Jason Kingsley, vice chairman of UK game developers body, TIGA and CEO of Rebellion (owner of 2000AD comic and developer of Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron) has said that the UK should celebrate GTA IV.
"This is world's biggest launch in the games market and the intellectual property is actually British made", Kingsley said. "I think that's fantastic. It should be celebrated."
His comments were made to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee investigating violent video games. He was there to discuss the current ratings system and also made an observation from a recent trip to various retailers, saying, "I watched people purchasing games and you clearly get a 12-year-old child picking up a game that is unsuitable for them, going up to the counter and then being told they cannot purchase it and then their guardian comes up and says 'oh I'll buy that' and that disappoints me because the labelling is very clear.
"It appears that parents are perhaps not taking responsibility the way they should be and I think that is something for wider society rather than any one section of the media."
SPOnG spoke to a source from a major British retailer yesterday and was told anonymously that a number of children - often as young as 11 - attempted to buy GTA IV but were refused by staff. While SPOnG is encouraged that the 18-rated game did not make it into the minors' hands, this clearly illustrates that either children don't understand the ratings system or don't take it seriously. You wouldn't catch an 11-year-old trying their luck with buying vodka, after all.
Sources: Strategy Informer, The Guardian
"This is world's biggest launch in the games market and the intellectual property is actually British made", Kingsley said. "I think that's fantastic. It should be celebrated."
His comments were made to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee investigating violent video games. He was there to discuss the current ratings system and also made an observation from a recent trip to various retailers, saying, "I watched people purchasing games and you clearly get a 12-year-old child picking up a game that is unsuitable for them, going up to the counter and then being told they cannot purchase it and then their guardian comes up and says 'oh I'll buy that' and that disappoints me because the labelling is very clear.
"It appears that parents are perhaps not taking responsibility the way they should be and I think that is something for wider society rather than any one section of the media."
SPOnG spoke to a source from a major British retailer yesterday and was told anonymously that a number of children - often as young as 11 - attempted to buy GTA IV but were refused by staff. While SPOnG is encouraged that the 18-rated game did not make it into the minors' hands, this clearly illustrates that either children don't understand the ratings system or don't take it seriously. You wouldn't catch an 11-year-old trying their luck with buying vodka, after all.
Sources: Strategy Informer, The Guardian
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Comments
Showing the 20 most recent comments. Read all 47.
DoctorDee 1 May 2008 09:22
28/47
Svend Joscelyne wrote:
Or rather, Opal Fruits. ;)
I think you rather missed my point.
Which was... it's not just a change of name (Opal Fruits to Starburst OR Marathon to Snickers), it's become a totally different thing.
To illustrate, I used the new name for a pack of chewy sweets, and the old name for a peanutty chocolate bar. If I'd have said Rockstar is DMA like Starbust is Opal Fruits, I would have been saying that it is essentially exactly the same thing with a new name. Sort of exactly not my point, except for sort of.
Rockstar is DMA with the peanuts taken out, and a lot of soft fruits added.
It was quite clever, really. if you think about it. But clearly a bit too subtle ;-)
deleted 1 May 2008 10:33
29/47
DoctorDee wrote:
Svend Joscelyne wrote:
Or rather, Opal Fruits. ;)
I think you rather missed my point.
Which was... it's not just a change of name (Opal Fruits to Starburst OR Marathon to Snickers), it's become a totally different thing.
To illustrate, I used the new name for a pack of chewy sweets, and the old name for a peanutty chocolate bar. If I'd have said Rockstar is DMA like Starbust is Opal Fruits, I would have been saying that it is essentially exactly the same thing with a new name. Sort of exactly not my point, except for sort of.
Rockstar is DMA with the peanuts taken out, and a lot of soft fruits added.
It was quite clever, really. if you think about it. But clearly a bit too subtle ;-)
Yeah but opal fruits were originally called Starbursts then called Opal Fruits then back to Star Bursts! Now how does that work??? And marathons were always snicker sin the US and EU so how does that effect sales of Wii in Asia? And the Fact Twix is called Radar in Germany well dot get me started on how that can affect the T2/R* thingy!
:-)
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Dreadknux 1 May 2008 10:36
30/47
DoctorDee wrote:
Rockstar is DMA with the peanuts taken out, and a lot of soft fruits added.
