I supposedly was selected as someone to Beta Test EA's Majestic. Today I got the email to register. In the middle of the process I get this message:
"Please verify that you are over the age of 18 by entering a valid credit card number in the box below.
And now a word from us
Please do not be afraid. This number is for age confirmation purposes ONLY, EA.COM does not store this number or use it to charge you. Really -- its OK. We promise.
If you have any questions about this policy please call our customer service team at 1-800-THE-GAME.
*Your Credit Card Number:"

The warning is this, the page is NOT SECURED AT ALL!!! No encoding, nothing. Anyone snooping can easily get your credit card info. So I called 1-800-THE-GAME to let them know or to get more information. I get the following message.

"Thank you for calling National A1 Advertising. For more information on our creative marketing, please call 215-925-5000"

So I called that number and no one answered.
Doesn't sound like EA to me. The emails come from an outfit called Modalis Research.

Something does not sound right. At the very lest, asking for a credit card on an unsecure page just to valid age is really stupid and rather dangerous.

I've sent emails to all of EAs tech support. No response yet.

Sounds like a definite scam. I'll look into it with EA.

Or it COULD be a real. It could be an attempt to play on computer gamer paranoia. It may also be a government coverup. It could also be a secret attempt by the revived PC Accelerator to steal money from "classy" gamers! Or it could be a Columbian drug lord's plot to raise funds for his escape from the secret Rainbow Six prison center in the Area 47.......

I contacted EA and they're going to get back to me, so at least at one level of the corporation they weren't sure about it. I'd hold off on sending my CC info, at least.

Here is the full headers of the message that send me to the page. I've emailed it to EA but in case you get in touch with them first...

Return-Path:
Received: from mh4-sfba.mail.home.com ([24.0.95.135])
by femail14.sdc1.sfba.home.com
(InterMail vM.4.01.03.20 201-229-121-120-20010223) with ESMTP
id ;
Thu, 26 Apr 2001 12:18:19 -0700
Received: from mx6-rwc.mail.home.com (mx6-rwc.mail.home.com [24.0.95.35])
by mh4-sfba.mail.home.com (8.9.3/8.9.0) with ESMTP id MAA16151;
Thu, 26 Apr 2001 12:18:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: [email protected]
Received: from master.sotech.com (master.fidelitywebsurvey.com [209.157.220.194] (may be forged))
by mx6-rwc.mail.home.com (8.11.1/8.11.1) with ESMTP id f3QJIE715154;
Thu, 26 Apr 2001 12:18:14 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by MASTER with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21)
id ; Thu, 26 Apr 2001 12:12:01 -0700
Message-ID:
To:
Subject: Majestic Beta Test: Registration Instructions
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 12:11:59 -0700
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21)
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"> Hello,
>
> Thank you for signing up to beta test Majestic! If you have not already
> done so, please follow the link below to register.
>
> Remember: To register for and play the Majestic Beta, you must use
> Internet Explorer 4.0 or 5.0.
>
> http://majesticreg.ea.com
>
> We hope you enjoy it!
>
> Sincerely,
> Sharon Parker
> Modalis Research
>

Already we see the problems that will arise with this sort of game...and it hasn't even started! Mesa thinka thisa bada idea-a.

Yeah, this game always sounded like a bad idea to me...This simply reinforces that opinion.

I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole.

Isn't a credit card number generally useless without knowing the expiration date? Although I guess you could try guessing at it a few dozen times. :)

I got a reply...


Hi Rob,

Thanks for your email.

I can verify that you were on the right page and that we do require a credit card for age verification. The number you called is a third party we're using for Majestic.

To address your point about the page being unsecured, I'm going to raise this issue with the development team and hopefully we can get it resolved quickly.

Thanks for your email, and input, and I hope to see you in the game.

This is going to be an increasingly interesting issue as the pressure on game companies to keep mature-theme games out of the hands of minors ramps up. Right now the most common form of remote age verification is credit card checking--the idea that if you are not 18 you won't have your own credit card.

There are numerous problems with this approach. One is that you end up having to give out your credit card info even for demos, or for other free stuff. Then there is the issue of discrimination, though I suppose that's moot, because if you don't have a credit card you can't play these games anyhow . Still, it smacks a bit of economic elitism--no credit card, no status. Third, security is an issue, because although ecommerce sites are usually pretty good, how about when they ask for card info but aren't really selling anything, or even planning to bill you? There's the temptation I fear for those sites to be less secure.

