Psychologist defends games amid tabloid school massacre links

December 18th, 2012, 15:45 Posted By: wraggster

It seems more than ever media outlets and commentators are keen to link violent tragedies and gaming - and sadly this week they've had more cause than usual.
<figure style="font: 14px/21px sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; width: 300px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; clear: both; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; float: right; display: block; white-space: normal; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="article-image article-image-alt article-image-300"></figure>This morning's The Sun features the front page story 'Killer's Call of Duty Obsession', linking last week's tragic events in Connecticut, USA to gaming.According to the paper, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, who murdered more than 20 children and adults, was a Call of Duty player. It also carries a column by child psychologist Teresa Bliss, in which she claims games "can lead children to become more immune to violence and death."
Similar alleged links between the school tragedy and gaming can be found in American publications, as well as UK papers The Express and The Independent.
The reports have led clinical psychologist Chris Ferguson - an 'expert' on mass killings at Texas A&M International University - to publish a dismissal of the suggested link between the real-life tragedy and gaming.
According to Fergusson, gaming is "the wrong direction to focus on" and not a common factor among mass homicide perpetrators.
He told ABC News: "If we are serious about reducing these types of violence in our society, video game violence or other media violence issues are clearly the wrong direction to focus on.
"Video game use is just not a common factor among mass homicide perpetrators. Some have been players, others have not been."
Ferguson, who calls himself a proponent of gun control, previously came out to rubbish similar tabloid connections made between Oslo mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik and his gaming habits.
The psychologist controversially claimed that not only were such links wrong, but they also contained elements of racism.
"I know it's a little controversial to say but there's a certain type of racism in place with these killings... When shootings happen in an inner city in minority-populated schools, video games are never brought up," he said.
"But when these things happen in white majority schools and in the suburbs, people start to freak out and video games are inevitably blamed. I think that there's a certain element of racism or ignorance here."
He added: "People really want to know what kind of boogeyman can we hang this on and video games are still the top choice when it comes to any type of tragedy."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...assacre-links/

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Carmack: Next-gen games will still target 30 fps

December 18th, 2012, 15:20 Posted By: wraggster

Games developed for the next-generation of consoles will still target a performance of 30 frames per second, claims id Software co-founder John Carmack.
Taking to Twitter, the industry veteran said he could “pretty much guarantee” developers would target the standard, rather than aiming for anything as high as 60 fps.

ID Software games such as Rage and the Call of Duty series both hit up to 60 fps, but many titles in the current generation fall short such as the likes of Battlefield 3, which runs at 30 fps on consoles.
“Unfortunately, I can pretty much guarantee that a lot of next gen games will still target 30 fps,” said Carmack.
Targeting a typical frame rate of 30 frames per second could also mean many displays of future console games will also come in at a resolution of 720p.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...-target-30-fps

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Dixons: 'Peripherals driving games sales'

December 18th, 2012, 15:15 Posted By: wraggster

Games can still provide strong profit opportunities for High Street retailers – but stores may have to switch their focus to peripherals and other add-ons to make up for a drop-off in sales elsewhere.
That’s the advice of Dixons, which itself has recognised the shifting buying habits of gamers and as a result, has adapted its strategy accordingly.
The veteran electronics retailer is conscious that increasingly, games are being bought online – either via retailers or through digital distribution sources – and has tweaked its in-store offering.
It now stocks a wide variety of gaming peripherals and accessories to complement its extensive software selection.
Simon Urquhart, category manager of PC components and gaming peripherals for Dixons Retail, told PCR: “For Currys and PC World, the majority of profits made in gaming come from the hardware and peripherals, especially on the PC gaming side.”
It’s far from the end for games at retail though, as Urquhart believes, they are still a key seller for retailers. “Triple-A game launches and boxed games won't go away any time soon and they will always drive footfall.”
He also believes they have the ability to boost other areas of retail. “Games are also a major driver for improving networking kit, televisions and sound systems, as customers want the best gaming experience possible.”
In a heavily competitive market, Urquhart believes the brand will continue to draw in customers due to its reputation in the sector.
“As games move to digitally distributed platforms, our expertise in selling the hardware and the attachments will give us a greater competitive edge.”

