When a little-known conservative news service called Cybercast posted an error-filled story earlier this month about the depiction of «graphic sex» in Mass Effect, no one cared — anyone who played Mass Effect knew the charges of it showing full-frontal nudity and that it was marketed to children were blatantly untrue. When a little-read Townhall.com columnist picked up the story and made the same erroneous charges, a few stalwart gamers attempted to set him straight as best they could, and the world moved on.

But a non-issue that should have stayed in a few little-read columns escalated when Fox News picked the story up and ran with it, with the following error-filled segment of their own:





Game Head’s Geoff Keighley valiantly attempted to set the record straight, but the overall tone of the piece remained one of erroneously depicting Mass Effect as a game for perverts, marketed for children. Now, as Kotaku reports, Electronic Arts (who recently acquired Mass Effect developer BioWare) is drawing the line.


In a sternly worded letter to Teri VanHorn, producer of Live Desk with Martha MacCallum (which ran the segment on Fox News), Jeff Brown, EA’s vice president of communications, writes, «As the parent company of BioWare, the studio which created the game, EA would like you to set the record straight on a number of errors and misstatements which incorrectly characterize the story and character interactions in Mass Effect.»


Brown goes on to identify specific untrue statements made by Fox News, including:


That the game portrays full-frontal nudity:


«Fact: Mass Effect does not include explicit or frontal nudity. Love scenes in non-interactive sequences include side and profile shots — a vantage frequently used in many prime-time television shows. It’s also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate and players can chose to avoid the love scenes altogether.»

That it portrays graphic sex:


«Fact: Sex scenes in Mass Effect are not graphic. These scenes are very similar to sex sequences frequently seen on network television in prime time.»

And that the game is marketed to children:


«Fact: That is flat out false. Mass Effect and all related marketing has been reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and rated Mature — appropriate for players 17-years and older. ESRB routinely counsels retailers on requesting proof of age in selling M-rated titles and the system has been lauded by members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission.»

Brown finishes the letter with harsh criticism, although he explicitly states EA is not threatening legal action:


The resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards. As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.

Do you watch the Fox Network? Do you watch Family Guy? Have you ever seen The OC? Do you think the sexual situations in Mass Effect are any more graphic than scenes routinely aired on those shows? Do you honestly believe that young people have more exposure to Mass Effect than to those prime time shows?


This isn’t a legal threat; it’s an appeal to your sense of fairness. We’re asking FNC to correct the record on Mass Effect.


Sincerely,


Jeff Brown Vice President of Communications Electronic Arts, Inc.


It’ll be interesting to see if Fox News meets EA’s request, but the fact that publishers are finally holding news agencies that report factually misleading stories about sex and violence in video games publicly accountable can only be a good thing. Whether those news agencies similarly desire to hold themselves accountable for their mistakes remains to be seen.