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March 21st, 2012, 23:29 Posted By: wraggster
Fall of high street giant reflects demise of physical gaming.
GAME has been ailing for a while, and rumours of its collapse began in November.
However, it wasn't until last month that the extent of its troubles became clear. There was confirmation that the chain would not be stocking the Nintendo-published Tekken 3DS, and then news that it would miss out on Ubisoft’s entire PlayStation Vita launch title platter.
When EA withdrew its titles, things accelerated and by March 5th talk of administration was inescapable.
Today came the following statement:
"Further to this morning's announcement of the suspension of trading in shares of GAME Group plc, the board has concluded that its discussions with all stakeholders and other parties have not made sufficient progress in the time available to offer a realistic prospect for a solvent solution for the business,” a statement reads.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...tration/017485
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March 21st, 2012, 11:51 Posted By: wraggster
Patent applications are full of hope and broken dreams, as it's far too easy to let a rampant imagination read beyond the layers of patent-attorney penned boilerplate. In the realm of the realistic, this application from Microsoft concerns a head-mounted display with a narrow-beam laser packing two dilation optics (us neither). If you then variate the diffraction grating between the two eyepieces, you create a three-dimensional virtual reality display. As much as we'd like to prowl the digital touchlines inFifa Soccer with the Xbox equivalent of the Virtual Boy, it's more likely that we'll be stuck prowling our couches for years to come.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/19/m...unted-display/
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March 21st, 2012, 01:13 Posted By: wraggster
The Violence in Video Games Labeling Act wants to protect your children from violent video games
Virginia Representative Frank Wolf and California Representative Joe Baca have co-sponsored bill H.R. 4202, also called the Violence in Video Games Labeling Act. The bill aims to put health warnings on violent video games, not unlike the current warnings on all tobacco products. The label, which would accompany any game rated "E" for Everyone and above, would say: "'WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior.''
"The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families and to consumers - to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products," Baca told The Hill. "They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility."
"Just as we warn smokers of the health consequences of tobacco, we should warn parents - and children - about the growing scientific evidence demonstrating a relationship between violent video games and violent behavior. As a parent and grandparent, I think it is important people know everything they can about the extremely violent nature of some of these games," added Wolf.
Of course, this warning would come alongside the warnings that already exist on all video games, as rated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Entertainment Software Association (ESA) senior vice president for communications and industry affairs Rich Taylor lashed out at the assumptions made by the bill.
"Representative Baca's facially unconstitutional bill - which has been introduced to no avail in each of six successive Congressional sessions, beginning in 2002 - needlessly concerns parents with flawed research and junk science," Taylor toldGamasutra.
"Numerous medical experts, research authorities, and courts across the country, including the United States Supreme Court, exhaustively reviewed the research Representative Baca uses to base his bill and found it lacking and unpersuasive. Independent scientific researchers found no causal connection between video games and real life violence."
This isn't the first time Baca has tried to pass this bill. The original version of the Actwas sponsored in 2009, but ultimately went nowhere in the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
The U.S. Supreme Court already struck down one law attempting to ban the sales of violent video games to minors. The ESA was reimbursed for its legal fees in that battle by the state of California.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-violent-games
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March 21st, 2012, 01:05 Posted By: wraggster
Nottingham Trent University has issued a first call for submissions ahead of this year's Interactive Technologies And Games (ITAG) conference.
The event, which runs as part of Nottingham Trent's annualGameCity festival, will focus on issues of accessibility and rehabilitation for peopel with disabilities through interactive technology and games.
Topics up for discussion include social and collaborative aspects of games, such as MMOGs, for the elderly; learning theory and instructional design in games; handheld-based learning in classrooms; and serious games.
The university is also keen on submissions concerning input devices, using contemporary controllers like Kinect or the Wii Balance Board in health and rehabilitation, and new forms of controller for players with disabilities.
Iain Simons, Nottingham Trent lecturer and director of GameCity, said: "ITAG provides a rich, vital new seam of activity and perspective to the GameCity festival, anchoring it to an academic and social agenda which amplifies the activities we already pursue.
"I'm hugely excited about the potential for audiences from both industry and the public to discover new and exciting ideas at GameCity through ITAG."