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...s-sales/029837

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Vybe gaming pad packs Disney Research's Surround Haptics into a $99 force feedback

December 17th, 2012, 22:51 Posted By: wraggster

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Using arcade monitors with the Raspberry Pi

December 17th, 2012, 22:45 Posted By: wraggster


Along with the growing popularity of the Raspberry Pi, we’ve also seen a related uptick in MAME arcade cabinet builds. Putting this $35 computer in an arcade cabinet makes a lot of sense, but connecting it to one of the monitors found in old arcade cabinets is a bit of a pain. Luckily, [Celso] figured out how to connect a Raspi to one of these 15kHz RGB monitors, making for a much more accurate emulation of old arcade classics.
The Raspi only has two video outputs – an HDMI port and an RCA composite jack. The old arcade CRTs have an RGB input, so directly connecting a Raspi to one of these CRTs is a no-go.
The solution comes from two converters: one to convert the HDMI output to VGA, and another video downscaler that takes the 31kHz VGA signal and translates it into a 15kHz RGB signal. [Celso] settled on the GBS-8100 video converter, a rather uncommon piece of kit that can fortunately be found on a few Chinese eBay auctions.
After connecting the old arcade cabinet power supply to the Pi, hooking up an audio amp, and converting the controls to USB, [Celso] has a very accurate MAME machine.

http://hackaday.com/2012/12/17/using...-raspberry-pi/

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Over 2m games sold at UK retail last week

December 17th, 2012, 22:31 Posted By: wraggster

UK retailers sold 2,075,634 games last week, generating over £50m in revenue.
Sales have been steadily rising throughout December as Christmas approaches, and last week sales were driven bysignificant price reductions on games such as Medal of Honor, Halo, Hitman, Need for Speed and more. Unit sales rose 11 per cent week-on-week, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II remains the top seller.
It's a good figure, certainly, but Christmas has been slower than anticipated overall. And for the entire year so far, games retail is still 28.3 per cent down over 2011.
Next weekend is the last one before Christmas and is expected to be a big one for the entire retail market. MCV will bring you the market data plus news of the all-important Christmas No.1.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/over-...t-week/0108317

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Call Of Duty: Black Ops II keeps top spot in UK charts for fifth week in a row

December 17th, 2012, 22:26 Posted By: wraggster

Call Of Duty: Black Ops II spends a fifth consecutive week at number one in the UK all-formats software chart, matching Lego Batman 2′s run at the top earlier in the year.Hitman Absolution takes the second spot, climbing four places from number six last week as a result of a price promotion while FIFA 13 sits tight at number three for the sixth week in a row. Just Dance 4 remains static, too, keeping hold of position four while Far Cry 3 slips three places to number five – in the process knocking Assassin’s Creed III to six.Thereafter, the top ten is unchanged from last week.01. Call Of Duty: Black Ops II (Activision)
02. Hitman Absolution (Square Enix)
03. FIFA 13 (EA Sports)
04. Just Dance 4 (Ubisoft)
05. Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)
06. Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft)
07. Halo 4 (Microsoft)
08. Need For Speed Most Wanted (EA)
09. Lego The Lord Of The Rings (Warner Bros)
10. WWE 13 (THQ)

http://www.edge-online.com/news/call...week-in-a-row/

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Activision opposes Call of Duty movie

December 17th, 2012, 22:12 Posted By: wraggster

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has dismissed rumours of a Call of Duty movie.
A profile by the New York Times, noted that although Kotick he had received a number of offers for a movie he had turned down every one.
The reasoning for the stance is that “movies based on video games rarely please devoted fans and could taint the brand.”
Fans of games that have been made in to movies, such as Doom and Resident Evil, might agree. Director Uwe Boll has built a career on making such films, having made movies based on Postal, Far Cry and BloodRayne – and earned himself the title of ‘worst filmmaker in the world’ from irate fans as a result.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...y-movie/029822

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Raspberry Pi launches own app store

