History of Game Console Prices

Curmudgeon Gamer has a fairly comprehensive set of graphs comparing the prices of the major game consoles of the last two decades. The author provides no analysis of the data, but it is easy to draw quite a few conclusions from the graphs. In terms of absolute dollars, game console prices have actually remained relatively stable, with the exception of a few anomalies such as the NeoGeo and the PlayStation 3. In relative dollars (adjusted for inflation), we see that console prices have in general been declining. Of particular note, Nintendo's consoles seem to drop in price with each successive generation. The comments on the article tend to focus negatively on factors that the graphs don't account for such as reductions in manufacturing and materials costs, but taken at face value they contain a lot of useful information nonetheless. At the very least they put the current console pricing hoopla into perspective.

Christ has returned to Nintendo

HIT that See it in HI Rez button One thing i have learned from Steven Chow is that there is a thing called Kung-Fu. Its embraced by all people and is the oldest language in the world. It is action in motion. Some see it as violence. But at its base form its sparing. Its you vs. another(s) to see whos top dog. In Nerdom this "kung fu" language lives in Counterstrike, Halo, Goldeneye, and Mario Kart. But those only have a tentitive hold on your kung fu heart while as Smash Brothers rings true eternaly. Smash Brothers is action 4 player pornographic, vomit laden, balls out action. Its the ADD masterpiece of mashing franchises together in eclectic chaos. Few games demand the winner to grandstand in foolish ways and the losers to enjoy every minute of it. This IS Smash Brothers Brawl.

Grrl Gamer.com, the first to get girl-lead scoop for FFXIII...

Or they would have, if their blog was up to date. Sorry Grrl Gamer.com, I'm not interested in winning a pink Gameboy sp...But I am interested in this. Looks like Kyle beat me to the scoop, but the good folks over at IGN.com have given us pics and video of this great looking new title. Or should I say, three new titles. Apparently Square-enix's big plan is to have two PS3 titles and one cellphone title. The project is being call Fabula Nova Crystallis and according to the article "They all take place in the same universe, but aren't related to each other directly."

Revolutionary PS3 Controller Not Very Exciting

At E3, Sony has introduced what it is coining its new "4D" controller for the PS3. In addition to functioning just like a PS2 controller (minus vibration), the controller can be tilted to put movement into the game...albeit very little. This, of course, is in stark contrast to the Wii's controller, which is much more responsive and offers more than slight tilt capabilities. This makes one wonder if this new PS3 controller capability (which is only going to be supported by ONE game) is nothing more than just a way to say "See, we're innovative, just like Nintendo." An article on Twitch Guru had this comment to make about the new controller. The contest for leadership in next-generation consoles will be boiling down very quickly to the question of whether resolution or character adds the most value to content. Would a customer rather spend what we estimate to be a few hundred dollars more (Wii's price has yet to be revealed) for 1080p resolution - assuming they have 1080p HDTV displays - or save the money and get what will probably be recorded in history as the much cooler controller? At this stage of the game, Sony's 4D gamble is beginning to look like an afterthought. So we must ask ourselves this question: is Sony starting to panic after seeing what the Wii is capable of? Or are they simply trying to sway a few more people over to their side? Or perhaps they really added this feature without copying anyone, and believe that this feature will allow players to become fully immersed in their games.......ok, not likely. However, this shows that the video game battle is really starting to heat up.

Final Fantasy XIII

eToyChest has reported that Square-Enix and Sony have announced Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3. My first reaction was so what, another Final Fantasy but this one looks amazing. It's being created by the same guy who did VIII and X. And is titled the most "technologically advanced" Final Fantasy world yet, and the play seems to revolve around this one gun-blade (FFVIII anyone?) wielding young lady. Who is badass in her own rights, going one man army style on them. Final Fantasy is one player, so why not focus on one character. The gameplay movie was crazy detailed, and during the battle sequences (atleast the way the video was edited) they had crazy camera angles during the battles. I tried to post a picture of Final Fantasy XIII but blogger was having some issues over here at 2 east 8th. So hopefully I'll post a big picture later. Untill then go here to see the trailer!

Classic Wii Controller

Kotaku posts a pic of another Wii controller (yes, I said WII, because it's fun). This controller resembles the classic SNES controller, except that it has as many inputs as the Sony controller, making this ideal for playing the large library of classic games that you get with the WII. WII. WII. The release of the controller also lets developers release games that are not dependent on the Wii remote, seeing as that one lacks buttons in place of interaction. More exciting material from Kotaku Shows off the use of the standard Wii controller when used for Zelda Twilight Princess. This game seems really promising, and the use of the "nunchucks" seems as intuitive as the presenter claims. Honestly, the reality of the Wii seems more and more impressive.

E3 is here and so are Wii

I'm suprised there's not more E3 news posted up here yet, but since there isn't I'll take advantage of it. Yesterday Nintendo's conference was shown and if you ask me it was mighty impressive. To start it off Shigeru Miyamoto came out with his Wii controller directing a full orchestra and they went on to show off such games as Zelda: Twilight Princess, Red Steel, Metroid, Warioware, Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Sports, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Sonic, Fire Emblem and even Dragon Quest. Pretty Impressive. On top of that such games as Final Fantasy III, Starfox, Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Mario 3 on 3, and Big Brain Academy were showcased for the DS. Sadly we didn't get an official price or release date for the Wii. If you ask me with Sony's $500-600 price and umm, well, Microsoft, Nintendo may do a little better than was expected....and by a little I mean a lot.

PS3 Announcement at E3

Sony officially announced at E3 last night that the PS3 will be released on November 17, and will retail for $499 for the 20GB hard drive version, and $599 for the 60GB hard drive version. In an apparent attempt to one-up Nintendo, Sony also introduced their new controller, which looks just like the PS2 controller, but is 20% lighter, uses a wireless bluetooth connection, and features a motion-sensitive gyroscoping feature similar to Nintendo's controller for the Wii. Unfortunately, with one a single game in development to utilize the gyroscope feature, it is debatable whether or not this feature will actually be useful.

Super Columbine Massacre RPG

Yes that is right, Super Columbine Massacre RPG. Somone with the balls made it. I was reading over a couple of sites and came across this. It is a fairly new game that has the events that happend at the Columbine school made into an RPG. It is taken from the view of the two killers, Eric and Dylan. The Game has a "vintage" feel to the game like a game on the Super Nintendo. Like I said above the game is played through the view of the two kilers. I however did not play the game or know how it works. I thought the idea of the game was just somone who wanted to make a game pure out of it offending poeple, there is going to be a lot of people offened. Here is the Link to where I read the article. http://www.watercoolergames.org/archives/000551.shtml#more Here is the Link to the game website. http://www.columbinegame.com/

College dept paid off... with virtual dollars?

Yup, you betcha. The overall idea is that a guy with a $4,000 real-life money dept via college funds is simply asking for an unsecured loan in the virtual world of Second Life. This request started in February, and is now actually dept free. As far as the real life goes, however, not so much in the game of Second Life... he still owes all the people the SL money. But hey, at least he didn't have to pay interest. I consider it almost astounding that people, some complete strangers were able to trust somebody they didn't even know with money that apparently can be very real. Especially with sites that are dedicated to transfering money betweel real life and 'second life' currencies. It will indeed be interesting to see where a virtual world like Second Life also pushes its limits.

Border Patrol

Border Patrol, a Flash game where players shoot Mexican illegal immigrants, has been around for a few days now. Almost every site that links to it accuses it of racist, which may not be my adjective of choice for a game where you have to shoot what the game calls "breeders" (pregnant Mexican women running along their small children). CBS claims that nobody claims authorship for this game. Here's a link to the game. Border Patrol I thought this was an appropriate post, since last class we were talking about game don't really try to do anything. I find it really funny though that the author of this game is anonymous. I also wonder why it is so easy for people to make offensive games on the internet, but they won't these types of games for the platform? I'm not saying that this was a good idea, because it's definitely offensive. It goes back to the whole sense of identity thing that we've reading. I guess it's just easier to be jerk when you're anonymous and you don't have to face the consequences of your actions.

Mobile RPG

Everyone is on their cell phones. Downloading ring tones, playing tetris, listening to music, checking email. Why not bring more developed games to the phones. Not all of us have handheld video game players. So lets put the games on the phones. Well thats what EA has decided to do. EA is creating a RPG for phones. It will use the Doom Graphics engine and will bring the world of gaming to more players. Where is this going to lead us. Possibly massively multiplayer games on the phones? I'm sure that next, we'll read next week. Blizzard annouces mobile WoW for cell phones, runs on windows mobile. You used to have to stop playing for a few hours while at your Grandma's. Not anymore play everywhere you go! Maybe I should patent this idea.... Do we really need more games on our phones? I mean it will have a wide market but sometimes people just might need a break. "Teen dies playing RPG on cell phone while driving". Is that next in the headlines?

Kingdom Of Heart 2

So I know I'm a total sap, but I just finished Kingdom Hearts II and have to admit that I leaked a few tears at the end. What I can't figure out is why... Well this is the first time i hear some cry at the ending of kingdom heart 2.All have to say is suck it it just game don't take it so serious.

DS users cheating in classrooms?

eToychest has posted about Kotaku (another blog site) that gave the heads up on a new craze of DS users in school using PictoChat (built in chat feature for the DS) to cheat on tests. How delicious, sitting in class an using a videogame console to cheat on my test. Nevermind the fact that in high school I think billy staring at his crotch is quite noticable and the DS will get attention if you place it on your desk. But which ever, the oppurtunity is out there, and I encourage (High School) students to go out and exploit this! Do it! This is no different than students text messaging during exams, so I suppose the rule leave all electronic devices excluding calculators at the door will apply to tests. Until Texas Instruments gives the graphing calculator WiFi ability for some unknown reason. No Good, Bad and Ugly today, maybe next week during E3. Edit: Haha, well considering Sean and I just posted the same thing within moment of each other, allow me to take the time then to post about Rayman 4, which will be debuting on the Nintendo Wii. The game has a new title of Rayman Raving Rabbits, in which the great limbless hero Rayman returns when his world is being threatened by being over run by crazed rabbits (yeah...). Michel Ancel (Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil, King Kong) returns to lead the design of this game, and plans to have it utilized the Revolution Wii's remote to the fullest. You'll be able to control Rayman and the magical creatures that aid you in ridding the threat of the rabbits by moving the controller in uniques ways, that offer a completely different experience from anything you've ever played before. Michel Ancel is one of many developers excited about developing for the Wii because of it's unique control functions. Look forward to hearing more about Rayman Raving Rabbits in the upcoming E3 coverage.

A gaming world and its market.

Gaming has increased to new heights. When the orginal Nintendo and Sega came out did any one think they would be on the top of the market right now? Gaming is now being used by schools as a learning tool, of course to a certain exctent. But a whole new generation of gaming is reaching out there. With more and more statstics being made each year people that hate video games whether for the violence or simply enough the fear of new and popular things. Developers and gaming industry seem to be on the top of its well...... game. As long as games to sell, and gaming industry rises it will almost be impossible to shut down the market. Even gaming industry stocks are rising each year. Whether it is because EA buys out everything or simply because the demand for video games is so high. It is uncertain where video games will be at in the next 10 years, but whatever comes to our imagination won't seem to far fetched.

DS Cheating

Over at Kotaku, dishonesty runs rampant as a user fesses up with :"we all managed to bring our DSes on the same day and then i personally had mine in my lap and when i got 10 awnsers i would type 1-10 on the number pad then write a,b,c,d,e,f or g under it." Now teachers have a new foe to watch out for:"about half of my teachers do like the DS tho, and have caught me cheating on it. They just havent relized what i was doing and would ask why i was playing game boy in the middle of class." The cellphone is no longer the only cheating boon of lamers. I'm actually suprised that this hasn't occured sooner, or rather immediately. Teachers need to be more tech savvy and realize (with paranoia) that EVERYTHING is wireless nowadays. I've even seen some website for a pen that can record what you write, and can play games and other crap.

Someday we might be looking through ancient records of...video games?

Today Slashdot had an short blurb about what the Library of Congress is starting to do. They're going to archive video games!. They say here, "We are faced with the potential disappearance of our cultural heritage if we don't act soon and act together to preserve digital materials... We have learned from our experience that long-term preservation of digital content is dependent on influencing decisions of content providers from the moment of creation." So who knows, maybe in a hundred years we'll have people sifting through hundred of "ancient" games...Morrowing, Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, oh here we go, Final Fantasy VII! Now I can complete my book on the stone age of gaming!

WOW had a small updated runs better on macs now

WOW got updated this week to fix some crap they didnt even tell us broke. They fixed up our weather problems and a few game mechanic issues. Now with less nerf! Oh btw Druids get innervate? Hurray!

New games

As you well know that if someone wants to make money off something elses success then make a video game of it. Well right now we have 3 of this type coming out, The Da Vinci Code, Xmen 3 as im sure everyone knew about that one, and Mission impossible 3. Each promising to stay close or fill in the blanks at certain parts of the movies.

Tragic entertainment

Unfortunately, I still have not found much to share from my beat. Unfortunately, most of the posts seem to be a re-cap of an on-going soap series. I think that you need to be an “SLer” to really appreciate it. However, I have read post after post and my reactions have varied from laughter to sadness. In my last post on this beat, I talked about how politics were played in the SL world. It is interesting to note and read about the protest that was held in protest of the pro-amnesty marches held over the past few weeks in that virtual world. I find some of the ideas and images humorous. It is hard to tell when those involved are being serious. On the other side, I was disturbed by the fact that Second Life has a Darfur. Evidently, activists built an information site in the virtual world. It includes a refugee camp with a small fire. Shortly after being built, the site was attacked and leveled by griefers. It was rebuilt and it is now being guarded by a group of superheroes. I appreciate the efforts of those who want to inform the world of the on-going tragedy, but for me this mixing of real world tragedy and entertainment is really eerie!

GPU-Accelerated Rendering

Nvidia has released a free piece of software that will allow the GPU on certain Nvidia video cards to acts as a secondary mathematical coprocessor in order to speed up renderings. The software will work on GeForce 5200 cards and higher as well as Quadro FX workstation cards. An article on Tom's Hardware states: In previous demos of an earlier version of the Gelato software, Nvidia executives showed TG Daily near real-time rendering of frames. This software could greatly reduce the cost and time for large renderings of 3D scenes in 3ds Max or Maya. While not as good as the dedicated mathematical coprocessor we have talked about before, this software could nevertheless likely be applied to games as well, especially in SLI solutions, if one card were to act soley as a mathematical processor. I believe we'll see much more innovation like this in computer systems as bus speeds and processors are pushed to their limits.

Video Game Voters Network

I don't know if I should be impressed and proud, but I find myself more than a little horrified at the prospect of the Video Game Voters Network. I suppose it is to magnify and organize the video game community in order to protect the rights of artistic and creative freedom by preventing censorship. The sickingly designed site even has a link to a letter by Will Wright urging people to join the network. The problem I have is for one thing, it isn't really necessary. If you want strength for protection from censorship then form a union for the designers of the game itself. Also, the site says that politicians like Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh are attempting to prevent the sale of violent games to minors and other preventative measures must be stopped as well! Why? I hate to break it to the "Video Game Voters Network" but that isn't censorship, that is stricter enforcement of an already established law. If the politicians were to get involved in the design process itself, then it would be censorship. And why is Will Wright attaching his name to a paper tiger that can't even compose a visually pleasing website? He either has other invested interests or (gasp) he isn't nearly as brilliant as a lot of people give him credit.

Silent Hill: Critics Chant

Ray Bennet of The Hollywood Reporter - “Witless, soulless and joyless” “displays its video game origins throughout.” Nathan Lee of the New York - “wraps up like the outrageously overwrought fantasy of a French movie nerd obsessed with horror (the director Christophe Gans) who has been given obscene amounts of money to adapt a video game. Which is, in fact, exactly what it is.” Presently, Metacritic ranks the film an underachieving 31% rating. I haven't seen the film yet, but i do know in the past, game-to-movie adaptations were generally looked at as cheap cash-ins aimed at a broad, general audience. Gamers were pretty much guaranteed to attend and depending on promotional buzz, curious social moviegoers bought tickets to see what all the hype was about. People were entertained while some were not, but at the end of the day, everyone left the theater unchanged: gamers were still gamers, non-gamers were still non-gamers. "Silent Hill has taken over the number one spot for box office returns in its opening weekend, and most websites’ user review ratings put it far above the critics’ take on things. Even if the film is not exceptionally profitable, it appears to be shaping up to be a minor mainstream hit and a successful return for its investors. More importantly, though, it represents a significant step forward in the cross pollination of both film-to-game and game-to-film adaptations, as well as the public face of the videogame medium."

Guitar Hero II

The makers of Guitar Hero are offering an opprotunity to independant musicians to submit their original songs and possibly have them featured on the sequal to Guitar Hero. The game is scheduled to be released on November of 2006. Heres the grand prize to the winner of the competition who they choose to be the next guitar hero. The grand prize winner will have their song featured in the top-secret track list for “Guitar Hero II” and is eligible for additional publicity through game launch promotions. Graveyard BBQ, the winner of the first “Be a Guitar Hero” competition, will rock live at the RedOctane booth (Kentia Hall #6521) during the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles next month. Their song “Cheat on the Church” is featured as an unlock song in “Guitar Hero”, currently on retail shelves nationwide. Apparently the game has a large following and has inspired many wannabe rockstars. Im sure they will get a large turnout for this little competition which will be a good form of advertisement for their new game.

Don't get it? Wii do!

I found two slightly humerous things on my blog this week, the first of which was a few comments about the new name of the Revolution, one which I'm personally having trouble coming around to. I have my fingers crossed that E3 will reveal its still the revolution. I've heard some good points as to why the name has been changed, and thought about how stupid some other console names are that have ended up being just fine, but I just can't get used to "Wii" yet. Meh. Here's a few jokes my blog made about the name. Fans Go “Whee!” For Wii Nintendo Upgrades Wii-fi Connection Nintendo Weens Gamers off Traditional Controllers Nintendo Wiins! Nintendo Wiipes Up Nintendo Whiips The Competition Nintendo Wiis on Competition Nintendo Wii Gets More Wee (For the inevitable redesign) Competitors Cry Wii-wii-wii all the way home Second off, he mentions coming across a Wikipedia article titled "List of video games considered the worst ever." Hearing about something like this was of course something I couldn't just leave be. So, I went to check it out for myself. It turned out to be quite a bit more than I thought it was going to be, I went there expecting a tiny list of 20 games or so, but instead I found all the things that make games bad, along with a fairly large list and short descriptions for each game. If you want to check it out for yourself go for it it was kinda fun. I don't know if this kid is really qualified to judge the worst games ever, but hey, who is?

Angry Gamer

This was a great blog. It talks about kids getting mad while they play games and doing things such as: - Screaming on XBox Live - Bashing the keyboard like an ape would the ground. - Sweedish gamer takes it out on the monitor. - Getting angry (and freaked out) because of someone else - while playing games. I know games are supposed to be fun but I have experienced alot of frustration while playing games. It comes from an intense urge to win and putting urself in a place where you are in the game and you just can't lose. Games need to have a certain level of difficulty or they would be too easy to play and too easy to win. And also, people need to learn life and know that they cant always win but if they try then they can suceed but not always on the first try. I think it also depends on the personality of the player. I get mad easily at games because I may take it too seriously. But also I think that frustrating games can and will bring out the ANGRY side of people. So I will lastly add that if you are angry dont break the game or your expensive console just go run around and scream at trees. That will help! :)

GS Beat

Gamespot Beat Soon, John Carmack of Id games and a mobile gaming developer are going to conjure up some orcs and elves for the masses. This doesn’t really come as a surprise since mobile gaming is apparently becoming a much bigger business, but the move of such a big guy to such a small scale is what strikes me as odd. I’ve never played mobile games myself. Partly because I have never owned a cell phone that could play them, but then again I’m completely happy with a phone that does what its supposed to do (make phone calls), so I’m curious how big the market really is. I can see piddling with a game on a train or riding with someone else who is driving, but I cannot see getting all excited to get out of class rush to the Verizon download store on your phone and getting a game you have been dying to try, the scope of that isn’t apparent to me. Although I could be wrong and there could be people like this, I wonder how valid or even how long these games are that high name people and companies are developing. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6148693.html

Sequels

So anyway, it would seem that there's going to be a Virtua Tennis 3... I wasn't aware that there was a 1 or a 2. Also, a new Monkey Ball game is in development, which, if I had ever played one, I'm sure I'd be excited to hear it. A third sequel that Idle Thumbs has a little on is a sequel to Lumines for the PSP. I don't have a PSP, nor have I ever played Lumines, but I've heard only good things. I guess there are a bunch of excited people out there about all that and maybe I'll play some of the previous games and get excited with them.

