Well, I took a big ole hiatus from the Level Up podcasts after the show got cut from the Maxim/Sirius satellite lineup. Ya gotta love that recession, right?! Well, Scott wasn’t willing to let the Level Up show die, so he partnered with Manertainment.com (a blog with plenty of hilarious dude-friendly celebrity gossip) and is now doing weekly videos featuring news by yours truly. For now my part of the show is audio only, but I think I’m going to try and figure out how to set up video recordings. Everything’s still being tweaked, but the show is back on its way to greatness. Viva la Level Up!
P.S. – Don’t have time to watch the entire video? You can check out my portion (audio only) here. It’s about 3 minutes long.
New Zealand’s Chief Censor Bill Hastings Threatens Parents Rights to Think
Last week, my buddy John AKA The Gaming-Griefer published an interesting piece about New Zealand’s Chief Censor Bill Hastings and his quest to introduce a bill that will make it illegal for parents to allow their children to play M-rated games. According to stuff.co.nz, Hastings thinks parents should be punished for letting their underage kid play mature games (even in their own home) with up to three months’ imprisonment or a fine of up to $10,000. Umm … what?
While no one has been prosecuted under the law yet, Hastings seems to hope that’ll happen soon. He shared his thoughts with New Zealand broadsheet newspaper, The Dominion Post:
“There would certainly be some shock value to prosecuting a parent who gives their under-18 child access to a restricted game. It would send out a message that the enforcement agency means business.”
“For the first time in history, kids are more savvy with technology than parents … parents need to get up to speed on the digital divide. They need to look at what their kids are playing and doing,” he said.
“The fear of getting caught shouldn’t be the motivating factor for you obeying the laws.
“It should be the pleasure in being able to sleep at night knowing that you have done the right thing by your kids. That should be the motivating factor.”
You know what else helps parents sleep at night? Not being in jail.
And what point is he trying to make with the whole kids being more tech-savvy than their folks? Granted, there are parents out there who don’t understand why their kids spend so much time Twiddling on MyFace or watching videos on the GoogleTube, but even THOSE people can figure out what game ratings mean and whether or not they think their child should play certain titles.
I am SO tired of people acting like games like GTAIV (which went through censorship issues in New Zealand) and Manhunt (which was banned completely) were developed by Happy McSunshine Kids Inc. and marketed using unicorns, kittens and promotional Pixie Stix. Let’s look at the facts. According to the ESA, the average game player is 35 years old and the average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 40 years old. NOT 10. And if a 35 year old thinks their kid can handle an M-rated game, FINE. That’s their right.
I fully believe that games should have ratings. And I fully support establishments that refuse to sell games to minors. I even believe it’s a good idea for stores to double check with parents who are obviously purchasing a game for an underage kiddo in order to make sure they know what the rating sticker means. But punishing a parent who knows the deal and still thinks their kids should be able to play certain M-rated games is ridiculous.
If this law were passed in the U.S., dads like Hugh Spencer – who told his 13-year-old son Evan that he could only play Call of Duty: World at War if he studied all four of the Geneva Conventions and agreed to play by those rules – would be in the clinker or in debt. Way to help out our future generation, Mr. Hastings.
I’ll let the Gaming Griefer close this one out:
“The minute you threaten to send a parent to jail for daring to expose their children to the horrors of Diablo II, George Carlin, or Full Metal Jacket, you’re infringing upon their self expression in their own homes. If a parent isn’t beating, molesting, or neglecting their child, you’ve got no business telling them how to raise their children. It’s none of your damned business.”
I’m running out the door so I don’t have much time to write much, but I wanted to get this posted before I left. Mad propz to Becky “Aktrez” Young for her sassy Samus portrayal. This series is so well done.
Oliver Hindle is Superpowerless – Winner of the MTV Fast Track Competition [Photo by Alistair Darley]
Back in January, MTV and Vodafone launched Fast Track, a contest designed to find and break a new musical act. Solo artists and bands from all over the world submitted their entries and the polls were opened up to the public. Once the voting stopped, the top 20 entrants were put in front of a panel of 5 judges – industry professionals who spent the next week picking the one act they felt captured the originality, individuality and something special that would really grab people’s attention. The winning track was Wasted My Time by Oliver Hindle – the 20-year-old electro-artist behind Superpowerless.
As part of the Fast Track prize, Oliver and Steve Brunton — Oliver’s live gig partner — re-recorded Wasted My Time with renowned producer and DJ, Andy Chatterley. Andy has been Grammy nominated as part of The Buick Project, and played keyboard and synths on Kanye West’s Graduation album, most notably on the hit single Stronger.