December 17th, 2012, 22:03 Posted By: wraggster

Raspberry Pi has launched its own app store where users of the credit-card sized computer can buy applications, games and tools.
The ‘Pi Store’ currently has 23 free titles, ranging from utilities like LibreOffice and Asterisk to classic games like Freeciv and OpenTTD.
Running as an X application under Raspbian, the Pi Store allows users to upload their own content for moderation as well as just downloading titles.
“We hope that the Pi Store will provide young people with a way to share their creations with a wider audience, and maybe to a make a little pocket money along the way; as well as offering commercial developers an easy way to get their software seen by the Raspberry Pi community,” reads the Raspberry Pi blog.
There is currently one commercial post on the store – Storm in a Teacup from Cobra Mobile.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...p-store/029826

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GamesAid Christmas Concert next week

December 16th, 2012, 21:26 Posted By: wraggster

Still a chance to buy tickets and see 25 games industry stars sing for charity
There's still time to get your hands on tickets for the GamesAid Christmas Concert on December 19 at St Stephen's in Hampstead.
"We have 25 games industry stars that have signed up to the 'Games On Song' choir and will be ready to share their talents with a mix of traditional and modern Christmas carols," promise the event's organisers.
"The choir includes singers of all levels from those who have never sung before to music graduates. In addition there will be solo performances giving members of the industry a stage to perform in front of their peers for charity."
The suggested donation for tickets is £20 for adults and £10 for children and they can be booked through the event's official site.
The event already has already received 93 donations totalling £7,470, but the target is set at £10,000. The money raised will go towards GamesAid's selected charities for this year.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...cert-next-week

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Raspberry Pi used to automate a dimmable light bulb

December 16th, 2012, 21:25 Posted By: wraggster


[Stephen] took the safe route when getting his Raspberry Pi to dim an AC light bulb. He didn’t roll his own outlet box with a mains-rated relay inside, going with a mechanical connection instead of electrical. By attaching a servo motor to the dimmer knob the RPi can adjust the light level without risk of electric shock.
He is using the ServoBlaster package to drive the servo motor with the Raspberry Pi GPIO pins. That’s all fine and good by itself, but he went the extra mile and designed a few different levels of functionality around the pairing. The motivation behind the hack was to build a sunrise clock that had a lot of power when it comes to luminosity. But he also plied the RPi’s networking features to serve up a web-based control. It has a slider to set the light level, as well as breath (like a slow fade) and flash features.
The servo is a bit noisy when moving quickly, but the sunrise alarm takes 30 minutes so the gears don’t really make any noise at all. Check it out in the clip after the break.

http://hackaday.com/2012/12/14/raspb...le-light-bulb/

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Digital vs Physical - the REAL Christmas No.1

December 16th, 2012, 21:20 Posted By: wraggster

Think this year’s Xmas No.1 in games will be Call of Duty or FIFA? It is more likely to be Angry Birds or Minecraft.
Xbox Live, Steam, iOS, PSN and the rest are expecting a surge in downloads on December 25th, as gamers receive consoles, tablets, PCs and points cards as gifts.
According to research firm Kantar Worldpanel, the two weeks ending January 1st will account for almost seven per cent of all games downloaded across mobile, tablet, console and PC this year.
“Christmas Day is huge,” said Ed Rumley, the COO of EA’s mobile publishing business Chillingo. “But that’s not surprising when you consider the number of people getting Kindle Fires and iPad Minis. There is all this incredible hardware on the market now at very affordable prices.
“In fact, January is our biggest month. Because that is the period when the iTunes gift cards are getting converted into spend.”
Green Man Gaming boss Paul Sulyok added: “We anticipate the Christmas to New Year period will account for over 60 per cent of our December revenue.”
Digital music and movies also sees a surge in activity over the festive months.
“With the Christmas holidays, we do see an increase in Xbox Live activity but it’s not just games,” said Xbox Live UK product manager Pav Bhardwaj.
“Entertainment consumption on Live has increased 140 per cent year-on-year globally. With the number of apps growing, and a host of DLC due this month including Halo 4, Skyrim and Nike+, there will be something for everyone on Xbox this holiday.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/digit...s-no-1/0108222

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

The 7 Games That Shaped 2012

December 16th, 2012, 21:18 Posted By: wraggster

End of year lists are ten a penny. Top 20 this. Best 5 that. This is the only list you need.
With 2012 such a transformative year for games Michael French, Chris Dring, Ben Parfitt and James Batchelor pick the seven games that exemplify the biggest changes in the market...




