D.I.C.E. 07: Lowenstein outro ignites summit

  • By Curt Feldman, GameSpot
  • Posted Feb 8, 2007 6:46 pm PT

Outgoing ESA pres recalls good times and bad; delivers kudos to those who work to protect the industry, wags finger at those who "cut and run."

Lowenstein at the D.I.C.E. podium.

LAS VEGAS--In a presentation that was simultaneously reflective, damning, and inspiring, Douglas Lowenstein, the Entertainment Software Association's founding and only president to date, addressed D.I.C.E. Summit attendees this morning in his final public appearance.

He made a point of telling attendees he had prepared no notes and instead sought only to go over an informally generated list of wins he felt the ESA had accomplished since its founding in 1994.

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Lowenstein talks about media coverage of Jack Thompson and why he is critical of it.

Lowenstein jogged memories by retelling the early days of congressional interest in the game industry. He delved into an anecdote that set up the 1993 congressional hearings that called Nintendo of America's Howard Lincoln and Sega's Bill White to defend the game industry and, specifically, the game Mortal Kombat.

While Lincoln portrayed Nintendo of America as a "socially responsible company," White reached down and picked up a gun peripheral, raising it high above his head and claiming "this is what you use when you are using a Nintendo game system," according to Lowenstein.

The fallout was so severe for the game industry--Lowenstein said the industry was "mortified"--that it prompted the formation of the ESA's precursor, the IDSA (Interactive Digital Software Association).

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AIAS board member, Stormfront Studios founder, and industry veteran Don Daglow reacts to Doug Lowenstein's presentation at D.I.C.E.

Lowenstein then proffered a list of what has changed, for the better, over the past 12 and a half years since the ESA was formed. For all the criticism and complaints that have been heaped upon the ESA and its sister organization, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), Lowenstein managed to make the organization's accomplishments sound bold, even Nobel Prize-worthy.

Primarily, he touted the game industry's hard-won perception among government officials and parents. "In 1994, [the industry] had no profile," Lowenstein said. "In the 12 years, we have [built] awareness, and the industry is taken more seriously than it has ever been."

He said the knowledge about, visibility of, and influence of that industry has also changed dramatically in the past dozen years. "We have influence both politically and in other circles. People pay attention to what we say and what we do."

But it was the ESA's work to protect the 1st Amendment rights of game developers, publishers, and retailers that Lowenstein was most proud of. "This is where the rubber hits the road... There is nothing we do that is more important, [as] it's what lets you do what you do best."

Pointing out that the industry is still young, Lowenstein posited that the ESA's proactive stance to protect the constitutional rights of its members was "not important for what is, but for what might be."

He also sought to honor the ESRB and its ratings system. "It is the shield... Without it, we would be taking bullets and not fighting back [effectively.]"

"That part of what we do is central to your ability to create the content you want to create," he said.

But not all is good in the eyes of Doug Lowenstein. For the back third of the 40-minute presentation, he railed like a jilted lover, raising his voice and almost, but never quite, naming those people or companies whose inaction and laissez-faire attitude toward mounting a defense to challenges facing the game industry was doing it great harm and ultimately eroding what the ESA has accomplished.

Admonishing publishers who "make controversial content and then cut and run," he all but mouthed the words Hot Coffee, Grand Theft Auto, and Take-Two Interactive.

”Nothing annoys me more," he said, practically wagging his finger in the direction of the nameless publishers. "If you want to be controversial, don't duck and cover when the s*** hits the fan."

He continued, calling those who don't act a modern-day "Greek chorus" of complainers who chatter among themselves but do little. "You cannot expect the industry to grow if you don't participate--we can't win this war without an army."

Lowenstein closed his presentation by admonishing the game press to rethink its approach to the medium. "It needs to take itself more seriously," he said, chastising the game press for failing to deliver the same level of reporting as coverage that focuses on the film and music industries. A reliance on rumor and sloppy reporting were the elements of press coverage he called out as needing to be rethought and upgraded.

Closing out his talk, Lowenstein encouraged the industry to take more risks and not to rest on the laurels that come only with the implementation of higher levels of technology or the sizzle of new in-game weapons, for example. "Let's not be self-satisfied as an industry."

While this presentation was billed as Lowenstein's last public statement, and his final day as ESA president, he actually helms his last ESA board meeting in Los Angeles tomorrow.

Attendees thanked Lowenstein for his hard work with a standing ovation. And then after taking a few questions and conferring with his longtime ESA colleague Carolyn Rausch, also in attendance at D.I.C.E., he walked down the hall and exited the hotel into the bright lights of a Las Vegas morning, shaking hands and offering some final good-byes to those whose interests he fought hard to protect.

[For a different take on D.I.C.E. 2007, take a look at the GameSpot News Blog, containing interviews with Myst Online's Rand Miller and Lord British himself, NCsoft exec producer Richard Garriott.]

47 Comments

  • theKSMM

    Posted Feb 12, 2007 7:46 am PT

    I hope his successor holds up the gaming industry torch as passionately as Lowenstein did.

