"NBC: If you're an adult and play games, you're 'weird'"

Or more appropriately: "Out-of-touch old fogeys display inane, Precambrian attitudes about video games." (Fair warning, the article is written by Jim Sterling, who is being quite Jim Sterling about the whole situation, as he is wont to do. But even so, I still generally agree with his assessment in this case.)

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Of course, as far as Mr. Deutsch is concerned, this certainly wouldn't be the first time that he's been a douche[1] regarding video games.

[1] - Yeah, I apologize.[2] It's trite, I know. Hell, Sterling himself made the same dubious joke in that very article, even. And I'm sure it's being repeated ad nauseam in the comments as well, though I'll never see it due to my policy of trying to avoid Destructoid comments like the plague. I'm also well aware that isn't how his name is pronounced, similar to how "faux" isn't pronounced the same as "fox," but I don't care. It's a visual thing. (Oh, and speaking of Faux Noise, this is a pretty good example of the fact that they actually don't have the exclusive monopoly on ignorant windbags, despite how it may seem most of the time, given that Donny Deutsch is, of course, associated with NBC.)

[2] - No, not really.

"Let’s Pour One Out For Westwood Studios, Creators of the Real-Time Strategy Genre"

"You'd think ... that Westwood would still be around, making smash hits in every genre they touched, but sadly, it was not to be. Bought by Electronic Arts 1998, aside from Command & Conquer and Dune games the studio's output soon dries up, the Westwood name split across two studios which released things like failed MMO Earth & Beyond and under-appreciated action game Nox.

In 2002, shortly after the failure of Command & Conquer Renegade, Westwood was severely downsized by EA, and a year later the studio itself was closed, those remaining staff absorbed into EA's other studios.

It's a shocking demise for a developer that during the 1990's was, pound-for-pound, perhaps the most successful Western studio going around. What makes it especially sad is the waste of Westwood's expertise in its years under EA's ownership."

I own Command and Conquer: Renegade. It's not great, but it's not nearly as bad as people like to make it out to be. I also own Nox, which was a half-way decent Diablo-clone, from what little I recall of it, though I never got very far into it. Anyway, I think the key point to be taken from the above, and from the article in general, is that everything was pretty much coming up all roses for Westwood Studios... until they got bought by Electronic Arts.

( The usual anti-EA rant behind cut for the uninterested )

Anyway, to get back on the subject of Westwood, since I got off-track there, as I usually tend to do when the subject of EA and all the companies they have ruined over the years comes up...

As is pointed out in the article, while everyone mostly remembers Westwood for Command and Conquer, it wasn't just a one-trick pony. It is notable for things like the amazing Legend of Kyrandia series as well. Here's a little fun-fact. The guy who did the voice for Brandon in all three games? Kane. And while I'm on the subject of the Kyrandia series here, I am absolutely appalled that these games are on neither GOG nor Steam yet, or seemingly anywhere else for that matter, aside from the used markets like eBay or Amazon Marketplace or whatever. Hopefully with the new cooperation between EA and GOG that will be rectified soon. Not that many (or any, for all I know) of the former Westwood guys will ever see a dime from it, of course. (EDIT 2) Finally, the Kyrandia games are up on GOG now, so that's good. (/EDIT 2)

Also, the Lion King SNES and Genesis games. I honestly had no idea until now that these were made by Westwood Studios. That just makes me even more sad that they ended up getting wrecked by EA.