I wrote this back in January, for my own site, based on the reactions of an editorial that was written on Mass Effect, but thought I would contribute it here for the heck of it...

It's pretty obvious when a big time news source stretches the truth, manipulates the facts, or just flat out lies. It discredits the journalist for that organization and, in turn, discredits the organization. The same holds true for no name journalists that try to make a name for themselves by trying to draw the ire of the populace. Recently, some controversy has arisen over Mass Effect and the "sex scenes" that are in the game. Now, this has been old news for a while now and no one has really cared about it. Sex scenes are in day time TV, movies, commercials, referred to in the music we listen to, but no one really mentions it as it is up to the individual's discretion if they are willing to watch or listen to it.

Mass Effect, the very popular RPG by, also very popular, BioWare has come under scrutiny from a very misinformed, journalist (whose name will be withheld as not to give him any more attention than he has already received...ok so I'm contributing to it here, but hey). The article that was written describes Mass Effect as pretty much a virtual tool to perform rape and other grotesque acts that only can protrude the crevices of a sick demented mind, " With it's "over the net" capabilities virtual orgasmic rape is just the push of a button away.". It also states that a player can perform sexual acts with whomever and whenever they please, " And because of the digital chip age in which we live - "Mass Effect" can be customized to sodomize whatever, whoever, however, the game player wishes." Not only are these statements egregious, but extremely irresponsible.

Yes, the entire article reads as such, to the point that I can only imagine the author sitting in a cave, looking into a camera, with an AK-47 by his side, decked out in fatigues, yelling, "DEATH TO VIDEO GAMES!" Since that writing, the author had issued an apology, if that's what you would like to call it. I'm not sure, but apologies don't exactly incorporate insults to the audience. Seriously, you write an article specifically trying to get a rise (perhaps that word is too "perverted"), a population responds, and you get your feelings hurt so decide to be just as juvenile and insult them back. Hmmmm....I smell Pulitzer! Also, another major fallacy, for you youngsters striving to be a journalist a couple of things to keep in mind. When citing references as to how you received your information do not, and I cannot stress this enough...DO NOT cite YouTube, "1. "The most realistic sex acts..." - from the YouTube footage I saw, I still concur, to me these acts are the most realistic put in video games - that I have seen. In the lesbian version one woman's hand appears to stimulate the crotch of the other passing between the legs. Today many of the more perv-oriented gamers took delight in describing for me the detailed description of games they claim are MORE realistic... Ok fine, I'll take them at their word, but for me the statement stands..." This ladies and gentlemen is called amateurish. Schools will not allow students to site Wikipedia as a source, so what the hell makes YouTube valid?

I've seen some bad reporting in my time, but ranks right up there with them. Please, for the love of common sense, if you want to be a journalist, go to school and get an education. Actually learn how to gather sources, interview people, and actually do the work to come up with your research. Once again, the internet shows that any anal retentive butt-monkey can spew their ramblings infront of a general audience. Heck, I've been doin it for years!

To set the record straight, for those that haven't played Mass Effect, I highly recommend it. The story line is your average good guy vs bad guy, but it's pulled off very well. The whole "sex scene" in the game is nothing more then you would see in a rated R movie. I guess that's why they have a big fat M on the box that states rated M for Mature. On top of that, it's brief and completely insignificant. The only people that would decry such things?

MMO's as a whole have come a long way since the mid 90's. They weren't always 3D and didn't always have graphics, you know the ones I'm talking about. Old school AOL text base MMO's, where one had to actually read and use their imagination. In 1997, Richard Garriott created the cult classic Ultima Online, which brought 2D graphics to the gaming world and allowed gamers to interact with each other in ways that weren't possible before. A few years later EverQuest introduces 3D graphics, a level based system, etc. Dark Ages of Camelot allowed for server vs server PvP and developers were comming up with new ideas to freshen the genre. 2004 the gaming world was blown out of the water by the mamoth World of Warcraft, that while didn't introduce new mechanics, streamlined MMO's, opening up what once was a niche market to anyone with a computer.

Since that time gamers have seen clone after clone of WoW with different skins. A new MMO comes out, and gamers temporarily leave WoW only to find out, it's WoW in a different setting and look. Slowly, the gamers come back to WoW leaving developers scratching their heads as to why they can't crack the grip that WoW has. It's not that WoW's grip is so tight that gamers are never willing to leave for greener pastures. It's that developers keep producing clones that try to mimic WoW's play style, but why would gamers leave for a watered down version of the game that currently has everything gamers want?

All we gamers ask for is a little ingenuity. Thankfully, independent companies have been braving the waters and trying something new, i.e. Flying Labs Studios with Pirates of the Burning Seas. Is it the best game made? No, but it's different and break from all the replicated garbage that is out there. Slowly companies are getting away from the mainstream and trying something new, but it arises the question, how inovative can MMO's be?

A MMO is a single game shared by thousands, in some cases millions of people, at the same time. This single variable limits what is possible within the game itself. Questing was added to reduce the mundane xp grind, instances added to give the illusion of a dynamic world and to give gamers an intimate experience, real time pvp over turn based, and so on. How much more inovation can go into a MMO and what can companies do to pry that $15 a month out of customers wallet? Until something revolutionary comes along, the only thing I see that can pry gamers away from World of Warcraft is whatever new MMO Blizzard comes out with next.