  • screamingdean

    Posted Feb 11, 2007 1:39 pm PT

    I agree completely with this paragraph -

    "Lowenstein closed his presentation by admonishing the game press to rethink its approach to the medium. "It needs to take itself more seriously," he said, chastising the game press for failing to deliver the same level of reporting as coverage that focuses on the film and music industries. A reliance on rumor and sloppy reporting were the elements of press coverage he called out as needing to be rethought and upgraded."
    Gaming journalism is very, very poor certainly by the standards of other entertainment industrys. Oh well, it's our fault for reading the crap.

  • ObiKKa

    Posted Feb 11, 2007 11:27 am PT

    Admonishing publishers who "make controversial content and then cut and run," he all but mouthed the words Hot Coffee, Grand Theft Auto, and Take-Two Interactive. ā€¯Nothing annoys me more," he said, practically wagging his finger in the direction of the nameless publishers. "If you want to be controversial, don't duck and cover when the s*** hits the fan." Yes, now that I read that I really realized that Take-Two or Rockstar has effectively done NOTHING in response to the Hot Coffee mod. They should have instantly defended it by saying that it is only unlockable when the user downloads an UNOFFICIAL third-party mod off the net, only for the PC version. But now it's too late for that. If such a similar thing is to happen again in a future game, even if it isn't some sexually-driven secret content, then a company could be fined $11,000, or something per sale of said game in the US. F*cking ridiculous! Way too high financial penalty! I detest Take-Two for not ever preventing that from happening! ... Even though they're still one of my fav publishers. Lol.

    He continued, calling those who don't act a modern-day "Greek chorus" of complainers who chatter among themselves but do little. "You cannot expect the industry to grow if you don't participate--we can't win this war without an army."

    Wow... that's us forumites! We sure do complain a lot. But, let's face it, our words are not seen, or heard by the critically important mainstream public and governments via the platforms of TV, for example. You have to physically & proactively protest. There's no way that you can deny that. Well, you could set up a "Gaming Shield" club, & expand it with members, & then stage peaceful protests in clever & effective ways to gain great attention from the media. You could just invite some Japanese gals to wear cosplay uniforms, for example. That'd be funny. I don't live in America, so that country is where you do need to get it "to happen".

    Hey, remember those Greenpeace protestors? The revolutionaries like Che Guevara (though he was brutal), etc, etc? I know, I have an idea. Remember that crazy magician who tried to stay in hunger and starving inside a transparent cube suspended in the air in Britain? Well, you could ask him, or some other magician(s), or even African-looking children pretending to look malnourished, or adults or teenagers with fake weapon props to help the public realise at the "now" moment that politicians should really be focusing on suppressing the real, bad crimes & other stuff, not distracting them with all the pathetic attention on the silly, virtual stuff about the games, just so the politicians can be lazy! You have to always keep their feet on the sharp needles, metaphorically speaking!

  • StillWingless

    Posted Feb 10, 2007 10:32 pm PT

    I only hope that this attitude-trend carries over to his successor. We need more people that can be angrily protective of the gaming industry. Video games are now on the level of music, movies, theater, art, and literature. While some are still blatantly of the game-persuasion, the overall move of the industry needs people who will stand up for it. A game and its developers are entitled to the First Amendment, too.

  • anarchicgoth

    Posted Feb 10, 2007 1:21 pm PT

    cool i wish i was there

  • namdar

    Posted Feb 10, 2007 11:57 am PT

    See these guys I would take a cyber bullet for

  • Pete5506

    Posted Feb 10, 2007 10:51 am PT

    cool

  • goodemon

    Posted Feb 10, 2007 9:05 am PT

    Lowenstein will be missed, he made this industry the entity that it is today. I hope the guys at DICE listening to him were taking some notes...

  • GhaleonQ

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 8:37 pm PT

    Feldman added drama without distorting the events or reading too much into them. NIce work.

  • VegetaMaelstrom

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 7:53 pm PT

    Lowenstein wasn't and still isn't afraid to call a spade a spade. I pray that his successor has half the heart that he had. We need the new Anti-Thompson to take charge and continue protecting our games.

  • Latinbro1

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 7:16 pm PT

    it usually takes some one in a bigger position than yours (and a person that you respect) to have you become more honest and maybe even more responsible. Gamespot (and all the gaming press) should take notice and so should we as gamers. I hate it when I read an article about an upgrade or a game and find see words like "apparently," or "it seems," or "rumor has it." and I think to myself, "I could've written this article" and then I become biased because the news presented to me is biased. So we all need to take notice.

  • Shingo

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 7:01 pm PT

    Damn good reporting

  • fonzieahmed

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 6:09 pm PT

    interesting.

  • bossjimbob

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 5:00 pm PT

    He'll be missed.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 2:23 pm PT

    sweet. its good to hear lowenstein again

  • Shtinky

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 1:28 pm PT

    "A reliance on rumor and sloppy reporting were the elements of press coverage he called out as needing to be rethought and upgraded. "

    Hmm Tim Surrette, Tor Thorsen and Brendan Sinclair come to mind for some reason, hmmm.