Superpowerless were also sent to London to shoot a music video for the winning track with director Luc Janin, who has previously directed promos for Stereophonics, The Fratellis, Boy Kill Boy and Lethal Bizzle. Oliver found out about his big win through a phone call while riding the bus, “I don’t think the rest of the passengers shared my excitement … I rang nearly everyone in my phone book and had the same conversation over and over until I ran out of credit.”
The video will debut on MTV on the 23rd of March in 29 countries, but you get to see it here early because I love you and MTV was nice enough to let me post it in all of its radtastic glory:
Oliver started off as a drummer in a punk-pop band, learned guitar and played some acoustic sets at college. He was then introduced to electronic music which would influence his musical direction. “After hearing the Postal Service, I started listening to electronic bands like Depeche Mode, Adult, and Motion City Soundtrack. I decided it was something I wanted to have a go at, so I bought a synth off eBay and started putting some songs together.”
Oliver dubs Superpowerless “Game Boy-fueled adventure-core” music, and his winning song Wasted My Time is a perfect example of this catchy electro-pop. As intense as it is, the entire video was shot in one day. “There were weeks of preparation behind it,” said Oliver, “I was amazed at how many people were working on it on the shooting day. It was crazy to think that they were all there to work on something for a song I’d written at home for something fun to do. The most memorable part of the shoot was the guy in the monster costume having a serious conversation with me (while wearing full costume) about what his acting influences were and me trying to keep a straight face [laughs]. I’m really grateful to Vodafone and MTV for everything, it’s been an amazing experience!”
Superpowerless can be seen at live events near Leeds, their hometown, literally tearing it up on stage. At a recent show at Gasworks in Bradford – a metal venue – Oliver and Steve played in true rock star style, “I managed to pull the mixer off of the table we’d put it on during a gig but it was still working so we carried on playing regardless,” Oliver said. “In the same gig I threw my Game Boy at the drum kit and the cartridge and batteries and everything all went off in different directions which was a bit of hassle to sort out ready for the next song, but there’s a picture out there of a Game Boy that survived a bomb, so damaging them is a pretty hard task!”
Superpowerless is not a one-hit wonder. As soon as they got back from shooting Wasted My Time in London, they came back and shot a video for Robots Need Love Too sans fancy director. Oliver gave me the scoop. “Some of my friends are really in to filming silly videos so we thought we’d have a go at doing one ourselves so we could get something online fast. Talked to a few friends and we decided it’d be a good idea to run around the city wearing cardboard boxes. We discuss things like this all the time but then everyone pulls out or forgets and nothing comes of it, but everything went ahead and we managed to get some really good footage! We got an equal amount of abuse from people that don’t like to see other people having fun and also people that were really in to it and thought it was genius. I think this comes across in the video from peoples expressions, I’m really happy with it!
“There’s some scenes that we didn’t manage to fit in, like lots of fight scenes between us robots and the scientist. We ran in to places like Sainburys and just started rugby tackling each other and rolling around wrestling. It was really fun but the footage didn’t work as there were too many people stood in the way of the camera. We got kicked out of Gamestation and a shopping center too. We had no permission to film anywhere but we managed to blag to some council people to let us carry on. Also the bit where we’re dancing, we payed a busker to let us play the track using an iPod through his amp so we could actually dance to the proper track which was fun!”
Superpowerless is currently working on a new album. “I have all the tracks written and rough versions recorded, I’m just in the process of getting them all to the same standard,” Oliver says. “We’re filming another music video to a song I wrote a long time ago called ‘Zombie Survival Plan.’ The idea for the video at the moment is that we’re going to get as many people as possible dressed as zombies in Leeds’ train station. I’m not sure what we’ll do once we’re there … but I imagine it’ll be a decent video!”
Most of Oliver’s free time is spent working on his music. “I don’t really have time to play games anymore, which is pretty depressing!” he says. “To be fair though, I like it this way as you end up having something you created at the end of it and it’s not like dead time. Don’t get me wrong, I love video games!”
So what does Oliver think of music-based video games like the Guitar Hero/Rock Band series? “I think they’re a pretty cool idea and if I had more time and money I’d probably get in to them. To be fair, I’m really bad at them and it’s quite gutting!” But that won’t stop Oliver from tweaking it to work for his shows, “I’m in the process of setting it up so we can use a PlayStation dance mat to trigger samples from a laptop. The same is possible with a Guitar Hero controller, so I might end up finding myself on stage with one [laughs].”