Borderlands 2 and the so-called death of retail

Is retail dying? It’s difficult to ignore the hard facts and figures. Sales of physical video games are almost 30 per cent down this year. GAME had to close half of its stores. Big brands such as Halo and Call of Duty failed to match their predecessors at Day One. Even new hardware Wii U and Vita were greeted with indifference from some.
The reasons for these difficulties have been discussed at length in MCV this year; the rise of the digital games market, the on-going economic storm, the end of the console cycle.
But if you were to focus on the handful of games that managed to buck the trend you can see that in fact the retail market isn’t necessarily dying. It’s just lacking content, imagination… and risk.
Borderlands 2 is a shining example. The game was the sequel to the moderately successful 2009 shooter that, at the time, was quite unlike anything we’ve seen before, with its mix of RPG and shooting gameplay with cel-shaded visuals.
2K Games backed the sequel with a big marketing campaign, developer Gearbox delivered on the quality, and fans flocked to the stores. It may be a cel-shaded shooting/RPG hybrid – a pitch that won’t excite many publishers – but it is this year’s fifth fastest selling game.
There are other examples of retail’s still significant power, too. FIFA 13 comfortably outmatched the sales performance of its predecessors, and remains one of the highest rated sports games on Metacritic. Mass Effect 3 beat its forebears despite not being stocked in GAME. Meanwhile Assassin’s Creed III’s debut was a personal sales best for Ubisoft. And one of the very few core new IPs that anyone dared to release this year, Bethesda’s excellent Dishonored, also beat its sales expectations.
These games were backed with marketing and were excellent in quality, and as a result they sold admirably. The titles this year that disappointed (such as Resident Evil 6 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter for instance) either lacked publisher backing or received mixed reviews.
There’s no denying that video games stores had a difficult 2012. Yet there is clear evidence that the High Street can still be a great place to sell video games in 2013, if the support and quality is right.
And with some fantastic looking big-budget boxed games due next year – such as BioShock, GTA, The Last of Us and Watch Dogs – there’s reasons to believe that next year may not be quite so depressing. CD

Double Fine Adventure and the rise of Kickstarter

One of the year’s most defining games doesn’t actually exist yet.
No one will have missed the insatiable rise of games funded via Kickstarter this year. The crowdfunding site has drawn an indelible line under the crucial issue of funding for games, allowing gamers, fans and the media to promote and fund worthy projects.
Double Fine’s new title codenamed ‘Reds’ was the watershed moment, raising $3.3m. The San Francisco studio, headed by famed games designer Tim Schafer, used the service to fund its next adventure title – a genre publishers have lost interest in.
The fan-backed model wasn’t new in 2012, but Double Fine passing its multi-million milestone pushed it into mainstream recognition.
The success of this defined launch strategies for many indies. Kickstarter boomed in Double Fine’s wake, with many using it to get their off-beat projects started. Seven of Kickstarter’s biggest projects ever were from games funds raised this year including launches by InXile (its Wasteland sequel raised $2.9m), Oculus Rift (3D games headset, $2.4m), Obsidian’s Project Eternity ($3.9m) and Ouya (the Android games console, $8.5m).
Kickstarter even launched a UK arm so projects could be launched in Pounds Sterling. Famed designers like Peter Molyneux and David Braben plus a wave of up-and-coming Brit indies leapt at the chance to make dreams (such as Braben’s Elite sequel) a reality.
Crowdfunding, however, is not a magic bullet. And its long-term power is still to be proven. Backing a title can be interpreted as either seed funding cash that you’ll never see back or pre-ordering. Smaller, underexposed indies have grumbled when heavyweights like Schafer and Braben – already rich through their previous projects – have opted to take gamers’ cash rather than bankroll their own games.
Plus: none of those high-profile projects have emerged yet. Crowdfunding is a powerful marketing tool, giving a chance to games that wouldn’t have appeared through traditional means, yet it’s no guarantee of actual delivery.
Even Double Fine, which first promised a completed game within 2012, pushed launch to mid-2013. The money is being spent on building a game engine first.
So, one of 2012’s most defining games doesn’t actually exist yet. But its influence is undeniable.MF
Nintendo Land and the arrival of new hardware

