COMPARISON: The Binding of Isaac 3DS Release Blocked (Article Comparison #2)

Article 1
"The Binding of Isaac 3DS Release Blocked"
February 28, 2012
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/29416

Article 2
"Binding of Isaac creator: Nintendo rejection shows internal divisions over company's image"
March 6, 2012
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2012/03/binding-of-isaac-creator-nintendo-rejection-shows-internal-divisions-over-companys-image.ars

Article 3
"Video games are a good fit for theological exploration"
March 6, 2012
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/technology/general/view.bg?articleid=1408704&srvc=business&position=recent


Notes

• All articles are about game company Nintendo deciding not to carry a popular game in its line-up due to concerns about its religious content..
• Article 1 was posted a full week before the other two, but is by far the shortest of the three with just two paragraphs. There is nothing visually separating the article from the comments below it, as is prolific in many other similar sites, and it seems to be geared to drive discussion about the news about the title not being carried, with the article being more of a talking piece to inspire talk than to be enjoyed on its own merits.
• Article one shows its source prominently at the top of the page, right under the title, author and date posting. The other sites don't have this level of source verification. I suspect that the site behind the first article "Nintendo World Report" strives to be the first source for news aggregation, and as the first place people are likely to hear about something, they have to prove where they got them from. this also implies that either they don't hold any real influential clout, or they know they have a very cynical audience, as their "word" isn't anticipated to be taken at face value.
• The second article by Ars Technica goes the most in depth in giving a fully-fleshed-out version of the story that may be closest to the complete retelling of the events that we are likely to hear. It is the only article to highlight the fact that there was inner turmoil from within the Nintendo camp about the possible inclusion of the Binding of Issac title and paints a picture of a company struggling with its family-friendly persona and trying to head in a new direction, but being hindered by its own brand. Of all the articles, it is the most sympathetic to Nintendo, further exemplified by being the only article to point out that the Issac creator himself commented that sales of the game on Steam, a digital game selling platform, has tripled since Nintendo's decision to not carry Issac. This may be due to all the press garnered by the events that have transpired.
• The third article on the Boston Herald's website seems to use the news as the center-piece in an persuasive argument for the use of games as a platform for furthering theological ideas. At the onset, a very sympathetic picture is painted about the game before the news itself is even presented. This may be to solidify an emotional bond between the reader and the game that later serves as a bridge over which the ideas presented in the article are carried on. The content is heavily framed here and is further evidenced by the use of quotes from an editor who just happens to also be a theologian who is unrelated to the news in question, but is used by the author to build his own argument. At the end of the article, the words "news and opinion column" are used concerning the article and helps remove liability from the paper itself and frame the piece as an editorial more than a news item.