It was quite clever, really. if you think about it. But clearly a bit too subtle ;-)
It was quite clever, really. if you think about it. But clearly a bit too subtle ;-)
Ah, I get you. :-) Very clever yes, well played. I'd pretty much say that Opal Fruits =/= Starburst anyway, for some reason when they changed the name they started to be less satisfying... call it a loss of soul or something.
Yeah but opal fruits were orginally called Starbursts then called Opal Fruits then back to Star Bursts! now how does that work???
Wait, they were originally called Starburst in the UK before Opal Fruits? Man this is confusing. :-P
DoctorDee 1 May 2008 11:17
31/47
haritori wrote:
Yeah but opal fruits were originally called Starbursts then called Opal Fruits then back to Star Bursts!
No. No they weren't.
At least not in the UK. They were called Opal Fruits, and then 10 years ago they changed the name to Starburst.
However, fans were so upset that they mounted a campaign, and Mars is releasing a limited run of Opal Fruits, exclusively with Asda from May 11th for three months. But then they go back to being Starburst. Unless they are exceptionally popular I guess.
And the Fact Twix is called Radar in Germany
The only problem with that "fact" os that it isn't. A fact, that is.
They USED to be called Raider (not Radar) in Germany but now they are called Twix. It's all about globalisation. They want to be able to make al the candy wherever it is cheapest to make it and ship it to where-ever they need stock, without having to worry about what it says on the packet. So there are no regional variations anymore. We lost the Opal Fruits and the Marathon battles, we won the Twix one.
It's a hollow victory if you ask me. But maybe the Asda Opal Fruits thing marks a turn of the tides.
Perhaps if we mount a campaign, Rockstar will release some original games, instead re-hashes of GTA. But the way the public are lapping up GTA IV, I wouldn't count on it.
tt_rage 1 May 2008 11:34
32/47
They USED to be called Raider (not Radar) in Germany but now they are called Twix. It's all about globalisation. They want to be able to make al the candy wherever it is cheapest to make it and ship it to where-ever they need stock, without having to worry about what it says on the packet. So there are no regional variations anymore. We lost the Opal Fruits and the Marathon battles, we won the Twix one. It's a hollow victory if you ask me.
It's actually all about global conformity and worldwide recognisable branding rather than just shipping the cheapest chocolate all over the world. People can walk into a shop the world over and ask for a Twix and get a Twix and not a blank look. So we lose Marathon bars, yes, but we gain satisfaction when we're stuck in Niagara Falls and have the sudden urge for just the right combination of peanuts, nougat, caramel and thick, thick chocolate.
Remember that story about Coca Cola spending all that time and money finding regional names for coca cola that sounded like "Coca Cola" in the native language but also made sense? I think the Japanese translates to "Happiness in the Mouth", or something like that. The point being anyone from any country can order a Coca Cola and get a Coca Cola anywhere in the world.
Wow, from GTA thu the reunification of Ireland to internationally labelled chocolate bars in 30 easy posts.
DoctorDee 1 May 2008 12:51
33/47
tt_rage wrote:
It's actually all about global conformity and worldwide recognisable branding rather than just shipping the cheapest chocolate all over the world.
And why exactly is there a need for "global conformity" when they managed fine without it for years before the name harmonisation. If they need it now, surely they needed it in the 70s and 80s!?
The fact is, with their gold wrappers and white outlines red text, Raiders were always clearly Twix. Marathon and Snickers were always clearly the same thing. The branding already worked... there was no confusion. And I'm saying this as someone who travelled widely, and bought Twix/Snickers/Raider/Marathon/Starburst in four continents before they harmonised the naming.
But in the dim and distant past, UK choc bars were made in the UK, US ones made in the US, German ones made in Germany. Nowadays, I end up eating Turkish Twixes, Spanish Snickers, and Swiss Starburst. So the requirement is for them to all have the same name, because while a traveller can cope with Twix being called something different in another country - no one expects the names of things to change on their local shelves on a weekly basis.
Occams razor, I think.
PreciousRoi 1 May 2008 15:36
34/47
Isn't European chocolate different from that in the US?
At least thats what the Osbournes led me to believe...
At least thats what the Osbournes led me to believe...
DoctorDee 1 May 2008 15:47
35/47
PreciousRoi wrote:
Isn't European chocolate different from that in the US?
UK Chocolate is. Our staple chocolate, Cadbury's Dairy Milk, tastes way different to a Hershey's bar. It's smoother and creamier.
