Grumpygamer

Sensible jobs involve moving bits of paper around a desk. That's not really my thing. So instead I find myself doing very odd things. Such as going to Camden to stand under stage lighting to play plastic guitar-based videogames.

It's an odd life.

Thanks to BHPR for the photo. And for not making me look too fat.

Away from the nonsense spouted by concerned "experts" like Keith Vaz¹ there's been some interesting commentary following the release of Grand Theft Auto IV in the mainstream media.

I've particularly enjoyed the following piece from Catherine Bennett published in today's Observer newspaper. She's by her own admission not a gamer and her initial attempts at the game's supposed ultraviolence were rather thwarted.

Were it not for its fearsome lewdness, many parents might prefer to help their children, too, to explore GTA's satirical universe, rather than waste time on CBBC's ever more dismaying offerings, from the dystopic filth that is Tracy Beaker to those twin triumphs of moronic nihilism, Prank Patrol and Hider in the House

In fact, if a new book on gaming, Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Video Games, is to be believed, there may exist hardly anyone in sound mind who might not, from time to stressful time, benefit from an hour or two of moderately violent gaming. The authors, two Harvard psychiatrists, Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K Olson, were told by many young players that they played violent games to 'relax' or to 'get my anger out'. Should we not, as a matter of urgency, implore Gordon Brown to escape into GTA IV over the bank holiday? Or would the experience make an already vulnerable and solitary Prime Minister more likely to aim his car, à la Niko, at cyclists such as David Cameron?

You can read the whole of Catherine's editorial at The Guardian website.

_{¹Vaz doesn't even know what a PSP is, which was demonstrated when he was being an "expert" in a House of Common committee.}

Today the Manchester Cathedral row with Sony rumbles on with - to no one's real surprise - the Cathedral making it clear that it's after a large amount of cash from Sony.

Well I suppose that's par for the course, yesterday we got pride and today greed, perhaps Manchester Cathedral is trying to work its way through all the deadly sins.

Yesterday I suggested the cynical might see this whole row as a way of Manchester Cathedral skimming some money from Sony and today that's clearly come true as the church has admitted in addition to wanting Sony to apologise and alter the game, it expects a large donation from Sony.

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1950s Manchester as depicted by Resistance: Fall of Man

The Church of England has criticised Sony for the depiction of Manchester Cathedral in the science-fiction action game Resistance: Fall of Man. The church is angered by the use of the Cathedral in one of the game's levels and has called for the PlayStation 3 game to be withdrawn from sale.

Churches of course have long been the settings for battles, you'll have to look hard for a WWII book, movie or videogame that doesn't feature one, but Manchester Cathedral seems to be unusually angered by the depiction of its building in the game.

“I think they are going to be in for a surprise because we are not going to let this one go," said Canon Paul Denby, Manchester Cathedral Subdean and Administrator. "One million people are visiting Manchester Cathedral through this game."

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This is a repost of a story that first appeared back when this site was called grumpygamer.biz. I thought it was worth saving for posterity. I've reposted it here in its entirety on the correct date.

I've had a rather odd afternoon today. Jack Thompson has been pestering me. Normally he pesters the Florida Bar, videogame publishers and websites that give money to charity because he's to cheap to keep his promises. But today I was the target of his anger. Why should this be so?

Well, you see last week I played Canis Canem Edit, a game otherwise known as Bully. Rockstar Games had invited me over to take a look at the game and having played the PS2 title in question I wrote up my impressions of the game here at Boomtown.net.

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Well that's just great isn't it? My second Xbox 360 bites the dust. My original console suffered from the dreaded red ring of death just before Christmas and Microsoft was quick to send out a replacement model - though hampered slightly by the Christmas break. This time though the symptoms are different. Over the last few days I've been playing Saint's Row ready for my review (thankfully I've got enough play time in to review now) but started to see the occasional glitch this evening.

Now at first I thought this was a bug, because as I'll point out in my review on Tuesday, the game has a real serious problem when it comes to standard definition display. But this was more serious. Every so often the console would just freeze. There would be some odd lines on the screen and the console was locked up. No warning lights. I'd reset the console and play again and all would be fine.

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