It's the one issue the industry seems to have a consensus on: we need new console hardware.
This generation has lasted far longer than the industry is used to, stretching the business strategies that many publishers and retailers are founded on to their very limits.
The software release slate that is supposed to sustain us between the arrival of new machines has settled into a well-trodden cycle of FIFA, Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, Need For Speed and the like. That’s understandable – the financial turmoil of the last few years has made new IP an unacceptable risk – but without the encouragement of new hardware, the market is starved of new ideas.
So a fresh batch of consoles can excite consumers and drive new revenue into the channel. This year, we had two hors d’oeuvres to 2013’s next-gen main course.
Nintendo Land embodies how new ideas spring from new hardware. It’s the Wii Sports of Nintendo’s newest invention. It is a promise of ideas that could capture both the imagination of the masses, whose disposable income retailers have been sorely missing this year.
Now, we must watch Wii U and wait for details on the successors to 360 and PS3. You can all but guarantee details – if not a release – from both in 2013, but it will take something more tangible than mere anticipation to keep tills ringing. JB

Minecraft and the power of 360º brands

That’s 360-degree games brands, multi-platform hits that cross the divide between platforms and the digital/physical gulf – not ones on the Xbox 360.
But saying that, the best example of this game can be found on 360: Minecraft which by the end of this year will have sold close to 5m via Xbox Live Arcade. It will have raised almost £70m in global revenue from the Xbox port of a PC indie hit that first debuted in May 2009 (albeit as an alpha version that would be incrementally updated over the next two years until full release).
That small fiscal nugget is a key example of the new era of compelling games that launched as a digital game, but went on to become merchandised and cross-platform properties bigger (or at least more robust) than anything spat from the triple-A firms.
It’s a lot like the concept of a ‘360 deal’ in music, which sees an artist partner with just one company to take full control of their career, sharing work on albums, tours and merchandise. But here the developers call the shots. Publishers are an afterthought.
The actual process they go through is simple to see, but hard to replicate: start as a quality online property, reach and grow an audience, then run through the classic growth tickboxes of sequels, ports, events and licensing.
Minecraft is the poster-child, but a raft of games are sucking money – and crucially, time – away from the more established games franchises on the market
This kind of property has long been the dream of Activision, Nintendo, Sony and EA. Arguably, FIFA, Call of Duty, Mario and Sonic are already there. But in the last few years, Moshi Monsters, Angry Birds and Minecraft have grown in record time compared to those long-running franchises. The 360 Minecraft port’s six-month sales of almost 5m only underline that.
Crucially, these brands are platform agnostic. They tolerate no snobbery about retail, digital, or the acres in between. They do it all. They have agreements with format-holders, and offer plenty to sell through retail. You’re just as likely to find a foam Minecraft pickaxe or stuffed Moshling – both available in GAME for Xmas – filling stockings this year as you are a copy of Call of Duty. MF
Mass Effect 3 and the collapse of GAME

It’s impossible to identify the exact moment GAME’s ­– its descent into administration – became unavoidable. But there was one specific moment when the retailer’s struggles could not be kept hidden from consumers.
That moment was March 2nd, when gamers headed into GAME stores to pick up the hugely hyped sci-fi RPG Mass Effect 3… only to discover that the chain wasn’t given any stock. And it wouldn’t get any other EA titles, either.
Until that point GAME had been able to brush aside much of the concern. Failing to stock Tekken 3DS was alarming, yes, but hardly earth-shattering. The decision not to sell any of Ubisoft’s launch titles for Vita was a bigger concern, but didn’t stop GAME attracting a commanding share of the console’s launch sales.
But Mass Effect 3? Precisely the kind of title that retailers adore. Precisely the sort of game for which they organise midnight launches. It being missing from GAME was the moment that we all realised this was very, very serious.
And so it was that in just a month’s time the retailer would fall into administration, resulting in the closure of 300 stores and the loss of thousands of jobs. Mass Effect 3 and all of EA’s titles would of course return to GAME’s shelves when the firm was rebooted as Game Retail, but all the copies in the world will never be enough to hide the scars it had left. BP
League of Legends and the power of free-to-play

