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The “Evolution of Gaming” & Magnavox v. Mattel
Today marks the start of EVOLUTION, a curated and playable exhibition that highlights the early days of the video-game industry. In the words of the curators (which includes Video Game Law guest speaker Dr. Kimberly Voll): “EVOLUTION brings back the arcade and living-room hits (and misses) of the ’70s and ’80s, while exploring some of the […]
Remixing and Sexism: An Opportunity for Moral Rights Claims?
In class two weeks ago we discussed the systemic problem of sexism in video games. Two examples of this were the “hot coffee” mod in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and the recent “shower screenshots” from Beyond Two Souls. The Beyond Two Souls example involved a scene in the game that involved the female lead character taking a shower. […]
Isn’t there a right to be ourselves?
“The most desirable thing in the world is freedom to be true to oneself, i.e., Honesty” – Susan Sontag (at 14 years old) Following our two most recent classes, this post on the subject of the overt discrimination against women in games might be helpful in crystallizing some of our discussions. At the very least, […]
Regulatory unbundling coverage @CBC
During our discussion with Sheridan Scott this week, it occurred to me that it might be useful in some way to po st the following clip. Perhaps most appropriate to post in in News of the Week (since it actually made the news last week). The clips broach the issue of consumer choice in two […]
Red Cross & simulated war crime poll question
From todays class, the slide with poll question following. Feel free to any additional thoughts by posting a reply… jon
The Easy Difficulty Setting
In class today, on the topic of sexism in videogames, Jon closed with an anecdote about navigating his way out a building with heavy, cumbersome boxes. The unforeseen obstructions that littered his path made what should have been an easy trip into a complicated affair; one that needed to be travelled carefully and with planning. […]
Games, Violence, and Your Brain
The ongoing battle over the psychological effects of violent games continues in a recent study published in the most recent edition of Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking. From the abstract: Christian Happ and his colleagues recruited 60 students (20 men) with varied video gaming experience and had them spend 15 minutes playing the violent and bloody beat-em-up game Mortal […]
That EULA is Barely Worth the Paper It’s Printed On
Oh the EULA. The EULA (or End-User License Agreement) is that annoying pop-up we are all forced to agree to when we install new software. These contracts permeate and govern many relationships in our life, but who actually reads all of them. According to people who study this stuff, it would take between 200 and […]
Bitcoin currency valuation through the roof
Glad to be the first to post this. The headline is that a man who purchased $27 of bitcoin peer-to-peer digital currency in 2009 and forgot about it discovered that it’s now worth $886 000. Also, cheers to Vancouver for having the world’s first bitcoin ATM (link in article). There are lots of fascinating implications […]
Scandinavia, Switzerland & Nollywood
In last week’s class there was an interesting though brief discussion around the possible correlation between weak IP countries and strong creative presence. This grew out of an article written by the Law Librarian at Rutgers last year which pointed out a correlation between strong economies and weak IP laws. What I wished for in […]