Written submissions must be no longer than 500 words; those intending to exhibit or produce a poster must submit an abstract of no more than 300 words. Submissions must be made tokaren.krelle@ntu.ac.uk by June 1; ITAG runs on October 23 and 24 at the Nottingham Conference Centre. For more, follow the source link below.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/nott...ag-submissions
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March 19th, 2012, 23:24 Posted By: wraggster
Single player games in danger, says Braben
The used games market is always a hot topic amongst developers and publishers who don't get a cut of any pre-owned sales. Frontier Development's David Braben argues that the used games business has effectively killed off the single-player focused endeavor, and he believes that not only are used games pushing more games to focus on a multiplayer setting, but he thinks those used games are helping to inflate prices on titles as studios seek ways to recoup lost revenues.
"The real problem when you think about it brutally, if you look at just core gamer games, pre-owned has really killed core games," reflected Braben. "In some cases, it's killed them dead. I know publishers who have stopped games in development because most shops won't reorder stock after initial release, because they rely on the churn from the re-sales."
"It's killing single player games in particular, because they will get pre-owned, and it means your day one sales are it, making them super high risk. I mean, the idea of a game selling out used to be a good thing, but nowadays, those people who buy it on day one may well finish it and return it."
"People will say 'Oh well, I paid all this money and it's mine to do with as I will', but the problem is that's what's keeping the retail price up -- prices would have come down long ago if the industry was getting a share of the resells."
Braben, who has worked on titles like Elite and Kinectimals, is currently facing a crisis on his current title, The Outsider. The game is heavily invested in single player story mechanics, but Braben remains somewhat skeptical of the current development landscape.
"Developers and publishers need that revenue to be able to keep doing high production value games, and so we keep seeing fewer and fewer of them."
If anything, there appear to be signs that some studios are simply, if not begrudgingly, moving to the mobile gaming space, where used-game sales simply do not exist. Braben has acknowledged that his studio is working on new IP specifically for mobile.
"I think the problem was that the market then was very confused, whereas nowadays it's far clearer. Of course, a lot of that is hats off to Apple, but also the principle of the App Store, which is fantastic," he remarked. "And that applies to a lot of platforms -- it applies to Android, and it now applies to Mac OS, and it's been announced for Windows 8 and I think that is a very interesting realignment of the stars."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...r-developments
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March 19th, 2012, 22:40 Posted By: wraggster
Game Group has begun the process of shutting down 35 of its 610 UK stores, and is notifying customers in writing that their local store is closing its doors.
A Eurogamer reader sent in a letter confirming the closure of Game in Bracknell, Berkshire, with the company pointing him towards his local Gamestation. Forum posts have also confirmed closures inHull and Wrexham; thanks to Xabismission and GaidenZero in the comments below we can confirm that Gamestation branches in Southport and Southampton are also closing their doors.
The letter confirms that all outstanding pre-orders will be transferred to the customer's local Gamestation, but it appears remaining reward points will not be carried over because Gamestation runs its own loyalty scheme.
Game Group, which announced plans to close 35 stores and the Gameplay website last month, has said it will not release the full list of closures, and is instead notifying customers individually in writing. If you've received a similar letter, let us know in the comments below.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/game...closures-begin
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March 19th, 2012, 22:21 Posted By: wraggster
Customer says publisher has failed to meet promise of Online Pass support
Electronic Arts is to switch off its online servers for eleven contemporary games, one of which was released as recently as 2011, due to what it claims to be low activity rates.
The server switch-offs, commencing April 13th, will block online play on various Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games such as MMA and Need for Speed ProStreet.
The full list of affected games can be found below.
One, a PSN and XBLA game called Spare Parts, was the last commercial project released by now defunct Guildford studio EA Bright Light. The game launched in Janruary 2011.
EA said the decision to retire older games is “never easy”, but said it shuts down game servers when it is “no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these games up and running”.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...rent-gen-games
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March 18th, 2012, 21:17 Posted By: wraggster
Portal 2 came away the big winner at this year's British Academy Video Game Awards, grabbing Game of the Year.
<figure style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; padding: 0px; width: 300px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); text-transform: none; line-height: 21px; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; clear: both; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; float: right; display: block; white-space: normal; position: relative; orphans: 2; widows: 2; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-image: initial;" class="article-image article-image-alt article-image-300"> </figure>The game also scored valve awards for Best Design and Best Story, giving Valve plenty of reasons to be might pleased with itself.Minecraft creator Markus Persson would also have left grinning after picking up the night's Special Award for his successful PC build-'em-up.
Battlefield 3 broke Call of Duty's winning streak by taking the GAME Award of 2011, along with best audio and online multiplayer awards.