2012 will be remembered as a landmark year for free-to-play games, personified by the success of Riot Games’ League of Legends.
Freemium titles are games that are totally free, but generate their money via microtransactions. Gamers spend real money in the game on extra items or to progress faster in the game.
League of Legends adopts this model, and it’s been a phenomenal success, with 32m gamers playing it each month. Riot Games says it is ‘the most played video game in the world’, well ahead of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.
And no wonder: free-to-play was a hot topic this year, and not just amongst the established F2P players, but also the publishing giants Ubisoft, EA and Activision who are traditionally console-first.
EA announced the next Command & Conquer game would be F2P. Ubi announced a load of its PC games were going free.
Even the platform holders are getting involved: Sony is publishing free title Dust 514 while Microsoft just released in-game-transaction Xbox Live game Happy Wars.
And many of the hot titles in this space – such as new shooter Hawken – boast stunning visuals of triple-A quality.
But free-to-play has met opposition. Core gamers remain unconverted. One contentious point of discussion has been the ‘Pay2Win’ model, where consumers are asked to spend money for better guns, armour and stats, giving them advantages over other players.
Meanwhile, fellow developers believe the freemium model is not one that is overly trustworthy.
“The cost of the play is not very transparent to users so while they may be tempted to think it’s a very good thing for them, I think it’s tricks people a bit,” said Marek Spanel, the CEO of PC developer Bohemia Interactive, in our free-to-play special investigation last month.
The explosion in free-to-play competitors has also made things difficult. As the quality of these games increase so do the costs, and already the market is showing signs of consolidation, with BigPoint closing its San Francisco office and cutting 120 jobs.
So there are challenges around stability in this space. But free-to-play is no-longer a niche model. It’s growing and with free games based on big brands with triple-A production values on the way, it’s likely 2013 will be another important year in the growth of freemium. CD
Journey and the digital quality tipping point

While you cannot deny the rise of digital content in games, until 2012 you could write off a majority of download games as inferior.
Smaller budgets, less experienced teams, shorter production cycles and tight download sizes mean that those games didn’t always stack up to a gigabyte-rich disc game.
But PS3 game Journey, which tells a tale of isolation and exploration, proved that isn’t true. In fact, 2012 was the year digital games outshone physical ones.
Had Journey been released physically it would have been on a pricey disc. And it would have sold sod all and been forgotten. It’s cut from the same cloth as other powerful PlayStation icons like Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and Rez but found immediate glory via its delivery mechanism not in spite of it.
Yes, some areas of the trade have eyed these games with suspicion or just ignored them. The industry needs High Street retail and the trade in non-physical games could detract from it. But the alternative big-money publishing climate of modern gaming has robbed the industry of some joys. Journey offers more thought-provoking thrills via a download instead of a disc, and shows that excitement has returned.
Many of the 2012’s acclaimed games (Mark of the Ninja, Spelunky, FTL, Fez, Torchlight 2 andThe Walking Dead) never saw a physical release. It was the fact that they didn’t need that which allowed them to exist in the first place. BP

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/the-7...d-2012/0108226

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

First Photos and Video of Raspberry Pi Model A

December 16th, 2012, 00:16 Posted By: wraggster

The first photos and videos of the Model A production samples are now available. The Raspberry PiModel A is the newest low-cost computer from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Compared to the popular Model B, the Model A forgoes the Ethernet Controller, has 256MB of RAM, and has a single USB port. A benefit of the missing Ethernet controller is that power consumption is reduced. This allowed them to reach their goals of a low-cost $25 computer. The release date is for sometime early in 2013

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...rry-pi-model-a

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

41 per cent of over 55s want mobile devices for Christmas; under 55s want jumpers

December 15th, 2012, 23:55 Posted By: wraggster

The latest Kaspersky Lab research shows 41 per cent of Brits aged over 55 want a tablet, smartphone or laptop for Christmas.
Those who thought they’d be safe with buying knitwear for the older generation be warned, only fiver per cent want jumpers, yet 14 per cent of 18-24 year olds are putting Christmas jumpers on their wish list.
David Emm, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, said: “The whole nation is becoming increasingly reliant on technology. Gone are the days when technology was aimed solely at younger people, it is no longer age dependent.
"As more mature consumers open their eyes to what technology has to offer, they need to be aware that times have changed, and issues such as cybercrime and malware are at the forefront of modern internet activity and are developing fast. However, there are simple internet security measures you can put in place to make technology fun and safe for all ages this Christmas."

