Here's some light weekend reading about politics, the media and gaming. Earlier this week the U.S. Federal Trade Commission released a report about the gaming industry. The real fun for industry folk was seeing how all the various media outlets would report the news and what their headlines would be. Below is the list, shamelessly ripped-off from Dennis McCauley over at GamePolitics, of various media outlets and their take on the report:

• FTC says content curbs fall short - L.A. Times
• Report says the young buy violent games and movies - NY Times
• FTC: self-regulation of violent content working - Beta News
• Children still see ads for violent content - Advertising Age
• FTC scolds marketers about violent content - AdWeek
• FTC: violence still marketed to youths - Hollywood Reporter
• Report: Violence still aimed at kids - Variety
• FTC violence marketing report show general compliance - Broadcasting & Cable
• FTC Report: Violence Still a Problem in Marketing - TV Week
• FTC: game industry self-policing improving - GameSpot
• FTC: M-rated games still marketed to minors - Next Generation
• FTC: games are better regulated than music, movies - Ars Technica
• FTC report: mixed reviews on industry's ability to self-regulate - Joystiq
• FTC: game industry stricter than movies, music - Kotaku
• FTC report praises, spanks video game industry - GamePolitics

As McCauley asks in his headline accompanying the list above, "Were these media outlets reading the same report?" The various headlines make us think of the classic question: If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to see it, does it make a sound? Some say yes, some say no, some say it explodes into various pieces, some say the Earth Mother picked it back up, some say there is no tree. The various headlines and the stores with them is a good read on the diversity of voice in the media -- especially when it comes to gaming.

How did Microsoft dodge the scaling issue that has plagued Sony since its launch? Maybe it was the timing -- an HD console in a Standard Def world -- or perhaps it was Ana, the affectionate title for Xbox 360's hardware scaler.

Whereas the PlayStation 3 downscales to meet resolution, Ana upscales Xbox 360 titles to 1080p to impressive results, according to Ars Technica's Ben Kuchera. Speaking with Microsoft's Scott Henson, Kuchera learns that Ana was designed at the same time as Xenos, the console's GPU. Though the addition of a PS3 hardware scaler is possible in the future, Xbox Group Product Marketing Manager Aaron Greenberg opines that it would be difficult for Sony to fix the issue with software, leaving first-generation PS3 owners in the cold.

However, the truth is, as Kuchera notes, differences between the two console's graphics are minimal to nonexistent. "By [the time PS3 has second-generation titles] we'll have Halo 3," Henson said. "We'll be on the third–generation games. We hope to always be a little bit ahead." When will Sony pull ahead of the Xbox 360, graphically, and to what extent is Ana Microsoft's secret weapon in keeping up?

See Also:
The second Xbox 360 (with HDMI): introducing "Zephyr"

[Thanks, Theo1130; image inspiration]

Recently Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica was interviewed about Left Behind: Eternal Forces on NPR's All Things Considered and found himself "defending the Christian right." He says Left Behind is being unfairly "demonized," the same way Bully and GTA have been, "We can't pick and choose our fights based on whether or not we agree with what a game says; we must fight for the game's ability to say anything it wants to." And that sound you hear is the industry getting just a little older.

Religion, sex, politics and everything else we've heard "don't belong in games" will be -- or already has been -- incorporated into titles that'll sell millions of copies. As the industry gets older and the average demographic playing them does as well, complex ideas that may offend or challenge will start to pop up. What's thrilling and horrible at the same time is we have to defend the games with messages we agree with as strongly as those we don't. Like movies, music, theater, literature, television and other art, we shouldn't stop the message from being said, just make sure to vote with your wallet on what games you want to see more of.

See also:

• Metareview -- Left Behind: Eternal Forces
• Political groups angry over Left Behind game
• Islamic groups want Left Behind off Wal-Mart shelves

[Via Game Politics]

Arstechnica has posted a comprehensive five page review of the DS Lite, with a large portion dedicated to comparisons with the DS Phat. This isn't the first review of the DS Lite, but it could possibly be the most well thought out. Here are the key points of the review:

The screens

• Greater viewing angle - "it's now possible to watch someone else playing the system and actually see the screen"
• Brighter - "the upgraded screen may be worth the price of an upgrade alone"
• Dead pixels - "my unit has a stuck pixel on the top screen"
• Flimsy? - "the bottom screen seems to be floating in the system case, not held down tight like the DS [Phat]"

The feel

• Lighter - "the system is lighter, making it easier for me to cradle it using the tips of my fingers"
• Buttons - "The D-pad is a touch smaller... and a bit less satisfying in the click department" although "the buttons on both DS products are a little bit on the small side"
• Central microphone "makes games that use voice recognition easier to play."

The battery

• Six hours usually, although "it's not hard to get eight hours of battery life as long as you don't continually keep the system on its brightest setting."

The overall feeling from the review is that if you're a DS virgin and have been mulling a purchase, now is the time to jump in. If, however, you're a DS Phat owner and haven't decided whether it's worth trading in for the updated hardware, the suggestion from this review is go for it. "If you're a casual gamer or a hardcore fan who takes your portable everywhere, you'll like the way your games play and look on the DS Lite".

Micropayments are already flowing freely on Xbox Live and are becoming increasingly popular in MMO circles. However, Opposable Thumbs points out an unfortunate problem with any micropayment-based system that stores your payment details--it's all too easy to buy things when intoxicated.

Of course, this problem extends beyond the realm of gaming, to websites and even real-world transactions. However, the nature of gaming as an entertainment activity means that perhaps enforced self-controls may help those of us whose wallets get looser with liquid.