Boy makes Cancer Game

Ben Duskin, a nine-year old, boy has created a video game showing the effects of leukemia on the body as well as emotional and medicinal effects. He made his request through Make a Wish foundation and was almost disappointed as video games can take time creating as well as money. The head of office, Patricia Wilson, stated, ""Some people almost laughed when I presented the request," she told the BBC programme Go Digital, "just saying do you understand what you're asking for? This is not possible, this is millions of dollars. This will take several years in the development." Fortunately for Ben, Eric Johnston of LucasArts stepped forward to make it happen. The game has been downloaded 35,000 times and can be played/downloaded at www.makewish.org/ben *Sorry for double post, tried to delete it but it doesn't seem to be coming down

They're Everywhere! -Halo Grunt

While we strapping young men still outnumber women in terms of how many of us play games, in the 25-34 age bracket it would seem that is not the case. Due to rampant increase of interest in casual games for both sexes, there are now more women of that age range than men that play games. Now, obviously, the majority of these women aren't hosting halo tournaments, or doing anything we would call real gaming, but this study included such hardcore gaming entries as Tetris, myriad card games, and the sort of games you find on internet gaming sites like Pogo.com and their ilk. Don't take this to mean that 1) I don't consider those games and 2) I don't think women play mainstream console or pc games. However, if these casual games had been excluded from the study, the male participating population would still have been exceedingly dominant. So the question is, how do we as game developers generate the female interest in the games that we make? There are far more casual gamers than us hardcore gamers, yet the industry still caters overwhelmingly to us. Since the majority of the female gaming population seems to be part of the casual gamer crowd, perhaps we can either start making casual games too, or find a way to make our less casual games more attractive. Or a third option would be to continue making our mainstream games but remake the mold on how games are constructed so that a casual gamer can enjoy them as much as a harcore gamer can. To do this, I believe games need to include things like being able to save everywhere, and abundant single player content across the board would make a casual gamer less intimidated by the games that we play. Think it over. Later

The REVOLUTION In User Interactivity

Despite rumblings in the gaming underworld, the Wii (formerly Revolution) firmly holds its own when it comes to respectability and innovation. Those of us that own any piece of "next-gen" hardware can attest to the fact that even though these new fandango graphics seem to draw us closer to the metaphorical flame, we are left in shock; simply playing recycled titles over and over again. Hate it or love it, Nintendo always had the cutting edge when it comes to taking risks and thinking outside of the box. Granted, huge risks can be dangerous; but huge risks often lead to huge rewards. In this case, the reward has been consistent loyalty to the brand. This leads to the idea behind a peculiar control scheme, still in development at Nintendo. Schappert mentions that the Nunchuku controller, like the popular Revmote Wiimote handset also has an acceleromator in it - meaning that the "juke" moves performed in Madden will be mapped to the Nunchuku and moving that controller will also move your character. --This refers to the new Madden, planning on being released on the Ninetendo Wii. This new type of controller, dubbed the "Nunchuku controller" will grant users a much more responsive experience to playing games. Imagine the possibilities of utilizing a control such as this; it would introduce new people to gaming, as well as breathe new life into an otherwise stale "catch as catch can" industry.

And the new nintendo system went Wii, Wii, Wii all the way home

So as I am sure everyone knows the name of the Nintendo's new system is Wii. All I can say is way to go Nintendo, way to go. You have everything in place to really shake things up and rattle a few cages, but you went and blew it with the name. Maybe I'm wrong and it will caputre a more casual gamer, but if they think it's stupid then it's game over. Sure, I'll be in line to get one but I will never like the name.

Bring out the Legislation

Three states, Michigan, Illinois, and California, have recently passed laws establishing penalties for selling violent games to minors. While the Michigan and Illinois laws will not come into play until the end of the year, California has started their inforcement. This push by California was brought on by GTA San Andreas. In a touching tribute to the cult classic Pulp Fiction, GTA put a suit in the game that resembles "The Gimp," a minor charactor from the movie. Because this charactor was a sex slave in the film, the game felt that it would make the suit part of the sex slave mission. Combined with the dildo, a weopen in the game, this suit managed to disturbe California's legal repersanitives into forcing the bill through. The problem with these new laws is the are unclear. What they are saying is that the retailer must decide what is to violent for children. The laws are very unclear and force game sellers to determin what is OK for kids. I think this is unfair. I say, "Bring out the Gimp."

Halo 3 Footage to Be Shown at E3

One of the biggest video game franchises in the past decade is about to debut it's third installment. In just a few short weeks we will get our very first glimpse of Halo 3. The game is set to shown at E3, one of the biggest gaming conventions of the year. Because of it's huge success on the Xbox, there has been much speculation about Halo 3 despite it not even being an officially announced title up until just recently. A specific release date is still yet unkown, but it will most likely see a 2007 release date on the Xbox 360. The video clip is suppose to run about 2 minutes in length and is specualted to contain all in game footage as is customary with Bungie.

Defending the Wii

Game Girl Advance has posted a positive take on Nintendo's decision to rename the Revolution to Wii and they make some unexpected but excellent points. They discuss the expected points about the name being a viral marketing tool for Nintendo. The controversy it creates is ultimately just free advertising for them. Afterall, most gamers who were planning on buying the system in the first place probably aren't going to change their minds because of this. The gamers who are still on the fence will probably wait until the game announcements at E3 anyway. However, the argument I find most poignant is that: "Furthermore, the name simply distances Wii from the other consoles. Although Sony has a greater vested interest in home entertainment systems - hence the whole Blue-Ray push - Nintendo is doing a better job of making its new system seem like an addition to an entertainment system rather than one of them fangled video games. 'Wii' isn't a cool name. It's not as hip to skateboarder as 'Xbox 360.' It's not as brand-loyal as 'PlayStation 3.' In fact, 'Wii' as a name distances the console from both Nintendo itself and the competition. As Chris Kohler points out, if you ever listen to non-gamers refer to game systems, they often use brand names in reference to all systems. My Mom, for example, still calls all game systems "Nintendo." I've heard non-gamers enter stores and ask to buy games for the 'PlayStation, the Microsoft one.' This isn't particularly ignorance, but just brand-identification. However, with such an outrageous and stupid-sounding name like 'Wii,' I don't imagine that being a huge problem for Nintendo." Nintendo's target market for the Wii has arguably been the casual gamer all along. To me that seems to be the whole impetus behind trying to design a naturally intuitive control device. If you look at it this way, distancing themselves from the other consoles seems like a brilliant strategy for reaching their target audience. When you think about it, the name Xbox 360 does seem a little too hip for the casual audience which in a way could almost work against them if they want it to be perceived as an entertainment hub (which I would argue they do). Likewise one could argue that Sony's decision to name their console Playstation 3 could scare off casual gamers unfamiliar with previous consoles. While ultimately the games available for each console will determine their acceptance among casual gamers, Nintendo definitely seems to have a leg up in this regard. For further discussion I recommend Chris Kohler's take on the subject over at Game|Life. However, just for the record, I still think it's a stupid name. Discuss.

Command & Conquer 3 Announced

EA announced that it has begun development on a new game in the Command & Conquer series of RTS games. Tentatively titled Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, the game promises to return to the classic roots of the C&C series, marking the first sequel of the "Tiberium" based storyline in seven years. While details are scarce, leaked scans of the June issue of PC Gamer Magazine has shed some minor information on the game's current state and goals. The article claims that the game will mark the return of Kane, the Brotherhood of Nod's evil mastermind, however it is not currently known if he will be played by Joe Kucan (the man who gave the character life). The game will also take place in 2046, roughly a decade after the end of Tiberian Sun. Many classic units and gameplay styles are said to return, including the Mammoth Tank, Orca Aircraft, Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV), and possibly even the sidebar style of control from the previous games. Tiberium Wars is currently slated to see light sometime in 2007.

MMORPGs calm the savage beast

A blog by Edward Castranova states that the social gameplay of MMORPGs may be therapeutic in keeping troubled kids unmotivated towards violence. According to Castranova, kids who feel outcasted or worthless in real life, may receive mentoring and genuine friendship in online communities such as Everquest or World of Warcraft. The rest of the blog is here: http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2006/04/why_do_kids_kil.html#more

Video Games Becoming Mainstream

The blog I read was talking about a TV show that the person was watching in which two of the main characters play as video game designers, something you would have never seen merely ten years ago. He talked specifically about the third episode of the season in which the guy actually goes in front of a bunch of producers and proposes his new idea. He goes on about all these different features the game will have and then mentions how they will have a huge sign at the next E3 and it will "never be the same game twice." What’s more, Brian and Dave don’t represent the nerdy, socially reclusive stereotype of the video game programmer. Game design is shown as a relatively minor part of their standard TV-style fantasy life of (1) having relationships with hot women (2) talking about relationships with hot women and (3) generally managing relationships with hot women. So, its interesting to see how games are moving into main stream tv shows, in my opinion. It's not to often that games don't get shown as "nerdy, socially reclusive" type of people mentioned above. There's no doubt in my mind that games are indeed becoming more mainstream, and theres also no way to avoid it. It's not really a bad thing (yet,) I'll just keep my fingers crossed that games don't loose quality because of this main streamness. I want my games like and Killer 7 and Psychonauts that are creative and don't appear to be worried about not hitting the top of the sales charts (even though there is no doubt that they should have because they were both outstanding games.) So, as long as games aren't hurt by the mainstream population then by all means let them in, if anythings its more people to buy our games when we are out making them...and thats a good thing.

DVD/HD-DVD hybrid

I like consumer friendly articles, so this grabbed my attention. Warner Home Video is shipping Hybrid DVD/HD-DVD titles featuring both 480p DVD content on one side and 1080p HD-DVD data on the other. The only downside at the moment is that there is a $10 markup on the HD-DVD hybrid version compared to the normal DVD. This probably isn't a real issue for the 7 or so wealthy people who puchased the first HD-DVD players. I really hate the whole format wars, but compromises like this make me less depressed about it.

What are you talking about? Girls don't play video games...

While reading grrl gamer, I found an interesting article where the author was proclaiming her frusteration at the gaming industry. The topic in question was Wired magazine and it's biased opinion toward it's reader base. One of the major topics was an interview with Will Wright (the creater of the Sims) and how he made no mention at all that the reason his series became so successful was due to the female gaming population. The author also made mention of how the voice of women were not being represented in the gaming industry and that some of the articles that did make mention of the female gamer were such topics as cyber sex and USB prehensibles that can contect dildos to a computer, the new way for a woman to pass the time with teledildonics.

EA Engineers Settlement Check 14.9 Mil

EA Engineers won a settlement over unpaid overtime. I went to some event with a speaker from EA that came to Columbia to recruit graduates and students interested in internships. He came in the fall semester and the question was asked, "I have heard rumors that work hours at EA are long and brutal...is this true?" An article in Game Informer went on to say, also about EA, that at "crunch-time," or the time when a game is to be completed, the workers are expected to work over-time from 50-70+ hour weeks. The speaker however said, that workers do not HAVE to work over-time, but put it upon themselves. EA's normal work hours are average. People should come in around 8 or 9, but workers tend to stroll in at about 10, play games for a few hours, then go to lunch, and THEN maybe do some work. By the time the games are to be completed, they are rushing to get things done. This sounds sketchy don't you think? Looks like this EA rep was trying to make it look like it was the employee's fault and not the company's. Courts did't think so. The 14.9 million dollar settlement will go to programmers at various levels who worked at EA between February 14th, 2001 and February 14, 2006. Along with this settlement, changes were made so that various job positions held could claim overtime, and major deadlines were moved from Mondays to Fridays to encourage a regular five day working week.

Let Live Decide

My blog has been killing me softly with no real content to blog about, but I do have the NBA Live 06' simulated results of the NBA Finals already in. In the East, LeBron showed up pretty big against the Pistons, but Chauncey decided to take matters into his own hands, leading the Pistons past the Cavs in seven games. Meanwhile, Miami pulled themselves together after a near upset against the Bulls to go to New Jersey and sweep the Nets. Miami was no match for the Pistons, however, getting spanked, blown out and knocked out in five. San Antonio was not playing around, trying for two straight, and ran through the Pistons in only five games to defend their title. Tim Duncan averaged about 17 points and 11 rebounds throughout the playoffs, while Ginobli and Parker both averaged about for 21 ppg. Tony Parker was given Most Valuable Player. We'll see how accurate this prediction was in a few weeks, but I'm pulling for Detroit!

Firmware 2.7

Sony's PSP continues to evolve, this time with the firmware upgrade to version 2.7. Among the features included in this latest firmware upgrade (according to Sony) are Flash 6.0 browser functionality, upgrades to the Location Free player and the ability to stream audio content from RSS feeds. If these work it will please those who haven't hacked their PSPs and make the hackers work even harder.

Our army doesnt want smart Mac users anymore.

The elite artists that use macintosh are no longer on the hitlist of the america's army game clients. Rumsfield admited defeat when he couldnt open a .tiff file he got from a "Butt Frenzy" website. Quote Rumsfeld " These Mac peoples severly encripted and mac formated Butt Frenzy pictures have thwarted me for the last time. To encourage them to think of the army as a viable life choice for beings this powerful would be far too destuctive setting the bar that war is waged on out of the reach of the commen men. This would in turn ruin war forever."

As you that have been keeping up on final fantasy know, and those that just downloaded it. That final fantasy Advent children is now out in america, the good times of final fantasy 7 are back, with two games to follow as im sure the world knows. Another thing that's knew not sure how many of you notice or even pay attention but, Lora Croft is starting to look alot like the actress Angalena Jolie im sure I misspelled that. If you look at the latest game cover for tomb raider legends you might see what I mean. Nothing else really new happen that I found to be to interesting to report on....cya

SGS Feature: 'Breaking the Grip of Dominant Ideas In Games'

In fitting with this weeks reading, this article talks about the opportunities to create "serious" games. Like the Under Ash game, there is potential to create educational games for students that give students insight into another culture that they may not get otherwise. It also fits into employment for battling things like sexual harassment, racism, and team building. This is an untapped market that if you can figure out how to make it work, you'll most likely find yourself gainfully employed. In today's main feature from new Gamasutra sister site Serious Games Source, which deals with games created for training, health, government, military, educational and other uses, Tim Carter, who currently works for the Simulation & Training Lab of the Washington Hospital Center, debuts an editorial piece titled: "Breaking the Grip of Dominant Ideas In Games: What Serious Game Projects Have To Offer Entertainment Game Developers." In his introduction to his article, Carter notes: "Serious game projects give us an opportunity to revitalize the creative dimension of entertainment game design. They give us a chance to break old notions – entrenched in commercial game culture – of what games should be so we may do truly new things. Serious games should be on the drawing board of every major game studio – even if only as prototyping exercises – because they force the flabby functional game design muscles of producers, programmers, artists, playtesters, actual designers, and even the players themselves – used to resting on the laurels of their assumptions of what is fun – to tighten up once more. Beyond the opportunity to provide excellent education and training, they offer us a chance to take entertainment games in new directions, with new topics and new ideas of what fun can be." You can read the full Serious Games Source feature on the subject, including more intriguing opinions from Carter (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites). employment emplacement implement impalement Edit... Revert to "employement" harassment harassment's Rosamond Rosamund Rozamond Edit... Revert to "harrasament"

Games as Political Tools

I have not seen a lot to share on this beat (New World Notes). However, there is a fairly long post on April 10th which relates to what we’ve been covering in class related to “cultural modes”. The article is titles “Building Walls, Building Platforms” and it says A Los Angeles City Council candidate and a US immigrant rights activist test the potential of Second Life to transform real world politics... Apparently, Sarah Newchurch built a 3D wall in SL to keep others out of her neighborhood. She is quoted as saying "in SL we have people from Mexico or USA or anywhere you can imagine all in the same virtual world. The wall therefore is utterly silly, just meaningless." The article announced a virtual protest that was to be held at the 3D wall at 7 pm that night. The article also explained how on the same day a candidate for a seat in Long Beach’s second district planned to make an appearance on SL. The author considers the influence that SL could have on actual politics. Personally, this a bit too much mixing of worlds for me. However, it does go well with what we are looking at right now. Certainly, people could take these opportunities to get a closer look at other points of view. They may hear ideas that affect their look at politics and culture. Of course, most people will only use such vehicles to find ways to reinforce their own points of view. If the ideas expressed and the people viewing them are open-minded, a great deal of understanding could be gained by this new “projection” tool. Unfortunately, it still seems that many people must first learn that when you are playing the role of someone other than yourself, and you leave the “stage”, the character should not stay with you, merely a better understanding of the characters experiences should follow. This is called “empathy”. The alternative is called “schizophrenia”.

Microsoft to acquire video game advertising company?

The Wall Street Journal today reported that Microsoft has plans to purchase the video game advertising company Massive Inc. for between $200 and $400 million dollars. Massive provides in-game advertising to many online games, such as including brand name products as textures inside games. Although either company has yet to confirm this, the results of this buy-out would undoubtedly be far-reaching. We have in the past discussed the prospect of advertisements in video games and the mixed reactions they would surely receive. With the backing of Microsoft, the in-game advertising industry would become legitimate in the eyes of many, and there would surely be a huge rise in the amounts of ads that we see inside games. Of course, one must ask the question: is this the way to keep revenue up for the latest generation games, and will this help keep the cost of games down for us consumers?

Blu-Ray will consume all

So Sony is ready to roll out it's spiritual successor to the betamax soon. Kotaku uses satire to lead us to believe that Sony has forged every Blu-Ray disk is forged from the "gilded skull of a fetus," or something like that. It seems that I am not the only one bitter at the insanity that Sony's business practices are, but forgetting rootkits and the crappiness of UMDs is a pretty hard task. Kotaku links over to 1-up for the initial news of the inevitable throwdown. I wonder if Blu-Ray players costing TWICE as much as HD-DVD players ($1,000 : $499.99) will have an effect on the market? I also wonder if Sony is still unable to make any Blu-Ray discs because of DRM still?

Silent Hill on PSP

Silent Hill has come to the PSP. But it is not the game, it is more of the related materials like comics and music. Im not sure why this is this way but I would not be so impressed by this unless there was some really good music on here. I like the game but I am not to interested in the comics and artwork. And from what I hear the comics are not very user friendly in the sense that they are hard to navigate on the PSP. So they are saying, you dont get the game but if you like comics about the Silent Hill stuff then get it but we arent going to make it easy for you to read. Im really not a fan of "new" things coming out and being a dissapointment to the crowd for whom it is directed to and should be very impressed. From what I hear, this is not the best thing for a Silent Hill fan. Finally, its 20 bux! GEEZ!

It's a revolution in monkeys trapped in balls!

In a recent post on ThumbBandits they covered the recent annoucment from Sega concerning their popular Super Monkey Ball coming to Nintendo's new system. While no screens have been shown this adds to the slow trickle of news concerning the revolution leading up to E3. It's good to see that yet another established franchise is being brought to Nintendo's new machine and shows that developers are getting on board the Nintendo train. That train leads to Amazingtown, where Miaymoto is mayor and all the Mother games have been translated to english.