In this case I don't care, because I have zero interest in Majestic :-).

What? You don't want a game phoning and faxing you?

The whole beta test thing seems like it was fumbled. It was unclear and they didn't explain why they needed a credit card number.

Mark said:
"they didn't explain why they needed a credit card number. "

Heh, well, if it was to prove players are not minors...then maybe one day a player will be approached by some buxom lady with a conspiracy clue and more...nah, that would obliterate any suspension of disbelief for me :)

Robert Mayer and CGW's George "pottymouth" Jones discuss Majestic....

George Jones: "I'm ****ing telling you Bob! It'll **** your head and **** you over! ****!!!!"
Bob Mayer: "**** it George! I don't ****ing want my head to be ****ed over! I just want another **** frag-fest ****ing FPS! ****!!!
George Jones: "No ****ing way, Bob! That's ****ed! This game's gonna **** you over! ****!
Bob Mayer: "**** that ****! I ain't playing that ****! No ****ing way! ****!
George Jones: "You just ****ing wait, Bob! It's gonna be a major ****ing CGW **** exclusive!
Bob Mayer: "****ing ask me if I give a ****!"

It was kinda like discussing Kingpin. ;-) You can also replace the asterisks with the words "Doggone" and "heck." This is also my hopefully amusing way of poking fun at CGW for the increasing amount of **** and **** and **** in each issue. ****!

Hey Geo--F**k you!! :)

I'm on the beta test for Majestic and am almost done with the first episode, and I gotta say--I'm really digging it. To me, as an adventure game fan, this is just like the best adventure game I've played in memory. The interactivity that some people here are scoffing at is actually making it a really cool experience for me. I'm *enjoying* searching for clues on web sites. I thought it was cool that I needed to make a real phone call to figure out one of the puzzles. It sure beats clicking around on a screen for hot spots. P.S. I gave 'em my cell phone and office number, but so far haven't been called. I did get a fax though. And all that stuff is toggleable, both when you first install and then at any time while playing.

Green's early vote: VERY VERY fun.

I was supposed to be part of the site-building process...
But the servers I have my sites on decided to go belly-up. Otherwise you'd be searching my site for clues :)

I like the idea of Majestic, but I don't think I'd play it. Phone calls from regular people are irritating enough... I'd rather not get calls from EA.

All you have to do is toggle off the phone option, and then you get no phone calls. You can do the same with the fax and instant messaging. It's just that you get "more" if you do leave 'em on. For the instant messages, btw, I set up a new account, so I only log into it when I'm playing Majestic. That way I'm not being "interrupted"---I'm experiencing the game.
--Jeff

Oops--mistake in my last post. You CAN'T toggle off instant messaging--just phone and fax. But, of course, you can just not log into your messaging program, and that solves that problem. Or you can do what I did and just create an account for Majestic alone, and just log into that when you feel like it.

Hey, Jeff, nice movie! I love the pandering! Oh wait, you're not TOM Green. Sorry. ;)

As a 8-year CGW subscriber I reserve the right to make fun of the CGW staff and their increasingly PC Gamer-ish style as needed. :D

I think I'd be interested, I'm just curious about the monthly fee. Outside of the MMORPGs, most game players have the attention spans of gerbils and chipmunks (I swear, most people don't seem to stay interested in the same game 2 weeks anymore, no matter how good it is). But I'd certainly like to try it regardless - heck I never use my cell phone except for emergencies, here'd be a reason. :)

Hey I'm telling my buddies that Jeff Green told me to "**** myself," now suddenly they think I'm a real cool guy! :)

Geo---you may rip on CGW all you want. That's what we're here for. :)

Yeah--the monthly fee thing is interesting. As long as there's enuf gameplay, I think it's worth it. I'd pay. I really *like* some of the mind trip stuff they've done with this game. It's unlike anything I've experienced in computer gaming. I don't wanna give any spoilers here, but they really did have me going at least a couple times. I didn't know whether a couple emails I got were part of the game, or not. Some of the plot devices used here are a trip---very much like the movie The Game.

I'm seeing lots of people, who haven't experienced it yet, rip on this game, but my first impression is good. We want something different and unique--well, here it is.

