Yes, that is the resounding sound from Richard Bartle, the creator of MUD, who is currently teaching at the University of Essex. He is in fact, referring to gamers.

If only I had the sheer brashness as this guy has, I would have come out with a similar message. It lays into those that are in parliament at the moment, saying that all these terms for gaming, such as “moral decay” and “aggressive tendencies” are just code for them not understanding the whole idea of gaming, and why it has attracted such a following. The article further delves into the Byron Report’s real reason for existing; to give politicians some real wallop when it came to going on their crusade against the video game industry. The problem is, the report that they were dying to see was indeed balanced and fair. The author relates it to her birth year, because her generation was the maiden audience for home computing, and therefore gaming as a whole.

I loved reading this article, and I highly recommend that you read it yourself. It can be found here.

Tags: videogames, byron review, byron report, parliament

OK, that might be slightly sensationalist, but it’s certainly true to a degree.

There will be no Xbox Live Arcade release this week, due to Grand Theft Auto IV. Not sure if you’ve heard of it, but it’s supposed to be this average sandbox game where you play a two-bit criminal trying to get rich and get on top of the gangs in a place called Liberty City.

Should do well.

On a serious note though, I don’t like this. I don’t like how Microsoft are sitting on their laurels, and not releasing a game. Granted, they’re not really that good anyway (imho), and it’s always good to give workers some time off, but in a game that’s selling more for their major opposition than for them, especially in system sales as well, I would hope that they used the time to come up with something else. With MGS4’s ominous arrival, Microsoft will no doubt have tough times ahead.

Tags: grandtheft auto, rockstar, take two, ps3, sony, 360, xbox, microsoft