We don't have Mr Goodbar, or Nutrageous or a lot of your other chocolate confectionery bars, they started selling Peanut Butter Cups here a year or so ago. We don't get Peppermint Patties - which is good a good thing, if we did, I'd be way fatter than I am now.
Our Snickers is pretty much the same as yours, I mean the chocolate coating might be different - but the majority of the taste comes from the nougat and peanuts.
European chocolate is different again. Whereas Chocolate was (until fairly recently) seen as a kids sweet in the UK in Europe there have been fine choclatiers for centuries. The Belgians and the Swiss particularly excel at the production of incredible chocolate, though I am lead to believe that there are some quite excellent boutique choclatiers in the US now too.
PreciousRoi 1 May 2008 15:55
36/47
Yeah...we do a bit of vending (not much anymore), so I've always had free access to caseloads of candy. Luckily, for my health, at least, the slowdown in vending coincided with my metabolism's shutdown. I used to stuff my pockets with Nibs (red licorice bits).
Now the variety is more limited and we have to buy variety packs (from Sam's, like the bloody plebes, the candy wholesalers are extinct here, or we're beneath their notice or something) for everything but Snickers and M&Ms....its kinda hard to justify nicking a handful of 100 Grand bars when thats the full extent of our inventory. Mostly I eat what doen't sell, lately its been Nestle Crunch bars and Cheetos. (I've found I rather like Cheetos, I guess it was the inevitable orange fingers that put me off) The Cool Ranch Doritos (my fathers favorite, I originally suspected him of khyping them all) are sold out the instant we open the box.
Do y'all have Mounds and Almond Joy (drools)? We never sold them, so naturally they've always been desireable from my POV.
Now the variety is more limited and we have to buy variety packs (from Sam's, like the bloody plebes, the candy wholesalers are extinct here, or we're beneath their notice or something) for everything but Snickers and M&Ms....its kinda hard to justify nicking a handful of 100 Grand bars when thats the full extent of our inventory. Mostly I eat what doen't sell, lately its been Nestle Crunch bars and Cheetos. (I've found I rather like Cheetos, I guess it was the inevitable orange fingers that put me off) The Cool Ranch Doritos (my fathers favorite, I originally suspected him of khyping them all) are sold out the instant we open the box.
Do y'all have Mounds and Almond Joy (drools)? We never sold them, so naturally they've always been desireable from my POV.
DoctorDee 1 May 2008 16:07
37/47
PreciousRoi wrote:
Do y'all have Mounds and Almond Joy (drools)? We never sold them, so naturally they've always been desireable from my POV.
We so do not. in a country that is becoming more like the US every day (Walmart bought one of our biggest supermarket chains, we get your music, your movies and your TV) one area of marked difference is the candy counter. It always surprises me.
We have a vending machine in the eleventeenth/SPOnG building, and Config and I were planning to stock it with Peanut Butter M+Ms and other US candies. No we don't even get Peanut Butter M+Ms here. But in the end, the cost was prohibitive!
We don't have Cheetos. It's a different world here, but only in confectionery terms.
deleted 1 May 2008 16:11
38/47
DoctorDee wrote:
PreciousRoi wrote:
Isn't European chocolate different from that in the US?
UK Chocolate is. Our staple chocolate, Cadbury's Dairy Milk, tastes way different to a Hershey's bar. It's smoother and creamier.
We don't have Mr Goodbar, or Nutrageous or a lot of your other chocolate confectionery bars, they started selling Peanut Butter Cups here a year or so ago. We don't get Peppermint Patties - which is good a good thing, if we did, I'd be way fatter than I am now.
We do Have Nutrageous Bars and We have had Reeses Choclate for a good few years now, but only a few places sell it like woolworths i think i remember buying Peanut Butter Cups around 1998 for the first time, our choclate is more creamier like you say and i would say ours is sweeter, where as american chocolate is more bitter (darker variety of milk chocolate,
deleted 1 May 2008 16:18
39/47
We Have Hershey Bars too now, obviuosly we have M&M`s in fact back in 1994 (i was 14) i won a comp for 2 years supply of M&M`s and i havent had them since, (worked out at one packet per day).
PreciousRoi 1 May 2008 16:35
40/47
DoctorDee wrote:
We don't have Cheetos.
Hmmm, possibly due to lesser abundance of corn?
