Mass Effect Over-Reaction

http://youtube.com/watch?v=L13Ct40cFIU&feature=related

I actually couldn't believe what I was watching. I had heard about the controversy over Fox's coverage of a brief sex scene in the game Mass Effect, but I hadn't actually watched the segment in question. But, then I saw this segment that Adam Sessler did for X-Play, and I knew I had to finally see it for myself.

Oh... My... God.

I thought I had seen some closed-minded talk about video games in the past (read: anything with the name Jack Thompson) but this segment truly takes the cake. Let's look at the fact that, by both the host's and Ms. Lawrence's own admissions, they have never played the game. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest that the host actually spent more time researching the game in the few minutes she spent on the web looking at trailers for the game than Ms. Lawrence did, and she was the one who was forming the opinion. As a side note, I found it amusing that the host was amazed that none of the trailers said anything about the rampant sex involved in the game. It shows that a) Microsoft was not marketing the sex in the game and b) it takes up such a minute part of the game that they didn't feel it was necessary to point it out. I guess I will, too, develop the same opinion of Ms. Lawrence's book, The Cult of Perfection, based solely on the front cover, and the title of the book.

I feel very sorry for Geoff Keighly, a person whom I have a great deal of respect in the video game industry. He was the sole voice of reason in the entire discussion, and he was constantly cut-off and patronized by both the host and Ms. Lawrence. It was quite obvious that the host, instead of being an impartial mediator presenting both sides of a story, had already developed an incorrect opinion in line with Ms. Lawrence. Any time that Geoff tried to bring up the fact that the sex scene lasted a fraction of the time of the game, or that it was actually the product of extensive character development, and not just a "have sex" option in the game, he was constantly interrupted and belittled by the other's in the conversation.

Once again, Fox News Channel shows their obvious conservative bias, and continues to bring shame to the cable news community. With news outlets like this, who needs the government to spin everything?

3:00 AM

Ok, it's 3 in the morning, and I can't seem to get to sleep. Might have something to do with the fact that I took a 4-hour nap this afternoon, I don't know.

This past week has been a long, weird, stressful week. I'm glad that I am able to be here for my family, though. If I had to stay at home and not know what was going on, or be able to actually talk face-to-face with people, I think I'd probably explode.

I'm trying to get back into composition. The problem here is that I have so many potential compositions going on in my brain at once, it's hard to concentrate long enough to get one of them down en total before another one rears its head and begs to be written down. I guess maybe I should try and work on a couple of them at the same time, spending a little time on one, and then switching to another one for a bit. That might work.

I've got a Gloria in my head that I want to get down. And then there is a cantata based on the classic comedy sketch "Who's On First" by Abbott and Costello (no, really!). The idea came from a P.D.Q. Bach piece that we did in choir one year. And then there is the series of pieces that I've wanted to do now based on the Psalms in the Bible. It's sort of a personal challenge, to write a short choral/solo/instrumental piece based on all 150 contained in the Book of Psalms. Well, we'll see what actually gets accomplished first.

Ok, I really need to at least attempt to get some sleep.