I’m pretty sure everyone’s heard something about the SOPA/PIPA bill at this point and while I don’t exactly generate the most traffic I feel somewhat inclined to at least mention it. I haven’t looked into the bill myself but the main issue seems to be giving companies too much power over copyrighted material, giving them the ability to figuratively censor the internet. Its seems to be a bill that affects the entertainment industry for the most part and maybe people who make those let’s play videos or use copyrighted music or images.
Here’s where the plot thickens. The ESA (Entertainment Software Association),which in general represents the game industry, is said to be a big supporter of the bill. I guess what company says no to more power right? That isn’t making the ESA a lot of friends.
The ESA’s big event is E3, and as a spite to the ESA’s support for SOPA/PIPA it’s been proposed that the media not cover E3 this year and that people and companies not attend.
So where do I stand in this? I have everything to gain from this from a company perspective right, albeit a really small company. Yet and still I I oppose this bill. I’ll always be on the progressive side, forward thinking. You honestly don’t even have to read into the bill, you can look at the list of companies that support the bill and the companies that don’t to get a sense of which side you should be on. This bill to me feels like as step backwards. The very companies that made the internet so useful (YouTube, Google, Wikipedia and even those social companies I like to complain about), they’re the ones in the crossfire of all this. In the meantime, the companies that do absolutely NOTHING are in support of it. Typical.
Attending E3 was one of the things I was hoping to do this year, but probably won’t happen at this rate. It’s a shame because events like that only help companies but attending this year would equal to a slap in the face to all the people opposing the bill. Even if you’re thinking from a business standpoint it isn’t a good move.
It’s a important to remember that piracy is an issue but polluting the ocean to take down a few ships is probably more harm than good. (figuratively speaking of course)
That is a complicated bill! I have a feeling it won’t become legislated, at least not in its worst form.
The bill is too much for me to understand, really. But it “sounds” like it would make most music videos on YouTube more illegal than they already are. I can’t believe it would make let’s-play illegal, as a let’s-play video doesn’t distribute the copyrighted game in itself (but I’m probably wrong : ) I mean if let’s-play was illegal, then screenshots in reviews would be illegal.
Ah whatever, Internet specific laws are a mess… Why not just use “copyright” …as it already works = )
BTW, I downloaded Dream Master again and noticed the music was away (did someone hunt you down about it? : ), nice game still, maybe the mood actually feels more fitting with this more silent style – The sound effects work very well themselves actually.
I’m with you. Companies already have enough power to take things down under current copyright law. Nintendo used to be known for sending out cease and desist notices to people making fan projects, I think even they’ve completely stopped now.
Let’s plays would probably be illegal If you think of games in the same category of a movie. I could go and watch the entire game of uncharted (which is very movie like) in a let’s play video. I would think watching the video would make most people actually want to play the game. Still, if I’m reading this right, companies would have the power to block anything they feel is affecting their business.
I also wonder if Gamefaqs would be involved in the sense that let’s play videos and websites like Gamefaqs would discourage players from buying strategy guides. I’m not even sure companies even make stategy guides anymore, but hey, some companies probably think SOPA can help them make a comeback. Perhaps they’d start making the game easy at the start and getting the player into it and then making the player get lost somewhere in the middle to encourage them into buying a strategy guide. None of that would surprise me.
Got around to Dream Master eh? If you haven’t gotten far into it, my apologies in advance. : D
I haven’t had any complaints about the music. I just removed the music because I didn’t use midi remakes of the songs, I used actual mp3s and such. That felt a little more like a serious offense, so I just removed it. I don’t think companies actually mind though if they’re credited properly. I’ve tried some games just because I thought the music was good.
Some years ago when I first tried Dream Master I got no longer than the third leaf passage in Forest Illusion …And that was the case this week too so I nearly gave up : P until last night when I dug the game back up from the “recycle bin” and now I got all the way past the long legged creature * Waow that dude looked creepy.
* Feeling kinda proud about memorizing and exploiting various platform challenges = D
If I had to take a guess, I’d say most people don’t get pass that mushroom segment.
The point that you’re at now is when the bosses get really really cheap and it’s nearly impossible to win by playing normally. Not too far after that is a “leaf passage” that seems like it was crafted by the devil himself. Not to discourage you or anything. ; D
At least there’s a save feature.
Learned a lot about stage design and difficulty that year…
I got through the game! Very thankful for the save feature = ) It saved my sanity.
I could only get past the devil’s leaf passage by exploit, I think (or is the exploit on purpose, who knows)
Kudos! I’m guessing that’s the QA testing at work!
I actually wasn’t aware of any exploit on that last leaf passage. I guess a running jump to the platform below might work.
Ah well not important, it’s not like I’m going to use a passage of leaves again, or am I… ; D