Game Developer Seeks to Increase Voter-Awareness among Video-Game Players
LITTLE FALLS, New York, Nov. 1, 2007. Are some politicians alienating a neglected voter-bloc when it comes to the recent controversies over content in video-games? Independent game developer Laurion Studio thinks so, and wants to prove it by giving away a free computer-game in a voter awareness campaign aimed at the getting out the vote among the game-playing populace.
Laurion announced that during November through Election Day it is giving away a free, fully registered copy of its new 3D fantasy role-playing game Parhedros: The Tunnels of Sethir on its web-site ( www.parhedros.com) to everyone over the age of 18 who agrees to write to their congressperson with the simple message that "Video-Gamers Vote!" The game normally sells for $22.95 on-line.
"We hear so much about protecting kids from games," explained Laurion spokesman David Van Meter, "But how often do we hear that the average video-gamer is actually 33 years-old, and that a whopping 72% of all gamers are over the age of 18, according to studies by the Entertainment Software Association? Video-gamers are also voters, and I think it's time to let politicians know that we are tired of being treated like children when it comes to free speech in our games."
Laurion's game Parhedros itself affords an example of the sort of "free-thinking" games that are quietly being published only on the internet by mostly small, independent developers for this so-called "mature majority" of gamers. Despite being a role-playing game that focuses mostly on exploring dungeons and battling fantasy monsters, the story also touches upon such mature themes as alcoholism and crises of sexual identity, and some of the characters may do "nude scenes". Needless to say, you won't find games like this coming soon to a major retail store anywhere near you.
"From our viewpoint, games will only reach their full potential as an artistic medium when they can freely tackle the same sorts of subjects that novelists and film-makers have treated for decades," said Van Meter. "But the political hand-wringing over game content and ratings has left the major studios and retailers afraid to touch games that intellectually challenge adults as works of fiction. It will stay that way, too, until video-gamers speak up and assert their political voice."
For more information on Laurion Studio and its offer of a free copy of Parhedros for concerned game-playing voters, visit parhedros.com.
ABOUT LAURION STUDIO:
Laurion Studio is a family-owned and operated business that we started in 1989. We publish entertainment software under the Laurion Studio label, and numismatic reference books under the Laurion Publishing imprint. Past entertainment titles include the Risqué Renee series of casual casino games, released in 1999 for the PC.
ABOUT DAVID VAN METER:
David Van Meter is the principal creative force behind Laurion Studio. Dave holds a Ph.D. in History from Boston University, where he wrote his dissertation on Carolingian and Capetian-era political eschatologies. In addition to developing several computer game titles for the PC, Dave has published scholarly articles and a book on medieval history, is a widely-cited authority on Marian apparitions and Catholic apocalypticism around the year 2000, and has written numerous books on collecting ancient Roman and Greek coins. A copy of Dave's c.v. may be found on-line at: http://www.parhedros.com/cv_dvm.html