov via PS3mods]