| How same-sex relationships came to The Sims Aug 7th 2013, 04:04 Lead AI programmer reveals how EA's low expectations for The Sims allowed same-sex relationships to be implemented. 
EA Maxis has shed light on how same-sex relationships came to be in best-selling game series The Sims, Joystiq has reported. Speaking on Electronic Arts' (EA) GaymerX panel about creating more LGBT-inclusive experiences, The Sims 4 lead AI programmer David "Rez" Graham revealed how lead engineer Jamie Doornbos implemented the programming. "He just did it," Graham said, referring to Doornbos, who is an openly gay man. "He just went in there and it was a thing one day. Nobody really questioned it, which was cool." After the conclusion of the panel, Graham revealed that the nature of The Sims as a game allowed EA Maxis to "sneak in" the feature as an optional one. "I think it was just that homosexuality isn't new, it's something that exists in our world and we're trying to simulate people in our world. And so I think that what they wanted to do, and this is going to sound terrible, but what they wanted to do was protect the people who are basically bigoted against that kind of thing, because they want sales from everybody. So, to make it an optional thing that's essentially disabled unless you seek it out as the player, that I think gave EA the sort of permission to say that's fine. People wouldn't even find it unless they looked for it." According to Graham, it was because of EA's view that the game was "a terrible idea" and would not sell well that allowed them to implement "all that kind of stuff." "[Doornbos] had more permission because it was seen as a kind of casual type game, so it would've been harder to have that happen in a huge AAA game." The Sims has been touted as the best-selling game franchise of all time, with over 125 million copies sold worldwide since its launch in 2000. The latest numbered entry into the series, The Sims 3 for PC, sold 3.7 million copies in its first month of sale. A sequel, The Sims 4, was announced earlier this year. The game will be launching in 2014 for PC and Mac, and will not require an internet connection. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
|  | Dishonored to get Game of the Year Edition Aug 7th 2013, 01:27 Bundle details and release date unconfirmed; Australian version listed as "modified". 
Dishonored appears set to receive a Game of the Year Edition, according to a listing by rating body, the Australian Classification Board. The GOTY version will presumably bundle the original stealth/action game with all previously released downloadable content: Dunwall City Trials and its 10 challenge maps; The Knife of Dunwall, which allowed players to take on the role of assassin Duad; upcoming expansion The Brigmore Witches, which is scheduled to release in mid August; and the Void Walker’s Arsenal, a collection of retailer pre-order bonuses. No release date was confirmed in the report, though while Dishonored was rated as "original", the Australian Game of the Year version is currently marked as "modified", often denoting changes or edits made specifically for the region. The bundle has been rated MA15+ for moderate impact themes, language and sex, and strong impact violence. A spokesperson for Bethesda, the game's publisher, was unavailable to comment as to what, if any, changes have been made to the local version of the game. In November last year, Bethesda confirmed that sales for the game were "far exceeding" expectations, making future games in the franchise likely. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | The Simpsons RPG has been considered Aug 6th 2013, 21:07 Original writer Al Jean says show organizers have talked about the possibility of a role-playing game based on animated series. 
A role-playing game based on The Simpsons has been discussed, according to original series writer and 8-time Emmy Award winner Al Jean. "Yeah, we've talked about it," Jean said during a GoldDerby Google Hangout today. Gamers may want to temper their excitement for any such project. Jean said, "it's a really complicated thing to do" in part because writers would need to create numerous possibilities for every situation in the wide-ranging fiction of The Simpsons. Jean wrote numerous episodes of The Simpsons, including "Lisa's Pony," "Treehouse of Horror" III," and "Lisa's Sax," among others. Asked generally if any new Simpsons games are in development on top of The Simpsons: Tapped Out for iOS and Android, Jean said, "We've talked about it. I think there will be." "Tapped Out is amazing. For a game like it is, to still be increasing in popularity long after its release is really unprecedented," Jean said. "It's a really, really good game and it's doing amazingly well." "We've been at it so long. I mean, the first game was an arcade game. So there's been unbelievable history to the video games that have come off the show. And we're a ride at [Universal Studios], which is amazing," he added. "So I think that kind of thing is not going to stop. In fact, it will just increase." The Simpsons: Tapped Out posted its highest revenue quarter in the April-June period since launch in August 2012. The game helped publisher Electronic Arts net $90 million from smartphone and tablet games during the quarter. EA currently holds the license for games based on The Simpsons. The publisher told GameSpot, "We can't comment on rumors or speculation." The most recent news Simpsons title for consoles was 2007's The Simpsons Game, in which the Simpsons family discovers they have been licensed for a video game. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Consumer group launches campaign against game research bill Aug 6th 2013, 19:27 Entertainment Consumers Association says Senator Rockefeller's Violent Content Research Act is a "distraction to finding the real cause" of mass shootings. 
Gamer advocacy group the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) has launched a campaign against a bill that would instruct the National Academy of Sciences to study the relationship between "exposure" to violent games and "harmful effects on children." The Violent Content Research Act was introduced in its present form in January by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) following the schoolhouse massacre in Newtown, Conn. where 20 children and six adults were killed by a reportedly "deranged gamer." The bill has garnered bipartisan support, and earlier this week, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation recommended the bill be sent to the floor of the Senate to be voted on. The ECA said it has "numerous concerns" about the Violent Content Research Act and believes it is a "distraction to finding the real cause of these events." "With all due respect Senator, the highest court of the land has reviewed the scientific research and concluded that video games do not cause violence," the ECA said in a statement. "The non-scientific personal opinion of the Senator should not get to overturn the Supreme Court ruling." In a landmark 2011 decision, the Supreme Court sided with the video game industry, ruling that games are protected free speech under the first amendment. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which represents the gaming industry's interests in Washington, issued a statement on the matter to GamePolitics. "ESA has always supported objective scientific research and appreciates the opportunity for an ongoing dialogue with Chairman Rockefeller and members of the Committee," the group said. "Video games are enjoyed by the majority of American families--parents and children alike." "Our industry has forged a longstanding partnership with parents by providing them the best information and tools available in order to make informed decisions about what games their children play," the statement goes on. "Indeed, the Federal Trade Commission this year again recognized the ESRB rating system as the best in the entertainment sector. We are building on this leadership with a renewed ratings and parental control awareness and usage campaign, and by continuing to expand the ESRB system to apps and mobile platforms." In January, president Barack Obama ordered more research to be done to investigate the relationship between video games and real-world violence. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Murdered: Soul Suspect launching after March 2014 Aug 6th 2013, 18:43 Square Enix's Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC game gets release window. 
Mystery action game Murdered: Soul Suspect will launch after March 2014, a Square Enix representative told GameSpot today. Square Enix's confirmation of the game's release date comes after the title was left off the company's list of upcoming games today as part of its latest earnings report. It turns out, the list of games--including Thief and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII--only featured title that will release by March 2014. According to the Square Enix representative, Murdered: Soul Suspect remains on track for a 2014 release, though no specific date has been announced. The game was previously announced with an "early 2014" release date. Murdered: Soul Suspect is set in Salem, Massachusetts, the location of the Salem witch trials in 1692, which saw public executions of those convicted of witchcraft. During his investigation, O'Connor must interrogate the ghosts of Salem to learn more about his killer. Murdered: Soul Suspect is currently in development at Airtight Games (Quantum Conundrum, Dark Void) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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