LittleBigPlanet 2 and Batman: Arkham City also did well. Head over to the official BAFTA site for the full list of categories and their winners.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...he-year-award/
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March 18th, 2012, 19:59 Posted By: wraggster
The Japanese games industry needs to start making titles that appeal to a global audience rather than just focussing on niche games for domestic customers if it wants to get out of its rut, according to Konami's Hideo Kojima.Speaking to Eurogamer during a round-table Q&A in Washington DC ahead of the Smithsonian's Art of Video Games exhibition, the Metal Gear Solid creator offered his response to Keiji Inafune's GDC rant about the sorry state of the Japanese industry."I think the problem really is more about where people are looking and who they're targeting," said Kojima."A lot of creators are just focused on Japan and the Japanese market and aren't really aware of what people around the world want."He went on to explain that he believes there are three elements that developers need to get right in order to have a global hit: "technology, gameplay and world view."Kojima argued that Japan is failing to keep up in all three areas."Regarding technology, I think in Japan there are less people going abroad, and maybe less people going to, say, M.I.T. and being at the cutting edge of things. From a technology standpoint, I think Japan is lagging behind a bit.He suggested that that's a problem that can be easily remedied, but the other two issues are potentially more serious."The bigger problem is how do you use that technology to create something? When it comes to gameplay, unfortunately a lot of Japanese creators don't really like creating a free experience. Those types of games aren't being made in Japan."Regarding world view," he continued, "game creators now are creating games based on the culture they know, targeted at Japan and Japanese cultures. So they set it in places like Shibuya or Shinjuku or somewhere else in Tokyo. And it's not something that appeals to people outside of Japan."Because Japan doesn't look outside of it's borders then technologies don't come, creating this vicious cycle."If developers took a more global view, Kojima argued, they might find it easier to secure bigger budgets."The Japanese games industry has fallen to a point where Japanese movies were at as well - these small indie movies set within Japan with a Japanese story done on a low budget. Because the scale is so small we can't get the budget to make it succeed on a global level."In contrast to that, most Western studios approach things from more of a Hollywood standpoint where they're looking at making their games a very global success and looking at how they can sell them in various markets."From the very beginning they have those goals and are able to get the proper budget and commit the proper technology to it."Kojima did offer some cause for optimism, however."I think that it's still not over. Japan does have the ability to recover from this and get back up to a competitive level, technologically and in other ways."I don't want to break this down to a thing where it's Japanese games versus non Japanese games. The key is it has to be a global game, it has to be something made for everybody. I want to get rid of all those barriers."He offered up his own studio as an example of a Japanese developer taking a more global view of the industry."You can tell from my generation that I've been influenced by Star Trek, so when I think of my studio I think it as the Starship Enterprise. The Enterprise had people from all races - even Vulcans! I want my studio to be like that."This is my Enterprise. It just happens that the captain is Japanese and the ship was manufactured by Konami, but it's a multi-cultural staff."Last month, the studio announced it was looking to recruit Western developers to work on the Metal Gear Solid series.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...logical-skills
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March 18th, 2012, 19:58 Posted By: wraggster
When you play a game, you should expect exacting sound as well as a perfect picture - but we'd put serious money on you not getting the best possible audio straight from your TV. So, here's how you can beef up your aural experience - from space-saving headphones and soundbars, to bijou 2.1 systems, right up to full-on surround sound packages for maximum audio performance.
After all, gaming is all about immersion; being right in the middle of the action and forgetting the outside world even exists. Developers spend a considerable amount of time and effort making sure their titles sound just as stunning as they look - but in our experience, the speakers built in to tellies, especially modern flatscreen ones, are universally disappointing: tinny, fizzy and devoid of bass.
That might be fine and dandy if all you want to do is watch the odd bit of TV, but when it comes to games, you need an advanced sound system to match your HD display - anything less is a disservice to the audio engineers working behind the scenes on your favourite games.
Hook any of this lot up to your TV or console, though, and you'll be truly immersed in the gameplay experience in no time - just what you need to extract maximum enjoyment from your gaming library.
[h=3]Best Soundbar: Yamaha YSP-2200[/h][h=2]Yamaha YSP-2200 Specs[/h]- Power: 132W (16x 2W drivers and 100W sub)
- Inputs: HDMI x3; digital optical x2; digital coaxial x1; analogue audio x1
- Outputs: HDMI x1; composite video x1
- Audio Formats: Dolby TrueHD; Dolby Digital Plus; Dolby Digital; Dolby Digital EX; Dolby Pro Logic/II/IIx; DTS-HD Master Audio; DTS-HD High Resolution; DTS; DTS-Neo 6; DTS-ES
- DSP technology: Yes
- Connectivity: iPod dock; Bluetooth; wireless dock (all optional)
- Size/Weight: Main unit: 9x94x14cm/4.3kg; subwoofer: 14x44x35cm/6kg
Not everyone wants a room full of speakers, or the complexity that such a system demands when setting up. This Yamaha cuts out all the hassle by sitting under your TV and creating a virtual surround field by bouncing sound off your walls.
