Mass Drama: Lawrence is sorry and Sessler speaks
by Dustin Burg 
{ Jan 27th 2008 at 11:30AM }
The Mass Effect versus FOX News drama continues and gets juicier and juicier by the moment. So juicy, we're required to wear raincoats when blogging about it. No joke.
First on the docket is news that Cooper Lawrence, the psychiatrist/author who participated in the on-air Mass Effect bashing, has surprisingly apologized for her remarks. Lawrence admits that she never played the game prior to the discussion and was told before going on air that Mass Effect was like pornography. Now, after being given a demo of the game, she admits that "it's not like pornography. I've seen episodes of 'Lost' that are more sexually explicit" and is sorry for her statements. It should also be noted that her apologetic words come at a ripe time as angry gamers flooded Amazon.com's listing of her self-help book with negative reviews and negative press. Damage control much?
Finally, you must watch the video embedded above. The vid comes from our favorite G4 personality Adam Sessler as he stands on his soapbox and gives us his two cents about the Mass Drama. Not only does Sessler make some damn great points, but his rant should expand your use of the English language. That Sessler, what an energetic and articulate dude.
[Thanks, SirUrza and Trekster_Gamer]
Read - Sessler's Soapbox
Read - Lawrence's apology
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
AnOffday @ Jan 27th 2008 12:09PM
Maybe gamers are constantly under attack because they don't know when to freaking quit. She was stupid by making those comments without even playing the game, but she also appologized. That's more than we get most of the time when this kind of thing happens.
Why don't we accpet her appology instead of acting like children about it. Let it freaking go. Anyone who gave her book on Amazon a bad review is just as guilty as she is. I gurantee none of those people read any of her books. Grow up people and please just let it die already.
Prophestus @ Jan 27th 2008 12:17PM
No shes a media whore and she got pwnd. I think its great when us gamers/nerds/whatever can fight back with the leveraging tool of the internet. People pick gamers because they think they are an easy target. But the video game industry is at a point now where when it gets pushed, it can push back, and people feel it.
stinger503 @ Jan 27th 2008 2:35PM
right on Prophestus, a woman's scorn? Nothing in comparison to a gamer's wrath!
Chester @ Jan 27th 2008 2:59PM
This apology doesnt fix everything but it is a start. We should accept it from Cooper Lawrence, but still want one from Fox.
At the end of her Fox interview she said, "Let me at em"
I guess we got to her first!
It's another great day to be a gamer!
Chester @ Jan 27th 2008 3:02PM
Bound by global message boards, blogs, chat rooms and of course the games themselves, gamers are perhaps the single most intense subculture on the Internet — fiercely protective of their pastime and at ease with the byways of cyberspace.
~NY TIMES!!!
you damn right!
REM @ Jan 28th 2008 1:27PM
Well don't stop now...hit Fox News: yourcomments@foxnews.com
Marrvia @ Jan 27th 2008 12:21PM
If I had never played this game and Fox blatantly lied to me and said the game contains full nudity and graphic pornographic interactive sex, and that it is marketed to kids, I think I would be pissed too. Fox is to blame in this, the author was just trying to promote her book, and only knew the "facts" that Fox gave her.
DeanSykes @ Jan 27th 2008 12:58PM
"the author was just trying to promote her book, and only knew the "facts" that Fox gave her."
You can say that but ignorance is not an excuse. I think the fact that she was willing to agree with whatever fox set her with for book promotion makes her a scumbag. She was willing to put another product down without any experience with it to push her book. That doesn't make her innocent. If you go on some one else word and don't look into an issue any further be prepared to deal with the Consequences. I hope her book fails and she realizes she shouldn't open her mouth with out looking into something first.
Brady @ Jan 27th 2008 1:07PM
No, the author is more to blame because she took what someone else said as fact. She should not be stating opinions about a game that she had no prior knowledge of.
Marrvia @ Jan 27th 2008 1:21PM
I know she screwed up by blasting the game with false facts. But she obviously didn't create the lies about the game. She is an author trying to promote a book. And the book, by the way, has nothing to do with videogames, violence, or sex.
Fox probably didn't have a segment to put her on that related to her book, so Fox put there on a segment about Mass Effect and gave her false facts. I'm sure that kind of thing happens all the time on these kind of shows. So yes, she screwed up, but she apologized, so let's grow up and move the fuck on in life.
Trekster_Gamer @ Jan 27th 2008 5:22PM
So a half assed comment made to her by someone at fox is reason to say what she did about the game? don't be an idiot you sound like her when you make comments like this. She deserves the backlash she is getting, and she has only apologized because of pressure and the fact that her book sales will suffer. It did not come from the heart it came from her pocketbook!
Marrvia @ Jan 27th 2008 6:04PM
Trekster, I think you need to watch the video again and see exactly what SHE said about THIS game specifically. The show host, who admitted to knowing nothing about the game, is the one making the false claims about Mass Effect.
Edge @ Jan 27th 2008 12:32PM
I thought Sessler was a total spazoid in the past. But I gave him a chance with a few of his soapbox rants and he turned out to be one sharp tack. He just needs to be able to dial that down when he talks on programs like Fox News as an expert. He is a SMART spaz, but a spaz nonetheless.
violenceinhd @ Jan 27th 2008 12:30PM
This is how Adam used to be before X-Play was created.
I miss Extended Play.
Joe @ Jan 27th 2008 12:29PM
@ Number one:
You're a fool. People with opinions like yours are the reason why we're bashed constantly. We never get a chance to stand up for ourselves in the same way that our hobby is constantly bashed by mainstream media as something that should be kept out of the hands of children because it is the equivalent of smut. And now that EA and people like Sessler and Keighley are actually setting the record state, you don't like it. I don't understand why you would want to just drop this issue when Fox news blatantly lied about Mass Effect in order to inform the little news sheep out there that video games are still the most terrible things on the planet.
