PopCap sold to EA...is this good or bad news?

PopCap is one of those game developers that has always done things right. I remember back in my middle school years, going to their website after I was done with my work in the school's computer lab to play Big Money, Bejeweled, and Insaniquarium.

The game maker has made a ton of addictive, puzzle type games that tend to stand out above the rest. Their most well known games in recent years have been, of course, Bejeweled (and the game that builds upon it, Bejeweled Blitz), Zuma, Plants vs. Zombies, and Peggle. The Xbox 360 helped boost sales when it offered Plants vs. Zombies through Xbox Live, and as I type this, my husband is on the 360 playing Peggle. PopCap's games are addictive and fun for casual and hardcore gamers alike, and they are one game maker I have followed and highly respected since the times when no one knew who they were.

I was surprised to see in the news that PopCap was recently sold to Electronic Arts (EA), for a deal that allegedly was worth upwards of 1.3 billion dollars. I could lie to you and say this decision has come to mixed reviews, but quite honestly, most people and fans of PopCap are dismayed over this. PopCap doesn't release bad games...I'm sorry, but if you visit their website, each and every game is a winner, from Bejeweled to the games no one has heard of. Some of my personal favorites never made it big...my all time PopCap favorite is Insaniquarium, a game in which you grow and raise fish, use pets that give you benefits, and fight off aliens that come to eat your tank. It's ridiculous, yet it's been my favorite since the game was internet-only a decade ago. One of their games which also never made it big (and I wish I could figure out a possible reason why), was Mummy Maze, where you have to outsmart a mummy and make it out of the room with your explorer before he catches up to you, using the environment as your advantage.

Because PopCap has such an outstanding record with being stingy with games before they are released, perfecting and re-perfecting to make a gorgeous, addictive game the first time, the sale to EA has left many fans worried over the possible change in pace. Big names in the video game industry aren't very well known for taking their sweet time to release video games right and perfect the first time, especially in the age of "buy first, download updates later". The sale of PopCap to EA just very well take away their standards of perfection, although I'm trying to stay optimistic.

Something else to think about: it has been reported that EA has agreed to pay an additional 550 million dollars to PopCap if they reach "certain performance" standards within two years. Already, it seems they may be trying to rush things, which has never been PopCap's style.

I want to know what you all think out there: do you like PopCap? Have you played any of their games, and which is your favorite? Do you think the sale of the game maker to EA is a sign of the death of a good business, or may have its benefits? Let me know in the comments!

Supreme Court Decision on Violent Video Games: Fair or Not?

Video gaming has been under fire since the birth of the industry decades ago. It comes as no surprise to most that the Supreme Court recently got involved, going through the case until giving its decision in late June 2011 that states that it would be against First Amendment rights to ban the sale of violent, mature video games to minors.

What does this decision mean? The decision ensures that the sale of mature games to minors cannot become a legal, state or federal issue. In fact, the decision only ensures that the way gamers buy games--despite what they may be, or who those gamers might be--is not changed from before the case was brought to court.

Most, if not relatively all, gamers applauded this decision. Yet, going through the reader comments of some of the articles on the case left me scratching my head. Gamers seemed to be arguing over the decision. Some argued the difference between movies and video games. If you want to see an R-rated movie as a minor, some pointed out, the law against that protects such content from being viewed by those too young.

Actually...no. Like the video gaming industry has the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), the movie industry has the MPAA. There is no law that bans the sale of movie tickets, movies, or movie rentals to minors. Does that mean that as a child you can walk in and watch a movie? No. Most businesses have their own rules and regulations set up to prevent minors from going into R-rated movies (and, depending on the age of the minor, PG-13 movies). There is no current difference in laws or regulations when it comes to minors and maturely-rated entertainment.

When I was a minor myself, I found it impossible to see R-rated movies unless they were those which we owned at home. I couldn't buy mature video games unless my mother came with me. In fact, the only mature entertainment source that is readily available to minors without a ratings board is the print and book industry. Sure, most obvious "adult" books and magazines are kept behind counters at bookstores...yet I remember being a minor and reading some pretty repulsive things in regular fiction novels.

Those people who find themselves angry at the Supreme Court's decision have to realize something: it is still nearly impossible for kids to purchase mature video games by themselves. Parents need to be parents to prevent the majority of cases. There will always be slips in the system--heck, I even remember buying two PG rated movie tickets with my best friend when I was in middle school, only to pass up that theater to go to an R-rated movie. It's going to happen.

As a gamer, I am well aware of the sturdy and nearly flawless ID system that all stores have in place for mature video games. As a straight edge woman who will be twenty-three within a month, the only purchases I've ever been carded for have been video games. My husband is twenty-eight, but can look twenty-one after shaving. Either way, he gets carded every single time when he buys a video game--despite knowing the employees by name at our local GameStop.

It is appalling that after over three decades of video game history, the industry is still under fire. Fortunately, gamers aren't the only ones rolling their eyes; the movie industry has openly applauded the Supreme Court's decision. It is apparent that if the decision had been the opposite, the movie industry just might have well been the next victim of those who don't believe in parenting their own children.

How about you, the reader? Do you feel the Supreme Court made the right decision? How long do you believe the discrimination against video games as an entertainment source will last? Let me know in a comment!