With all the flak that video games have gotten from politicians, we're tempted to think that two will probably never mix.

The latest one involves U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama and his comment about video games. You can read an excerpt of his statement n the full article after the jump.

Common Sense Media recently submitted a questionnaire to the 2008 US presidential candidates, asking them: "What [...] strategies would you support to keep the video game industry [...] from marketing and selling inappropriate content to children?"

Perhaps the most interesting answer comes from candidate Hillary Clinton, who introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act back in 2005, circa Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas era. Read her answer in the full article.

Several influential individuals and groups have already called for the reinstating of the Adults Only rating of Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii and PSP). Now even the senators are on the case. Four US senators sent a letter addressed to ESRB requesting a "thorough review" of the game. Check out the full article for more details.

After the World Trade Center collapsed, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented a residential cleanup program in Lower Manhattan during the years 2002 and 2003. According to the agency's report back then, only a "very small" number of air samples taken in those areas showed unsafe levels of asbestos.

However, the Government Accountability Office is now saying that EPA misled the people with its report. While it is true that the air samples have low levels of asbestos, EPA didn't mention at all that the said samples were taken after the cleanup. This may sound not important to you but it is for the residents of the area.

During the last cleanup program, only 295 residents and apartment building owners took part in the latest cleanup when it should have been around 20,000. The people are not to blame because as Senator Hillary Clinton pointed out, "residents are understandably reluctant to participate in what they consider to be a waste of time."

If EPA has provided the real score with the asbestos problem, we believe that the people of Lower Manhattan would be more than willing to help. In addition to this, Clinton added that "a Senate appropriations subcommittee had included $55 million in the 2008 budget proposal for screening and treatment of people exposed to ground zero dust."

Some known asbestos-related disorders include asbestosis, disease of the lining of the lung (pleura), and lung cancer.

A controversial video related to the 2008 US democratic party nominations is making rounds on the internet. Although the ad has been connected to Sen. Barack Obama, his campaign says that they have nothing to do with the ad. The said ad depicts a young blonde female athlete running with a sledgehammer towards a widescreen, where Sen. Hillary Clinton talks to a mass of zombielike followers.

This political ad was based on an ad released by Apple in 1984. TV Guide ran a 1999 story on this Apple ad, naming it number one on the "50 Greatest Commercials of All Time" list. Apple spent a then-outlandish sum of US$ 400,000 to produce the ad and US$ 500,000 to air it. It aired only once at the Super Bowl XVIII but it turned the then little-known brand Apple into a household name and started the whole Super Bowl ad craze.

Here's the Obama ad, while the 1984 Apple Ad can be found at Full Article for your comparison.

 

President Bush is suffering from low approval ratings, Senator Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are already in the running to be the Democrats' presidential candidate. Yup, the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election is just getting warmed up and 80soft.com, a software company whose forte is making political video games just released their latest PC game, President Forever 2008 + Primaries.

The game boasts of using a realistic electorate modeling techniques, but you could still lose even if you got more votes (just like in 2000). Anyhow, if you want to be responsible for electing the first woman US president or the first African-American US president, you better start massive campaigning and fund-raising activities. Here are the game's features:

• battle across each party's primaries and then enter the general election!
• criss-cross the country doing barn-storming campaigns
• setup detailed platforms to outmaneuver your opponents
• unleash foot soldiers to stop your opponents, or get campaign crusaders to rally voters to your cause
• run attack ads to steal voters leaning towards your opponents
• give a fiery custom-made speech, but remember to prepare for the debates!
• craft a detailed electoral strategy to give you a landslide on election day
• play vs. computer players or hotseat with other human players!
• play with 18 ready-made candidates in 2008 complete with detailed attributes and skills, or make your own!
• play 2008, or try a Great Campaign of the Past: 2000 (Bush-Gore), 1992 (Bush-Clinton), 1980 (Reagan-Carter), or 1960 (Nixon-Kennedy)!

The game is already available for roughly US$ 20. Or if you have your doubts, you could also try the demo which is around 5MB. The read link below will take you to 80soft's site.

Rise of Antares 2, an all-new turn-based space strategy game from HeroCraft, is back and its a very bitchy mood. The game is designed for all gamers with political ambitions bigger than Hillary Clinton's. As head of an interstellar corporation, gamers must take the reigns, set a successful plan and fight elections in order to rule the freaking galaxy. Oh and there's one more thing on the agenda: kick Star League Bureaucrats asses back to where they belong! Which is anywhere but your turf.

Rise of Antares 2 is packed with features to help fight for intergalactic dominance including:

• Full stepwise space strategy
• A diverse array of technologies
• Masses of different ships and buildings
• Easy-to-follow training system and a captivating campaign
• Game graphics to advanced interstellar standards

Rise of Antares 2 is supported by various handsets from Alcatel, BenQ-Siemens, LG, Motorola, Nokia Panasonic, Samsung and more.

It is human nature to find strength in numbers. When faced with great adversity, people stand side by side to meet the common enemy head on. With that said, it seems that various segments of the society have been viewing the gaming industry as the common foe. And not only that, it looks like they are so keen on trampling these "evil weed."

