Letters

Inside Bill's New Game Machine

Video gamers expressed excitement about Microsoft's Xbox 360 system and satisfaction with the way their favorite pastime has gained popularity and respect. But some parents were upset by the unsavory imagery in many games and the way gaming is encroaching on their children's lives

"Being an avid gamer does not make you a freak. Playing video games is far more involving than just passively watching TV."

PAUL S. MILLER - London

"Out Of The Xbox" was an interesting article on Microsoft's newest device and the influence of video games on our popular culture [May 23]. It was a nice break from more serious subject matter. As a gamer, I felt a little bit of "I told you so!" coming on as I read that the average gamer these days is pretty much like the average American.

ZACHARY COOPER - Laguna Beach, Calif.

Your story provided great insight into Microsoft's vision and its development efforts to capture the center of the networked home with the Xbox 360. That piece of equipment will certainly usher in the era of multimedia convergence that experts have predicted. I'll be the first in line to snap up something that can satisfy my craving for video gaming and Internet access (not to mention watching TV and movies) from the comfort of my couch.

JEREMY CRANFORD - Washington

There is no question that the powerful processor and graphics of the Xbox 360 will bring about a new wave of cinema-quality games the likes of which we can barely imagine. But I do not want to invite Bill Gates into my living room. The thought of coping with software problems and rebooting before I can watch TV, listen to music or look at photos of my kids' birthday parties is scary.

JOHN MARTIN - Stamford, Conn.

As a fortysomething closet video-game addict, I'm not at all surprised by the features of the new Xbox. I'm no raging conservative moralist, but I am worried by the incredible darkness in the gaming world. Most current game designs (besides those of sports and auto-racing titles) are oppressively heavy and angst ridden. There is ceaseless marketing to the basest instincts of the 18-year-old-male psyche. I am concerned that my 10-year-old son is growing up in a world in which even previously lighthearted games now include blood splattering and bad language. Perhaps bringing the Xbox out of the "boys' room" and into the family room will help change the tone.

JOE HADAR - Humboldt, Iowa

I enjoyed the way your report countered the negative stereotype of gamers. As a 33-year-old gamer (I've been playing since long before I knew the value of a quarter), I have grown up to witness the rise and fall and rise again of my favorite hobby. Keep up the good work.

RAINIER ARENAS - Daly City, Calif.

Your behind-the-scenes look at the Xbox 360 was excellent, but the pictures of the four pasty-faced "hard-core" gamers with their eyes glazed over reminded me why my otherwise modern home will remain video-game-console free. My children sometimes ask when we will get a game machine (the answer remains "Never"), but most of the time they're very busy reading, playing with friends or creating their own imaginary adventures out in the backyard.

PHILIP F. NEWMAN - Franklin, Tenn.

A Case for Press Freedom

Time Inc. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review lower-court decisions and rule that TIME'S White House correspondent Matthew Cooper not be jailed for refusing to disclose confidential sources [May 23]. I commend you for standing up to government interference and coercion. Each day our rights as Americans are slowly being eroded while, for the most part, people sit by and let it happen. Please don't give up and don't give in. There are many people who support TIME and Cooper.

DANIEL SILVA - Newark, N.J.

I generally agree that journalists should not be forced to identify their confidential sources. In this case, however, it is alleged that a crime has been committed: disclosure of the name of a CIA covert operative. If that is true, those who received the illegally leaked information are accessories to the crime. It is a person's civic duty to report a crime, and that duty overrides journalistic privilege. To withhold a source's identity is an abdication of civic responsibility.

GEORGE MORLAN - Acworth, Ga.

The Sniff Test

"The Scent of a Man" reported on new research showing that homosexual men's brains register the same response to male hormonelike pheromones as women's brains do [May 23]. That finding could be used to support the idea that sexual orientation is present from birth. As a gay man, I am frustrated by the ongoing debate about whether sexual orientation is a choice. Why is it that the people who are in a position to know the answer to that question-gays-seem to be ignored by straight people? If you're straight, ask yourself when you chose to be straight. You are what you are; there's no choice involved.

CARL BECHDEL - Harrisburg, Pa.

Although a man may truly have an inclination and leaning by his very nature, and although he may show a propensity for certain conduct, none of those factors can force him to act in a particular way. He still has an absolutely free will. A human being can always learn, improve and make progress.

(RABBI) YAAKOV ROGALSKY - New York City

Universal Radio

Essayist Walter Kirn's "Stuck in the Orbit of Satellite Radio" lamented the inability to hear local programming along vast stretches of the American landscape [May 23]. The dearth of interesting local programs is a direct result of the consolidation of ownership of radio, television and print media. Locally owned radio stations cannot compete with those owned by big corporations.

SUSAN BOTTCHER - Gainesville, Fla.

Kirn underscored one of the unpleasant realities of mass-market technology: that which is designed to be acceptable to everybody ends up being suitable for nobody.

ROBERT SOLOMON - New York City