An Important Letter From Stan Lee

[Ian David]

I’m writing to urge gamers everywhere to take a stand and defend both the First Amendment and the rights of computer and video game artists by joining the Video Game Voters Network (VGVN). My memory has always been lousy and it’s not improving with age. But it’s good enough to remember a time when the government was trying to do to comic books what some politicians now want to do with video games: censor them and prohibit their sales. It was a bad idea half a century ago and it’s just as bad an idea now. And you can do something about it.

I created Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Hulk, the virtual ancestors of the characters in today’s games. In the 1950s, there was a national hysteria about the so-called “dangerous effect” comic books were having on our nation’s youth.

Comic books, it was said, contributed to “juvenile delinquency.” A Senate subcommittee investigated and decided the U.S. could not “afford the calculated risk involved in feeding its children, through comic books, a concentrated diet of crime, horror and violence.” Comic books were burned. The State of Washington made it a crime to sell comic books without a license. And Los Angeles passed a law that said it was a crime to sell “crime comic books.” Looking back, the outcry was — forgive the expression — comical.

The more things change, as they say, the more they stay the same. Substitute video games for comic books and you’ve got a 21st century replay of the craziness of the 1950s. States have passed laws restricting the sale of video games and later this year, the Supreme Court will hear a case about one of those laws, this one passed in California. Why does this matter? Because if you restrict sales of video games, you’re chipping away at our First Amendment rights to free speech and opening the door to restrictions on books and movies.

The Supreme Court should find the law unconstitutional, as lower courts have. But politicians will keep looking for ways to restrict the rights of gamers and computer and video game artists because it makes for good headlines to say they’re “protecting the children,” even if they’re doing no such thing. They do so despite the fact that the industry has a remarkable rating system in place already and all new consoles have parental controls — both of which help parents ensure parents are in control of what their children play. But you can help fight the battle against politicians.

More:
http://popculturezoo.com/archives/6919

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Neat!

Give 'em hell, Stan.

[FSogol]

2. Excelsior! Keep up the good work Stan. n/t

[Codeine]

3. Excelsior! nt

[RandomThoughts]

4. Why do you have a torture pick in that post?

I would probably reply to that post with comments of how Comic books had many good values and such, but adding that picture completely distorts and tries to excuse how things like that happen.

[Ian David]

5. It's meant to be ironic.

In an earlier post on a similar topic, I pointed out that if our children are becoming violent, it's probably not because of videogames-- it's more likely because we're a nation having two wars and engaging in torture.

Hence the Xbox phototoshopped into the photo.

[RandomThoughts]

7. I understand your post better.

it didn't make sense to say that had something to do with comics. Comics filled a gap in concepts of thoughts on better ideals that started to drift out of other areas.


I think Stan Lee, and others like him really helped society. Although not perfect, with some graphic images and such, there are many ways for many good stories to be told.

[Raster]

9. If there is ANY correlation between violent behavior and video games, or song lyrics or words...

...printed in a book, it is but a symptom of a much larger problem. For the love of fucking gawd, the definitions AND BENEFITS of torture were debated in the halls of Congress. This country is militarized to the ta-tas, and the Military Industrial Complex never has a problem with violent war porn when it meets their needs.

[proteus_lives]

6. Stan "The Man" Lee is right, as usual.

Reminds me of the book, "The 10-Cent Plague."

Excelsior!

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Stan Lee and other comic book pioneers are real heroes

The First Amdendment battles he speaks of were even more insidious than he suggests, they were Red Baiting, homophobic and Judaiphobic. Blacklisting no goodnicks.

[Poll_Blind]

10. What Stan isn't mentioning: The ugly truth about the video game industry today.

First, Stan Lee has led an extremely interesting and sometimes difficult life. His trials as an artist and creator, and receiving the financial recognition he deserves for that work, are worth learning about, especially if you're an artist. It is an interesting story, Stan is a likable character, and the tale has a happy ending.

Ok, that's my thoughts on Stan. But I will not support this organization. Working in software and being an avid game player, and also a fan of politics, news and research in general, I will tell you a few things about the video game industry. Not the video game industry 10 years ago, but the one we have today:

:bluebox: Dominated by a few small publishers, like Atari, Activision and Electronic Arts (EA). Whereas there used to be a symbiotic relationship between actual software developers and their publishers, publishing houses like Activision and EA have slowly changed that relationship into a predatory one: Large video game publishers purchase (or, more accurately, consume) software companies and then milk the "brand" with a string of shitty sequels until it is worthless and then move on to the next one.

:bluebox: These giant publishers are limbs of even larger share-holding organizations which have nothing to do with videogames, or entertainment, but want (at any cost) as big a motherfucking return on their investment as possible. They do not give a shot how the buck is turned, just that it eventually goes into their pocket. If you don't believe me, read the transcripts or listen to the quarterly conference calls where major shareholders (like Deutche Banke, in EA's case) rip into the CEO about not firing enough people, not shipping enough jobs overseas and not recycling enough Intellectual Properties (IP's), which are cheaper than investing in or purchasing new IP's. Look at how the Madden football game franchise has been whored out beyond reconition and how players are forced to purchase new versions if they want to play the game at all, regarding online server recidivism.

