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Electronic Arts (EA) sign and tower

For Electronic Arts, i of America's biggest and best-known game publishers, there'due south just no telling what any given vii-24-hour interval flow holds. One week y'all might release Mass Event 3 to soaring sales and critical acclaim. Then, scarcely a calendar month later, you might discover yourself embroiled in dual controversies that would drive whatsoever multi-billion-dollar corporation to drink. (If corporations could drink. Which they can't. You know what I mean.) And this calendar week, one would think EA constantly kept one hand on the bottle.

On Wednesday, the web log Consumerist bestowed upon EA the title of "Worst Company in America 2012." Consumerist chided EA, which beat out out Depository financial institution of America to achieve the dubious honor, for buying upwards small, innovative game makers; and its tendency to "nickel and dime consumers to death," in reference to "numerous accusations that EA and its ilk deliberately hold dorsum game content with the sole intent of charging a fee for it at a after engagement."

Then it came to light that EA has been slammed in recent weeks with what GamesIndustry International calls "'several thousand' letters and emails protesting the inclusion of same sex or LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) content in its video games, virtually notably Mass Consequence iii and Star Wars: The Old Republic." The messages apparently allege that EA was "pressured by LGBT groups" to include the content, and could face major boycotts if it's non removed.

In instance you ever forget that entertainment can be deadly serious, remember these events. Just where to begin with addressing them? Particularly since (gasp) I sympathize with EA on both. Sort of.

Starting with the latter, I retrieve it's pretty clear that there'southward not much — if anything — to be done here. Groups that want to make their feelings known, about this or any other field of study at any point forth the political spectrum, will, and should exist allowed to. If indeed America is still a gratuitous country, this inspires a powerful interchange of ideas that will make united states of america all meliorate people and notwithstanding still foster an environment in which the right things happen (if non ever in the quickest or happiest means).

Mass Effect 3: Liara and Captain Shephard

But, equally with so many cases like this, the, ahem, devil is in the details. I oasis't played plenty of Star Wars: The Erstwhile Commonwealth to guess it, just I've blazed through Mass Effect 3 a few times, and can verify that almost all the "objectionable" content is fairly well buried. Finding a partner of either gender is about as tricky in the game'southward globe as information technology is in real life, and information technology requires a similar investment of time, involvement, and effort. A few characters may make passing references to aforementioned-gender spouses or attractions, but near of it is incredibly innocent, trivial more than than flavour text. (And information technology'due south worth noting that your character, Commander Shepard, can hands have sex activity without first getting married if he or she so chooses. I seem to have missed the brouhaha about that.)

If developers similar BioWare want to make their games more representative of the world every bit it currently exists (and, like it or non, that'south what they're doing), that's certainly their right — and I'chiliad equally glad that they have that equally I am the protestors have a right to speak against the results. I would like to point out, however, that there is one spectacularly easy way for parents to address the question of this content in games such every bit this: Don't let your children play them. Have responsibleness for your own decisions virtually what is or is not advisable for your family, only please leave anybody else the freedom to do the same. The market will ultimately determine the outcome, and that'south the way it should exist. Now tin we please get dorsum to talking about things that actually thing: Similar how confusing Mass Effect 3's ending is, and whether BioWare should be releasing DLC to correct information technology?

Next page: EA, the worst company in America?

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