    And of course Patrick Klepek, the worst videogames journalist of all time.

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 11:00 am PT

    I hope that he inspired people but I don't see why they won't be inspired anyway just from a competitive standpoint

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 9:54 am PT

    Hopefully the next ESA president will bring that same fire into the public. That was the ESA's one real weakness: we never really brought it to the mainstream media.

  • Muzykmann

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 9:24 am PT

    "Closing out his talk, Lowenstein encouraged the industry to take more risks, and not to rest on the laurels that come only with the implementation of higher levels of technology or the sizzle of new in-game weapons, for example. "Let's not be self-satisfied as an industry." That, right there, is what all gamers should be pushing.

  • MagusMaleficus

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 9:10 am PT

    I didn't even know about the Video Game Voters Network until I saw On the Spot this week. Thank goodness for that, because now I'm a member; and I'm going to do my damnedest to get all of my friends to join, too.

  • Doolum

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 8:42 am PT

    Solid Snake would be proud of this dude.At least we have somebody here who fought for a cause.

  • shady_825

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 8:30 am PT

    Not many of the game I love would have been banned, but I still appreciate Lowenstein's contribution. I don't think games would be as far as they are today without the ESA.

  • Runningflame570

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 8:21 am PT

    That was absolutely brilliant, why shouldn't the gaming industry take itself as seriously as others? Why didn't Take-Two try to defend their game? Hes absolutely right on all counts.

  • jaredgood1

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 7:47 am PT

    Bravo Lowenstein! I especially enjoyed when he chastised those who had not joined the Video Game Voters Network. It doesn't take much effort, and it's a great way for those who are old enough to vote to have their voices heard. His points about the gaming press were right on the nose (case in point, On the Spot, while entertaining, is pretty embarrassing as an example of game journalism).

  • Sanguis_Malus

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 6:18 am PT

    That last paragraph reads like a cheesy film !

  • LordTravanix

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 6:14 am PT

    We salute you, sir! Flack cannons! Fire!

  • Cloud737

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 5:10 am PT

    That speech was great. I really feel sad, seeing that he leaves after he stood up for this industry so many times. I hope he`ll come back someday, and that his work will be continued.

  • etsmellsme

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 5:05 am PT

    Rock on, soul brother!

  • -HCMF-

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 4:38 am PT

    so, he will be fired soon huh?

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 2:13 am PT

    That was great

  • Fallout_red

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 1:37 am PT

    I wish Mortal Kombat kould become really violent and controversial again. Overall good speech but we really need more companies like RockStar who like controversy.

  • tefrin

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 1:26 am PT

    I see some of the posters just dont get it or just dont care. but if guys like this didnt fight for the game industry and start the idsa and the eda. you would't have games like GTA or Gears of war. They would be watered down so much, or you would have to be 21 plus to buy them. If no one stands up to the politicians that go after games so they can get the 15 second on CNN then all you will have left is pokemon and tetris.

  • Everon22

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 12:52 am PT

    Thank you Douglas for keeping the industry alive and open minded.

  • thepyrethatburn

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 12:48 am PT

    It's good that he recognized that some of the problems are created by people within the industry. It shows a willingness to be honest with himself. I don't really have a problem with Take Two and Rockstar but a lot of what they have been doing lately is just stirring up **** for publicity regardless of the consequences for the industry as a whole.

  • Bladefist

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 12:08 am PT

    That article was [pretty] good.

  • khamsaiumn

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 10:07 pm PT

    i wish i could hear this presentation. the industry will miss you. thanx for saving their butts.

    Can gamespot post his presentaion. Both audio and video. Atleast audio.

  • muppen

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 9:58 pm PT

    Lame

  • bigmikeOK

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 9:38 pm PT

    Doug, you'll be missed, I remember reading some interviews you conducted as far back as the mid 90's when ESA was still known as the IDSA. At that time, the industry was still growing and young and perhaps most important to you, vulnerable. In your interviews you vigourously would defend the industry and predicted it's business would grow despite the enemies that lied in wait both on the parental and political side. The industry now has video game blockbusters that rival those we find in the movies (see Halo 2 vs. The Incredibles). Keep and touch with the media and thanks for overseeing this great industry.

  • BigC_072

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 8:04 pm PT

    DNR

    Wall of text.

  • PackersRock

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 7:32 pm PT

    I wish I had been there to here that speach.

  • paranoiasurviva

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 7:27 pm PT

    Good for him.

  • ranger_waha

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 7:05 pm PT

    Bye bye old man who likes video games. I hope when you die, a museum preserves you.

  • Proman84

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 7:05 pm PT

    Love the speech. That must have been one hell of a presentation.

  • Re_ensurer

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 7:04 pm PT

    Goodbye Lowenstein.

  • Funkyhamster

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 6:59 pm PT

    Wow... I never really thought about Lowenstein that much, but it'll be weird not to hear his name anymore.

  • Gmacrusher

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 6:59 pm PT

    DICE does everything to their extend...sometimes thats bad!!!

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