I personally applaud efforts like this, and I don't think we should rest until we get an official, public apology from FOX news. And not just public for us...public for their entire viewing audience.
Marrvia @ Jan 27th 2008 1:25PM
But THIS woman isn't to blame though. Someone at Fox created the lies. Fox News is to blame.
Noshino @ Jan 27th 2008 1:59PM
Marrvia
She isn't innocent by any means, if she doesn't know ANYTHING about the matter at hand, why bother giving an opinion about it? why not just say "I don't know anything about such videogame, sorry"
If she is willing to give an opinion about something based on what SOMEONE else told her, doesn't matter if true or not, she should stand by her words/actions, just accept that she did wrong, but the thing is that this was done through national television....she wants to apologize? do it through national television then, and she take down Fox while at it.
Marrvia @ Jan 27th 2008 2:37PM
She barely even talked about Mass Effect in particular. The host of the show as the one talking about the Full nudity and graphic sex in this game. Cooper Lawrence was talking mostly talking about research about violence and sex effecting young children, which was kind of off topic anyway. She obviously knows nothing about the game, only what people told her. So if she is guilty, she is guilty of believing lies that were told to her about the game. You think she is the first one in history to do that? And then she apologized for it.
I don't think this woman needs to be treated like Jack Thompson for be a little bit ignorant. She did apologize, and I am mature enough to forgive her for it.
AnOffday @ Jan 27th 2008 7:37PM
And people with opinions like yours are the reason people call gamers whiny little nerds. Get over it. You have the game. No one is going to take it away from you. And I highly doubt sales will suffer. If anything they just created more hype for it.
And P.S. I doubt Fox News is going to offer an apology. I agree they should, but they won't. Because they don't care. And why should we? Even if Mass Effect did have full frontal nudity; they couldn't do a thing about it. So if you really want to "not rest" until you get an apology, then go for it. But I'd suggest letting it go, and getting back to your precious Mass Effect.
OBM @ Jan 27th 2008 1:01PM
The dude is pretty smart, I loved the bit at the end, hats off to him for speaking his mind.
TheBlahMasta @ Jan 27th 2008 1:05PM
This clearly represents the point that: You mess with gamers, we'll mess with you.
Jer @ Jan 27th 2008 1:13PM
Remember the days when it was just movies and television shows that were pushing this kind of violence and smut on children? I guess they don't do that anymore and it's solely on the shoulders of video games.
Perses @ Jan 27th 2008 1:51PM
Ms. Lawrence's comments on FOX were careless and slanderous. Her 'apology' printed in the NY Times article hardly amount to anything sincere; she's practically laughing it off. Her apology doesn't contain remorse for her actions, nor sympathy for the damage done to EA, Bioware, or gamers. Entirely inadequate.
ZeroCorpse @ Jan 27th 2008 2:05PM
Jeez. I hope Fox News doesn't ever get their hands on a copy of "Sexy Beach 3 Plus", because they'll probably decide that it's time to nuke Japan again, if they do.
tokyomaestro @ Jan 27th 2008 2:18PM
Yes Sessler!!!!! You make me proud, #(*@% that book and that Ho!
stinger503 @ Jan 27th 2008 2:38PM
Fox hasn't retracted yet. Why should they get off scott free?
stinger503 @ Jan 27th 2008 2:42PM
that was a response to #7
Christopher @ Jan 27th 2008 2:38PM
Speak on Sessler.
The Master potty[Taylor is da man] @ Jan 27th 2008 2:44PM
GO SESSLER MAN HE CAN GET AWAY WITH SO MUCH ON X-PLAY HE DOESNT EVEN KNOW!YEAH!!! keep the criticism and brutally honest game reviews comin my friend.I really miss watching that show cuz my frikin cable company switched my channel and now I have to pay to watch it >:(
Evan @ Jan 27th 2008 2:52PM
I have to say Sessler was pissed. It is great to see everyone stand up for a change! Unlike the first comment, I think gamers need to stand up against every ridiculous statement. Just because the author made an apology doesn't mean this is over. FOX has no journalistic integrity. We spin. We decide.
SadisticHam @ Jan 27th 2008 7:01PM
I'm amazed she got all the backlash and fox got off freely i was all for sending them hate mail. ;D
Still i got a good laugh out of this, feels good to have a voice for a change.
George Arauz @ Jan 27th 2008 7:40PM
F her and F her book
nizzy1115 @ Jan 27th 2008 8:57PM
Well said. Watching FOX news makes me sick these days.
Feedback @ Jan 28th 2008 3:49AM
Oh man. What a BURN.
Neuromancer @ Jan 28th 2008 9:18AM
Everyone be sure to email martha@foxnews.com (the host of The Live Desk With Martha MacCallum”, the show that had the Mass Effect segment). They really need to run a new segment and if not apologize, at least retract their inaccurate statements.
Sp00ks102 @ Jan 28th 2008 10:04AM
Maybe someone at fox news should have done their research on the McCullough article and the aftershocks that came from that. This is the future ladies and gentlemen, biased reviews and impressions of video games, from those who don't, and don't even want to think about playing them. EA should just issue a cease and desist and get it over with! but you can't go wrong with any sort of press about this game!
MasterYong @ Jan 28th 2008 6:31PM
Am I the only one that heard this game contained graphic pornography and contained "interactive orgasmic rape" and went out to buy myself a copy under false pretenses? (I keed I keed)
Urza @ Jan 28th 2008 10:03PM
Woot.. well some victory. Fox isn't going to retract, they want EA to come on their show.. it just means more programming. The only way we'll see an apology is if something happens with the host and her career and professional reputation is on the lie. These days, any publicity, is good publicity.