Microsoft: Bethesda Games Will Be 'First, Best' On Xbox, PC
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Several weeks back, we discussed how Microsoft and its newly acquired property, Bethesda Softworks, were making seemingly conflicting statements on what the purchase of the studio meant for beloved franchises like Fallout and Elder Scrolls, among others. Concerns popped up immediately after the acquisition, with people wondering whether the next Fallout game would be siloed to the Xbox and/or PC, as opposed to showing up on other consoles, such as Sony's PlayStation. Xbox's Phil Spencer kicked the concern into overdrive by noting that he thought Microsoft could recoup its purchase price of Bethesda even if the studio's games weren't sold for the PlayStation. Todd Howard of Bethesda, however, said the studio is committed to making its games available across platforms, while also acknowledging such details with Microsoft hadn't been ironed out.And so the public was left wondering. Well, now Microsoft has once again commented publicly, this time stating that it doesn't plan to restrict Bethesda games from other consoles, but would instead look to make those games "first and best" on the Xbox and PC.Speaking at the Jeffries Interactive Entertainment Virtual Conference last Friday (as transcribed by Seeking Alpha), Stuart said directly that "in the long run... we don't have intentions of just pulling all of Bethesda content out of Sony or Nintendo or otherwise. But what we want is we want that content, in the long run, to be either first or better or best or pick your differentiated experience, on our platforms.""That's not a point about being exclusive," Stuart continued. "That's not a point about... adjusting timing or content or road map. But if you think about something like Game Pass, if it shows up best in Game Pass, that's what we want to see, and we want to drive our Game Pass subscriber base through that Bethesda pipeline." This, frankly, clarifies nothing. Stating that perhaps games will be "first" on Microsoft's platforms and then stating that it has nothing to do with timing of the release on other platforms is contradictory. If it's "first" on one platform, it must therefore be at least "second" on others. Likewise, stating you want a game to be "best" on Microsoft platforms and then stating it has nothing to do with content is, again, contradictory. If not the content, what could possibly make a game better on one platform than the other.It's unclear why Microsoft is remaining so opaque about all of this, but it sure sounds like some version of either EPIC's timed exclusives or Sony's exclusive content for games. Both are controversial in their own rights, and likely not great for the gaming ecosystem as a whole, but at least both companies play it straight with their customers.In this case, we all just have to wait and see how high a fence Microsoft does or does not want to put around these beloved game franchises.
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posted at: 12:00am on 21-Nov-2020
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Content Moderation Case Study: Facebook Attracts International Attention When It Removes A Historic Vietnam War Photo Posted By The Editor-in-Chief Of Norway's Biggest Newspaper (2016)
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Summary: Tom Egeland, a Norwegian author of a number of best-selling fiction books, posted a well-known photo known as "The Terror of War" to Facebook. The historic photograph (taken by Vietnamese-American photographer Nick Ut) depicts a naked Vietnamese girl running from a napalm attack during the Vietnam War.Ut's iconic photo brought the horrors of the war in Vietnam to viewers around the world. But it was not without controversy. Given the full-frontal nudity of the child depicted in the image, the Associated Press pushed back against Ut, citing the paper's policy against publishing nudity. In this case, the nudity of the child resulted in more resistance than usual. Ultimately, the AP decided to run the photo, resulting in a Pulitzer Prize for Ut in 1973.Despite the photo's historical significance, Facebook decided to suspend Tom Egeland's account. It also deleted his post.Facebook's decision was based on its terms of service. While the photo was undeniably a historical artifact, moderation efforts by the platform were not attuned to the history.A notice sent to Egeland pointed out that any displayed genitalia would result in moderation. Also, given the platform's obligation to inform the government about Child Sexual Assault Material (CSAM), leaving a photo of a naked prepubscent up posed problems the algorithms couldn't necessarily handle on their own.The decision to remove the post and suspend the author's account resulted in an open letter being sent by Norwegian journalist Epsen Hansen. The letter -- addressed to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg -- asked what negative effects moderation efforts like these would have on a "democratic society."Decisions to be made by Facebook:- Should automatic moderation that aids law enforcement be overridden when context shows posts are not attempting to sidestep rules put in place to prevent Facebook users from being subjected to abusive content?
- What value is placed on context-considerate moderation? Does it add or subtract from financial obligations to shareholders?
- Does it serve users better to be more responsive -- and helpful -- when context is a primary consideration?
Questions and policy implications to consider:- Is the collateral damage of negative press like this offset by Facebook's willingness to be proactive when removing questionable content?
- Is it more important to serve private users than the numerous governments making moderation demands?
- Do inexact or seemingly-incoherent responses to controversial content raise the risk of government intervention?
Resolution: Despite the letter from a prominent Norwegian journalist, Facebook refused to reinstate the photo. Instead, it offered boilerplate stating its objection to "nude genitalia." While it stated it did make "allowances" for "educational, humorous, and satirical purposes." Ut's photo did not make the cut apparently. Facebook asked Aftenposten, Egeland, and/or Hansen to "pixelate" the iconic photo before reposting. This was the response from Aftenposten's Hegeland:Unfortunately, Facebook did not see the pointed humor of Hansen's modification. Facebook's deletion of the original -- as well as its suspension of author Tom Egeland's account -- remained in force. While public shaming has had some effect on moderation efforts by social media companies, Facebook's stance on nudity -- especially the nudity of minors -- prevented it from backing down in the face of negative publicity.
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posted at: 12:00am on 21-Nov-2020
path: /Policy | permalink | edit (requires password)
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