Accordingly, a new alliance has been formed to combat ill effects of videogames to kids, beginning with educating parents about game ratings. The alliance, if we might add, is looking formidable indeed. It is composed of Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and ESRB President Patricia Vance. Surprisingly enough, Best Buy President Brian Dunn and GameStop President Steve Morgan complete the "Power Rangers."

Senator Clinton maintained that the renewed movement is in light of the coming Holiday season. It is needless to say that sales for gaming software and hardware will skyrocket during this time of the year. Clinton explained:

We all share in the responsibility of making sure our children play age-appropriate video games, and I'm pleased that the ESRB and retailers are working together to educate parents about the video game ratings and make sure they are enforced.

The group's first action included sending public service announcements to 800 TV stations nationwide, as well as radio and print ads. The PSAs are intended for parents, instructing them to regulate the games their children play. Senator Lieberman seconded:

I have long said that the ESRB ratings are the most comprehensive in the media industry. There are many age-appropriate games that are clever and entertaining. Parents should understand and use the ratings to help them decide which video games to buy for their families.

Over the past few weeks, ESRB was able to come up with various announcements regarding their plans to intensify enforcement of ratings for videogames. In the meanwhile, a big contrast is happening overseas, with some countries considering self regulation for the industry.

The U.S. Senate has just passed the CAMRA Act (The Children and Media Research Advancement Act) sponsored by Joseph Lieberman, Hillary Clinton, Dick Durbin, and Republicans Rick Santorum and Sam Brownback. The Act includes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) investigation into video game and other electronic media use.

The focus of the research has something to do with the role and effects, positive and negative alike, of all kinds of electronic media on children. These include TV, movies, videogames, and Internet, from where kids receive the biggest exposure when it comes to entertainment. Grants would also be provided to learn about the impact of certain factors such as the format, length of exposure, age of viewers, nature of parental involvement, and venue in which media is viewed.

The CAMRA Act does remind us of the online poker ban, which is currently undergoing Congressional reviews in the U.S. Although some bills have already been passed concerning this ban, player alliances are still outraged over the representatives' move, knowing that the largest population of online poker players are located in the U.S. The same trend occurs in videogames, where statistics tell us that the largest markets are in the U.S., Japan, Europe, and Australia.

Whether the CAMRA Act poses a threat on the videogame industry (note that Lieberman, Clinton, and Durbin are popular videogame critics) or not, it sends an implication that the CDC's aim is to prove that videogames are doing us more harm than good. Or are they? We believe that violent behavior usually associated with playing videogames always have something to do with the upbringing of children. Kids who are raised well know that videogames are just games, and somehow they are the best outlet for the venting of violent behavior.

The CAMRA Act is apparently a subtle advocacy towards proving what videogame critics had been trying to tell us all along. But we like to keep an open mind because we believe the investigation will shed new light on the very role of electronic media in the lives of children. Still, we can't help but raise a questioning eyebrow.

It appears Take-Two Interactive's woes have only just begun. Apparently Jack Thompson is now attempting to influence Edward Johnson, chairman of Fidelity Investment (which, FYI, owns more than 20% of Take-Two) - that is, if this letter he supposedly sent Johnson is for real.

In his purported letter, Thompson reveals his knowledge of information concerning Take-Two - stuff that he claims even Fidelity doesn't know - and says that someone at Fidelity urgently needs to talk to him as soon as possible.

Take a gander at the letter and tell us what you think.

July 13, 2006

Edward C. Johnson, III
Chairman
Fidelity Investments (FMR)

Re: Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (TTWO on NASDAQ)

Dear Mr. Johnson:

As you know, Fidelity reportedly owns more than 20% of the above company's stock. In one year that stock has fallen in value from $28 to $9, primarily because of the "Hot Coffee" scandal which broke because of Senator Hillary Clinton's July 2005 press conference. I prepared Senator Clinton for that news conference, and here is a graphic depiction of the subsequent stock price tumble:

I was on CBS's 60 Minutes twice last year regarding Take-Two, and the August 2005 issue of Reader's Digest reported my efforts against this company. They didn't report a tenth of what I know.

Mr. Johnson, I know some facts about Take-Two that your company apparently does not know. The latest SEC investigation of Take-Two, announced Monday, comes as no surprise to me. It may come as a surprise to you and your analysts, however, that there may be some very significant problems with certain information in Take-Two's 10-K filed with the SEC months ago. I identified those potential problems immediately and shared them with the SEC. I also shared them with the lawyers who are seeking class action status for shareholders suing Take-Two.

One of the potential problems we have here (more accurately, that Fidelity has here, in my opinion) is the fact that the outside general counsel to Take-Two is the Philadelphia law firm of Blank Rome, which is also Take-Two's registered lobbyist on Capitol Hill. What I can tell you about Blank Rome and other aspects of Take-Two's problems might help explain why Take-Two's audit chair, Barbara Kaczynski, quit the Take-Two board, hired a top-notch criminal attorney, and wrote the SEC about Take-Two's alleged cover-up by senior management.

In short, without herein divulging all I know, I'll say this: Somebody at Fidelity needs to talk to me immediately if not sooner. You all owe that to your investors.

Regards, Jack Thompson

Jack Thompson, Attorney