Greg Mathis vidgame: 'The glamorous thug life"

Responsible role model or pandering marketer?

Try to keep your head from spinning -- the TV judge's wildly conflicting messages here may cause whiplash:

He's co-creator of a new shooter game for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC called Mathis "Detroit" Street Judge "set in the ghettos of Detroit," as Yahoo! indelicately puts it.
[http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/tv-s-quot-judge-mathis-quot-goes-virtual-in-new-shooter-game/1302181] More, verbatim:

Players will step into the role of convicted felon La-Ron Washington, who’s been released from prison early due to overcrowding but has two strikes hanging over his head. La-Ron is given one last chance; he must stay out of trouble, perform community services and avoid negative street influences and temptations. One more strike and La-Ron gets a life sentence from Judge Mathis. But out on the street, the entire Detroit underworld wants him dead for the alleged murder of a crime boss – a murder he didn't commit.

Judge Mathis explains, if that's the right word, what's up with this [[emphasis added):

"The most popular game out there is Grand Theft Auto IV and I know that a lot of young video game players like the action of criminal activity. In this game, we're giving them that action and adding the option of living a mainstream, successful life. They have the combination of an action-packed criminal activity, as well as the opportunity to turn their lives around and pursue a level of success, as I did after leaving my background in the world of crime.

"I see this game as a way for young players to be part of the glamorous thug life that is so popular in the hip-hop culture without them actually indulging in the life. Video games allow you to obtain the fulfillment of their fascination with that lifestyle without being in it. We're not going to stop the violent genre of video games like Grand Theft Auto, so instead you try to engage it in a way that allows them to obtain the fulfillment they're looking for but also give them the choice of going the mainstream successful life."

Hat tip to scoop-a-day Bill Shea for flagging, and flogging, this on his Crain's blog
[http://www.crainsdetroit.com/section/profile?uid=140106&plckPersonaPage=PersonaBlog&plc kUserId=140106].

Bill sees Mathis taking "a turn for the slightly surreal that’s bound to draw flak, even his intentions are noble [[which is open to serious debate)." Noting that a fall release is envisioned, he adds: "What says Merry Christmas better than a virtual bloodbath and orgy of violence on the digital mean streets of Detroit?"

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=412

Missed your post 22 hours earlier, Tetsua . . . so hat tip to you, too, for the original word here that actually may have led to Bill's blog post, for all we know.

Maybe it's because I'm not a gamer, but I go beyond feeling "the game seems kinda weird." And its Detroit setting isn't necessarily good for the image of a city Mathis appears to sincerely want to improve.

But hey, he's more in tune with the market demographic and culture, so maybe this is a way to reach some at-risk young people and open eyes. Just seems like a tricky line between message-driven entertainment and for-profit exploitation.

Heavy way to frame a video game, perhaps, but he's pitching it as "giving them that action and adding the option of living a mainstream, successful life."

I'm not a gamer either, but out of the plethora of TV judges out there, Mathis is low on veiwability, but up there on how he acheived a judgeship.

Maybe if the guys get killed or thrown into jail on a regular basis some might see the light. Show families who have had lives wrecked by drugs and murder. Make it so the only way you can win the game is through improving yourself.
Now that would be praise worthy.