I'm not a "peanut butter person" myself...if someone got peanut butter in my chocolate I'd be rather upset. I prefer my peanuts dry roasted with plenty of salt. Mmmm, theres an idea...Dry Roasted Peanut M&Ms...
deleted 1 May 2008 16:40
41/47
PreciousRoi wrote:
DoctorDee wrote:
We don't have Cheetos.
Hmmm, possibly due to lesser abundance of corn?
I'm not a "peanut butter person" myself...if someone got peanut butter in my chocolate I'd be rather upset. I prefer my peanuts dry roasted with plenty of salt.
Cheetos are common in Spain, France, Germany etc but for some reason not in the UK, although ive seen selfridges sell them for £4.00 a BAG!!!! along with lucky charms cereal for £5.00 a box!!!
PreciousRoi 1 May 2008 16:46
42/47
Cereal Marshmellows are a tool of the Cthullu, along with Peeps...in fact, according to the dietary strictures of the splinter sect of Pastafarianism I belong to, the only acceptable way to consume them is in conjunction with chocolate and graham crackers around a campfire.
deleted 1 May 2008 16:48
43/47
Peeps, i seriously want to try those marshmallow chickens.
PreciousRoi 1 May 2008 16:53
44/47
According to many misguided marshpollo gourmands, the preferred mode of eating them is as follows:
Step one:
Obtain your Peeps. They can be had cheaply and somewhat pre-aged following many holidays, the Vernal Equinox being the obvious one.
Step two:
Using a sewing needle, make a small hole in the packaging.
Step three:
Wait. Opinions vary on the proper amount of "ageing". This may a be a personal preference thing...just how stale you let them get is up to you.
Step four:
Open and consume immiediately.
edit:clarification to above post...Ceral Marshmellows and Peeps are never acceptable, only regular marshmellows, prepared as stated above...also, the FSM doesn't mind the tiny ones in hot chocoloate or cocoa, in moderation.
Step one:
Obtain your Peeps. They can be had cheaply and somewhat pre-aged following many holidays, the Vernal Equinox being the obvious one.
Step two:
Using a sewing needle, make a small hole in the packaging.
Step three:
Wait. Opinions vary on the proper amount of "ageing". This may a be a personal preference thing...just how stale you let them get is up to you.
Step four:
Open and consume immiediately.
edit:clarification to above post...Ceral Marshmellows and Peeps are never acceptable, only regular marshmellows, prepared as stated above...also, the FSM doesn't mind the tiny ones in hot chocoloate or cocoa, in moderation.
TimSpong 1 May 2008 17:16
45/47
haritori wrote:
We don't have Cheetos.
We've got Wotsits - haven't we? Or did they kill those when I was in bloody Australia?
PreciousRoi 1 May 2008 19:22
46/47
DoctorDee wrote:
We so do not. in a country that is becoming more like the US every day (Walmart bought one of our biggest supermarket chains, we get your music, your movies and your TV) one area of marked difference is the candy counter. It always surprises me.
Actually after doing a bit of research, prompted by "our candy guy" (my grandmother's brother's son...some flavor of Uncle), who wanted to know whatever became of his beloved "Lunch Bar", which is apparently now only availible in South Africa, if its the same one, and "Almond Clusters" (made by Peter Paul, makers of Mounds and Almond Joy), which were discontinued. I find that, in fact, you do have a Mounds analouge. From what I can gather:
Mounds~Bounty...Almond Joy includes almonds, and replaces the Mounds' dark chocolate with milk chocolate. Mounds/Almond Joy also used to have a cardboard tray, which has been omitted.
DoctorDee 2 May 2008 07:41
47/47
PreciousRoi wrote:
Mounds~Bounty
I would never know this. Bounty is my own personal hell. Desecrated coconut. The coconut is a noble fruit (or maybe nut) when cracked open, the milk poured into a Pina Colada and the white stuff chewed right off the husk. But dry it and it's the culinary equivalent of pissy sand.
My wife feels the same way, it's one of the two things we have in common. We got married on the beach in the Dominican Republic, and we gave strict instructions that we wanted a chocolate wedding cake, no dried fruit (our only other thing in common - the rest of the marriage is fun). Come the day, a chocolate cake appeared, but it was sat on a thin bed of desiccated coconut. Both Amanda and I wanted to gag as we ate our own wedding cake (that's the kind of memory Mastercard can't buy) but we were too embarrassed to let our Dominican hosts know.