Lara Croft Final Girl Theory

Clive Thompson makes an interesting argument for the popularity of the Tomb Raider series, by paralleling it to slasher films. The Final Girl theory was postulated by Carol Clover after seeing Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1985. It takes into account the common occurence of women not only becoming the easy victim to the knife-wielding psychopath, but also the fact that it is a woman that more often than not survives to overcome in the end. Of course there is the sexuality factor that the character exudes but there is also an expected fragility which the character shatters. People love underdogs, and not only does Croft fit the underdog role, she breaks the stereotyping role in the process.

Square Enix E3 line-up

This years E3 line-up from Square Enix promises to be a good one. Many games that that have been int he spotlight for awhile will be on display “Square Enix’s E3 line-up is our most diverse ever,” said John Yamamoto, President and CEO, Square Enix Ltd., “We’re evolving and growing. Our goal is to provide the most engaging entertainment experiences. At E3 we hope to give everyone a glimpse into that future.” Here is a list of some of the games: Dawn of Mana Dirge of Cerberus, Final Fantasy 7 Final Fantasy 12 Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria Final Fantasy 11: Treasures of Aht Urhgan Final Fantasy 5 Advanced & Final Fantasy 6 Advanced Children of Mana Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime Final Fantasy 3 Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth I dont know about you guys but to me thats an incredible line-up. It looks like Square Enix is going to have a good year ahead of them.

Blu-Ray Info

Since it could very well be taking the place of DVDs in the not so distant future, and since it is one of the main features on the upcoming PS3, I found this short article about the Blu-Ray technology pretty good. There are a lot of rumors and questions answered in the article that people may or may not have about the Blu-Ray tchnology. It's a short read, but if you are not too familair with the Blu-Ray technology I would definetly recommend looking it over. There is some useful information inside.

Phantasy Star Universe

Apparently the Phantasy Star Franchise is coming to the Xbox 360... I'm sure there are a lot of happy people, but I personally don't like Phantasy Star. I played a few of them. I think they're awful. And I've played Yu-Gi-Oh: Duelists of the Roses. Again, it's news so I'm posting it. If you like Phantasy Star games, good for you...I guess.

Games vs. Art - Does It Matter?

Game Girl Advance has an insightful post on the games as art discussion. Namely, does it matter at all? "What's important isn't if we get old white men saying that "games" are art. What's important is the realization that games effect us as a society. Economically, psychologically, technologically effect us as a society. Games have gender politics. Games have racial issues. Games can cause a Pulitzer-prize winning art critic to debate whether they are "art" or not. Games are a big enough issue that people, pro or con, feel the necessity to talk about them." This is possibly the most intelligent thing I have read in this discussion to date. To me, this quote basically sums up the entire idea behind this class and nicely illustrates why games are important to society. I think before we can settle the games as art question we need to make more people realize that games are important and worth talking about. If we do that I think the question will answer itself.

Viacom Buys Xfire for $102 million

For those who do not know what Xfire is, it is similar to AOL instant messenger, except this program is a instant messenger system for gamers. Viacom announced this Monday that they will buy Xfire for $102 million. As far as Viacom is concerned they want to try and add more staff to the already growing software. Right now xfire is free, and makes money purely on advertising. It is still unsure if Viacom will stick with the advertising, or whether they will have some sort of premium charge. Xfire is a great program for any online gamers. It is a great way to keep in touch with fellow clan members or even friends who play the same games as you. Right now it is currently free and I hope it stays that way.

If anyone cares....revolution launching first next gen dragon ball z title.. i could give two shit less

on april 24th atari announced that Dragon Ball z Tenkaichi 2 is in development for the nintendo revolution. This will the be the first next gen dragon ball z title that is officically in development. Matt collins the director of marketing for atari has made remarks that the innovative controller will make this next gen dragon ball z title even more satisfying then previous installments." The innovative controller featured with Nintendo Revolution is perfectly suited for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, which engages players with fast-paced fighting moves. Gamers will be able to play in a very physical way, mimicking several of the show's most popular character moves and pull off awesome combos and attacks"(staff). apparently you will actually be able to execute infamous dbz moves by moving the revolutions controllers in a specific way. "Using the Nintendo Revolution controller, players will be able to mimic signature moves as they are performed in the Dragon Ball Z animated series, such as Goku's Kamehameha, moving both hands to executive this devastating energy attack," Atari stated.The nintendo revolutions version of Dragon Ball z Tenkaichi 2 is set to hopefully launch this holiday season.

Enter PSP 2.70

That's right boys and girls, the new PSP firmware upgrade is here (hello? hello?). Okay for those of you who aren't using your PSP to play illegal copies of games that do not even belong on the system, or those of you running Ridge Racer off of your Memory stick...well need not apply. But for those of you complaining about the lack of Flash support rejoice! Well not so fast, the new flash support goes only up to 6.0 which most flash site now are up to the 8.0 so certain things work while others will require an upgrade. (Howeva!) The new RSS updates allow you to literally podcast your RSS feeds straight to your PSP, so why stream when you can now save your RSS feeds for you listening on the go outside of the WiFi prison Sony seems intent on keeping your PSP joy in. So while this isn't the v3.00 everyone has been clamoring for, or whispering about it's a step forward. Firmware 2.70 also has more extensive AAC support for those of you out there who use iTunes and still don't have an iPod (looks around). Well it's there if you're protesting the iPod but want a program that sorts your songs better than Sonic Stage and even Windows Media Player, iTunes support for the PSP is in full (on Sony's part). The great news is! That you can now download and play the Loco Roco demo on your 2.70 PSP, however the demo is completely in Japanese but fun as all hell. I've already gotten remarks about, "why isn't this a DS game" or "couldn't this have been on the Nintendo?" The quirky game shows a possible new attitude from Sony to embrace the creative side of the game industry. Kudos Sony for the playable demo(finally booted something under the Game Memory Stick menu option) and the hook up. Hit up: Loco Roco Demo (v2.70 only) Firmware 2.70 PS. To play the demo you'll need to create a folder within the PSP's game folder titled UCJS10041 and put the Loco Roco EBOOT file in there for it to run. Enjoy!

"The revolution is officially over."

"And the Dance Factory is just heating up." So says an ad I spotted in my magazine yesterday. Dance Factory is a rhythm-action PS2 game by Codemasters similar to Dance Dance Revolution. Arrows float up the screen and you have to hit the right steps at the right times on your dance pad. OK!!! We've seen enough DDR rip-offs in our lifetime; what makes this one so special? Once Dance Factory loads into your game system, you can pop in your favorite CD and it will create levels for any song you choose. You can choose from three different difficulty levels, similar to the ones in DDR. In addition, there are several different modes. You can choose to play one song, or dance through the entire album. With a partner you can choose either battle or cooperative mode. Unique to Dance Factory is its discovery of a little "creature" that was really living in your CD all along (nudge, nudge). He dances in the background, and you can earn points to buy him cool accessories. If you'd rather watch yourself in the background, the game is also EyeToy compatible. In fact, with the EyeToy enabled, extra arrows appear that you have to hit with your hands! I always wondered when somebody was going to finally combine the concepts of DDR and ParaPara.... It was supposed to be available this month, but no one seems to know the exact release date, and estimates span from May to September. Since it's already available for preorder on many websites and I've just seen a printed ad for it, let's hope these are signs that we won't have to wait very long to see it.

Controlling games with your brain??

Slashdot Games alerted me to an article by Mercury News about NeuroSky, a device which can monitor the users brainwaves and, depending upon the read out, cause specific things to change in a game. Sensors in the head gear -- whether headbands, headsets or helmets -- measure electrical activity in the brain that scientists have studied for decades. Using NeuroSky's chip technology, the system can distinguish whether a person is calm, stressed, meditative or attentive and alert. Beyond games, the system might be useful for determining whether drivers are so drowsy that they need an alarm to awaken them. I personally think this could be a great new innovation in gaming. At a technology convention I attended last summer, there was a similar device from sweden where two people wore a similar devices and sat at opposite ends of a table with a ball in between. depending on how relaxed you were, the ball would move towards the opponent or towards you, whoever relaxed the most won. Crazy isn't it?

Splinter Cell sucks

"I suppose this is why I prefer Hitman to Splinter Cell as far as what the Western world as to offer the stealth genre. The Hitman games are not graphical powerhouses, but they manage to not look shabby while innovating in non-linear gameplay far beyond what Splinter Cell even tries to achieve. The simulatory aspects of Hitman are robust and, for me, encompass all the tension that Splinter Cell has to offer within a larger framework of persistent, realtime world dynamics. In Blood Money there’s a mission where, in order to assassinate an opera singer onstage during a live performance, you have to wait and snipe him at the *exact* moment he is shot by a fake gun as part of the opera. This is not an event that starts and stops as the result of a cinematic or because you cross some invisible line that triggers it. The mission lasts for the duration of the opera, and the rest is sheer clockwork. To me that’s compelling in ways most stealth games don’t approach, and even if the realtime aspect makes it more frustrating than the bite size “one hallway, one problem” design of Splinter Cell, I’m willing to put up with it because of how fresh the experience feels." Well i finally someone that i can agree with Hitman is better than Splinter Cell Splinter Cell is a good game but has the feeling of playing "IT" that your shadow you are trying to use stealth in dark surrounding with a white suit on it does not make sense to the is very hard to get in too the feeling of the game is very hard to get into way in hitman you steal other clothes and blend in a way expect for the bald head of course

Xbox 360 CPU Getting Upgraded CPU

Improvements should cool it down. Imagine the thought of spending multiple hundreds of dollars on a piece of hardware, that you * KNOW * for a fact will end up being just another article of scrap metal in the future. For those of us without a healthy imagination, don’t worry; Its actually been going on for years. I understand the fact that “Next-Gen” bugs must be worked out; but am I the only one that thinks these bugs should be worked out before the product is released to the masses? The “Game Design Major” within me forces a sense of rationalization, after all, how can bugs be fixed without first being found? On the other end of the spectrum, the “Poor College Student” in me screams only one thing: What the fuck? These products are supposedly so expensive because of the fact that they are “Next-Gen”, but is the term Next-Gen simply a copout for prototype? This is coming from someone that has gone through over three Playstation 2’s, as well as over 4 Xboxes. Add that up, and you are easily looking at over a thousand dollars worth of spending on my part; for what? Systems that shouldn’t of been released in the first place? I’d rather wait a little longer so that those responsible for creating a DECENT product with a little promise? I understand that bugs will be found, and they need to be worked out. But is it fair for the consumers that support these Next-Gen systems on the launch day to be assed out and forced to shell out money they don’t have for an “updated” version?

Beat

Gamespot Beat Well, most everyone probably already knows that the PS2 price has dropped 20 bucks recently. The question is, will anyone care enough to invest in a system that has already seen most of its productive days? Also, the price cut comes only a month after a Sony Rep saying that the price “will not” drop on the ps2. Very nice indeed. I love the double speak. Anywho, I might pick up another slim just to have around if the two I have now break down. Not because the price drop makes me feel like I need another, but if Sony pulls a Microsoft, they might raise the ps2 price again after the ps3 comes out. Story link http://www.gamespot.com/news/6148155.html

SH

Silent Hill, For those that know about Silent Hill ***A FEW SPOILERS BELOW*** Is the movie good? Yes. Does it follow the games? Sorta. How so? It uses the same title. Silent Hill is by no means a bad movie. It does have some silly little phrases and stuff of that nature throughout, but overall it is entertaining. Why is it not exactly Silent Hill? It borrows so many small elements from some of the games that it quickly turns into an exercise in trying to keep the most important element; being Silent Hill. This may sound rantish, and it isn’t to dissuade you from seeing the movie, but being a huge fan of the game series, it lacks a lot. To begin with, the story sets up the evil demon to be the alter ego of the little girl, Elessa. However, this is not entirely accurate. The demon in silent hill is Samael, and in one form or another, has been mentioned in every silent hill game to date. I sat thinking when the symbols first showed up, why aren’t they saying the proper name of that? Secondly, all that red crap that comes out of pyramid heads hands when he first showed up was actually a substance derived from a flower to help eliminate evil spirits. This was used against the demons like pyramid head by the fanatic cult led by the witch hunters. It doesn’t make sense to me to show it, but not name it. I guess my problem is that in the movie, the witch hunters solved their problems by burning people, therefore cheapening their overall influence in the realm of silent hill. Third, the movie set the town up to be settled by a bunch of witch hunters. This is not the case. It was settled by a group of black magic practicing devil worshippers. There is a reason in silent hill 1 for the playstation that when the fire sirens go off and the world goes dark, the markings of samael appear all over the place in blood. This is first seen at the elementary. Why do they show up? Because the sole purpose of this group, was to resurrect the dead god. And the last thing I will complain about is how the story of alessa and dahlia emerged. It wasn’t the townspeople that burnt her, it was her OWN mother. Yes, Dahlia burnt alessa because she needed her powers to bring back to life a living breathing Samael. The only reason the hospital was even introduced into the series was to discover that the town was filled with crackheads that marketed a specific drug to people passing through. Anyway, a doctor that worked at the hospital made the drug, and he was hired to keep the rotting corpse of alessa alive to fully harness her powers. These are just a few of the solid silent hill ideas that weren’t completely sacrificed for the movie, they were just altered to make up for the fact that they were drawing on so many sources, from different storylines, and different time periods in the storyline of silent hill. I would liked to have seen something from silent hill 2 in the movie other than the rape inference, which was completely out of context because alessa was never raped, it was angela, and she was raped by her father. I would probably give the movie a B++. I have to pass on the A because when you walk into a church where there is a burnt corpse hanging off of a ladder, you don’t say to your little girl who is also about to be burnt, “don’t worry honey.” Little things like this, while not really affecting the feel of the movie, solidify it into the “video game to movie” category. Most of the things I mentioned wont even affect the normal movie goers interpretation or enjoyment of the movie. The story just wasn’t as tightly woven as it was in the games. The most important fact skipped over is that Silent Hill is sorta like limbo. It is different for every person there based upon their actions in life. ******ONLY READ BELOW AND RESPOND IF YOU HAVE SEEN IT****** …There is a spoiler coming…don’t read if you haven’t seen it. .. .. .. Here it comes ... Do you guys think the mom and the daughter died in the car wreck? Or did the mom die when she was taken over by alessa or stabbed by the witch hunters? When did the little girl die, I couldn’t make out an exact time in the story.

A processor for just about everything now...

I actually read about PPUs(Physics Processing Units) a year or two ago. Seemed like an interesting idea, and the possibilities were there. Anything to take the load off of the main processor in a computer could definitely add to the quality and speed inwhich a game can be run. Well, now it's here. We have a card for the graphics, the CPU for the nitty gritty of the code, why not have something to calculate all the crap flying around? To any PC-Gamers out there; this is going to be a pain. I personally am already having issues powering just my rig alone. Throwing in ANOTHER processor card is going to be getting pretty rediculous. However, cloth dynamics and being able to use ricochet to kill somebody around a corner with a machine gun? Let alone the sheer mass of objects that can be tracked and utilized. Imagine blowing off the top half of a building for the sole purpose to allow one of its pieces to fall on your enemy on the other side? That... just might be worth it when the PPUs aren't in their first gen stages. It's apparently already been implemented into the PS3; and just by looking at the footage of it what it can do means that it will have an inherent advantage over the Xbox 360... if the price doesn't gouge out pocket books and bank accounts. Like I said, the possibilities are there... now for PC-Gamers all they have to do is start getting rid of the damned hard drive bottle neck without the need for a Raid setup.

Games + School = ... Schames? Ghool?

This time at Women Gamers, the focus is on using video games specifically as a learning enhancement tool. I say specifically because many schools already use conventions like board games and their ilk to facilitate learning concepts like economics and social interaction. The article begins with a brief stint about a student playing DDR (Dance Dance Revolution, for those who thought I was talking about RAM) and segways into discussing learning through video games as a whole. Apparently, and unsurprisingly, many parents and teachers who didn't bat an eye when board games were put to use in schools, suddenly have begun vocalizing their dislike of the use of video games. But, as the article's author stated, I believe that video games can be learned from, if used creatively and with moderation. She concludes the article with a return to the topic of DDR, in which the student elaborates on how difficult it is, and how physical education teachers are beginning to use it.

Silent Hill

Silent hill is an excellent horror movie. I dont go for this genre as most are very typical and have lame one liners and cheesy endings. Let alone game films that normaly have little resemblance to the game they are based on. This is silent hill. Its a little bit of 2 and 3 and alot of Silent Hill one remixed. Go see it but beware it goes a little too far on the graphic nature of some of the violence.

A Blind Man's Dream Come True

An article that really caught my attention this week showcased a game called In The Pit. This game is what blind people have been waiting for! A chance to use their incredibly keen hearing sense to play a game. Actually, all thats needed is a wired Xbox 360 controller, and a computer with Windows XP. Headphones are highly recommended. The game was inspired by an audio-only "Space Invaders"-style game called Sonic Invaders , and was a submission to The Experimental Gameplay Project's "Consume" competition. an "audio-only" stealth action game, in which you play a nasty creature living at the bottom of a pit, hunting down people who fall in. The "audio-only" part means that there are absolutely no graphics at all.

Video games to movies...

With the upcoming premier of Silent Hill some are beginning to speculate if it is a good or bad thing that movies are being created off of video games. There have been rumors of a Grand Theft Auto movie which almost seems out there. None the less the controversy behind such titles brings in a huge crowd. And with that in mind hollywood just can't wait to jump onto the gaming bandwagon to earn a little bit extra doe by not just getting those movie watchers into the movie theater seats, but to also get gamers to sit down and watch as well. It is really kind of becoming almost sad when you see movies lose all touch of orginality. They have already taken tv shows and turned them into movies, they have taken comic books and turned them into movies. They have even turn books into movies. So what else can they turn into movies? Yeah that's right video games. Beyong remakes I think we are reaching an era in which there may not be anymore "orginal" movies. The game production comany seems to accept the movie company with open arms because they see a quick buck scheme in the process, while some gaming companies think the movies may actually ruin the reputation of games.

light-hearted game, harsh financial message

One day Dan and his sosn decided to play the game Animal Crossing, a game that is like an MMORPG that little ones can also play. Dan and his son decided to hang out at their virtual home. Upon getting there though they met Chief Running Raccoon who claimed the boy was behind in his payment of "bells" and that he may be evicted. This is a little bit extreme of a financial simulator for a kid game. Whats next, simulated taxes? Will we one day play an Rpg and not be able to continue because we incorrectly filled out our W-22?! Will junior jump from the top of the playground jungle Gym, trying to end it all because his virtual business went bankrupt?! Jimmy noooo life goes on!If you jump there will be no coming back!We're out of band-aids with the little pictures of Mario on them so you'll just have to get regular ones for that scrape you got when you jumped.

Games Vs. Art- The Debate goes on

At Thumb Bandits they recently posted an article from CBS News that is about an issue that has come up in class a great deal and that is the issue if games are art. They spoke with a few different people and the answers they came up with are very close to the ideas that we have come with in class. The first guy seems to think that games are heading towards what the public thinks is art, and that the nature of games allowed a different type of story to be told. the second thinks until game companies have a staff of writers they will never rise above B-Movie status. The article concludes by saying until game companies start focusing on story and less on rendering technology they won't rise to the level of art in the public eye.

Games for Health... And education.

We've actually gone over this once or twice; where patients playing a video game were shown to more easily get through hospitalization due to not having to worry about the disease itself. SeriousGames seems to be running a lot of studies, actually. In attempt to find new ways inwhich video games can aid in the hospital and classroom. I find this particularly interesting because it makes our ability to find a job that much easier; with so many forms games are going to be in... we hopefully won't have to worry too much about finding work. Well, aside from that... it seems that video games are the only medium to be able to cross over into so many areas and may actually prove to be a success. We've all seen TV in the class rooms; or at least half of it before passing out and snoozing. Right now it seems that not only for entertainment, games are already being used for training in many military and commercial uses. Primarily flight simulators at the moment, but recent games have been purposely created by the military to attempt to simulate the tactics needed in certain warzones. Like I said; it just seems particularly interesting all the mediums inwhich video games have been spanning out in rather than simply being for entertainment purposes.

