Takin’ it to the (virtual) Streets

Computer game publisher Electronic Arts, creator of the fantastically popular Sims line of computer games, has recently announced a virtual, interactive, online Sims experience called, oddly enough, the Sims Online. That in and of itself isn’t newsworthy, but what makes this particular online experience unique is the treatment given to one of America’s largest corporate icons (and largest advertiser!). Participants in this new Sim world will have the option of opening up McDonald’s food kiosks, and additionally, game-play stats will be influenced by the consumption of McGoodies.

Not everyone thinks this is a great idea, and in true american rebel spirit, online, in-character, protests are being planned. Protestors are encouraged to picket the nearest Sims McD, eat the food and then react as if poisoned, as well as other creative pranks. It is too soon to tell whether the protesters will be “discouraged” from this type of behaviour.

The New Times, serving San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties, has an in-depth look behind the story of one of the most memorable photographs of the american depression, Migrant Mother. Taking a look below the surface, the article describes more details about the photo and the people in it than were previously publicized, and ends with her children re-evaluating the impact of the photo on their lives as they began to understand how if affected others.