weissblog

The recent news of Republican Senator Larry Craig’s arrest during a sex sting operation got me to thinking about things. It seems that every few months some noticeable figure from the church or affiliated with the church is getting publicity for some sin they’ve committed. And while I would never try to rationalize their actions I do usually try to rationalize the media’s response, since they’re all liberals atheists anyway (said tongue in cheek, mind you).

At church tonight we were continuing a Bible study on prayer and some scriptures were presented talking about repenting of any sin that we have outstanding so that there would be nothing to hinder our prayers. Then Pastor referred to 2 Samuel 12 where God sent Nathan to confront David for committing adultery and murder. It reads:

For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
2 Samuel 12:12

Pastor followed this up by stating that God loves us so much that He will see to it that we are found out if that’s what it will take to make us repent from sin. That’s not to say that Senator Craig is guilty of what all he’s being accused of. I have no way of know that one way or the other. Rather, the point I’m trying to make is simply this, no matter how many locks you place on that closet door, sooner or later that skeleton will come out of the closet and you will have to face it. Or, you can repent of it before it’s too late. But, in the end it’s your call.

This will definitely affect the way I react when the next leader get’s exposed.

Recent articles, such as the one by Chris Kohler published on Wired.com today, tell the story of how the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) is upsetting some video game designers. It seems that the industry run rating board has been handing out some Adults Only (AO) ratings on some games and Rockstar’s Manhunt 2 is the latest victim. Chris goes on to say that the ESRB has increased the number of AO ratings that it’s been handing out due to political pressure. Which basically means that they’re finally being held accountable and doing their job but only because they’re trying to ward off government regulations. Of course ESRB says they haven’t changed any thing in their rating process.

So, what exactly does the AO rating mean. For parents it means the game is either so graphically violent and/or has so much sexual content that even the people who see this stuff daily were impressed. For the game developers it means they just lost the majority of their market. Games with the AO rating aren’t allowed to be published on Sony or Nintendo’s gaming platforms. So that only leaves Microsoft’s XBox and personal computers. And, if that wasn’t enough, most retailers will not carry AO rated games, so there goes the distribution channels.

So what is the poor game developers to do? Well, in the case of Rockstar, they’re going to do what they always do. Go back through their game and try to tone it down just enough to slip through with an M rating. Rockstar has long been known for pushing the envelope when it comes to violence, language and sex in their video games so this is a road they should be familiar with by now.

Personally, I’m glad to see that the ESRB is finally doing their job. I’m not a fan of the government regulating industries, but that’s the direction the video game industry has been headed for a long time. Maybe this is a sign of the turning of the tides. I hope ESRB continues to crack down on the developers. But I must confess, I loved the open style play of Rockstar’s GTA series and do own a copy of San Andreas. I just wish they’d use the engine that powers it to develop a game that I could let my kids play.

For more information, check out the Wired article and pay ESRB a visit and get to know the rating system.

In just about 15 hours from the time of this writing, my oldest three daughters will be getting on the school bus ready to start the new school year. For the younger of the trio, it will be her first day of kindergarten and she is so excited that it is almost annoying.

Okay, I’ll admit, I’m excited too. Starting tomorrow my work from home situation should get a whole lot easier. After spending the last few months breaking up arguments and listening to ‘I’m bored’ all day long, I fully expect to enjoy only having the baby around while I work.

To all the other work from home people in the world, We survived another summer vacation!! Now let’s see if we can triple (or quadrupedal) our efficiency so that we can fill in that hole in our savings that summer vacation ate.