Exclusive: Game Developer Survey Probes Game Industry Gender Gap

The post discusses the break up of salary and gender percentages within the employement fields of the game design field. The post may be helpful for those of us looking at whether or not the industry has room for us and whether or not the benifits are worth the effort. As part of Game Developer magazine's 5th Annual Salary Survey, published in full in the April 2006 issue of the Gamasutra sister publication, up to date details about the current gender make-up of the video game industry have been revealed.The survey, conducted by firm Audience Insights on behalf of Game Developer, and targeting Game Developers Conference 2005 attendees, Game Developer magazine subscribers, and Gamasutra.com members in January 2006, received over 6,000 unique responses, and used final sample data of over 3,000 qualified responses.The survey revealed overall average game professional make-up and salary by gender was 90% male, with an average salary of $74,518, compared to 10% female, with an average salary of $69,704. This compares interestingly to two years ago, when the Game Developer Salary Survey had women in only 7% of game industry jobs, showing that the female quotient is increasingly somewhat rapidly.As for percentages in individual disciplines, business and legal, with 27% female, 72% male (marketing, PR, sales, other administrative staff, executives) saw the largest female quotient, with production (producers and executive producers) also comparatively high, at 21% female, 79% male.On the other end of the spectrum, game design saw just 7% female and 93% male, and the programming discipline saw the lowest female percentages altogether, with 4% female respondents and 96% male. Art was the development discipline most staffed by women, with 10% female artists and 90% male across the Audience Insights survey, which is the only major survey of game professional salary and location information conducted each year.The full results, including multi-disciplinary salary and location data for both male and female developers, are available in the April issue of Game Developer magazine - more information on the issue is available at its official website.

Exclusive: Game Developer Survey Probes Game Industry Gender Gap

The post discusses the break up of salary and gender percentages within the employement fields of the game design field. The post may be helpful for those of us looking at whether or not the industry has room for us and whether or not the benifits are worth the effort. As part of Game Developer magazine's 5th Annual Salary Survey, published in full in the April 2006 issue of the Gamasutra sister publication, up to date details about the current gender make-up of the video game industry have been revealed.The survey, conducted by firm Audience Insights on behalf of Game Developer, and targeting Game Developers Conference 2005 attendees, Game Developer magazine subscribers, and Gamasutra.com members in January 2006, received over 6,000 unique responses, and used final sample data of over 3,000 qualified responses.The survey revealed overall average game professional make-up and salary by gender was 90% male, with an average salary of $74,518, compared to 10% female, with an average salary of $69,704. This compares interestingly to two years ago, when the Game Developer Salary Survey had women in only 7% of game industry jobs, showing that the female quotient is increasingly somewhat rapidly.As for percentages in individual disciplines, business and legal, with 27% female, 72% male (marketing, PR, sales, other administrative staff, executives) saw the largest female quotient, with production (producers and executive producers) also comparatively high, at 21% female, 79% male.On the other end of the spectrum, game design saw just 7% female and 93% male, and the programming discipline saw the lowest female percentages altogether, with 4% female respondents and 96% male. Art was the development discipline most staffed by women, with 10% female artists and 90% male across the Audience Insights survey, which is the only major survey of game professional salary and location information conducted each year.The full results, including multi-disciplinary salary and location data for both male and female developers, are available in the April issue of Game Developer magazine - more information on the issue is available at its official website.

Exclusive: Game Developer Survey Probes Game Industry Gender Gap

The post discusses the break up of salary and gender percentages within the employement fields of the game design field. The post may be helpful for those of us looking at whether or not the industry has room for us and whether or not the benifits are worth the effort. As part of Game Developer magazine's 5th Annual Salary Survey, published in full in the April 2006 issue of the Gamasutra sister publication, up to date details about the current gender make-up of the video game industry have been revealed.The survey, conducted by firm Audience Insights on behalf of Game Developer, and targeting Game Developers Conference 2005 attendees, Game Developer magazine subscribers, and Gamasutra.com members in January 2006, received over 6,000 unique responses, and used final sample data of over 3,000 qualified responses.The survey revealed overall average game professional make-up and salary by gender was 90% male, with an average salary of $74,518, compared to 10% female, with an average salary of $69,704. This compares interestingly to two years ago, when the Game Developer Salary Survey had women in only 7% of game industry jobs, showing that the female quotient is increasingly somewhat rapidly.As for percentages in individual disciplines, business and legal, with 27% female, 72% male (marketing, PR, sales, other administrative staff, executives) saw the largest female quotient, with production (producers and executive producers) also comparatively high, at 21% female, 79% male.On the other end of the spectrum, game design saw just 7% female and 93% male, and the programming discipline saw the lowest female percentages altogether, with 4% female respondents and 96% male. Art was the development discipline most staffed by women, with 10% female artists and 90% male across the Audience Insights survey, which is the only major survey of game professional salary and location information conducted each year.The full results, including multi-disciplinary salary and location data for both male and female developers, are available in the April issue of Game Developer magazine - more information on the issue is available at its official website.

50 Cent......lemons....to lemonaid

Now, before you go and say, "Oh god....not another "50 Cent" video game," bear with me. A buddy of mine who works at High Voltage Software was involved with the making of this game. Months ago he told me that he was working on a game for the PSP but he wouldn't tell me what it was. Now, the secret is out, "50 Cent" for the PSP is coming in August. I was shoked at this news, not that I like "50 Cent" or anything (I actually was against the idea of even considering liking the game just based on the title alone) but I know that my friend is on the level and he knows that fun should be the basis for any game. So then I got to thinking, even though there are a lot of people out there that aren't even remotely interested in the "50 Cent" name, there are an equal amount of fans out there that are willing to snatch up anything with his name on it. What better way to get your name out there in the video game industry create a good game, and then sell it with the help of a recognizable name. You couldn't ask for a better situtuation. Even though I'm sure he hated dealing the drama of creating a game to the specifications of the "50 cent's" people, if you have to do something you don't like, you might as well make it your baby. I'm sure fans of 50 will gobble this game up, and as a added suprise, it will actually be an enjoyable experience. http://psp.ign.com/articles/702/702233p1.html

More video games turned into movies.

With the upcoming premier of Silent Hill some are beginning to speculate if it is a good or bad thing that movies are being created off of video games. There have been rumors of a Grand Theft Auto movie which almost seems out there. None the less the controversy behind such titles brings in a huge crowd. And with that in mind hollywood just can't wait to jump onto the gaming bandwagon to earn a little bit extra doe by not just getting those movie watchers into the movie theater seats, but to also get gamers to sit down and watch as well. It is really kind of becoming almost sad when you see movies lose all touch of orginality. They have already taken tv shows and turned them into movies, they have taken comic books and turned them into movies. They have even turn books into movies. So what else can they turn into movies? Yeah that's right video games. Beyong remakes I think we are reaching an era in which there may not be anymore "orginal" movies. The game production comany seems to accept the movie company with open arms because they see a quick buck scheme in the process, while some gaming companies think the movies may actually ruin the reputation of games.

More video games turned into movies.

With the upcoming premier of Silent Hill some are beginning to speculate if it is a good or bad thing that movies are being created off of video games. There have been rumors of a Grand Theft Auto movie which almost seems out there. None the less the controversy behind such titles brings in a huge crowd. And with that in mind hollywood just can't wait to jump onto the gaming bandwagon to earn a little bit extra doe by not just getting those movie watchers into the movie theater seats, but to also get gamers to sit down and watch as well. It is really kind of becoming almost sad when you see movies lose all touch of orginality. They have already taken tv shows and turned them into movies, they have taken comic books and turned them into movies. They have even turn books into movies. So what else can they turn into movies? Yeah that's right video games. Beyong remakes I think we are reaching an era in which there may not be anymore "orginal" movies. The game production comany seems to accept the movie company with open arms because they see a quick buck scheme in the process, while some gaming companies think the movies may actually ruin the reputation of games.

Teenagers Losing Interest in Video Games, Says Survey

This post talks about how a growing number of teens have vowed to play video mes less in the coming year. Not only do they wish to play games less they say that their interest in playing games has decreased. What I'd like to see what factors this survey took into account. What time of the year was is asked, since a declining interest in video games would seem common during the summer when big games are slow to come out. What were the exact questions that were asked? The post is pretty vague about the validity of the survey. Piper Jaffray has announced the results of its 11th bi-annual proprietary research survey on teen spending habits and retail brand perceptions, titled "Taking Stock With Teens", which dealt with fashion and technology but also video game-related questions for North American teenagers. Senior Retail Analyst Jeff Klinefelter, along with a team of senior research analysts conducted mall research field trips with approximately 700 teens from 12 high schools in nine states across the country and Canada. Additionally, the team surveyed another 1,235 students across the country through a partnership with the national DECA organization in an online survey.With particular reference to video games, results of the survey point out that 81 percent of surveyed student households have at least one video game platform, and 59 percent of students state that they are occasional game players (playing at least monthly). Interestingly, almost 80 percent of teens indicated that they intend to spend less time playing video games in 2006 and nearly 70 percent indicated that their interest in playing video games is decreasing.

As you all know rare has joined microsoft. I've read on the new beat that they havent been doing as well as they had been on Nintendo, their recent games are more so just crapy, as some put it. I haven't had the chance to play their latest games Perfect Dark Zero or Viva Pinata. Well from the name and the pic's ive seen of Viva Pinata it looks like rare has gone a new way since siding with microsoft. Always looks can be deciving, and cell shading is taking it's stand in the game industry with anime> games and visa versa. Rare might know what their doing so im not going to count them out yet. That new tom clancy game looks nice.

Ace Combat PSP

This is really something great to talk about just kidding this really sucks because the graqhes are already pushing it limit to try this is a flawed idea if it do come out i will go and buy the Ace Combat PS2 rather than for psp.

Phantasy Star Universe

Though I am not old school enough to have originally played Phantasy Star, I have been a huge fan of the series since I spent many hours playing Phantasy Star Online online with my Sega Dreamcast. Of course I went back to play those classic Phantasy Star games again. Well, Kotaku gives news of the long awaited Phantasy Star sequel with two games in one, "The solo adventure features more than 40 hours of gameplay, an emotionally engaging story, stunning cut scenes, and a strong cast of characters with very distinctive personalities." and "In Online Mode, players are given the opportunity to create their own characters from a range of races, as they explore all three planets in the Gurhal system." Thank god that this one isn't a card game. Sega

Final Fantasy XI Expansion Launches

The MMORPG Final Fantasy XI will see a new content addition activated onto its servers today. Final Fantasy XI: The Treasures of Aht Urghan, released yesterday, will become available to play across the world during the evening of April 19th. The new content offered ranges from new areas, quests, and 3 new jobs: Puppetmaster, Blue Mage, and Corsair. It also promises players a slew of new features and activities to keep them busy and subscribed to their accounts. Final Fantasy XI is one of the top MMOs currently out (excluding the overwhelming success of World of Warcraft of course), and is reknown for its incredible difficulty and for the amount of time needed to accomplish anything in the game. The expansion will prove to be yet another add on of content to keep subscribers busy for yet another year or two.

Are games art?

I'm still not sure what my new beat is, I didn't see them on the site, so I took this out of my latest issue of Game Informer. The article is by Jon M. Gibson, who is the founder of "I Am 8-Bit." Being as he is the founder of this "art" group that is very fond of 80's gaming icons he is often asked if video games are art. He claims to respond by saying "Probably. Unlikely. Maybe." Well whats that supposed to mean? He often tries to avoid the question because so many people have such strong opinions about it that it's not even worth trying to argue with them. He compares it to such arguments as Darwin vs. the Bible. However, he comes out to say that personally he is indeed convinced that games are art, however, objectively he is confused. By definition Art is normally something that provokes emotion whether it be a painting, song, etc. By looking at their art, or listening to it, you are "getting a piece of that person [who created it]." "Yes, it's true - the secrets out - games are interactive, unlike every other traditionally acceptable form of art." Most of the traditional forms of art are completely linear. You have to watch movies from begining to end just the same as everyone else because thats how they were made. You have to read a book from page 1 to end in the same order they are in or else it simply doesn't make sense. Video games are along the same lines to in the sense that most are driven by a few major events. Sure you can dilly dally here and there to do what you please, but you'll still start and finish in the same place as everyone else. However, with MMO's and whatnot this is starting to change a bit; "lines are beginning to blur." This is where the games are art argument starts to fall apart a bit. He then states "So, what - since only some games are completely controlled experiences, then only some of them are art? Maybe. Unlikely. Probably." The key is that it's all based on experiences. For one person who takes part in something and feels very emotional, another doesn't care at all and is moving on to do something else. So who are we to be the judge of everyone. The more important question may be "Are games art...to me?" So, now I'm going to reflect my own opinion. Games are art. I don't see any way around it. It takes so much artistic work from creating environments, coloring them, drawing characters, piecing together an interesting story, etc, that I can't even being to imagine them as not being artistic. Maybe if I wasn't a gamer and I was looking in from some other form of media I would see things differently based on how "my" media worked, but thats not how it is. I am a gamer and I plan on working in the industry for the rest of my life and I do beleive that games are art. The argument that games are not art because of the interactivity seems silly to me as well. I think the fact that they are interactive just puts them a step above the other types of art because they are not a completely passive experience. Its not like going to an art museum and having to just walk around and take in what is all around you, you get to participate and be a part of all the work that went in to making the game. It takes a lot of work to take a vision/story that you have and make it so that it can be told how you want yet someone else gets to take part in it. Even in book writing, the words are always going to be the same, but people definitly interpret different things differently and they speak to themselves (while reading) with their own tone based on their past experiences. This is just how games are, the environments and main events will always be the same, but based on the person certain things will be interpretted differently. Its really pretty awesome if you ask me. So, thats a bit about why I feel that games are indeed a form of art.

Are games art?

I'm still not sure what my new beat is, I didn't see them on the site, so I took this out of my latest issue of Game Informer. The article is by Jon M. Gibson, who is the founder of "I Am 8-Bit." Being as he is the founder of this "art" group that is very fond of 80's gaming icons he is often asked if video games are art. He claims to respond by saying "Probably. Unlikely. Maybe." Well whats that supposed to mean? He often tries to avoid the question because so many people have such strong opinions about it that it's not even worth trying to argue with them. He compares it to such arguments as Darwin vs. the Bible. However, he comes out to say that personally he is indeed convinced that games are art, however, objectively he is confused. By definition Art is normally something that provokes emotion whether it be a painting, song, etc. By looking at their art, or listening to it, you are "getting a piece of that person [who created it]." "Yes, it's true - the secrets out - games are interactive, unlike every other traditionally acceptable form of art." Most of the traditional forms of art are completely linear. You have to watch movies from begining to end just the same as everyone else because thats how they were made. You have to read a book from page 1 to end in the same order they are in or else it simply doesn't make sense. Video games are along the same lines to in the sense that most are driven by a few major events. Sure you can dilly dally here and there to do what you please, but you'll still start and finish in the same place as everyone else. However, with MMO's and whatnot this is starting to change a bit; "lines are beginning to blur." This is where the games are art argument starts to fall apart a bit. He then states "So, what - since only some games are completely controlled experiences, then only some of them are art? Maybe. Unlikely. Probably." The key is that it's all based on experiences. For one person who takes part in something and feels very emotional, another doesn't care at all and is moving on to do something else. So who are we to be the judge of everyone. The more important question may be "Are games art...to me?" So, now I'm going to reflect my own opinion. Games are art. I don't see any way around it. It takes so much artistic work from creating environments, coloring them, drawing characters, piecing together an interesting story, etc, that I can't even being to imagine them as not being artistic. Maybe if I wasn't a gamer and I was looking in from some other form of media I would see things differently based on how "my" media worked, but thats not how it is. I am a gamer and I plan on working in the industry for the rest of my life and I do beleive that games are art. The argument that games are not art because of the interactivity seems silly to me as well. I think the fact that they are interactive just puts them a step above the other types of art because they are not a completely passive experience. Its not like going to an art museum and having to just walk around and take in what is all around you, you get to participate and be a part of all the work that went in to making the game. It takes a lot of work to take a vision/story that you have and make it so that it can be told how you want yet someone else gets to take part in it. Even in book writing, the words are always going to be the same, but people definitly interpret different things differently and they speak to themselves (while reading) with their own tone based on their past experiences. This is just how games are, the environments and main events will always be the same, but based on the person certain things will be interpretted differently. Its really pretty awesome if you ask me. So, thats a bit about why I feel that games are indeed a form of art.

Age and Episodic Gaming

Game Culture Watch I ran across a post on episodic gaming. It explained the increasing need for games that are put together with the aging gamer in mind and how an unemployed, young person may be able to play for hours at a time, but a full time worker with a family needs to be able to play for a short period of time, enjoy it, and return later. It explains that this is one of the reason for more short “episodic” segments in games. It is another interesting component in game development. I prefer to think of the game industry from the artistic side, but the economic demands are clear. I found this on Slashdot games on Tuesday- still trying to find out what my current beat is- so I expect to post again later this week

Player vs. Pet?

A game called "Mice Arena", attempts to provide a template in which you and your pet hamster can both interact within the confines of a video game. Although it remains to be seen how successful the game really is, it is yet again another example of technology expanding boundaries and ways of thinking. Just imagine going to the store and purchasing a video game for your pet instead of a ball or toy. Some may say that this avenue of thinking is dangerous because it predicates itself upon laziness and establishes a sense of sterile inhumanity. I would argue, however, that creativity especially within the context of technology creates a ripple within innovation exploration which spreads globally in a fluid influence upon various aspects of our society. Perhaps a game such as this can help us attain a better understanding of the animal mind or maybe even be applied to infant development in a spatial sense. Regardless, Mice Arena would be fun to see in action. Computerized movements in Mice Arena are mapped to and from the real world, where an actual predator (your hamster) gives chase to a digital avatar (you) by pursuing a real piece of bait. The avatar's movements in the virtual environment direct the bait around a small tank fitted with actuators that mold and twist an elastic latex floor into the changing terrain of the game map. The hamster's pursuit in the tank is monitored by infra-red sensors that relay its position to the computer screen. -Lakshmi Sandhana

The Fable Continues...

It was announced on April 6 that Microsoft bought out the England-based company Lionhead, responsible for the popular Fable games. Now, Lionhead will be making games strictly for the Xbox 360 and Windows, which disappoints some fans who claim Peter Molyneux had shown an interest in the new Nintendo Revolution, and were hoping for some intriguing new titles by his company for that system. On the flip-side, many fans are looking forward to more Fable games. Both Microsoft and Molyneux seem excited about this new partnership. Word has it that Lionhead had been struggling recently, and last month they had to cut about 50 people from their staff and cancel some projects. As well as giving a boost to Molyneux's creative vision, Microsoft hopes that this partnership will help lift their own Xbox 360 sales, as the Nintendo Revolution and Playstation 3 are expected to be heavy competition. Some valuable sources: From Microsoft's site Joystiq.com The Quad-City Times

Free or Pay-to-Play MMORPG's

I recently was just browsing the web and came across somthing that I would like to share. It is a somewhat interesting topic on the new craze of games that seem to be taking over the world, MMORPG's (massive multi-player online role playing game) . Basicly the easy way of describing the two main different MMORPG's is that one you have to pay for by month and the others are totally free. Well you ask there are some that don't have to monthly fees and others you do. Basicly if you have to pay money for it in some kind it is a pay-to-play MMORPG. As I was reading I thought it was a helpful tool in basicly chooseing which MMORPG to play. The link is below click here

Paris the game

So Paris Hilton is getting her own mobile video game. The interesting part of the article is how she actually hits the nail pretty well on the head with her statement about mobile gaming being “hot.” I tend to think that she has never played a video game in her life and even if she has, I bet she royally sucked at it. (No reference to One night in Paris). But she is right. There is a big market for handheld gaming. Maybe this idea won’t realize itself completely on the cell phone, but mobile gaming in general is an up and coming business. I hope this is the only Paris game though because I think it will serve her purpose of thinking that she has fans and not just people who tune in to the television or news to see what stupid things she has to say or what she has done to get a little more attention. If you could ever care about this story…here’s the link. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6147878.html

Is It OK to Cry?

