May 28, 2008: Mommy, what does ESRB stand for?

Man, is it ever wednesday.

It's a pretty lame wednesday, too. Just found out I'm gonna be working all weekend. Oh well, what can you do? I'll tell you what you can do... at least, what I can do. Vent that rage onto an unsystematic company.

Yeah, if you couldn't tell by my clever word play (why do I try?), today's entry is an angry rant about the little company called the ESRB. The company that's contributing to a certain problem with video games today, one that I covered in my last entry.

How? Well... ESRB decides what ratings video games get. And they used to do it right! They used to look at a game thoroughly. Check every nook and cranny. Sure, this would potentially cause the game in question to be cracked down harder, but at least the rating would be reliable, right? Well, no more. Now they simply look at a game, play through the first hour or so, and check off whatever the game contains. Worse yet, they give games in a series the same rating. For example, the next Metal Gear Solid will have the exact same rating as Metal Gear Solid 3 Metal Gear Solid 2.

Putting sloppy work aside, we come to their rating system; where does it get off? For those who don't know, this is what the current rating system of the ESRB is:

EC: Early Childhood
E: Everyone
E10: Everyone 10+
T: Teen
M: Mature (17+)
Ao: Adults Only (18+)

Seems alright at face value, right? Well, really, there are quite a few problems with this, starting right at the top: EC. What the hell is EC? Does ANYONE think that young children need a rating when there's an EVERYONE rating? Meaning EVERYONE can play it?

Next up is Ao. What purpose does it serve? Stores don't stock it. Many companies don't even manufacture it. Why is it there? If a game is rated Ao, it has to be changed. Umm... yeah. That serves a HUGE purpose.

Luckily for all of you, I have a list of what I (and by "I", I mean a guy who's article was in EGM) believe should be the ESRB's system of rating:

E: Everyone
E10: Everyone 10+
T13: Teen (13+)
T16: Teen (16+)
M: Mature (18+)

It's simple, refined and eliminates the crap. Beauty devine, no?

Of course, ESRB isn't the sole charger on this team. Many other parties contribute to the many controversy surrounding video games. However, the ESRB would be the easiest to change.

And with that, I take my leave

Death Seraph,
Bringer of Order

I call hax on this blog post for being essentially a condensed version of Jerry Bonner's <i>How to Fix the Ratings System</i> article in EGM Issue #227.

HAX!

Oh, go hax yourself in the bathroom.

Anyway, besides that last comment, I've got TONS to talk about.

June 4, 2008: Because Filming is a Love/Hate Relationship

Yeah, June has really kicked off with a bang. Well, not really. But this week, a certain group of us are filming a movie. In honor of the occasion, this entry and the next will both be filming themed. Well, to put it in more detail, I'm going to divulge what I hate and love about filming.

But don't think the ranting is just limited to me. Please, post your comments on the subject of filming.

Note: When I say "filming", I mean the process of filming, not just "films"

Well... I'm too lazy to type anything else...

Night,
Death Seraph
Bringer of Order

June 11, 2008: Is it over yet? Can I go home?

Well, shooting is finished, our scripts have been burned, and the whisky has broken out. Unfortunately, in our celebration, the good people at Contopia Productions realized that we hit a roadblock. But it's not the kind of roadblock that you can take a detour around, no, this is the kind of roadblock that requires you to eat a can of baked beans and charge on through. That is, if our half-ass computers stay on life-support.

Yup, it's time to edit. You know, great independant film makers have often said that editing is a rewarding experience, one that lets you witness your vision form into reality. My experience, however, has been so mediocre, I'm writing about it in my blog!

How bad has it been? Well, it's as if I've had a generous helping of slop shoved in front of me, and I have to eat my way through that slop in order to reach the even mildly edible parts hidden somewhere within.

Don't get me wrong, editing is a fun process... with the right computer. Unfortunately, the computers I'm shown to slop another spoonful onto my plate.

But I digress, let me tell you how our filming has been going so far. There were a few problems, mostly with the movie not matching up to the artistic vision. I know I shouldn't have expected a studio-quality movie, but still... it's hard when your only locales are the outside of a school and the neighborhood around your house.

Other than that, my only problem was figuring out dates and gathering the cast together. It's a little annoying, because sometimes crucial cast members can't show up for ridicules reasons (Can't shoot because it's raining? WTF?)

Oh, and poor preparation. can't forget that. Unfoortunately, all members of the production were to blame for that (Accents were definately messed up. And I CAN'T forget "Hoo Spoz")

Anyway, look forward to the movie's release this Tuesday.

Over and Out,
Death Seraph
Bringer of Order

Now I respect Death Seraph. I think he's a good man. But quite frankly, I agree with everything he just said!

Seriously, how many times can MovieMaker freeze in a single class?

Anyways, this belongs in another topic, but it turns out I left my flash drive at school, so I couldn't finish the car chase. But I put the original (in AVI format this time) on one of my many other flash drives, and I'll be able to do it tomorrow.