Earlier this week, a segment on FOX News hosted by Martha MacCallum featured guest Geoff Keighley of Spike TV and talk show host Cooper Lawrence in a debate concerning the love scene shown in Xbox 360 title Mass Effect.

Controversy arose when FOX News outlandishly claimed that the game includes “full digital nudity and sex” and was being marketed to kids and teenagers, which is completely untrue considering that the game received an M rating from the ESRB. Suffice to say, Keighley did a great job at defending the game but FOX News, arrogant as usual, did not bother to retract their claims.

EA responded to said claims today, rightfully asking FOX to correct the record on Mass Effect. You can read the letter, in full, after the jump. Must say that I am totally with EA on this one.

Ms VanHorn,

I’m writing to request a clarification of serious errors FNC made in a story which aired about the video game Mass Effect. (See attachment) As the parent company of BioWare, the studio which created the game, EA would like you to set the record straight on a number of errors and misstatements which incorrectly characterize the story and character interactions in Mass Effect.

Errors include the following:

Your headline above the televised story read: “New videogame shows
full digital nudity and sex.“
Fact: Mass Effect does not include explicit or frontal nudity. Love scenes in non-interactive sequences include side and profile shots – a vantage frequently used in many prime-time television shows. It’s also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate and players can chose to avoid the love scenes altogether.

FNC voice-over reporter says: “You’ll see full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex.”
Fact: Sex scenes in Mass Effect are not graphic. These scenes are very similar to sex sequences frequently seen on network television in prime time.

FNC reporter says: “Critics say Mass Effect is being marketed to kids and teenagers.”
Fact: That is flat out false. Mass Effect and all related marketing has been reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and rated Mature – appropriate for players 17-years and older. ESRB routinely counsels retailers on requesting proof of age in selling M-rated titles and the system has been lauded by members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. In practical terms, the ratings work as well or better than those used for warning viewers about television content.

Other sources used in the segment made similar incorrect statements about the game. Judging by the inaccuracy of their comments, they have had zero experience with Mass Effect and are largely ignorant about videogames, the people who play them, and the ESRB system that governs their ratings and sales.

The resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards. As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.

Do you watch the Fox Network? Do you watch Family Guy? Have you ever seen The OC? Do you think the sexual situations in Mass Effect are any more graphic than scenes routinely aired on those shows? Do you honestly believe that young people have more exposure to Mass Effect than to those prime time shows?

This isn’t a legal threat; it’s an appeal to your sense of fairness. We’re asking FNC to correct the record on Mass Effect.

Sincerely,

Jeff Brown
Vice President of Communications
Electronic Arts, Inc.

EA Takes FOX News To Task Over Mass Effect [Game Informer]

Read more: Mass Effect To Feature Extraterrestrial Sex, Mass Effect DS Could Happen, Cooper Lawrence Regrets Lashing Out Against Mass Effect, Clip: Mass Effect 2 Teaser, Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition Revealed