I guess the toggles assuage the one concern I had - which is if your family's not in on it and they get mysterious phone calls threatening your life and their's, that could get a little hairy - or comical. :)

I'll keep subscribing to CGW as long as you keep doing your column. :)

Definitely the latter :) Just imagine it.
wife: "oh my god, honey! someone just called and said that we're gonna die!"
you: "well, honey, I have something to tell you. For the past twenty years, I've been a secret agent with the CIA."

ah, and comedy ensues.

You can also specify that the calls come ONLY at specific hours (or, again, not at all). I avoided my home phone entirely just to avoid that wife/kid freakout. Oh yeah--there's also a toggle so that every phone call can have an introductory message stating that THIS IS FAKE. So again, you can control pretty tightly just how intrusive/scary/annoying/immersive you want the game to be...

my column: arrrgh. I keep going back and forth about it lately. Cuz of being the EIC now. I wanna keep doing Greenspeak--but as editor-in-chief, does it make sense for me to have that column anymore, and to keep it where it is? For now, I'm just keeping it and seeing what happens....(and thanks, Geo!)

jeff

Or you can hire me and I'll write for ya :) Heh... if CGM editors keep stealing my reviews. ;p

EIC? Is George Jones gone or did he get a new title? I guess I haven't looked at the masthead lately. :) I'm eagerly awaiting the new issue with the Arcanum demo.

I guess if you're in charge of the Editorial Page column now, you can just have two mug photos done of you. One of you making funny faces (as with Greenspeak) and the other of you in a suit looking very sophisticated and debonair for the Editorial column. Or maybe wearing one of those great grey sweatshirts all the columnists used to wear. :) Then you just stare at the appropriate photo when trying to do that particular column, to stay "in the correct mood."

I though of Majestic some time ago, when I briefly was getting mail to my address (but a different person's name) claiming I was overdue on medical fee payments. And that an "agency" would seen be dispatched if I failed to comply. And strange names on my Caller ID. And...

Geo, Jeff is the new EIC and George is now in charge of the Ziff Davis Internet properties, whatever those will be. George used to the be the EIC of Gamecenter, so he has that background.

It's interesting that Ziff wants to launch a web presence given the current state of things. It should help promote the magazines, though.

"It should help promote the magazines, though."

Just a theory, but I figure that's all it will do. I'd love to hold out hope that George was launching an entirely new freelance resource but that just doesn't make sense right now.

Unless they charged for it and showed boobies. Man, that'd sell big time. They could call it PCExcelerator or something...

-Andrew

Ew, one of those upstairs promotions for my fellow George, eh? At my newspaper, whenever they wanted to get rid of our EIC they created a new "Executive Editor" or "Regional Editor" or "Grand Poobah In Charge of New Multimedia Property Interfaces," pushed him into it and then slowly drained the blood out of him/her. Hopefully, that's not how Ziff does things. :)

Well I wish Jeffy luck. Now he should call up that Mac magazine boss he once had and yell, "And who's LAUGHING NOW????" :)

If Ziff is smart, they're doing something similar to CGM/CGO. Share the editorial across the two mediums. I think you reach two different audiences in a lot of cases there anyway. The CGM/CGO content crossover makes great fiscal sense.

--Dave

Confucious say, never begin sentence with "If X is smart..." because so often it not be true. :)

If Majestic truly customizes its games to the player, it would be neat if it played off Jeff G's paranoia as new EIC. Well I'm sure he's not paranoid now. But a few mysterious phone calls could fix that...

Jeff: *answering phone* "The big new EIC here!"
Mystery Man: "Psssttt...Jeff...your head's on the chopping block."
Jeff: "WHAT?"
Mystery Man: "The men in black... they've been having meetings about you... you know too much."
Jeff: "Corporate's having meetings about me already? But I just started!"
Mystery Man: "They've got a file on you. They got the goods. Capiche?"
Jeff: "A FILE? ... Hey, waitamminit. Is this Majestic?"
Mystery Man: "Dunno. Listen, I can't talk long. I think the phone's tapped."

Don't look at George's promotion as the "boot upstairs to get rid of him." That's not what it was at all. He actually coulda stayed as CGW EIC if he really wanted to--but this was a cool opportunity.