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...jumpers/029813

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Video games prices slashed as UK market struggles

December 14th, 2012, 00:18 Posted By: wraggster

Brand new video games are being sold for less than £20, as publishers and retailers fear a disappointing Christmas.
New titles such as WWE '13 and Hitman Absolution, both of which were released just last month, are already being sold for £19.99 as part of 'special promotions'.
The price discounting is mostly driven from the market leaders GAME, Amazon and Tesco. Medal of Honor: Warfighter now has a price tag of £20, Just Dance 4 is on sale for £18, while there are heavily discounts for Halo 4 (£29.99), Resident Evil 6 (£22.99), Dishonored (£21.99), Borderlands 2 (£25) and LEGO The Lord of The Rings (£25).
It follows a slower than expected Christmas sales period for UK stores. Last week 1.87m games were sold, generated £49.2m.
That may sound like a lot, but last year during the same week 2.6m games were sold, generating £68.3m in revenue.
Despite big launches for Assassin's Creed III and FIFA 13, the High Street has suffered softer than expected launches for Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Wii U. There has also been fewer games on the release schedule, a trend that will continue into the New Year.
Retailers and publishers are hoping to shift excess stock before Christmas, rather than wait for the January sales. And retail execs have told MCV that the next two weeks will prove crucial as we head into the last two weekends before Christmas.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/video...uggles/0108119

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Design the ultimate gaming peripheral for Gioteck, win £500,000 “dream job”

December 14th, 2012, 00:15 Posted By: wraggster

UK gaming accessory company Gioteck wants you to design the ultimate gaming peripheral, and is offering participants the chance to win a “dream job” in the game industry that could be worth up to £500,000 if your design is a success.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/desi...000-dream-job/

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Oculus Rift wouldn't get through new Kickstarter rules

December 13th, 2012, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster

An eagerly awaited virtual reality product that’s making its way to retail thanks to crowdfunding would not have been possible under Kickstarter’s new rules, the project’s creator claims.
The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset promises to be a gateway to immersive game experiences, and over 9,000 backers believed the hype, leading the project to shatter its goal of $250,000 with more than $2.4 million pledged.

Its original campaign used renders and video simulations to show the vision for the final product. Under Kickstarter’s new rules such methods are no longer allowed to be used in campaigns.
“Under the current rules, if we tried to submit our Kickstarter [for Oculus] again, it probably wouldn’t even get through,” Oculus founder Palmer Luckey told Develop.
Luckey praised Kickstarter and said it was the “easiest way for us to set up a system where everyone could collaborate, get updates and set up pre-orders”.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...kstarter-rules

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Japanese chart: Yakuza 5 outsells Wii U launch games

December 13th, 2012, 00:16 Posted By: wraggster

Yakuza 5 debuted at No.1 on the Japanese software chart during the week ended December 9.
<figure style="font: 14px/21px sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px currentColor; width: 300px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; clear: both; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; float: right; display: block; white-space: normal; position: relative; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="article-image article-image-alt article-image-300"></figure>The PS3 exclusive sold 357,000 copies, which was more than the combined total of the top three Wii U launch games.New Super Mario Bros. U was the week's second best-selling game, ahead of Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
As previously reported, Wii U sales hit 308,000 units in its launch weekend alone, making it the country's best-selling console by a comfortable margin.
3DS sales came in at 211,500, PS3 sales at 37,000, PSP sales at 20,000 and Vita sales at 11,000, according to Media Create sales data republished on NeoGAF.
Software sales Dec 03 - Dec 09 (lifetime total)