For any of you budding chip tune artists out there, Oliver wanted to share some words of wisdom with you: “Stay away from forums!!! [laughs] Seriously!”
Wasted My Time is available to download from Vodafone Live! on 23rd of March. Superpowerless play The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch, London on the 24th of March.
The British Department of Health is in some heat over a controversial print ad above. Notice anything familiar? Like, of a Dual Shock nature? Sony sure did and now they may sue the crap out of the folks who thought getting their permission wasn’t necessary.
Sega Europe president and COO Mike Hayes talked to the MCV about the debacle:
“Naturally we were very disappointed with the inference created within the Change4Life press advertisement. It remains a deep frustration that video gaming is selected to present a negative image of the UK’s children, youth, consumer at large and the industry.
“Television, radio, cinema, listening to music, computing, video gaming and of course, reading all require a high element of passive participation, but of all these media types it is video gaming that provides the most potential interaction and activity. It seems that an advertisement has been put together by a poorly informed advertising agency.”
The Gate Рthe agency responsible for inferring that gamers are sloths Рshould’ve replaced the gaming kid with an image of whichever fatheaded ad executive actually sat there and did nothing to stop that monstrosity from going to press.
My lunch break is nearly over, so I don’t have time to think of any clever, punny things to say using Beatles lyrics. Part of me is thankful for that. Here’s the MTV press release about the upcoming game due out on 09/09/09:
New York, NY – March 5, 2008 – Apple Corps, Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks, today announced the 9/9/09 worldwide release of The Beatles: Rock Band. The music-based video game, an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles, will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system and Wii home videogame console from Nintendo.
The Beatles: Rock Band will allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalogue of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band’s legendary career. In addition, The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career.
The Beatles: Rock Band will be offered as standalone software and hardware as well as a limited edition bundle. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers and other current music-based video game peripherals.
Available on 9/9/09:
The Beatles: Rock Band Software – Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP
The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars – Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP
The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle: Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP
Please note: Pricing outside of the US to be announced at a later date.
The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band will be published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band®. Electronic Arts will serve as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.
Exclusive content created by Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix will be made available to fans over the next few months who participate in a pre-order campaign through major retailers. More details on The Beatles: Rock Band game and pre-order will be revealed in the coming months.
I just saw this clip on Geekologie from sketch comedy troupe Idiots of Ants. The troupe (Benjamin Wilson, James Wrighton, Elliott Tiney and Andrew Spiers) formed in 2007 and, after two sell-out Edinburgh Festivals, they have gone on to perform at festivals and gigs all over the UK. This first clip pokes fun at the Cooking Mama game genre and I LOVE IT:
I checked out their YouTube channel and found this other semi-disturbing and totally funny clip of Mario and Luigi at the doctor:
I <3 Idiots of Ants!!!! I need to get out to the UK.
If you’re going to be in the L.A. area on March 13th, make sure you sign up to take advantage of the Capcom/American Red Cross partnership. They’re hosting a blood drive to usher in the launch of Resident Evil 5 at the World of Wonder Gallery on Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, Calif. from 11 am ‚Äì 5 pm. Fans will have a chance to get exclusive limited-edition Resident Evil 5 Blood Drive collectibles, win copies of the game, enter a raffle for one of several exclusive red Xbox 360¬Æ Resident Evil limited edition consoles and most importantly, do their part to help a good cause. Kiosks showcasing the game will also be on-hand for you to get a sneak hands-on peek at the game.
If you’re not sick or drunk, you can donate your blood and receive exclusive Resident Evil 5 limited edition items created specifically for this event including a series of hand-numbered stylized posters, bumper stickers, buttons and a chance to win a copy of the game or an exclusive red Xbox 360¬Æ Resident Evil limited edition console.
Trendhunter still has a few of these bad boys left. And if I hadn’t spent all of my money on prostitutes and crack (or my last electric bill), I might be able to afford one. They’re a hefty $140 and they’re only available in Australia. So, all you Aussies enjoy. I’m jealous. Click here for ordering info.
When she's not busy blowing the heads off of enemies to get to the next level, she's usually playing video games.
7386|5155|0506|7121
TheGameDame
![[del.icio.us]](http://thegamedame.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://thegamedame.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://thegamedame.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://thegamedame.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[MySpace]](http://thegamedame.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Reddit]](http://thegamedame.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Twitter]](http://thegamedame.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://thegamedame.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
