Poke Your Eyes: Forbes Magazine

Ahhhh...That's a sigh of satisfaction, as I decided to come up with a new monthly entry called "Poke Your Eyes".

For those unfamiliar, it's an expression, an idiom if you will, that basically means that someone is trying to trick, deceive, or con you into believing something. Politicians are notorious for trying to poke your eyes. I'd never heard it before moving to South Texas, but hey, it's a really big world.

In any case, this entry is about someone who recently, at least to me, attempts to "poke our eyes". It may be a big issue; it may not be. In any case, it's disappointing to be presented with something like this.

Without further ado...

Peter C. Beller, writer for Forbes, decided to pen up an interesting story about Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision, the software company knowed recently for console hits such asTony Hawk,  Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Guitar Hero.  While all three are hits in their own right, it's some of the choice words that Beller decided to use that is offensive.

Beller wrote:

EA also teamed with MTV to sell Rock Band, a shameless knockoff of Guitar Hero that added drums, bass and a microphone to the world of make-believe rock stars. EA says it is returning to an "auteur model" of designing games, taking bigger chances on fewer ideas. (Source: Forbes Magazine Website, January 2009)

These are some inflammatory words, especially for those that are informed about these matters.  I'd like to initially conclude that Forbes probably doesn't target the typical gamer, and as such probably didn't consider to really delve into the actual facts of the matter (I won't even go into the possible "buying out/buying ad space etc. argument").  The two primary parties of Guitar 

Hero I & II are Red Octane (hardware developer; read: plastic guitars) and Harmonix (software developer).  In short, the two parted companies (a whole 'nother story, too long for here) and were bought up by Activision (bought Red Octane) and MTV Games (bought Harmonix).  Both continued to develop games, with Activision publishing Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, while MTV Games publishing Rock Band, a new series that introduces the concept of an entire band (two guitars, drums, and a mic).  This was a hit at E3 2007, garnering the best Music Game of 

the show.  The innovation of the game invovling a band, a group of people, to successfully maneuver instruments and a voice to create music (through the convoluted pressing and tapping of plastic) is just that: innovation.

And that my readers is where our eyes got poked:  Harmonix, EA, and MTV all were the innovators in this genre.  Not to say that Guitar Hero didn't start off that way (assuming you overlook the precursors to GH).  Rock Band elevated the standard.  Period.  No rip offs.  No shameful actions.  Just simply producing a good game.

Personally, I prefer the Rock Band series (as does my son).  But, we do own copies of  both series and they both play well.  In short, do your research Beller.  Readers of your magazine expect 

(at least I would think that) you to write informative and factually based articles.  For me, I will forever be wary of your words.  

Unless you write that retraction really quick...