:bluebox: Because of the financial hard times, these big publishing/software companies are expanding into anything and everything to turn a buck. And you or your kid is their target. We're not talking about dreamy-eyed programmers wanting to make "The World's Greatest Game" and sell it on the corner like a lemonade stand, we're talking about financially predatory interests who use the lack of regulation in the video gaming industry to get around certain laws, like organize gambling laws.

Why don't you let your 12 year old niece blow her allowance on the ponies at the racetrack?

Really, why don't you? Think about the reasons.

But are you more comfortable with letting her spend her allowance to purchase upgrades in Farmville? You know, it's that wonderfully harmless game that kids love playing. And, shit, it's about farming for chrissakes so what could be wrong with that?

See this article from just a few days ago? Business Insider:The Secret Dealer For Farmville Addicts

The point is not that if you let your niece play Farmville she's going to lose her mind or something, it's that these very large publishing/software organizations are fine-tuning their games for every audience member who they think they can soak for money. Any way they can. Which brings me to my next point:

:bluebox: Videogame publishing/software companies are doing everything they possibly can to move away from the "You buy it, you own it." game model and more toward what used to be called the "Asian Model", 'free' games which required many financial micro-transactions in order to fully utilize the service. In this way, you keep the customer paying for as long as humanly possible or, if possible, (and in the case of EA's Madden series) forever.

But what does this have to do with Freedom of Speech? Nothing, it doesn't have a goddamned thing to do with Freedom of Speech. It has to do with money, specifically making money off of anyone and everyone (like kids) via methods which would be inappropriate in any other context.

:bluebox: These publishers/software creators will produce any content which will turn a buck, without regard to the social responsibility involved. Perhaps you recall the "No Russian" level of Call of Duty where players could take part in the killing of civilians (but were at least forced to walk along with the virtual killers through a Russian airport)? Freedom of Speech, you might shout. Ok, how about this year's hottest- where you play Taliban killing U.S. troops? It's the new Medal of Honor game from EA (another good franchise which has been completely whored out by them), and it is banned for sale on military bases.

Our men and women in uniform would probably take a sort of dimmish view to playing a videogame in which they get to play someone who...kills them.

Freedom of Speech! Sure, sure, and I agree. But how about playing a Chechen rebel? Maybe take a virtual school full of children hostage and blow them up...virtualy, of course. Think that's unthinkable? How about playing as Taliban to kill U.S. troops from one of the two largest publishers in the videogame industry, in one of their flagship games?

The point is they will do anything to move product.

And the only thing that can keep them in check, or even partially in check, is regulation. And right now they need to be able to apply pressure to keep that regulation down as much as possible, and that's where the VGVN comes in. Check out their website. Look around. Do your own research.

PB

[Raster]

11. Wow! Thank you for the information.

:kick:

[Poll_Blind]

14. No problem. And it doesn't stop at exploiting consumers you should see what they do to workers:

Again, another predatory cycle sometimes called "The EA Cycle" because EA was not only notorious for doing this but actually had to pay $15 million dollars in a California court for overtime they cheated out of their workforce.

The syndrome became widely-recognized in the industry with a LiveJournal post by "EA Spouse". You can read it here. In a nutshell, these large publishers/software creators hire new programmers/artists on, run them into the ground, fire them off right after the product ships and hire new ones. It is a "mill" most game programmers/artists are sadly resigned to going through in order to find "real" work at a better company, later.

When acquiring new IP's, which usually involve independent software companies with fresh "brands", the employees are safe for about one product cycle then the axe drops. Read up on Pandemic, Bioware, Maxis (of Sims fame) on the EA side or the well-known lawsuit between the founders of Infinity Ward (of Call of Duty fame) and Activision.

Come in, buy the company, fire everyone you can possibly get away with, put the fear of god into everyone else, churn out mediocre titles under the brands from the purchased companies and rinse and repeat till they're worthless.

Neither consumers nor workers are benefiting from these predatory practices. Just the publishing houses. And they need to make sure there is no one to watch over them while they do it, no laws to be mindful of as they find new ways to increase profits.

But what it doesn't have to do with is any sort of sudden love for the U.S. Constitution- though that message plays well in the States. The Video Games Voters Network is a front for The Entertainment Software Association. The ESA is made of up 35 of the largest software companies/publishers/videogame hardware manufacturers who rely on profits from the Videogame industry, including the above-mentioned Electronic Arts.

ALL of the legal action I've ever seen the ESA involved in was specifically to fight laws which prohibited the sale or advertisement of Mature 17+ (M) or Adults Only 18+ games to children. Stunning, eh? Check out the cases in which the ESA is involved, think about whether these folks really give a shit about any of us.

PB

[Johonny]

13. I was on the third level of dungeon and dragons and now there's blood on my hands

I'm pretty sure this stuff is exactly the fear stuff Stan Lee is talking about.