Games, as a medium, are still a new form. But what form are they really? Not, only do they have the power to stimulate our eyes and fingers, they have the power to stimulate our mind and emotions. Can games have the same effect on the emotions as, let's say, a book or movie? Sure, we have all felt fear or triumph, but what about heartache and sadness? A market researcher, by the name of Hugh Bowen, has asked "535 gamers to describe how deeply their favorite games triggered various emotions, on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the most intense). "As you'd expect, those high-stim feelings -- competitiveness, fear and a sense of accomplishment -- ranked at the top. But halfway down the list, the emotional tenor became much more unpredictable, and much more interesting. A sense of "honor," "loyalty" and "integrity" got a quite high score of 3.5, because war games tend to trigger patriotic feelings of esprit de corps... "When Bowen asked his respondents to pick the single most emotionally affective game, the far-and-away winner was Final Fantasy, one of the most narrative-heavy series in history." Have their been any games that have truly pulled on the heartstrings? In the article, the writer describes how his friend cried at the death of Aeris in Final Fantasy VII. Is this a bit much? Is he involved too deeply in the game? Or is it that games have finally been able to reach us on an emotional level that was once impossible to do. How could one cry at the fact that Mario finally defeated Koopa or Link destroying Ganon and so on and so forth? The narrative has finally gotten to the point where it is on par with that of movies or books, which can be a lot more emotionally involved than one would think a video game was. Is it ok to cry because games have reached a new plateau? Or are gamers too deeply involved?

More WomenThan Men Play Games After 25

In a recent article in GameDailyBiz a study is covered in by Consumer Electronics Association. I was pretty surprised to find out that the results show more girls than guys play games after teh age of 25. I realize that more an more girls are getting into gaming but in my experience recently, i still find well over twice as many guys playing. Though the information form the study is justified by caying that this is becuase of the casual gaming market and apparently girls are more drawn to this. The CEA study found that 65 percent of women in the 25-34 age bracket play videogames, while only 35 percent of men in that group said that they play videogames. Apparently, the key factor involved with these findings is the increasing popularity of casual games, especially among women. Women were found to be slightly less likely than men in the 25-34 bracket to play traditional console games on systems like the PlayStation 2 or Xbox, while they gravitated more heavily towards simple types of games like Tetris or other puzzle games and card games like solitaire. some of the reasons listed for women being drawn to the casual games is that those titles are generally nonviolent and arent as competative against other players. Even given this explination i still have a hard time believing this but who knows.

Quite absurd if you ask me!

If there was a game god, it would not let this continue. Konami is making a sequel to it's abysmyl series Rengoku. So bad it managed to get a 1 out of 5 on X-play, though I do believe IGN (usually the more generous sites) gave it a 6.0 out of 10. Point is, the game didn't sell well, it didn't get critical acclaim, so why is it getting a sequel. Truth is (according to me) there is money to be made off an already established name, no matter how bad it is. It's a shame when a game as bad as Rengoku can get a sequel yet I'm still asking for a sequel to Beyond Good & Evil, which may or may not be coming out! I can however argue that BG&E probably sold more copies than Rengoku did, but for whatever reason Konami has decided to give this game the go for. It better be making them a profit, because it certainly hasn't gained them any respect (atleast from me).

Toshiba "Officially" Launches HD-DVD

While not strictly game related, HD-DVD will undoubtly impact the industry in the near future. Today the $500 Toshiba HD-A1 became the first of a pair of HD-DVD players by Toshiba to become availiable. Its teched-up sibling should follow soon, costing $800. Look closely at the the hefty players and I think you'll find them to be amusingly reminescent of an 80's VCR. Of course, what good would your new $500 HD-DVD player be without some HD-DVD's? Well, you can start your collection with Serenity, The Last Samurai, Million Dollar Baby, and Phantom of the Opera. A bizarre selection of titles to say the least. IGN's article makes no mention of the competing BluRay format. Format wars are always crappy for the consumer, so I honestly hope one of the two technologies will become the standard early on. I don't want to own more than one device for watching my movies.

Episodic game content the way of the future?

Slashdot noted the increasing impact episodic gaming is having on the industry, thoiught of course in their extremely abbreviated way. The article they pointed to, Game Dail Biz talks about the trend of games moving towards episodic game content that is digitally distributed. As the demographic of gamers reaches a higher age, it creeps into a land where adults don't have several hours to sit down and play a game. Games that are delivered in smal, manageable chunks allow these more casual gamers to still get a deep, rewarding experience without being committed to a 30+ hour game. Personally I think this is great. Marketers will be willing to take more risks, knowing that they can pull the plug if the first episode bombs. Deeper, longer narratives can be created since it can be developed and delivered in small chunks. It will be almost like mini-series tv shows. Games will be cheaper as the chunks will be smaller, and if you decide after two "episodes" of the game you don't like it, you haven't wasted 50$. Not to mention I myself have a hard time committing 30 hours to a game these days so it sure would make things a lot easier for me. Well if you can think of any major negative bring them to my attention, I'm all for this right now.

Power stone p.s.p

It is official that power stone collections wwill be playable at e3 2006. Power stone collegtions is a combination of power stone 1 and two that was originally released on the dreamcast years ago. With bringing it to the psp their will be many exstra's included. "The demo we played let us try out only the arcade version of Power Stone 2, which expanded the simple one-on-one formula of the original game to include four-player brawls and multipart stages that scaled on the fly. We tried a few of the main stages with a sampling of characters and were pleased to see that the game handled just like the Dreamcast originals. The simple attack system let us create a modest array of chained combos, use objects in the environment as weapons, or use the environment itself to inflict some pain on our foes"(Torres). Capcom is also planning on fixing various bugs such as the camera system that was somewhat of a pain on the dreamcast. The difficulty of the game is said to be a whole hell of a lot harder as well in terms of fighting a.i. "Based on our brief time with the game, Power Stone Collection is looking like it will, at the very least, stay faithful to its Dreamcast predecessors. Besides the new content we already mentioned, the game is slated to include a new minigame, dubbed Bomber Battle. We're curious to see how the first game will handle, but given how Power Stone 2 is shaping up, the outlook is good. Power Stone Collection is slated to ship this fall for the PSP. Look for more on the game in the coming months"Torres).

A Game That Makes You Think? No Way!

As it turns out not everything available for the Nintendo DS is all fun and games anymore. While this sort of "game" has been around in Japan for awhile now, America shelves will soon be getting stocked with the new brain exercise game Brain Age. Basically in the game you solve puzzles, not unlike the crossword and number ones found in the local newspaper. You can play these games a few minutes a day and it is suppose to help execrise and sharpen your mind. Other then that, there really is no "bame" to be played. I heard about this type of thing in Japan some time ago and quite frankly I am intrigued. I know I am more adept to play anything if it is in a video game format. If these games are challenging and really do help excersize the mind then hey, why not? For anyone else interested this game should be out now and on store shelves near you.

Doofus Getting Dragoturkeyed.

A flash based Ankuma studio made mmorpg is getting an XP that will be shown at e3. Personaly the fact that this game is played on your browser makes me happy. On the other hand its dull as rain. Played a few levels and its very slow (even for turn based) feeling. But the ground has been broken and for what its worth its popular.

The NEW Resident of Evil Creek

Many may be upset to know this, but just about everything is in place for the newest sequel to the Resident Evil film series. According to IGN.com, all of the main characters from Resident Evil: Apocalypse have signed on to do the new movie, now named Extinction. The movie now takes place in the Nevada desert. Filming is slated to begin next month.

trophy raider

Gamepulse's Duane Weatherall's new scoop is that Lara Croft has a new recongition under her utility belt.... "Lara Croft, the world’s favourite digital heroine, has been awarded a Guinness World Record as the ‘Most Successful Human Videogame Heroine’ On the day of her stunning return to the world’s living rooms in the brand new video game blockbuster Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend, Lara has been recognised as ‘transcending the boundaries of videogames and becoming a recognisable figure in mainstream society’." So Lara is great because she is reconizable as a breakthrough from video game culture into mainstream culture. ...Go her. Does this mean Rayne could possibly get most succesful demihuman videogame heroine?....im not sure its just such a gray area...

Crime doesnt pay -if you get caught-

So gamepulse -which without new beats im still covering- lets us law abiding citizens here of a pair of counterfitters that got caught trafficing illegal software games and such. "The court assessed that Warren's financial benefit from criminality was £11,414.52, but as he had no available assets a nominal amount was confiscated. Gibbon's benefit from his criminal activity was assessed at £284,710.12. His available assets, which included the equity from his home and a motor vehicle, amounted to £78,873.44. An order was made that he pay back this amount within six months or serve two years imprisonment in default." thats just tough, but the fact that pirating games wont get you screwed over, just selling the goods makes me feel happy, even though all my software is store bought <,< >.> so watch out for selling your illegal music, games and software, it can come back at you big time

Metroblogging launches Azeroth blog

As reported on Boing Boing, Metroblogging has launched a site for World of Warcraft's Azeroth. It's not listed on the main page but you can access it from here. There isn't a whole lot of content there yet; mostly humorous posts or updates about patches. Metroblogging is one of the largest collections of city-specific blogs on the net right now. Seeing Azeroth blogged alongside cities like Chicago, LA, and New York really illustrates the way in which virtual spaces have taken on a new existence as actual places even though they do not physically exist. The physicality of a place is apparently no longer as important as the perception of physicality. This brings up interesting questions regarding the future of virtual spaces. Could one create a virtual sovereign nation with its own laws and customs? Would such a place be its own independent entity or would it be subject to the laws and regulations of the physical location in which the hardware running the world is located? What happens if the servers are distributed globally and run by multiple companies? Could you have virtual citizenship?

Crossgender characters

"I have been curious to find in my gaming experience that men are much more apt to choose a female game character than women are to choose a male character," says the author of Guilded Lillies in her most recent post. And come to think of it, she may be on to something. I've realized that every guy I'm friends with who plays some kind of RPG, particularly online ones where he interacts with many people regularly, plays a female. One of them plays as a character whom he idolizes; another enjoys all the free gifts and attention he receives. I don't know the others' reasons, but the point still stands that they all play females. I guess a major factor in this is that a lot of guys would much rather stare at a cute girl-booty rather than another guy's as they play, while this doesn't seem to be an issue for girls. I find this interesting because it highlights the different thought processes that go on in both male and female minds. We really are completely different! (Not that I haven't wanted to play as a charming, attractive guy online, but apparently I make up a tiny percentage!) Also interesting is that such a guy doesn't seem to identify with his character because he treats it as the image he has to look at while watching the screen rather than a manifestation of himself, thus detaching him from full immersion and "role"play. Is that the case?

A quick post before my computer dies..... again.

Well, I was trying to find something interesting to write about... ended up taking a few hours because whatever problem that's been slowly killing my computer is going on a rampage. Anyways, here's this before it dies again. Grrlgamer actually did an article on in-game advertising; actually asking for more of it to increase the immersion in the game. This, I considered absolutely rediculous. I personally don't mind seeing the 'Wario Castle' and whatnot signs while playing Mario Kart DS or any other sort of pseudo-advertising that might actually be within the realm of the game itself. Real-life advertising just might end up pulling you out of that immersion if it doesn't quite fit. For example; seeing a coca-cola machine in a medieval game. Don't think it won't happen? Don't set your standards so high for the advertising industry.

More interactivity In MMO's

I fell upon this article on our game research blog site. I find it very intruging what was pointed out. Mmo's give a player the ability to develop a character by choosing class and chossing race/sex. But that is about it for customization. Everyone in the game has to do the same quests, kill the same mobs, and go through the same cities. A mmo should make a player fall into a world unlike all others where not everyone is experiancing every same detail of the game play. The grinds in mmo's are bad enough so why should we all have to sit through the same stuff every day? We should keep in mind that the world is very large and it is almost impossible to visit every place in the world. So if we want to immitate the world virtually we need to remember to develop a whole lot of places where players can have a new perspective on a game even if they have been playing for two years. Customization is more that just a character's looks and class.

"An article in Adweek quotes Massive Games CEO Mitch Davis predicting that in-game advertising could near $2 billion dollars in advertising revenue annually by the end of the decade. " Product placement - something that goes over the heads of the norm, but is recognized by those trained to percieve little nuances that are subtle, yet effective. Done in a tasteful way, it can bring a sense of realism to a title, and do what it was meant to do: engage your mind in possibly indulging in whatever product it is that they are trying to sell.. But done wrong, can litter a game with a propaganda-like feel; forcing the product down the throats of consumers that aren't even necessarily looking to purchace the product. Is Product Placement good or bad in games? It all depends on who you are talking too, and how serious they take game environments. With the understanding of basic Media Theory and Design, I can say that I understand the importance between product placement -- endorsements that aid the company in creating the game; which in turn aids the financial supplier with priceless promotions. How do you feel about Product Placement in games? Does it hamper the experience, or does it make everything fall short? -Joe De Urso -Brought to you by Columbia College. lol.

Next-Gen Legend of Zelda - The Triforce Lives

With the advancement in technology we are all witnessing, what comes next? Have we outdone ourselves, or do we only see the silver lining in the cloudy horizon? The Legend of Zelda - A title that will strike to the heart of any Nintendo purist. One of the most innovative and popular titles in the history of console gaming, now read to be reincarnated yet again in the current 'next-gen' technology. From the standpoint of a real NES enthusiast, how do you feel this new title will do (Both on the DS, and Revolution)? I personally believe that the Zelda formula has always been a successful one, albiet generic by today's standards. The real answer lies in the new generation of gamers, similar to myself back in the mid-80's. With a fresh new look on the title without any other prior experiences, how do you feel this younger generation will embrace our beloved Link? And more importantly, where do you see this title in the next 20 years? -Joe De Urso

Lara, Lara, Lara!!!

The Good Lara That's right boys and girls, Lara is back and the critics couldn't be more pleased. With reviewers claiming the recent release is taking the right step back towards to good old days of Tomb Raider, my site who I'll be saying goodbye to this week has given it a 9/10. It seems as though this young woman has returned to her explorative heritage, thanks to the return of her original creator and development team Crystal Dynamics who hasn't worked on a Tomb Raider since...well the original Tomb Raider (dang!). While I myself have not yet had the chance to try out this apparently rock solid title, I strongly encourage any fans of (at least the first one) Tomb Raider pick it up, game fly it or simply wait for it to go budget. If Crystal Dynamics chooses to stick with developing the next Tomb Raider, expect to see an even better looking Lara as the next game should be harnessed solely on Next-Gen systems. The Bad Lara I've replaced this with the bad ass, miss Lara herself. Has done something astonishing, not only has she recently broken all of her sales records but she's also got her self into the Guiness book of records, as the most successful human videogame heroine. (waits) Wait a second...who was her competition...1.) Jade, no Beyond Good and Evil wasn't successful 2.) Princess Peach? No she's always being saved 3.) That chick from Fear Effect...(who?) Anyhow, as with all Guiness records, they're pretty dumb, because standards are pretty low when it comes to breaking them. I've probably broken a few and haven't realized it. The Ugly Definately not Lara! Seriously, I won't lie she's attractive. I'm not a perv about it, but she is, the actualy human model playing her is also attractive. The woman voicing her in the game (from the Mummy) you know where I'm going with this. This rant (rant number 3) is dedicated to the attractive women that help this game sell. Because as my good friend pointed to me, no one would ever play a game with fat and ugly chick as the main character. And that's sad.

Christian Gaming No Longer "Left Behind"

Kotaku.com Brings us information about the brand new game franchise based upon the Christian literature Left Behind. The game takes place in a post apocolyptic New York, where the powers of heaven and hell are fighting for the souls of the many left behind after the rapture. This attempt to drop into the christian gaming market sells a tad bit of exploitation, because "According to Newsweek, the game is as violent as GTA", and that strikes me of more of an oxymoron than Christan Metal (music). One can only hope that the game will feature Kirk Cameron, because everyone loved him in Growing Pains

Burning Crusade is Hot hot HOTTT

Burning crusade the world of warcraft XP has nice art Thats pretty much all i gotta say. I think I would like to mention that I also like the new weather effects that they added. One of the strongest areas that wow shines in is the way all the art and the animation fits in to form one large picture. No where do they use a fx that its sharper then the rest of the game.

Getting over the Wall(Mart)

Guys, this blog is the bomb. Moving on, this week's entry was about how vastly the gaming industry is affected (read: controlled) by WalMart, which is something that I had no idea about. Basically, because WalMart does business on such a large scale (read the article, WalMart makes enough $ annually to be 23rd on the list of countries in terms of income) game publishers cater to what type of content WalMart is willing to put on its shelves. Dig this: for those of you that noticed that pc game boxes got significantly smaller 5 yrs ago; that was WalMart. At WalMart's request, game publishers confined their products to smaller box space, so that more of them could be stocked on WalMart shelves. The article goes on to talk about more of the stuff like that, but what's also interesting is the info on the underhanded practices used on the employees at WalMart. I'm sure you've all heard at one point or another about how little $ WalMart pays, etc, etc, but they mention some seriously bogus stuff in this blog. Getting back to games, the end of the article covered the possible end of WalMarts reign over the industry, as developers, both indie and big-name, move to online distribution. As the majority of people get more and more comfortable online, the internet will become the "great marketplace" where most, and maybe eventually all, business will be done. In those days, WalMart can't hope to have as much of an influence, because there won't be the pressure on publishers to make games that can be displayed on WalMart shelves. Seriously, everyone needs to read this blog, it's killer. Every time. Man. Really. K, later.

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Gamespot Weekly Beat Im not a huge fan of the idea behind the revolution and its “revolutionary” controller. However, there apparently is a game coming out developed by Ubi, that allows you to use the wieldable controller to inflict ultra violent action in this game tentatively titled Red Steel. For me, this is a step in the right direction. If I could spend hours mutilating bodies with a revolution controller, that would be revolutionary. Getting up out of the chair and physically pounding my arm through the air and onscreen my character rips arms and legs off, throwing blood all over the environment. Sign me up for that. /me moves 10 feet closer to camp Nintendo. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6147317.html

Buzzcut

Ok so, I was looking around at random blogs and I found buzzcut. The specific blog that I looked at is about a month old, but interesting to say the least. It contained links to pages like The Big Red Button and 1D Tetris. 1D Tetris is simply a game in which a number of squares will travel down a line and when it gets to the bottom you score points. That's all it does, over and over and over again. Boring! But, interesting at the same time. Why would someone do that? I don't know. Whatever The Big Red Button was captivating. Some text tells you not to touch the button. When you do it tells you not to do it again. Over and over you can press the button. At one point the thing tells you that you've ended the world. Everyone is dead, even you. Eventually more buttons get added, you're told there's a white button to press, and apparently you even destroy heaven and hell. Good stuff. It's pointless, but I could help pressing the button. I wanted to see what would happen next. Eventually, I got to a point where it started over and I never did find that white button. I'm not really sure the white button exists. I'll probably get home from work tonight and spend hours trying to find the button. Anyway, the post started off saying that it was going to talk about interactivity in games not being important. Ok, I guess...The post goes on to state that even with the smallest amount of interactivity we will enjoy. Games that have too much are going to be bad. I wouldn't say that. There was a response to the post that I could get with. The response states that if a game with a lot of interactivity is bad, it's not necessarily the fault of the interactivity. There's a movie analogy and stuff, but whatever. I have this sort of credo, motto, whatever you want to call it that pretty much everything is relative. Some people are going to find enjoyment in playing the Big Red Button 'game', while others won't. I had fun. It made me laugh. Some people will have fun playing a game like GTA and some won't. See? Ok.

ARGN history

The newest article is about a kind of remeberance of how this site was started. Jonathan Waite writes about this. -On April 11, 2001, the murder of Evan Chan caught many people's attention. Somehow, after the game wound down to an end 12 weeks later, there was the birth (or resurrection, or redefinition, depending on who you talk to) of an entirely new gaming genre we now know as Alternate Reality Gaming.- I think that he might have brought new things one being as talked about in the article "The Beast" not made by Disney, but this game apparently revovled around the movie A.I. Not sure many people can say that they have done to much, that it can bring games even after death. Im going to start rambling about nothing in a min so im gonna stop now....yeah..