Basically, Ziff Davis Media is relaunching its entire web presence, now that we are (finally) divorced from ZDNet. This means that for the first time in forever, the magazines are in charge of their own web content. For CGW, this means we at last get our own website and do not have to rely on Gamespot, thank god, any more. All the mags, from PC Magazine down, get their URLs back and all their content back. ( For those who didn't know--ZDnet and Gamespot have had full rights to all CGW's content for years now.)

So George is in charge of relaunching all the Ziff gaming mags' web sites--CGW, EGM, OPM, Expert Gamer...it's a good gig, and he'll be working closely w/all the EICs. Will there be freelance opportunities? Dunno. Email George. :)

Oh and don't worry--I'm plenty paranoid about being EIC, Geo. I keep wondering when the hell they're gonna realize what a mistake they made. :)

Hey Jeff... you guys really need to add a contact page to the CGW site right now :) I wanted to give George a shout, but I don't have his email :)

Corporate: "You're our man, Jeff."
Jeff: "Surely, you can't be serious!"
Corporate: "Of course we are, and stop calling us Shirley."
Jeff: "Wow!"
Corporate: "Good luck. We're counting on you." [as Leslie Nielsen said in Airplane]. :)

Geo, you should start writing movie scripts. You've already mastered dialogue. heh

George's email is [email protected].

Okay--it's 12:20 on Sunday afternoon and I'm still behind this f***ing computer. Hello! Time to live a little! (just kidding)

Gracias Jeff. Man, I've been sitting behind this stupid thing for 5 days, pretty much 16 hours a day. Doing what? Absolutely nothing - playing Sissyfight (sissyfight.com), drawing, and listening to music. I need a freaking job to keep me busy heh.

Majestic doesn't interest me much largely because I don't play adventure games :-). The annoyance factor of the game is only salt in the wound....

The "annoyance" factor is what the game is. That's what it's about. Those who sign up for the game are saying: "Yes, please contact me because I want to participate in this kind of mystery game." If you're not into that idea, then yeah, there's no way you should play it. But anyone who would think of getting the game and then worry about being "annoyed" is pretty much missing the whole point.

Jeff, I would agree with you there. I don't think anyone is saying the game is "wrong" per se, just that it doesn't appeal to them. I'm sure there are plenty of folks who want to be drawn into a faux conspiracy.

Then again, when one says "The 'annoyance' factor is what the game is," one has said quite a bit :-). Enough to convince me even more to stay far, far away....

Thing is, I like to control my gaming. I want to sit down and play something when I have time and feel like it. Majestic and editors want to make me play when they feel like it.

From what Jeff says, it sounds more like "scheduled" game time since you can set what hours you'll be "gaming" with Majestic. I have to say that the idea is hellishly intriguing and something I'd like to try given the time to do so. Unfortunately, with my wife and two kids I doubt I could schedule the time properly to play it. Unless someone wants me to review it, then I've got an excuse. ;)

It does sound like they're doing what they can to keep it from being too intrusive if you prefer it not to be. I also applaud them for the attempt at something new. However, privacy concerns being what they are in today's Internet world (read that overly exagerrated), this also sounds like a damn tough sell.

--Dave

"Majestic and editors want to make me play when they feel like it. "

Mark--no this really isn't right. I played the entire first episode and I played it when I wanted to. Because you have to be logged in, and you have to act (solve puzzles) to trigger the next events. The game state essentially pauses while you are not there. So if you are at a part of the game where you are going to receive Instant Messages, for example, you are not gonna get those messages unless you are also logged into Majestic itself--in other words, not until you've LOADED THE GAME--which, obviously, is going to be when you want to play. And with things like phone calls--yeah, you can schedule them for certain times or not at all. I got one phone call in the first episode, and honestly, it was pretty silly. I'd think you can pretty much toggle that option off and not miss much from the experience.

I think it's a very cool concept that they are executing, so far, in a thoughtful way. It's totally understandable why there'd be hesitancy towards getting mixed up in something like this, but really, it's more "normal" than you might think, in that you only really play it when you want to. This concept is definitely not getting across so far--and they should prolly do something to fix that (other than to have editors like me shilling for it :) )

"This concept is definitely not getting across so far--and they should prolly do something to fix that (other than to have editors like me shilling for it :) )"

Heh -- well, when the developers talk about it they love to talk about how it will email you, instant message you, fax you, and so on. It's their fault.

I'm enough of a conspiracy theory fan to try it.