[Poll_Blind]

16. Cute line, but it doesn't have anything to do with what I wrote.

The organization which says they're fighting for your rights, and asking you to fight with them, isn't doing it because they give a lick about your rights. What they do care about is making their product available for sale to absolutely anyone and everyone they can possibly get away with, without regard to anything but profit.

As I mentioned in a response above, this type of predatory behavior isn't just relegated to consumers but folks unlucky enough to be working for those companies or who have had their companies acquired by one of these large publishing houses.

If there was some real element to protecting the First Ammendment, it would be a different matter. Hell, even if this somehow related to small software companies or independent game developers. But it's neither. This is pure plucking of the Patriotic heart-strings for profit's sake and apparently it still (sadly) works.

PB

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. So basically your complaints boil down to...

-It's an industry that wants to make money.

-It's an industry that wants to make money.

-It's an industry that wants to make money.

-It's an industry that wants to make money.

-Why won't somebody think of the children?

[Ignis]

12. K&R

Stan's on the right side here...as usual. :patriot:

[smalll]

15. But comic books clearly DID have a dangerous effect on youth --

it infantilized far too many of them: just look at all the supposed "grown-ups" these days who are still obsessed over this dreck. Even DU (at least the Lounge) erupts in joyous anticipation whenever someone brings us the news that yet another obscure comic book most normal people have never heard of is about to be made into a movie. ("OMG!!! The Fantastic Woverine Watch N-Men VII movie is coming out at the end of the year! I can't wait!")

And that Abu Ghraib pic --

don't you think maybe, just MAYBE one reason those young 20-year-old low-lifes did what they did is that they grew up playing too much X-Box? Possible?

[proteus_lives]

18. This takes me back to my first ever post.

When I took you apart because you were complaining about comic book movies. Want a link to refresh the memory of your epic beat-down?

I'm fully grown man who has collected comics since I was six years old. Hell, I went to Wizard-Con about two weeks ago.

I have several jobs, a college degree, I pay my bills and taxes, I'm involved with my community, I vote and have various other interests.

Tell me, how am I infantile?

[Ian David]

19. You can always tell whose mommy didn't let them buy comic books. n/t

[proteus_lives]

22. I pity them.

I was six years and raising a little hell in the grocery store and my mom gave me an issue of Spectacular Spider-Man to shut me up. She started my life-long hobby with that move.

I'm going to give her a call tomorrow.

[WillParkinson]

23. I learned so many things from comics...

I moved away from comics a few years ago with the decline in story telling and artwork, but I will never tell a young person not to pick up a comic.

You CAN learn things and I'd rather have you read a comic book that might inspire you to read more.

[proteus_lives]

25. Much agreement.

I've always considered them a source for my moral and intellectual development.

People understimate the genre but I can recommend a comic for anyone. Old, young, male, female, any race, orientation or nationality.

I'll be collecting comics til the day I die. I'm currently obsessed with Walt Simonson's run on The Mighty Thor.

[smalll]

26. How? Because you ARE college-educated, bill-and-tax-paying, community-involved,

and almost certainly middle, if not upper-middle class. A pillar of the community, even! Which makes it even that much more of a human tragedy that you can still be an infantilized comic book fan who goes to CONS, for heaven's sake -- next you'll tell us you're a "cosplay" person or a "furry." And yes, there IS something wrong with that.

:shrug:

[proteus_lives]

27. A sad, judgemental little person. Why are you like that?

I'm honestly curious. I would understand a disinterest in comics or thinking they are silly but this level of dislike? I'd like to discuss it.

I don't know what your hobbies are. (Surely only the most elite and scholarly pursuits.)

I don't know why you're so desperate to devalue my hobby (a hobby shared by millions of people). Ignorance? An irrational dislike of the genre? You believe yourself to an "elite" of some kind?

Would you judge my other interests? I like reading history and biographies, I like target shooting, I'm also a life-long film buff. I'm a bibliophile in general. I especially love sci-fi, horror, high and low fantasy, pulp fiction and detective noir. I love evening walks with an iPod. Are any of those "infantile"?

[smalll]

28. Honestly, I would like to discuss this, but here's my first responses --

I think both the elite on one side and the masses on the other would equally disdain an upper-middle class comic-book devotee.

Let me judge your other interests: Reading history and biographies? A bibliophile? A "film buff"? All perfectly respectable, although some might find them a little elite --

Target shooting? Also perfectly fine, although some might find it a little declasse --

Sci-fi, horror, fantasy, pulp fiction (as well as comic books) -- again, a little infantilizing, way too nerdy, and everyone looks down on that.

"Evening walks with an iPod"??? Strikes me as a little too much what some insufferable latte liberal would write on their OKCupid profile.

Oh, I can judge!

[proteus_lives]

29. "way too nerdy"

"and everyone looks down on that"

Says who? Seriously, who told you that?

And what's with the lack of self-confidence that makes you judge certain genres of literature and film?

[Ian David]

20. Right. Because nobody ever tortured people before there were comic books.

:sarcasm:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. Seems ironic then...

that you'd be the one to grow up and have issues distinguishing fantasy from reality.

[lonestarnot]

24. K & R!