ARGN history

The newest article is about a kind of remeberance of how this site was started. Jonathan Waite writes about this. -On April 11, 2001, the murder of Evan Chan caught many people's attention. Somehow, after the game wound down to an end 12 weeks later, there was the birth (or resurrection, or redefinition, depending on who you talk to) of an entirely new gaming genre we now know as Alternate Reality Gaming.- I think that he might have brought new things one being as talked about in the article "The Beast" not made by Disney, but this game apparently revovled around the movie A.I. Not sure many people can say that they have done to much, that it can bring games even after death. Im going to start rambling about nothing in a min so im gonna stop now....yeah..

The Power of Economics A recent post on my beat discusses Wal-Mart’s control of the game industry. The post states that if Wal-Mart will not sell a particular game, the publisher will not make it. I do not believe that Wal-Mart has that much power. Wal-Mart originally said that it wouldn’t carry games that were really graphic and that eventually changed. Even if they are explicit and Wal-Mart will not carry it , you can still buy “The Guy Game”. You can still get this at other game stores and maybe even at Best Buy. Wal-Mart makes these claims purely so that the public gets a better image of them! However, the graphic nature if some games such as “Silent Hill Four” doesn’t seem to be questioned on the Wal-Mart shelves. Wal-Mart certainly does have some power, but I feel that it is less than this post implies. I believe that “God of War” was on the shelves at Wal Mart and there was a interactive sex game on it. If the demand is high enough, Wal-Mart will supply it, regardless of content.

Can't Stop the 2D Fighters

I was extremely pleased to see on my blog news that Guilty Gear XX Slash should be coming out on the PS2 next week. This is good news to any 2D fighter enthusiast who owns a PS2. Guilty Gear is known for it's blazing fast anime style gameplay and excellant controller response. The series takes place around the year 2180, in a chaotic, mystical future world. It is also known for its varied and often bizarre cast of characters. For this release the characters are supposedly more balanced than before. This should reduce the amount of times players get their butts kicked by Sol Badguy. By the way, it is reported that the game will boast 23 plus characters to choose from including a "Holy Sol...?"

Revolution to launch with 20 games

So I am not going to lie to you Game Culture Watch, I totally forgot what my new beat was so I'm sticking with what I know and talking about an article over at etoychest. Apparently the latest issuse of Game Informer is Revolution central as it not only shows off the awesome that is Red Steel, but also contains a very revealing interview with George Harrison of Nintendo of America. The most important thing Harrision mentions is that the Revolution will lauch with 20 games, and a third of that 20 will be from Nintendo. This goes to show that the industry is giving Nintendo's experiment a shot at least, and if Red Steel is an indication of what third parties are going to put out at launch then I think the future of the Revolution is much brighter then some game journalists have made it out to be. Just like the DS, the Revolution has to be seen in use not just a concept. A lot of people thought the idea of two screens was a bad idea and most of those naysayers have had to eat their words.

Immersive Fallacy

An interesting post on immersive fallacy was posted today, asking an important question. Why is it that we feel that making games into real-world simulations is important? Why is making a game more realistic a good thing? From the post:"Let’s say a bear is attacking a friend of yours and is about to kill him. The word ‘bear’ will warn your friend. The word ‘bear’ would not be better if it had teeth and could kill you! The same thing is true of the bear mask that the tribal priest puts on, or the bears on the wall of the cave, and of the game ‘Bear’. Statues wouldn’t be better if they could move. Model airplanes would not be better if they were the same size as airplanes! By the same token, if you think about it, the incredible sense of freedom created by GTA is created by carefully limiting the actions of the player." This is a really good point. Games are just that, games. Making them more realistic doesn't make them better, it just makes the gamer find things that they wouldn't care about more anoying. When they make the game more realistic, and something is not realistic in the game, then the user feels that that part of the game is lessened, where as, if the game weren't as realistic, that thing would seem fine. An example, in GTA San Andreas, there is a part where CJ, the main character, jumps out of the plane he is flying, onto another, and climbs into it. In a gaming universe, that is fine, whatever, but because the game is so realistic, most people with a knowlage of physics were thinking, "That could never happen, the pressure wouldn't alow it!" Games are not real, that is all there is to it. What we need is for the mass market to stop demanding games that are "more real," so developers don't feel the need to make these games.

Immersive Fallacy

An interesting post on immersive fallacy was posted today, asking an important question. Why is it that we feel that making games into real-world simulations is important? Why is making a game more realistic a good thing? From the post:"Let’s say a bear is attacking a friend of yours and is about to kill him. The word ‘bear’ will warn your friend. The word ‘bear’ would not be better if it had teeth and could kill you! The same thing is true of the bear mask that the tribal priest puts on, or the bears on the wall of the cave, and of the game ‘Bear’. Statues wouldn’t be better if they could move. Model airplanes would not be better if they were the same size as airplanes! By the same token, if you think about it, the incredible sense of freedom created by GTA is created by carefully limiting the actions of the player." This is a really good point. Games are just that, games. Making them more realistic doesn't make them better, it just makes the gamer find things that they wouldn't care about more anoying. When they make the game more realistic, and something is not realistic in the game, then the user feels that that part of the game is lessened, where as, if the game weren't as realistic, that thing would seem fine. An example, in GTA San Andreas, there is a part where CJ, the main character, jumps out of the plane he is flying, onto another, and climbs into it. In a gaming universe, that is fine, whatever, but because the game is so realistic, most people with a knowlage of physics were thinking, "That could never happen, the pressure wouldn't alow it!" Games are not real, that is all there is to it. What we need is for the mass market to stop demanding games that are "more real," so developers don't feel the need to make these games.

Immersive Fallacy

An interesting post on immersive fallacy was posted today, asking an important question. Why is it that we feel that making games into real-world simulations is important? Why is making a game more realistic a good thing? From the post:"Let’s say a bear is attacking a friend of yours and is about to kill him. The word ‘bear’ will warn your friend. The word ‘bear’ would not be better if it had teeth and could kill you! The same thing is true of the bear mask that the tribal priest puts on, or the bears on the wall of the cave, and of the game ‘Bear’. Statues wouldn’t be better if they could move. Model airplanes would not be better if they were the same size as airplanes! By the same token, if you think about it, the incredible sense of freedom created by GTA is created by carefully limiting the actions of the player." This is a really good point. Games are just that, games. Making them more realistic doesn't make them better, it just makes the gamer find things that they wouldn't care about more anoying. When they make the game more realistic, and something is not realistic in the game, then the user feels that that part of the game is lessened, where as, if the game weren't as realistic, that thing would seem fine. An example, in GTA San Andreas, there is a part where CJ, the main character, jumps out of the plane he is flying, onto another, and climbs into it. In a gaming universe, that is fine, whatever, but because the game is so realistic, most people with a knowlage of physics were thinking, "That could never happen, the pressure wouldn't alow it!" Games are not real, that is all there is to it. What we need is for the mass market to stop demanding games that are "more real," so developers don't feel the need to make these games.

Immersive Fallacy

An interesting post on immersive fallacy was posted today, asking an important question. Why is it that we feel that making games into real-world simulations is important? Why is making a game more realistic a good thing? From the post:"Let’s say a bear is attacking a friend of yours and is about to kill him. The word ‘bear’ will warn your friend. The word ‘bear’ would not be better if it had teeth and could kill you! The same thing is true of the bear mask that the tribal priest puts on, or the bears on the wall of the cave, and of the game ‘Bear’. Statues wouldn’t be better if they could move. Model airplanes would not be better if they were the same size as airplanes! By the same token, if you think about it, the incredible sense of freedom created by GTA is created by carefully limiting the actions of the player." This is a really good point. Games are just that, games. Making them more realistic doesn't make them better, it just makes the gamer find things that they wouldn't care about more anoying. When they make the game more realistic, and something is not realistic in the game, then the user feels that that part of the game is lessened, where as, if the game weren't as realistic, that thing would seem fine. An example, in GTA San Andreas, there is a part where CJ, the main character, jumps out of the plane he is flying, onto another, and climbs into it. In a gaming universe, that is fine, whatever, but because the game is so realistic, most people with a knowlage of physics were thinking, "That could never happen, the pressure wouldn't alow it!" Games are not real, that is all there is to it. What we need is for the mass market to stop demanding games that are "more real," so developers don't feel the need to make these games.

Arcade Style Games

Okay, this beat never really interests me that much when I check it. The idea of arcade style games came up and to think of a video game as an upright standing box makes me think of the past. Arcade styles have always been attempted to be recreated within the home but it really isnt the same. Different controllers and things have helped but I think the overall vibe and atmosphere of the arcade could never be captured at home. This is not to say that it is a bad thing, who really wants to play games in their home standing up and looking at a screen that cannot be changed in size. It seems the arcade life is one that cannot be be customized with big screens and sound systems. Although, the arcade game layout is usually present in a lot of games, an arcade at home is not a very feasible thing unless you are a celebrity on CRIBS.

VoodooPC

This isn't from my beat but I came across one helluva cool gaming computer. Some of you may already be aware of the VoodooPC's Omen a:121 Crossfire edition costing a staggering $6,000 but I had never previously heard about this monster of a machine. The computer itself weighs around 50 pounds, partially because of the thick black aluminum case, and partially because of the cooling liquid that is pumped around the dual core Athlon processors in order to help boost the computer's speed up to 2.95 Gigahertz. Oh and the thick glass on the side allows you to view the odd but transfixing process. The two ATI Radeon XTX graphics cards also get a bit of the cooling treatment to optimize the frame rate up (the author of the article witnessed the frame rate reach 229 frames per second). There also is a $15,000 version that has a 24-karat gold case, talk about a niche market.

Video game inspired art

As reported by GameGirl Advance Chronicle Books has just released a book containing video game inspired artwork from the annual iam8bit gallery show. You can check out some samples at the gallery. On a related note this year iteration of the show opens next Tuesday at Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight in Los Angeles. It runs through the 19th of May so if you happen to be in LA sometime in the next month it's probably worth checking out. It's always interesting to see how video games influence other forms of art and culture. As video games become more deeply ingrained within our culture I wonder if we'll see more of this sort of thing. Whereas we grew up with initially more abstract games, the current generation is growing up with much more realistic games. I'm curious as to what kind of video game influenced works the next generation of gamers will produce.

GRRRRRR WALMART

Ehem...so, Walmart dominates the game market. Just like every other market. It turns out, that if Walmart decides it won't carry a game that is in production, most game production companies will just drop the game. Completely. Slashdot Games posted a short story about this. This just increases the need and push for digital distribution of games. I've always been a little bit wary of digital distribution, as it will begin the end to pirating. I think I'm alright with that now if it can put a dent in Walmart's immaculate, indestructable wall. Not that I'm bitter on the subject...not at all. Not to mention episodic game content actually sounds really cool.

PS3 Price Slip

A few days ago George Fornay, the Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, let the PS3's European price slip. According to him the system will cost roughly 499-599 Euros, which in real money translates to about $613-736. While that is definetly cheaper then the rumored $900+ and while the ssytem does include the expensive Blue-Ray player with it, that is still a nice chunk of change to lay down for a video system. I know I buy a video game sytem to play the games mainly, not the additional devices or features it may have. Unless the PS3 has some serious improvements over the Xbox 360 (and PS2/Xbox), I could very well be passing up the Playstation at $700. Unlike VHS to DVD, DVD to Blu-Ray is not near as big a step in terms of technological improvements. The same holds true with the graphics and power of the next gen systems. Unlike the SNES to the Nintendo 64, the Xbox to Xbox 360 leap was not that of a huge one. From what I have seen the PS3 doesn't look to be all that more powerful then the Xbox 360 either. I would have to see more about the PS3, but from what I know now in terms of power and cost, it definetly doesn't look like Sony will be getting my buck (or 613-736 bucks). Of course, nothing is set in stone yet, and there is the possability that the price could yet be lower here in America. When it comes to consumer electronics Europe can get screwed, such as with the iPod which cost $299 here, and 299 Euros in Europe. Some believe the PS3 may yet retail for around $499.

Game Tunnel exploration

On GameTunnel, an independant developer is releasing a game called Oasis for mobile download through Konami. Konami is now to distribute games on cell phones? This is an inevitable development that a big games company would start in on the cell phone market, and it may have happened before but I still find it funny that Konami is selling ringtones from their games also. I know this is not exactly a new development either, but seeing it and realizing that musicians for games are really developing influential themes for their games and this way of delivering those sounds and themes is a very interesting creation. I knew video games on phones aren’t very good, but having a company like Konami distributing games mean that some quality control and assistance may be implemented to help developers produce future games with higher quality.

naruto 360? xbox beats the other systems to the handout line....

Duane Weatherall notifies us that ubisoft has gotten a deal for an upcoming naruto game on xbox 360 "Naruto anime series debuted on TV TOKYO in 2002 and has already spawned several successful video game titles in Japan as well as multiple character merchandise and two movies. Now, Naruto anime is aired with tremendous success on Cartoon Network in the US'' So... microsoft sees a good franchise and rties to buy it out as usual, well hopefully the game will be good. The other games for this series are pretty good ones, although naruto on gamecube is the onl y time ive seen the "halo phenom" of people stopping playing every game for a system and thinking that the sytem is solely there for the playing of a single game, while every other game for the system "sucks"

State of the RTS

IGN has posted a hefty but very interesting editorial on the state of RTS gaming. Really, it's more than that, it's more like a breakdown of RTS games over the years and where the genera is headed. A lot of great games are mentioned, both old and new. If you're up for a 7 page trip down RTS memory lane, it's a good read. Personally, I had my start in RTS games with the original Warcraft. C&C never did it for me (I had this hangup about constructing buildings before choosing where to place them). Age of Empires was another favorite of mine, and of course Starcraft and Total Annihilation. The article touches on RTS games on consoles as well, which is an interesting issue. You just can't beat a mouse and keyboard when it comes to RTS.

For Those Of You Interested In Playing Some Games

Hello All, Just wanted to let you guys know that several buddies and I have setup an IRC chan and Ventrilo server for various gaming. If anyone would like to join you are more than welcome. The IRC server is EFnet and the channel is #full_scale_games. <Without the period at the end. The ventrilo server IP is mwclan.no-ip.info , default port, password is !bling1 . We play Battle for middle earth 2, Counter Strike, Warcraft 3, Crashday, Fear, etc etc etc, so join up if you want to play some games. PS, it might be your only chance to put a bullet through the teachers head, figuratively speaking of course. ;)

Xbox 360 Games to Get Cheaper?

It was reported in the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine that Xbox 360 games in the future could see a drastic cut in price. Games like Table Tennis by Rockstar are reportedly going to cost $40 retail rather then the current $60 third-party companies are charging. This is a similar technique that 2k Games used with their sports series. They only charged 20 bucks for their games rather then 50 and ended up actually making more profit then they had before because of the sheer increase in games sold. I know I am hopeful that more companies follow in suit. While there are a lot of great games on the market, some are just too damn short clocking in at 6-8 hours. Some games are also nothing more then direct ports of their Xbox cousins, but with 10 more bucks tacked on. A $40 price tag on these would be much more in line I think, and would definetly attribute more sales. I mean hell, who doesn't love cheaper stuff? I know I do.

Boot Camp - Intel Macs can use Windows

Boot Camp Public Beta. You can now install Windows XP on an Intel based Mac, repeat Intel based Mac, without moving all of your Mac data. After initial installation of Windows XP (Home Edition or Professional), at startup of your Mac, if you press and hold the option key you can choose between either Mac OS X or Windows XP. For those who love the Mac interface but need Windows, this bridges the gap and now Apple has all their bases covered. The Beta is available now at apple.com in the Mac OS X section. If only I had a Mac with Intel....

Women Gamers like it sideways

They like their MMORPGs sideways that is. Women gamers.com reviewed the 2D, sidescrolling (and free to download..from somewhere) MMORPG called Maple Story. The game has a certain amount of character customization being that you can choose from a variety of faces and etcetera, but like I said, its all in 2D. Those who live for the inasane realism of games like Elder Scrolls might not find the bright, cartoony look appealing for their long, online adventuring. When it comes to sound, Maple Story delivers tunes that are catchy and easy to listen to. The sound effects are crisp and deliver solid responses to the actions of the player. As for gameplay, think Super Mario World and Worla of Warcraft met and had a very strange love-child. Overall Women Gamers see the game as very fun and addictive although it is focused heavily on item collecting and leveling up.

Second Lifers

This Blog made an interesting connection with our reading this week. A PhD research at the University of Surrey is conducting a study on the second life within a virtual world. We should all take a minute to fill out her survey.

Ads planning a Massive Infiltration on the Game World

Companies are beginning to feel that, thanks to video games and TiVo, they've lost a large amount of their male youth audience who spend more time using these devices that they do watching regular television. TV ads just aren't good enough anymore. Massive Inc. is among several gaming networks who have been placing ads for everyday items like Coca-Cola (as if they don't get enough publicity) into video games geared toward males like SWAT 4 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. They may even rent out billboard spaces to advertisers in MMO's like Anarchy Online. I can just imagine teleporting to a cybernetic world full of rogues and assasins and seeing a billboard plastered with a pair of Adidas off in the distance. This seems like it could be an obnoxious disturbance on the one hand, but on the other, according to Massive Inc. CEO Mitch Davis, "gamers will soon be able to, say, test-drive the latest Porsche in a racing game or outfit their characters in Rocawear's new fall line." Hmm, I wouldn't mind embarking on a quest that rewarded me with a Vivienne Westwood necklace to adorn my avatar with. You can read Wired Magazine's small article about it, written by John Gaudiosi; and the gal over at Guilded Lillies touches on the "young male demographic" gender issue, and illustrates the possible future of ad-ified games geared towards girls using a nifty photoshopped picture.

Oblivion Horse Armor Now Available

So its not the most amazing news ever, but its spawned some pretty hot debate on numerous forums. So its the first real add on for a game to be available on Live, but its not for free and there in lies the debate. So it costs 2.50 to download some rather bland armor for your horse...big deal. You are forced to buy it and its not something that came out of no where. Its always been the plan to release content for games in low cost packets. So where the big shock at the price? Its not like they are charging you for a new game. 2.50 just isn't that much, its one cup of coffee at Starbucks. The argument has been made that Halo 2 didnt even charge for more new maps, but that's only because the infrastructure was really there to purchase content as easily as it exists now. I guarantee when Halo 3 comes out they wont be giving away content for free. Oblivion Horse Armor Now Available Ready For Purchase on the X360 Marketplace.by Charles Onyett April 3, 2006 - Today a Horse Armor Pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was made available on the Xbox 360 Marketplace. For 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50 USD) players can download a 2.52 MB file that will automatically be incorporated into the game. Upon restarting the game after downloading, a notice will pop up as the extra content loads. Once in the actual game, the horse armor will be immediately accessible.Both elven and steel armor sets will be ready for purchase in-game. The elven armor is of a gilded tint, elaborately and ornately designed while the steel is more workmanlike and dull. After the first set, the armor costs 500 gold pieces and can be placed on any horse the player legitimately owns. In addition to giving the horse a significant upgrade in visual appeal, the armor also functions as insulation against enemy attacks.

More crossover movies!!

Duane Weatherall notes to us that theres is a video game movie in the works..... ok heres the bad news "Starring Paris Hilton as your passenger, and Freddie Prinze Jr as everybodies favourite Ferrari driver. The viewer will get to join the two on a journey from one American Coast to another, taking in sun, sea, sand and grass." so i dont know what to say... but would someone like paris hilton just watch games or like pay someone ta record them for her???

Sqaure Enix will hire your mom.

