It may seem at this point that we’re kicking an already downed and plenty insulted victim here, but we couldn’t help but note the shockingly low price of a Tony Hawk: Ride bundle — complete with board, unopened — discovered by Gamertell at an Arlington Heights, Il. Goodwill store. Two Wii versions of the game were on sale for just $74.99 (down from $119.99 MSRP) — a Goodwill employee said the game’s presence could be explained by donations from local retailers, listing Kohls, Sears, Borders, and Target as potential donators. Alright, alright, we’ll admit it — the price drop isn’t that steep, but a near $50 difference on a barely four-month-old game sounds pretty decent to us.
Presumably, one of the aforementioned retailers was more interested in the shelf space (and the tax write-off) than waiting for the game’s fairly cool sales to heat up. Either way, if you’re looking to get your … ahem … feet on the game, maybe your local Goodwill could offer a better deal than the other brick-and-mortars, eh?
Discounted: Brand new Tony Hawk Ride at … Goodwill? originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Politics
We’ll be the first ones to admit when video games cross the line in terms of containing content not suitable for kids — GTA IV, for instance, contains a cornucopia of foul language and violence that youngsters probably shouldn’t be privy to. In that respect, we can understand the justification behind a bill that would ban the sale of violent games to minors — though we would strongly disagree with such a measure.
However, this latest piece of video game legislation is beyond all comprehension — Illinois legislators (who attempted to pass a violent game ban in 2005 until it was — of course — found unconstitutional by a federal judge) recently passed a bill banning the advertisement, promotion or marketing of Alcopop beverages in children-centric video games (as well as theater performances and concerts). That means no more depictions of Boone’s Farm and Smirnoff Ice in all T-rated and under titles — assuming there are any such depictions to begin with, which we highly doubt.
Even if there’s some unknown genre of kids’ games that are just rife with Zima product placements, it’s unlikely that there is a substantial enough state interest to justify the passing of such a regulation. Oh, screw it. We’re not going to try to apply reason to an unreasonable government action. We want youngsters to stay away from Mike’s Hard just as much as the next lot, but legislation banning its endorsement in a medium whose regulatory body already prohibits such endorsements is a complete waste of everyone’s time.
New Illinois law bans Alcopop depictions from children’s games originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Alcopops are a huge concern for fear-addled parents, because they’re sweet, alcoholic, and a gateway drug to total douche behavior. So Illinois is taking a courageous stand by banning alcopop ads from video games.
That’s right, Illinois, home of Senate seat firesales and previously abortive (and unconstitutional) efforts to regulate game content, made sure that in a raft of anti-drinking measures, no E- or T-rated game sold in the state may include any advertisement for Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff Ice, Hooper’s Hooch, et cetera. Because it was just rampant up to now.
Video games aren’t singled out; in Illinois, you can’t market these things at live performances or concerts “where the intended audience is primarily children” either. Tough shit, Jonas Brothers! Still, I’m wondering if this will be challenged simply because of it’s another asinine precedent, not because Mortal Kombat vs DCU needs a thirsty Sub Zero to pound a Bacardi Breezer after a fatality. On the other hand, you could look on it as Illinois keeping what would surely be a most obnoxious in-game advert out of our consoles.
Anyway, there you go. Alcopops in video games is added to the list of shit everyone should fear. But if we’re now passing laws against fictitious threats that are more retarded than sinister, then for consistency’s sake Illinois should outlaw Gargamel and Skeletor, too.
New Illinois Law Bars Alcopops from Kid-Centric Games [Gamepolitics]