1. Yakuza 5 (PS3, Sega) - 356,757 / New
2. New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U, Nintendo) - 163,528 / New
3. Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS, Nintendo) - 129,054 / New
4. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U, Capcom) - 106,388 / New
5. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS, Nintendo) - 89,195 / 1.301.507
6. Nintendo Land (Wii U, Nintendo) - 72,121 / New
7. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Super Deluxe Edition (Wii, Bandai Namco) - 58.655 / 174,610
8. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS, Nintendo) - 47,929 / 1,501,086
9. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Magnagate and the Infinite Dungeon (3DS, Pokemon Co.) - 43,005 / 212,524
10. Professor Layton Vs. Ace Attorney (3DS Level 5) - 29,271 / 158,127

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Gamers rule: Only 10% of the industry's $50 billion comes from casuals

December 12th, 2012, 23:58 Posted By: wraggster

The Game Monetization Summit offered some crucial advice from key players and discussed the secrets of whales
The Digital Game Monetization Summit in San Francisco had a number of speakers and panels that not only presented opinions and analysis, but also refreshingly presented us with some specific numbers and examples. Since digital distribution is generally opaque, getting some insight into the amount of money being made, and how, is vitally important. The following overview hits some of the high points of the varied array of presentations.

Paul Thelen, CEO of Big Fish, offered a look at the lessons Big Fish has learned from the business of casual games. Big Fish has been profitable all through its 11-year life span, and continues to grow at “healthy” double-digits. Thelen noted that while the PC is not considered a growth platform, Big Fish is still adding audience for its PC games - so it's a growth platform for them. According to Thelen, Big Fish is making money with a variety of business models, from premium casual games sold for $19.99 to free-to-play games. Thelen's key advice is to try and continually reinvent yourself. “Just because we made money doing this last year doesn't mean we will make money doing this again next year,” he noted.
“You need to match the game mechanic to the business model, and the monetization needs to match the business model of the game,” Thelen said. “If you have a game that has 6 to 8 hours of linear gameplay and when you finish it, you're done, there are very limited ways you can monetize that game. What we've done is a simple transaction; you buy it, just like you would buy a book. It's very hard to monetize a book with free-to-play.” Big Fish provides a variety of price points for its games, ranging from a $19.95 'collector's edition' to a standard edition at $6.99 or $9.99, as well as subscriptions and free-to-play.
Kongregate's big spenders

Big Fish is planning to launch some 250 games in 2013, and Thelen said that almost all will have a positive return on the PC. Big Fish now is in the process of bringing many games to mobile; Thelen points out that a high production value game for Big Fish, which would cost about $500,000 to produce, can be ported to the iPad for about $20,000. “Now you have a half-million dollar game on a hyper growth platform, and that game has already returned a profit to the developer,” Thelen said.
Thelen provided some eye-opening numbers about the state of the business. “Free-to-play is a huge market, and there are people making crazy amounts of money,” Thelen said. “Supercell came from nowhere after a lot of mistakes, and they are now making $300 million on two games on iOS alone.” Thelen also noted that free-to-play games reach 1.2 billion PC users, and that 14 million gamers are visiting Big Fish each month, so there's plenty of room for growth.
"Just because we made money doing this last year doesn't mean we will make money doing this again next year"
Paul Thelen, Big Fish

The next session featured panelists talking about the business of games, and they noted some astonishing statistics. For example, mobile hit Temple Run quintupled its revenue when it switched to a freemium model. While many have focused on creating casual games for the greatly expanded demographics available through social, online, and mobile platforms, some of the panelists felt the opportunity lies elsewhere.
“If you look at what people successfully did on Facebook or the early days of mobile, a lot of it was about cheap user acquisition through the spammy virality that Facebook allowed for a while, or manipulations of the terms of service from Apple or Google on the mobile side. That's gone away,” said Greg Richardson, CEO of Rumble Entertainment. “Of the $50 billion that was spent worldwide last year on games, less than 10 percent was spent on casual content. These companies were really smart around analytics and monetization and very light in terms of product and content creation. I'm not sure any of those things are particularly sustainable. The future lies in going into the larger part of the market which is people that self-identify as gamers, and where the user acquisition and long-term value creation comes from making great games.”

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...om-key-players

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here