Square-Enix is now recruiting people with little to no gaming experience and are seeking people outside the gaming sectors. The idea is novel and frankly I think needed to get fresh ideas. The big S-E has had some hard times as far as a brain drain goes. Mistwalker has hurt them pretty bad. Heck their latest Final Fantasy game had its lead developer leave mid project to join mistwalker as well. I think this is a good step for S-E to make to enliven their games, however it may be a little late for them. It seems more and more rpg gameing companys are getting their act in gear. My bet is the Shadow Hearts Team will finaly make a break out hit. PS. that picture gets 400 sad points.

When real life kicks in

Well on my watch today they posted about how their real life takes a tole when all you do is play games and write reviews. I like it when other can tell you that it is taking a tole on them so you wont feel like your the only one that it takes a tole on. I know personally, sometimes if im bored ill just go play a game and not even think to start working on my homework. Letting me fall behind, for a day. Luckly I dont do that to often, but I would like not to. Anywho, I just liked that post. On another note, a game that's based on reality, Called finding Aryne. In which you start off by reading a letter where it's a girl that has been kiddnaped over a month. ARGN says that soon as the game started to take off it took an unexpected turn and just ended, When they asked Mountain girl about this they said "they didnt mean for this to happen she said there was no real climax or resolution intended." Well, I for one dont like games that just end and your stuck just looking around the room.

Emulation and You

Monday saw the release of the PCSX2 version 0.9 emulator. For anyone not familiar with it, PCSX2 is a Playstation 2 emulator for PC, and the next generation of PCSX, a PSOne emulator. The team that designed the emulator promises faster, more compatible games, including a large number of commercial games that are able to be played through in their entirety (albeit at very slow frame rates). Meanwhile, Fanjita - the hacker who has spearheaded the PSP hacks that work on the newest firmware - has released a new version of his GTA bootloader this week. While this may not be big news to any but enthusiasts, it does bring up the issue of emulation. Some hardcore gamers will say that video games should only be played on their original consoles and that a game running on a PC takes away from how the game should be played. There are also many who believe that it is wrong to hack systems like the PSP and use them for anything other than their original purpose. But the simple fact is: emulators are here to stay. Sony and Nintendo have realized the potential, and the popularity of playing old games under emulation, and the Revolution will contain emulators that will play the older NES and SNES games on the system (purchased for download from Nintendo, of course). Sony, meanwhile, will do the same by releasing PSOne games to be downloaded to the PSP. One must then ask themselves how running an emulator where it is "meant" to run is any different than running an emulator where a company didn't intend it to run. Or is there any difference at all?

360 to relaunch in Japan

There's no mincing words - Microsoft's attempt at a next gen pre-emptive strike has sunk like a lead ballon in the Land of the Rising Sun. In Japan, systems are nearing the bargain bins daily as the console routinely falls behind the GameCube in sales numbers. This could probably be why the man who led the Japanese system launch, Yoshihiro Maruyama, was recently fired. It might even be the reason why Microsoft Japan plans on "relaunching" the 360 this June 29th. A press conference scheduled for next week should reveal Microsoft's reconstructed market strategy and just exactly what this "relaunch" will consist of. At this point, however, it will definitely be an uphill battle against the impending PS3 and Revolution launches, which have already stolen supporters from the 360 camp. I guess if at first you don't succeed... I really don't see the point of this. I don't think it will make much difference in their sales in Japan. Especially with the PS3 and the Revolution getting ready to launch around the same time. This just seems like a ploy to get some much needed press.

Intelmacs Can Run Windows

It has been widely speculated that the Apple's new Macintosh computers, which use Intel processors, would be capable of running Windows. Apple has previously said that they would do nothing to thwart people from running Windows on the "Intelmacs", as they have been nicknamed, but if was widely thought there would be hidden security measures that would actually inhibit Windows from running. However, people have found that Apple has actually left the door open for Windows to be installed. This morning, Apple's intentions became crystal clear as they released a dual-boot utility for Intelmacs that allows dual booting into either Mac OS X 10.5 and Windows XP (or alternately Linux). This means that Mac users don't have to rely on virtualization software (specifically Virtual PC) to run IBM-compatible software within the Mac environment: they can simply use an actual copy of Windows to run it. The boot utility also contains a lot of drivers for Windows XP that will allow Windows to use most of the built-in hardware. What still isn't clear is why exactly Apple made their Macs compatible with Windows. Were they hoping to increase sales by expanding their demographics to Windows users? Do they have some sort of licensing agreement they signed with Microsoft? Will we ever know?

Nintendo DS = large profit

I read an article on my blog this week talking about how the design of the Nintendo DS has boosted Nintendos earnings by alot by quite a bit. The company has re-estimated a net profit of 95 billion yen ($807 million) for the year ended March 31, compared with its previous forecast of $637 million. Last year the firm took £739 million. This makes sense becuase Ive never seen anyone stare at something to intently during class as the folks in the back row playin their DS. So they must be cool. Gamespot did an interview with some Nintendo DS engineer's to get a better idea of just why their design is giving them so much success. Some of its pretty interresting. You can find that interview here. I would assume their success has alot more to do with the game titles but regardless, they explain alot of the benefits of the design itself in terms of things like size/weight/lcds/durability. If you're a huge DS fan you may want to check it out though.

PS3 to cost between $612-$734,Sony to also accept Arms and Legs as payment

Hot off the press over at eToychest is an article dicussing the comments made by George Fornay, president of Sony Computer Entertainment France and vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Fornay has gone on the record saying that when the PS3 launches in Europe it will carry a price tag of about 500 Euros. That works out to be between $612 and $734 at current exchange rates aparently. eToychest doesn't say what the dollar values are based on, but based on everything that has been said in regards to price it doesn't seem too far from what it will cost. Sony has Nintendo-itis. Nintendo was the same way about a decade ago when they were dominating the market and thought they could force the industry to stick with cartridges. Sony is now the same, thinking that people will pay more then $500 for a system just because it has the Playstation name on it. While it may be the most advanced console released this generation, all that power isn't going to matter if people can't afford it.

CDC Campaign Against Gamers

On my blog, it was pointed out that CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has a new advertising campaign titled Give Your Thumbs a Rest, Play for Real. The goal here is to encourage more active lifestyles among citizens. One of these ads depicts a bunch of overweight baseballers in stained uniforms idle and cookout on a sullied, overgrown infield. The second shows an abandoned and overrun NASCAR track with a superimposed driving HUD. And the third shows a totally trashed and forgotten soccer field. These ads are a bit confusing to me. Does the CDC want gamers to go out and race real cars or something? Doesn't seem to useful considering one must only sit down in the car and use a steering wheel as a guide while pressing down on the gas. Sounds like a workout to me! I'm not sure that the other ads do anything more than showcase the agency's ability to create effective parodies of videogame environments.

Don't rip me off man!!!

"The death of UMD could be beneficial: Sony will have more resources to put into developing the PSP as a game platform. This past Friday I browsed the PSP shelves at a local EB Games this past week and not a single game made me open my wallet. Had they had the Pinball Hall of Fame, maybe. Or perhaps Capcom Classics Collection Remix or Namco Battle Collection for a reasonable price. It's very sad, both for me and for Sony, that the only titles I want on the PSP are more than a decade old." PsP have no real selection when it come on games and movie i would buy UMD movie or game if i want to waste money and the price is too high come on @24.99 when you can get a dvd you $16 buck.

Ladies Night

Last night I was disturbed, when I was sitting down getting ready to watch the women's NCAA Basketball championship and my friend kept asking me why I wanted to watch. I told him it was because in all collegiate sports it's about the pride, and winning for the honor of your school and not you next 10 million dollar contract. Not all those women were going to the pros, and it was that moment that would define their life forever, so dedicating 2 hours in honor of all their hardwork to watch them entertain me is the least I could do. After his constant complaints we stopped watching with 4 minutes left in the first half and put in the Constant Gardener (which is a great movie by the way). However when looking for the Yankees score, highlights were up on ESPN, considering Duke was up by 14 when we put in the movie, and the highlights consisted of Duke's wins, and a Duke player was at the podium talking I assumed they had thrashed the Maryland Turtles much like the Florida Gators did UCLA the previous night in the Men's championship. My friend screamed, "oh my god they lost! They lost by 3!" This is why you watch, Maryland sent it into overtime and won the game by 3 points and I missed it for a movie I could have watched any time. I missed possibly the best basketball played in the last 2 weeks for a movie. But Kyle what does this have to do with videogames?!? Quite simply why is it that men don't want to watch women's basketball, is it simply because in a genre (sports) which is driven mainly by male competitiveness that keeps the majority of male viewers from wanting to watch women's sports. Because they can't relate to them being that they are women and fantasizing about playing on a professional women's team is a socially unacceptable thought. How can we as game designers expect the majority of women to participate and play videogames if we can’t meet them halfway and find something compelling for them to play. Think about it, in another activity dominated mostly by males (videogames) how are we as designers going to engage the female market. Thumbbandits.com makes it clear that there are female gamers out there that will play just about any videogame. But think about how many more female gamers we could get if we actually tailored to their demands. No I’m not talking about insulting them and introducing Barbie Rally which was a recent April Fools joke done with Microsoft’s own J. Allard’s gamercard. *Update* Now I remember where I was going with this! Why not in NCAA College Hoops 2k6 or NCAA March Madness 06 why don't they include the females. You wouldn't have to change the name of the game, you would just have to add a new character model type...females. You know similar to the cheerleaders in the game only...six feet tall and more athletic. This couldn't hurt sales of the game, and it shows that you're willing to embrace female sports and female gamers without having to risk the failure of a WNBA game. If EA can waste their money come up with a budget for Arena Football I'm sure the WNBA will have their own sometime soon. Last nights game demonstrated the sport could be exciting even when played by women *gasp*. So why not embrace the opposite sex, and welcome them into NCAA College Hoops 2k6 with Marrissa Coleman (pictured above) eventually gracing the cover of the game. To all the future male game designers out there, you have to start considering the female gamer, and to broaden our user base have to take into consideration that there is an equally large audience ready for the taking. The only way we can do this is by concentrating on their wants and needs and taking that chance that they may want to play games *ehem* Nintendo *cough* Nintendogs is definitely a start, and most DS games can easily be enjoyed by both sexes. No doubt the Nintendo Revolution is going to follow the footsteps the DS laid down. So to end my rant congrats to the Maryland Terrapins, and hopefully Sony and Microsoft can embrace the female game market aswell.

Buy A Pony

Penny-Arcade posts: "Oblivion developer Bethesda Softworks recently released a mod, bonus content, DLC, what have you for their popular RPG which consists of two horse models. In what many gamers see as a reversal of the company's Morrowind policy, these ponies - and all future content internally developed for the title - will be available exclusively on a pay basis." This has the scent of exploitation. Even the PC users have to pay for the additional content. There is also some relevence to this weeks readings with the comic:"Nobody will ever know you have it. You can't ride that shit through Ironforge"

Michigan game law unconstitutional

Their has been a law overturned in michigan recently restricting the sale of violent video games. US district judge george camran steech ruled that on friday that a state law criminalizing the sale of violent video games to anyone under 17 years of age is unconstitutional because that form of entertainment is protected by the First Amendment's freedom of expression clause. "Video games are a form of creative expression that are constitutionally protected under the First Amendment," Steeh ruled. "They contain original artwork, graphics, music, story lines and characters similar to movies and television shows, both of which are considered protected free speech."(camran) One reason that the judicial skeptism is made is becuase academic studies have not found yet the link between simulated violence in video games and real-world action. Also last november two legislaters introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act. a federal piece of legislation that restricts minors' access to violent games in much the same way as the overturned Michigan law, but would also require the Federal Trade Commission to conduct annual audits of the industry's ratings system.

Moding

Within my beat I stumbled acrossed a Doom 3 inspired, incredibly detailed and enormous case mod for a PC. The pictures must be seen to be believed. However, transitioning from our recent conversations of customizability within video games, there exists a stark similarity between character manipulation and hardware moding. Those who find customizing characters fulfilling don't necessarily intend or want the character to appear as themselves or their idealized image of themselves. The purpose is to reflect their particular tastes and choices in an immediate feedback of representation. This provides the player with not only a sense of actually affecting the virtual world instantaneously but also places an individualistic and personal reflection within the ambiguous and inhumane video game. On the other hand, creating a mod for an Xbox or PC is not within the realm of the video game, but obviously within reality itself. Still, there exists the same motivations for personal tastes, likes and so on which manifest themselves in a tangible visual appearance that reflects that person's personality and specific perceptions.

Grrl Gamer has yet to update... anything.

So, I bring you this article, linked from games.slashdot.org. Which has actually been the place I've been using for most of my articles until Grrl Gamer updates with something remotely worth writing about. Anyways, the jist of it is that for Oblivion for the Xbox 360 you're given options to buy horse armor packs. Yes, buy... Few can deny that online gaming is where everything seems to be headed; if for no other reason than the greatest challenge for any gamer is to be pitted against another gamer. Where gaming companys are going to head with this, is the question. Though I haven't been on xbox live in a while, I did enjoy playing halo, and then suddenly being able to get new content added on to allow for a more expansive game play. This proves useful to game developers with a dead-line, and who can simply upload the rest as 'additional play' content later. Which is fine, really. I'm sure plenty of us would prefer a game to be finished on release even if it means it's going to be late. However, the marketing department isn't so kind. But question still remains if we should be charged for this additional content? As for my opinion on it; I do understand paying for extra content as far as new maps, quests, etc go.(Emphasis on 'extra' here; as it wouldn't be too far off from game companys to remove certain things just before release, only to have them be sold as additional content later) But otherwise, content that keeps you actually playing the game. However, as far as the 'ooo, pretty' add-ons, it seems that they should keep their place in the free-download areas. Otherwise they're trying more to get every last cent out of you possible rather than making the game a continuing joy to play, which just might end up driving many people out of some games entirely.

Study Of Games

This class really opened up my eyes to the socialogical aspect of video games. I never thought this way before. I would always apply gender roles to peoples lives and things like advirtisements but I never thought to apply them to video games. I see so many assumptions about people and life every where else but never from this aspect. Its really interesting to me because the way society has become can probably be traced to when video games started to get racier and have more stereotypes and such. Games are images of real life and sometimes the way they are depicted is nothing close to reality. It would be interesting to take more socialogy classes because I really like the debates because its real life things and I can relate to them. This blog doesnt have to many interesting things but they did meantion the study of games!

Video Game Research Findings

My beat (ludology.org) actually linked me over to Gamasutra for an article that listed the "Top 10 Video Game Research Findings." I'll list the ten questions below, but check out this link to see what was found out about each: http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060330/duffy_01.shtml 10. How does music impact a player's effectiveness? 9. What do players really think about voice chat and its usefulness in gameplay? 8. Gestural and embodied controllers are fun - but are they good for gameplay? 7. Does the presence of other players make an online game more or less immersive? 6. Are game players cheating as much as developers (and other players) think they are? 5. What innovative game design uses exist for player-controlled cameras? 4. What strategies do gamers invent to communicate to other players in online games, and can games be better designed to support these strategies? 3. Can alternative controllers, like eye tracking devices, offer a PC gaming experience that is more fun and involving more than mouse control. 2. How can developers generate facial animation that combines speech and variable emotion? 1. How do game events marking success versus failure affect a player's level of engagement? As future game developers these are all important things to consider. Things like sound are "unavoidable" when making a game, and things like the gesture-stylized controllers are obviously optional, so we need to look into how they can benefit or hurt the game we are designing. I think they can both be used very well or very poorly depending on how they are being put to use. It's up to the designers to figure this type of stuff out when planning their games so the more information we can get on how the players actually respond to it the better. On top of that, going out and testing all these theories for ourselves and seeing how we like them before we actually get into the industry the better off we will be as well.

Game Culture Watch

Game Culture Watch Video Games Aren’t Art?!?!?! Slashdot Games recently had a post about two of the videogame concerts that are touring right now. It says that both are elaborate shows and both feature a full symphony orchestra. “Video games Live” debuted at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose and travel to many cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro. “Play! A Video Game Symphony” is doing a similar tour. The link also describes other video game concerts including a Final Fantasy concert that had 2400 seats sold out in three days. The statement has been repeated several times “Video games aren’t art”. Perhaps I’d feel more comfortable with someone saying that the process of making video games is not always artistic. Hideo Kojima’s comment is a bit like me saying that film is not art because it involves a large number of people working toward a common goal and being paid. I must agree with Hideo that in some cases there is a much more commercial-based drive. In these situations it is often only the visual or audio part that had some artistic flair because most of the people are primarily worried about improving technology and profit. However, I view this situation just like film or Broadway. While many have benefited from the profits and the commercial environment, other artists work with other artists to design beautiful masterpieces that had only existed in the minds of their creators. In my view, the fact that music from games can become so popular and be viewed so seriously as art simply reinforces the idea that video games can become a “performed show” meant to captivate the viewer. This type of storytelling is art.

Nintendo Seeing Black

Black ink that is. Nintendo is forcasting their highest profit in five years thanks to the DS and a helpful exchange rate. The DS is selling great in the USA and even better in Japan, where the new DS Lite is still sold out in most places. In fact, Nintendo has moved six million DS's in Japan alone. This is good news for Nintendo, Nintendo Fans, and the industry as a whole. Honestly, I was a little skeptical about the ability of the DS to compete against the then-juggernaut PSP. At the time It seemed to me like the PSP was going to strong-arm the DS with its multimedia features. I was wrong, and the DS has been a huge hit. I like Nintendo, I see them as an innovative company and it's good to know they aren't being beaten into submission by Sony and Microsoft. Now if I'd only pony up that $120 and get a DS myself...

Can't Let Go Of Them MMO's

Raph Koster on why MMOs and MUDs are the same thing, which of course strikes me as blindingly obvious (just as text and graphic adventures are essentially the same thing), but seems highly obscure to most people, who still seem to think that online games began with Ultima Online. Which is obviously fallacious. How open are you to MMO's in general? Apparently, the majority of us (speaking as non-gamers) don't really know. They believe Ultima Online is ultimately the limits of what an MMO is, but as gamers; we all know that is false. I feel it all depends on the gamer in general, and his/her own disposition on the genre. What makes MMO's so great in my opinion is the sense of the structure of a subculture. I think the variety found in these titles is so vast that you can't pinpoint one single aspect. My own personal preference lies in MMO, strictly because of my sense of romanticized escapism (that goes out to all the Media Theorists out there.) -Joe De Urso

Nintendo Power is something your daddy read..

This week at Video Game Media Watch posted an article about the importance that Nintendo Power played in creating a gamer subculture. Granted, the magazine has fallen from grace since then, but no one can deny the affect that it had on children of the early era.

Evil Avatar

What’s your horse’s life worth? Bethesda recently release one of many promised addons for the new Oblivion game. However it has come under some pretty heavy criticism from consumers. The new item is a set of armor for your horse. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t do a whole lot for the gameplay other than make it look better (the horse). Sure it might add some armor attribute, but the one time I rode a horse in Oblivion, the enemies I ran into couldn’t exactly keep up with me, so running away was sufficient. Anyway, the reason people are complaining is because this addon costs ~$2.50. Are people going to be willing to pay a price like that for things that don’t matter? Some people are outraged by their idea that companies are getting greedy with payable-downloadable content. http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3149261

Will Wright could be...Right

Anyway, Games Are Art posted something that Will Wright had said in Wired and I found it interesting. It was basically that the generation of gamers that exists is treating the world in a new way because of games. They'll see the world as a place for creation and not consumption. Yeah, that's a pretty cool idea. Hopefully it's true. I know that there are a lot of people that play games, but I don't think people are going to see the world in such a different light. It's likely that there will be more people that see the world as a place of creation. But, you have to consider the fact that games, for a lot of "gamers" are simply recreation, entertainment. People don't want to learn from them, and even if they're tricked into it, they won't learn much. Like I said, what Wright thinks is definitely interesting and cool, but I think it's a little too idealistic.

Single Player games are dying?

