Thu 18 Aug 2005
Damn, I just got punted from NPR! I was on a VA-based talk/call show today to discuss games, violence, addiction (ie, the usual fun stuff) and about half way through the call, after one of my responses, the host just said “ok, thanks for joining us” and kicked me off air.
Perhaps I was too verbose or they just didn’t like what I was saying. It was really awkward. Indeed, the show’s premise was coming from a place of “but what about the children” and they had extensive input by Dr. Douglas Gentile of the National Institute for Media and the Family on how games are bad, and that research demonstrates a strong impact on aggression, etc, etc.
I countered with a discussion of the decline in youth crime rates and that other research purports that in fact there is no link. Further, I talked about parental responsibility, about games needing to be a part of a balance media consumption mix, how ratings inform consumers about game content, etc. And, how much of the furor comes from a lack of understanding and respect for games and gamer culture (ie, games are not just toys for children).
What frustrated things further, was that several callers had follow-up questions on my comments and the host would just saying “wish he was still with us to answer”. Well, why did you kick me off?!
In hindsight, maybe I shouldn’t have said that I had played GTA, suggesting it was an entertaining and well designed game series. One of the callers, whom I did not get to respond to, asked if rape and murder were appropriate content for games - at any age. Ugh, this broken logic again (never mind the fact that there’s no rape in GTA). Another caller, this time a concerned mother, was asking the host (who admitted up front that she knew nothing about games) if she knew anything about a game called Runescape. She was worried because her son was playing it a lot and she knew nothing about it. Uh, why not try playing it? Sitting down with your son to check it out? Search the web for info? Etc, etc, etc.
Well, if I had had the chance, I would have responded more politely :)
August 19th, 2005 at 9:25 am
Yeotch. Bit disappointed in NPR for something like that. I dug up an old Swedish study which also contradicts the notion that video games are nothing but evil for kids.
Still, as I pointed out on that post … is this debate really so necessary? I don’t think the science is ever going to prove that the PS2 is responsible for murder. And yet, I also don’t think many people think GTA is OK for a 14yo.
The real problem is that a 14yo’s grandmother thought it was. So why aren’t people trying to do something about that? How is the problem can be so obvious, but debate is completely unfocused on it?
August 19th, 2005 at 11:02 am
The problem with radio shows and “Letters to the Editor” is that the host (or Editor) always gets the last word. That is why bloggers like Maddox do so well. Considering that the host of HearSay (I mean, c’mon, the show is called “hearsay”) is a bone-deep journalist, I’m unsurprised by what transpired, Jason.
In strategic marketing, we have a rule about positioning: create a market for your product. That is, don’t try to invade another marketplace with your product; make your product so important and invaluable that consumers literally come to you to buy your goods. This holds true in the public relations game. Apply it, and you’ll find that the IGDA is the near-perfect place to play the PR game — your way.
August 19th, 2005 at 11:14 pm
That’s pretty low. Not only did you get punted, but the Hearsay website a normal-sized link to Dr. Gentile’s site, and a small one for IGDA. Bias? Nah. Journalistic integrity? Nah.
September 20th, 2005 at 6:32 pm
I’ve already lost a lot of respect for NPR, but your story is very disappointing. Keep up the good fight!
September 21st, 2005 at 7:22 am
Typical of the anti-game crowd - we can’t win the argument, so we kill off the other side …