The Power of Man

Going into this video, I was stoked. I could not wait to see some awesome explosion videos. By the end of it I was almost sick of seeing them, and couldn't help but think to myself, "My God, what have we done?"

#11 - Thou Shalt Not Drink

This weekend was the first of Winter Break. Having just completed my most stressful semester at Binghamton University, I couldn't wait to let loose and have a little fun with the guys. I spent Friday night hanging with the boys, drinking, being merry, and just enjoying being back home with my friends. The next morning, my mother picked me up from my friends house, and apparently, to my dismay, she was able to smell the liquor on me. Well, needless to say, the proverbial shit was flipped. The entire ordeal was actually pretty ridiculous in hindsight, but it has left me with the following thought: is drinking really such a bad thing?

What is it that send people into such a fervor over alcohol? For me, it is merely a form of entertainment. A common bond that people can gather around in times of celebration and merriment. More importantly, perhaps, it is a signifier of youth. I'm not saying that you have to drink if you are young, but rather that it is an activity to enjoy while young. When I graduate from college and get a real job, I'm going to settle down. There's no reason to go to house parties on weekends, or stay up late getting trashed when the real world sets in. Why not enjoy such luxuries now?

I don't believe that alcohol is some innocent pastime with a bad rep. In the hands of one who lacks self-control, it can lead to disaster. Homes can be broken, lives lost. However, why should those of us who do exhibit self-control be punished? I have never gotten into a fight, driven, gotten in trouble with authorities, or hurt myself while intoxicated. Why should I not be able to enjoy it then, so long as I keep up the good track record?

I write this both out of frustration with my parents, as well as a means of coming to terms with my feelings on the matting in a tangible way. I do not think that drinking alcohol is a sin, nor do I feel, as others have made clear to me, that I am going to hell for partaking in it. I'm still a good person, and still a good Christian. Well, I suppose that depends on whose definition of "Christian" you use, but that is another entry entirely.

What Stars Would Say

It's finals week, which means studying, procrastination, and tests. I don't have the time to make a real post, but wanted to get something up here anyway. I'm trying to commit myself to one post at least every 10 days, since my poor blog has been neglected as of late. Anyway, here is a poem I wrote last semester in my Creative Writing class. It was my first ever sonnet.

What Stars Would Say
By Michael Moreno

Lying down on Earth, grass beneath my back,
O how those stars blanket the sky at night.
Eons away, dots against endless black;
How they wash our world with pale, ashen light.
My desire: to lay among them, floating,
Forever wandering that black abyss;
Swimming through the cold stream of time, bathing
In that quiet ocean of nothingness.

Then I stop and wonder what they must say
As they twinkle their light for us on high,
“I wish that I could live to see the day
When we can breathe air, eat food, live our lives.”

“My one desire is to live in their midst,
Forever in that blue and green abyss.”

Integrity in the World of Video Game Journalism

Anyone who takes even a passing interest in gamer culture and news must have caught wind, by now, of the recent fiasco involving Gamespot.com and the firing of one of their long time editors and game reviewers, Jeff Gerstmann.

It all started last Thursday, November 29, when the rumor was leaked. Gerstmann was fired from the video game website Gamespot.com. What got forum browser's panties in such a bunch was the allegation that he was fired due to pressure from publisher Eidos Interactive, over Gerstmann's less than stellar review of their latest game, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Shortly after the incident, all of the Kane & Lynch advertisements--which were quite prominent--were pulled from the website.

What followed was a frenzy of internet reaction. Forums flooded with angry commenters voicing their opinions. Gaming website Destructoid.com changed their logo to better represent their feelings on the matter. Even a "Boycott Gamespot" movement stirred up in its wake.

As a journalist myself, I truly believe that one of the most important aspects of the profession is integrity, both personally and professionally. A journalist's job is to disseminate information; true information, to the best of his knowledge. If Mr. Gerstmann's firing was truly a result of pressure from advertisers, both Gamespot and Eidos should be ashamed, and deserve all of the bad press associated with it.

A reviewer of any specificity, be it books, movies, or video games, should be allowed to engage in their craft with total impartiality. If not, then there is no reason for reviewers to exist. After all, anyone with a good copy editor could write a review if they are told what to say and how to say it. Stripping a journalist of their ability to remain unbiased robs them of their creativity; to most writers, a fate worst than death.

Now, whether or not the cause of Gerstmann's firing is because of pressure from Eidos has not been proven yet. Gamespot released a statement a few days after the news broke that his departure had nothing to do with the review. However, it seems to me like nothing more than regulation damage-control.

Gerstmann has not been capable of giving the exact reason why due to the legalities surrounding the situation, however, he has spoken with Joystiq.com discussing what he can about the matter.

Unfortunately for Eidos, this debacle is not the only hot issue surrounding their new game. Apparently, the official website for Kane & Lynch has also sported some out of context review quotes, as well as doctored review scores. This recent discovery does nothing to help Eidos' image. If they could put up fake scores on their official website, would it be such a stretch for them to strong-arm good reviews from websites that host their advertisements?

Things may not look good for Eidos, but I think the true victim here is the gaming community. It has been an uphill battle for video games and the culture surrounding it to be taken seriously in the professional world, and all this does is detract from that hard work. Let us hope that these events do no more damage than may have already been done.