FOUR WEEKS LEFT

Today it has been brought to my attention that the deadline for Food Forecast has been set and a final product is to be expected by April 27th! I am getting a sense of panic, which has also been expressed by other members of team awesome. It is very clear that I will have to spend more time working on the coding and research aspects than what I have been this semester. Fortunately, I have a schedule that is open enough to allow me to spend a lot of time in the lab, which is necessary for this game to be completed in the time alotted. Although I have feelings of panic and worry, I feel that we still have the time and potential to rise to the occasion, and meet our previous goal of having "food forecast" completed by the end of the semester. It will be a lot of work, but I'm ready to buckle down and give it a try.

Takoma Big Lots mixup angers parent

Kara Petrich of Spanaway, WA, accidently purchashed a mislabeled video game for her 9-year-old daughter last week. Petrich was under the impression that she had purchased a video game from the "Petz" series, which is a virtual pet-caring video game. However, inside the box was a copy of "Sprung", a sims type game designed to be a dating simulator for teens. Petrich was shocked when her 9-year-old daughter encountered suggestive dialogue that included statements like, "make sure you bring your life jackets, condoms" and "You wanna rock my mountains, don't you?"
The reports claim that sprung is a game that is rated T for teens. From what I have understood, that rating applies to ages 13+. I don't know if it's appropriate to encourage thirteen year olds to engage in that kind of dialogue. I do think it's important that teens understand the value of safe sex before making the decision to have sex, however, condom talk and "rocking mountains" is a bit premature. I think the concept of sprung should be re-evaluated, or at least the rating changed to a higher maturity level.
Representatives from Big Lots, have yet to make a statement. This situation is being treated like a fluke within the industry, and from what I see, it is. Clearly something was being overlooked and someone accidently put the wrong game in the wrong box. In order to prevent such instances, I think it's important to pay more attention to detail, so the wrong game doesn't fall into the wrong hands in the future. Petrich warns parents to clearly observe the games that their children are playing, so they can decide what influences are being had on their children because, clearly, some of these games are more than what meets the eye.

First Week after spring break!

Well I should start off by mentioning that today is my birthday! Yay for being a young 26! Although I am happy that today is my birthday(I haven't reached the depressing ages yet), I am a bit saddened that I am in school, and no longer on spring break. But whatever, that's life. So, this week I plan on ironing out the kinks with the introduction screens, and hopefully FINISHING. This task has been the bane of my existence for the last few weeks, and I would really like to move on and do something else, so at least I could have something new to blog about. I will just have to wait and see what the rest of the week brings. It's really starting to be crunch time and I feel like there is a lot of work to be done if food forecast is going to be a reality. I hope we can pull it off! Go Team Awesome!

Rhode Island Bill backed by PTC

Rhode Island State Senators (D) Paul Jabour, (D) Beatrice Lanzi, and (D) Michael McCaffrey are sponsoring a bill which proposes fines and jail time for retail outlets that sell games rated "M" (Mature) or "AO"(Adults Only) to underage consumers. The bill proposes that violators will be fined up to $1,000 and sentenced to up to a year in jail.
The Parents Television Council (PTC) has come forward in support of the proposed bill. The PTC Rhode Island Chapter Director, Marcia Weeder released a statement saying, "Half of the retailers our chapter visited responded with contempt when it was pointed out that they weren't following the ratings when selling adult games to children. Obviously, penalties are needed tot enforce what should be a simple thing to control. If we can prohibit the sale of tobacco, alcohol, and pornography to minors without restricting the rights of adults, we can do the same with adult games."
I agree with the PTC and the State Senators of Rhode Island. I found it to be a bit surprising that video game ratings weren't legally enforced. People can't purchase tickets to an R rated movie without showing ID, so why shouldn't the same apply to video games with similar content? And more importantly what's the use of these video game ratings if there if children are still purchasing inappropriate games? The ratings seem arbitrary without retailer support. Upon reviewing some controversial games, it is very apparent that certain audiences should not be exposed to that kind of content. I applaud the state of Rhode Island as well as the PTC, with hopes that others will follow their lead.

Getting things squared away before spring break

This is the week before spring break and mid-term grades have been submitted, reminding me that the pressure is on as the second half of the semester is approaching. I am almost finished coding the action script between the "introduction" to the "instructions" screens. After doing countless tutorials, I'm finally feeling like this stuff is starting to make sense! To me, that is truly half the battle when it comes to working in flash. I'm also trying to stay current with my blogging and research as well. I'm still doing a little catching up from my brief leave of absence however, I feel like I am moving at a decent and steady pace.

Dead or Alive Paradise, Soft core porn? The ESRB seems to think so

The new PSP game, Paradise Dead or Alive has been striking up much controversy with the ESRB. The ESRB recently pulled the initial rating for the game changing it to M for Mature. Eliot Mizrachi, spokesman for the ESRB uses the words, "cheesy" and "creepy voyerism" to describe the game. Mizrachi continues to say that the game represents, "bizarre, misguided notions of what women really want" he continues, "Paradise cannot mean straddling felled tree trunks in dental floss thongs." The creater of the Dead or Alive series strikes back claiming that all of the Dead or alive series represents some sort of voyerism but denies any allegations that the game is soft core porn.
Upon reviewing the trailers, I can definitely understand the M rating. Although the characters don't appear to be engaging in any sexual activity, it is very apparent that there are very sexual themes in the game. The scenes that I've reviewed are somewhat reminiscent of the old playboy vhs tapes they would advertise on E! late at night when I was a child; women prancing around the tropics touching themselves in bikinis. Clearly, this is not a game designed for the younger audiences. Typically the ESRB doesn't make such comments upon reviewing a game, which is unfortunate. The comments made were very blunt, straight forward, and from what I can see, spot on. I think if parents received more honest feedback regarding a rating, they would make better purchasing decisions. Although it is not what one would call, "politically correct", it is still something the ESRB should consider.

Back to school: take 2

Last week, I was absent due to a death in the family, so this week I am trying to get caught up. I still need to finish my introduction/instructions page, which I've made some progress since my previous entry; there are buttons now! I just need to figure out how to activate the buttons, taking the player from the "Introduction" screen to the "Instructions" screen. I also plan on doing more research on the vegetables so we can start developing the "did you know?" portion of our game. I still need to find a few more winter crops, which is somewhat difficult because a lot of crops grow during two seasons instead of one. I thought about finding a way to incorporate the two crops on the separate seasons, but I felt that to be a touch complicated for amateur game designers, and confusing for 9-13 year olds. If we get to some advanced levels, that could be a good way to spice it up, but it's too soon to tell how far we are going to get in terms of coding. I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, so this week should be a busy one.