Gamasutra had an article on what causes the death of a "franchise" in terms of games and their sequels. Among other things, the author mentioned that single-player franchises are going the way of the dodo. Here's why: "If you are a game developer or publisher, online service is now a prerequisite to play," they said. "If you do not online-enable a game, it could kill you. People want to play online. Why? Simply because many of us are tired of playing computers." Single-player games, says the article, are ultimately just a challenge in beating one set of artificial intelligence. "There is satisfaction in beating AI, but once you've done that, there is nothing more to do," it clarifies. "You have to move on." And moving on for the modern gamer, they say, is only easily done online: "A friend might come over, something easily accomplished when you're eight years old, living in suburbia, and your best friend lives three houses down; a bit harder when you're 30, grown up, living in a major city, and all of your friends are at a bar watching the Knicks lose." With online games, it provides a more communicative experience and also caters to the casual gamer. You can jump online, run a couple rounds and set it down to do whatever. Single player games tend to demand larger portions of time. With the demographic of game players increasing in age, is it going to become a higher priority to create multiplayer online experiences to cater to the casual gamer who can't dedicate a large chunk of time to finishing a game? I dunno!!

BloodRayne

How many people actually saw that BloodRayne movie? Not many. So few, in fact, that they had to try to think of a way to move the DVDs. What they came up with was putting a bonus in the DVD, a copy of BloodRayne II. That's right, a free copy of BloodRayne II for the PC will be encluded in the DVD, making it almost worth buying. The release is scheduled for May 23. If you want the game it will be worth buying the DVD with it because it will actually be cheaper. They plan to charge $20 for the DVD/Game combo, and are charging $30 for the game alone. How this is going to make them money is a mystery. Sony has been experimenting with putting games in with UMDs for the PSP, but this is the first time that a company has actually marketed a movie with a game in the same case.

New study on M-rated games states the obvious.

Kotaku has a summary of a Reuters UK article about a new study apparently published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine that has determined that Mature rated games may contain mature content. The study has found that most M-rated games do not disclose the specific content contained in the game and that as a result M-rated games may be falling into the hands of young children. According to study author Kimberly Thompson "Parents should not interpret the absence of a content descriptor to mean the absence of content." I don't see how the lack of specific content descriptors could possibly cause someone to fail to recognize that that the game is rated M. Isn't the M-rating itself a content descriptor? It may be a general purpose content descriptor but it still indicates the presence of mature content. Is it really necessary to specifically catalogue each type of mature content? It is not going to stop underage gamers from trying to buy M-rated games. For all I know it might encourage it. I can only assume this is so parents can decide what kinds of mature content are appropriate for their child. Are parents really this clueless? On the other hand the FTC has found that retailers are selling fewer M-rated games to kids. The actual numbers are still low (only about half of cashiers asked shoppers their age) but they are improving. One can only hope this will help remove some of the flack the game industry has been taking lately.

GameTunnel watch

I have not been paying much attention to my game culture watch assignment, as it's been the case that there are plenty of games within the gametunnel website that I cannot access or play. Having a mac I feel limited in the website based games and downloadable games frontier. I cannot see a lot of these games that are being reviewed, but it is clear to see the independant game sites are not as dead as I thought when I first saw this site. There are statistics on how many units of certain games are downloaded or bought, but it would be interesting to see who owns these games now. I'm not sure I know of anyone who talks about the independant games being made today, everyone is interested in the big budget games of the console and PC markets. Of the games I can play Titan Attacks is definitely a remake of the galaga-type of vertical shooter, with powerups and progressively more difficult enemies with a different type of graphic styling. Not bad, and you can use your score/money that is made to upgrade your ship, interesting RPG like elements make the game more engaging I think. But overall, only having the demo, and going through it a couple times to see how well I can get through it, I would like to see more independant game developers make versions of their games available for macs, or t least some demos available for the mac. As I am a self proclaimed console gamer I never felt the need to get a fast PC gaming rig and I don't do well with the keyboard controls for whatever reason, I always did like the handheld controller of the home market.

In the spirit of tradition

Apple introduces the iGame Presenting Accordion Hero APRIL FOOLS!! ...Ok, so I'm a day late. I just had to share because they're so ridiculous. (Gosh I HOPE that second one is really a joke.) Serious post for the week to follow, eventually.

Music in Games

I read some interesting notes on how listening to music while playing games affects how a player plays on a link from the Social Study Games Blog. It would seem that a study was done with Project Gotham Racing 2 was done where people were played different music while playing the game. There was, Aggressive music, Relaxing music, Player Chosen Music, Silence, and Soundtrack. The aggressive music was able to excite players, but in general the only thing that improved a player's playing was when they chose their own music. I can see that. I don't think that music I don't like or don't know is going to make me any worse at a game, but it's not going to help me either. If I can listen to familiar music that I enjoy listening to, I'm going to be able to focus better. I think that, for the most part, the idea of doing better while listening to music of your own choice involves you familiarity with the music. When you like music there's going to be a familiarity. That familiarity allows for passive listening. But, with that passive listening comes a sort of extra ability to focus, whether it be the beat of the music or whatever. I'm not sure how I would explain it, but I'd bet it has something to do with what the music does to you, not so much subconsciously, but some way that it affects your brain. I could be wrong, but that's how I see it.

Blogging can save the world

Video Game Media Watch has written a responce to an article written by Wagner James Au.The arguement is that that blogging can (and most likely will) become the new way of fact checking and information gathering.The article can be found here on the the vgmwatch website.

Digital Distribution

Twitch Guru today has an interesting article today about the emergenence and growing popularity of digital download services for games today and in the near future. So far, there are companies like Steam who offer updates, patches, and plugins for their games. Console manufacturers are also getting into the service. Nintendo is offering a service with the Revolution that will allow users to pay a monthly and have access to a large number of NES, SNES, N64, and even some Genesis titles. Sony is following suit, having announced the ability for Playstation One games to be downloaded and played on a PSP system. The use of digital download services will allow game developers who do not have the money for their games to be published to be distributed to a large and growing community. In the end, I think this trend will really spread throughout the game industry and ultimately cut costs of games for us users.

CrossDresser's

This is an interesting blog on the life as crossdresser, via avatar. Almost everone has done this, created a character of the opposite sex to play in a mmo. But why do we do this is there a psychological reasoning for this? Or should we just let it be? Aparenently as we read in this blog there are many people who care. But we determined in our discussions on avatars that the reason we play a character of the opposite sex is not to try to manipulate other players but simply because we don't want to look at a guys ass for hours on end. However, we determined this in a rather short amount of time so, there must be error in our observations.... or not. But lets leave it to the Doctrates to decide. But since it is an avatar is it truley crossdressing?

Penny Arcade is wishfully dreaming that Sony is losing the Star Wars liscense to Bioware, and it is not totally without meri: "When you put the "absolutely unfounded" rumor that Lucasarts will strip Sony Online Entertainment of the Star Wars license, and the one hundred percent true fact that BioWare has created an MMO studio in the same Goddamn Town, it's hard not to fantasize that BioWare has been given the reins of a new Star Wars Massive." Seeing as how Bioware has treated the Star Wars lisence with the Knights of The Old Republic Games, one can only hope but to dream a little dream with them. Todays comic from Penny Arcade is equally as interesting, though in a very different way.

Dell acquires Alienware

Dell has acquired Alienware, though Alienware will still act as a stand-alone subsidiary. The press release stated, "Dell said Alienware will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary following completion of the transaction and will maintain its own product development, product marketing, sales, technical support and other operations as well as brand. The management and founders of Alienware will continue to operate the company as a standalone unit of Dell." Is this move in retaliation of Apple going to Intel? I think Dell knows they need to get a move on in the computer race and with this acquisition of Alienware, perhaps they will move up a little.

Zelda Announced for the DS

The Nintendo DS will be recieving a Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass. The game was announced at the Game Developer's Conference on March 23rd during a keynote address along with a brief trailer. The game will be featuring the Wind Waker style of cell shaded graphics using 3d models, but is presented somewhat in the classic top-down view of the 2d Zelda games. There are few details at this point about the new Zelda, but it appears to use the stylus heavily for solving puzzles and even using items such as the boomerang. During the brief trailer a fairy similar to Navi (the annoying little sprite in Ocarina of Time) appears to be present and follows Link around. The game is scheduled to be released later this year.

Games becoming virtual movies?

Well we all heard about the beginning stages of movies, but we all lived through the beginning stages of video games, well at least some of us that is. We already know the out come or at least what to expect when movies turn into games or when games turn into movies. It will be ether very good or just very bad. The mix between movies and games just seems tough to satisfy the general audience whom ever that may be. In a recent interview done by next-gen with midway games, they theorized that games may in fact being trailing to just be like movies. However is this a good or bad thing? Since the 1980's games have always been different. There is much more interaction in games then there are movies. In movies you can't choose to save a character or kill one. In games you have that choice, to some extent at least. However once story lines became a huge factor into gaming this is where the buzz began about the similarities and differences between movies and games. What happens if we through out those real life actors and put in some computer generated characters and we got to choose what happens to them? Well there is where the idea begins in which games now are trailing movies in more of a cinematic view. Well lets look at the similarities already, games can cause plenty of controversy, games are able to keep a player in or well out of his or her seat depending on the situation, and games can also influence a players emotions. Except movies have a little bit advantage when it comes to emotions. None the less the game called Indigo Prophecy based its entire plot around a cinematic view. Games may or may not being heading towards the movies, but it seems to be heading in that direction.

Ludology Meets Narratology

Narratology deals with the study of narratives, and Ludology deals with the study of games. This article states that while there is indeed a difference between the two, there is at the same time an overlap. It's a fairly long article so I'm not going to explain it all, but I definitly would reccomend giving it a read, the web address is: http://www.ludology.org/articles/ludology.htm It goes over aspects of Ludology, Narratology, Paidea, and combinations of it all. I think it's a great article because it shows us how similar narratives and games are yet that they are still distinctly different. They share many of the same aspects, but not enough to be considered the same thing. In general it just has a lot of good points, without spoiling them I'm not sure what else to say. Check it out.

Fair-use

"Brian Kopp of Bronson, Fla. created a book offering tips to WoW players, which he sold over eBay for $15 a pop. Vivendi and Blizzard complained repeatedly, and Kopp's account was suspended." This is really mess up Brian Kopp selling tip on World of warcraft if he was not using any copyright material let him continue this a example of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

GDC 06: Music makes games go 'round

Just this last friday in San Jose, California the GDC game to a end. With all the talk of what is to come in the future in terms of games, the attendees where invited to gather at the San Jose Civic Auditorium that night for a concert with music from several games. This special concert was titled the video games live, and it was played by symphony silicon valley. "Video game music is no stranger to the GDC, which devotes an entire lecture track to audio and hosts several panels and roundtables discussing the impact of music in games. Last year's GDC saw the "Dear Friends" concert kick off the conference, featuring music from the Final Fantasy franchise and in part conducted by Nobuo Uematsu, who composed much of the music from the series"(lue).The music at this specific concert had gaming music from several old school titles such as Frogger, Galaga, Outrun, Dragon's Lair, and Space Age, to old console games like Duck Hunt, Mike Tyson's Punch Out! and Ghosts 'n' Goblins. And also present day games such as kingdom hearts, Metal Gear Solid, and of course Martin Leungs the incredible pianist performing music from the Final Fantasy series, including one of my favorites "One Winged Angel" from final fantasy VII. Tommy Tallarico who hosted and organized this event at the end had somewhat of an inlightening comment to make. "The video game industry is growing massively right now, and we're always looking for talented people. Hopefully next year I'll see some of you over at the GDC. You can learn more in four days at GDC than four years of college." As the audience chuckled, he added, "I probably shouldn't have said that"(Tallarico).

The Trouble with Handhelds for Indies

The article discusses the problems with handheld gaming devices, licensing problems, and the fact that it is extremely difficult for indie developers to distribute and sell their games. Some of the newest candidates in portable gaming devices are the iRiver G10 and the Gamepark GPX2, and i doubt they will impact the state of indie handheld gaming. According to the article, niether of these posess the basic qualities that suggest a successful handheld. 1st: a low price-point. 2nd: a high general install base. 3rd: an open development environment. 4th: a supportive ad-hoc distribution model. A successful handheld platform for indie gaming would have to follow this model. The iPod is probably the closest thing to a successful one: high install base, built-in distrbution channel via iTunes, relatively low cost given the variety of models out there and the fact that many owners have essentially amortized the cost of their devices. It might be hard to design games for the buttons and wheel on the device, but it's an interesting constraint to consider. But of course iPod is missing a key ingredient: open development. Maybe one day that will change. Until then, we're stuck with phones and PDAs, for better or worse.

oh you crazy nintendo guys....

Gamepulse's Duane Weatherall talks of nintendo's news "Nintendo President Satoru Iwata today challenged a crowd of game developers to think differently and take a fresh approach to the creation of video games." Iwata also said, "This new approach is like stepping onto an unexplored continent for the first time, with all the potential for discovery that suggests,"..."No one else can match the environment we're creating for expanding the game experience to everyone. Our path is not linear, but dynamic." "He [Iwata] described a pivotal meeting in coming to agreement on development of the incredibly popular "brain games" in Japan. A leading Japanese scientist attached a sci-fi-looking wired helmet to a Nintendo staffer and then visually demonstrated stimulation of brain activity as the staffer played prototype software." so bottom line is yes nintendo is trying for the most out there and new games, types of games, and of course ways to intereact with games. Here i was just thinking they had all lost thier minds. hopefully we will see the brainchild of this out of the box work in the near future on the revolution.

Chit Chat National Park

A group of fledgling game designers took the structure of the Unreal Engine and created a 3D realm populated by 3D avatars which have a distinct resemblance to teletubies. Sounds quite strange, I know, but utilizing an engine that typically is applied to FPS games and instead creating a chat based world that has a highly surrealistic aesthetic is obviously thinking outside the box. The artistic design is Superflat inspired, so the appearance is somewhat Anime orientated with slick, glossy colors and curvilinear geometric shapes. The result is a dreamlike world that supports and encourages social interaction within a unique and uplifting domain. By creating a visually engaging virtual world that neglects gameplay, in favor of the environment and experience of interaction itself it once again helps challenge the detractors that game design is not a form of art.

When the Right Brain and Left Brain Come Together

When the Right Brain and Left Brain Join Together A recent post on my beat led to a Gamasutra article on “God of War” which discussed the need to find a balance between the ideas and visions of the programmers and the designers. I thought that the article raised a lot of interesting ideas. The article related the struggle between programmers and designers to the struggle between the left and right brain. The left brain being based on logic and intellect while the right brain housed the creative side. The article dealt with how these two extremes came together for this game. The programmers needed to concentrate on the practical side and the realities of technology. The designers wanted to please a cinematic view. They wanted to have “every door open differently”. I thought about the importance of this. The reason that most games look so one dimensional is because everything is so rigid and contrived. Making the game so realistic that it has individual doors and individual cobblestones may have added some difficulties and complications for the programmers but it added so much to the game. It made the end product solid. The game team consisted of about 45 people with varying needs, concerns, and backgrounds. All of these sides and visions are so important to a strong final product. In the end, it is about quality not quantity.

StarCraft Ghost "indefinitely postponed"

After years in development, Starcraft: Ghost has been posponed indefinately. Realizing they have missed their window, Blizzard would rather shelve the game and release it later for a next-gen console than release it to a soon-to-be-obsolete system. The game has been plagued with problems and delays in development. The screen caps still look pretty cool, but I can't blame them for the decision. It's just overdue. Considering Blizzards quality standards, this just isn't surprising. Personally, I'd really like to sink my teeth into any new StarCraft game. I always preferred the StarCraft universe to that of Warcraft. Dated as it may be, the original RTS is still a great LAN game.

HD DVD/ Blu-ray technology

What to Do...What to Buy... HD DVD/ Blu-ray A recent post (Slashdot games) dealt with the new high definition home theater possibilities. Apparently, Toshiba plans to introduce HD-DVD as the successor to the DVD player while rival electronic companies plan to sell Blu-ray products. the two new technologies are likely to cause quite a stir as the consumer tries to decide what is best. Both camps are trying to get a jump on the market. However, what is unfortunate, is that hardly any of the high definition TVs sold in the last few years will be able to support the new technology. Also, both technologies will have software that will automatically slash the image. So, without purchasing a special, separate HDMI connector, the final product will not be greatly improved over the regular DVD. It may turn out that buying a new game console (like the Sony PS3) will be more cost effective than purchasing an actual HD-DVD or Blu-ray player.

Zelda Movie

When covering my blog this week i came across one talking about a Zelda movie which is being made by fans of the series. I'm sure some of you have heard about it before but this is the 1st im hearing of it. Apparently its going to be a full length feature and has been in production for the past 2 years. The filming is done but now they are finishing up the cgi. Here is a discription of the plot for those interrested. The movie's story is roughly based off that of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Link, who has been raised by the Kokiri, is sent to Hyrule City by the Great Deku Tree. Once there, he meets Princess Zelda who tells him what the Triforce symbol on his hand means and exactly who he is, Meanwhile, Ganon has arranged a banquet for the king, but this gesture, seemingly in good faith, is actually a part of his evil scheme. At the banquet, the king is poisoned, and Ganon overthrows the kingdom. Link flees to the Temple of Time and takes the Master Sword, but is shocked when he finds he has suddenly traveled into the future. Link discovers that it is a bleak future, for Ganon has destroyed the land, and so he sets out to find Zelda. Along the way he meets Sheik, and learns that he will need the help of the sages to defeat Ganon. After he defeats demons that are guarding the sages, Link returns to Hyrule where he confronts donzens of Gerudo warriors and ultimately fights Ganon. The hype about the film is spreading fast since fans have been dieing for a Zelda film to be made for ages. Two trailers were put up on the site but had to be taken down due to traffic problems. Since the film is completely independant, they have been getting alot of help from fans chipping in. On the site they are taking donations for poeple who want to help. Check it out here

Beat

Weekly Beat Evilavatar has an interesting article today about HDMI and the Ps3. Coupled with the article a week or so ago about Sony’s decision to remake the controller make for some interesting speculation. The HDMI article is interesting that Sony was contradicting themselves for the reasons why they couldn’t get HDMI working. First it was the lack of Televisions that had that option, even though the ones they had at the show (GDC) had those inputs. Then they blamed the lack of HDMI cables and that they were expensive. But several people offered cables to Sony so that they could use the Ps3 with this function but declined the offer. This makes for a big question mark. Basically, nothing of the Ps3 has been shown, it is still a phantom system. All there is, is a concept design which we are to assume is what the final product will look like, and a handful of games that look pretty good that come with an assurance that they are in fact running on the Ps3. From my knowledge, there has only been one case of a Ps3 game actually being playable, and it was pretty bad at that.      “Bandai confirmed that the E3 video consisted of pre-rendered footage designed to resemble what a PS3 game might look like, but yesterdays Gundam demo is the first example of a fully playable PS3 demo (that is, a demo where you actually control a character). The game is still very early in development which would explain its some-what grainy washed out look.” Taken from http://www.ps3portal.com/?view=article&article=149&PHPSESSID=b927cabb6218f7d4f003ffeb357d4489 This is pretty funny because nothing seems to be working for Sony on the Ps3 front. Im not complaining because its release wouldn’t have me bum rushing out to get one but I would be casually interesting in playing one. It has just turned into an electronic soap opera.

How organic should games be?

Not like plants organic, but I mean how realistic should the world be? Not visually, but as to what people and characters should be able to do? At Gamasutra they covered a presentation by Ubisoft on Project: Assassin , their new next gen title. They are striving to make the game very realistic in terms of both visuals and controls. This is to say that things like the "double jump" and controlling a jump's direction in midair will not be present and that the character should not be able to perform any feat outside of human physical possibility. Patrice Desilets asks, "Why do we create rules for our characters instead of using the ones we have in the real world?" That is a good question. Why do we insist on creating rules for our characters that make them perform feats impossible in this world? As he claims, I think it does break the suspension of disbelief to an extent and also is only understood by the gamer. As we make the move towards more visually realistic games, I don't think unrealistic characters and abilities are going to be as viable or as well accepted. By the way, as a last note, Project: Assassins does look like it will be pretty amazing when it comes out.