And it really works: effects whizz around the room with grin-inducing accuracy, and its 94cm wingspan treats you to a good deal more scale than you might expect - approaching that of 'proper', full-size speakers. The separate subwoofer helps, of course, serving up some much-needed low-frequency punch.
It works by using 16 steerable drivers, each powered by its own 2W amp (plus another 100W for the sub). After an initial calibration stage, it sets to work aiming sound at your walls and ceiling, reflecting it back to you in the form of a surround sound field.
The YSP-2200 also spoils you in terms of connectivity, with digital audio inputs for PCs and three HDMI inputs that can accommodate other home-entertainment kit alongside your console. It will also handle 3D pictures and high-definition audio, should you be in the market for that kind of thing.- Price: £800
- Pros: Enveloping sound, plenty of connections, compact, awesome dynamic ability
- Cons: Pricey, separate subwoofer could be a stumbling block for some
- Verdict: If you want a brilliantly immersive sound without cramming a full speaker package into your room, this is the way to go
- Also Consider: The Orbitsound T12v3 (£300), which serves up a big, ballsy sound at the expense of a little sonic finesse
[h=3]Best 2.1 Package: Pioneer HTP-SLH500[/h][h=2]Pioneer HTP-SLH500 Specs[/h]- Power: 300W
- Inputs: HDMI x4; digital optical x2; digital coaxial x1; 3.5mm x1; AV x1
- Outputs: HDMI x1; composite x1; 3.5mm x1; surround back pre-out x2 (L, R)
- Audio Formats: Dolby Pro Logic Surround/II/IIx/IIz, Dolby Digital; Dolby Digital EX; Dolby Digital Plus; Dolby TrueHD; DTS; DTS 96/24; DTS-Express; DTS-ES; DTS Neo:6; DTS-HD Master Audio
- DSP technology: Yes
- Size: Satellites: 9x20x4cm
If you're a living-room gamer, it makes sense to combine your existing audio/visual kit with your console and create a proper system for movies as well as games. But again, space is likely to be at a premium - so this Pioneer could fit the bill.
It has two vanishingly thin slimline speakers that sit either side of your telly (they're flexible about positioning if you can't find space on the shelf) and a subwoofer for the bass duties, while the head-unit is an AV receiver for routing the rest of your kit.
The satellite speakers are double-driver designs, so they're able to project sound in a 360-degree field - meaning there's a larger 'sweet-spot' in front of the telly. That's harder to do with a pair of conventional speakers.
You wouldn't expect such a widely dispersed sound from such dinky units - which is great if you've got a load of friends over, and they're all dotted around the room. Who wants to be crammed up five-abreast on the sofa, after all?
The downside? It's pricey, and might not give you the power you want...- Price: £700
- Pros: Tiny speakers save space, great design, can be used to power the rest of your AV kit, wide sound dispersal
- Cons: Isn't a surround system
- Verdict: This setup lies at the pricier end of the 2.1 spectrum, but if compactness and flexibility are your bag, it's well worth an audition
- Also Consider: The THX-certified Logitech Z623 (£150) doesn't require an amplifier, so you can use it directly with a computer
[h=3]Best 5.1 Package: Q Acoustics Q7000[/h][h=2]Q Acoustics Q7000 Specs[/h]- Power: Handling Satellites: 100W; subwoofer: 250W
- Size: Front/rear satellites: 24x10x6cm; centre: 12x21x16cm; subwoofer: 37x51x22cm
Time to get serious. If your main gaming setup is in your living room - or even if you just fancy beefing up the sound on your media or gaming PC in your study, a multi-channel system is the way to go. You'll need an amp, of course (see below), but with that you'll also get the added benefit of media-server abilities.
The Q7000 package is a great blend of style, value and performance - it won't clutter up your room (the satellite speakers can be wall-mounted), and it hits the bull's-eye when it comes to immersive sound. Not only do the requisite bangs and wallops hit home with punch and power, you'll also get a real feel for the subtle effects whooshing around the room. And when it comes to musical soundtracks, the system's sense of openness and timing really pay dividends.
If we had £800 to spend on a speaker package, we'd have no reservations about parting with it for one of these. The great thing about the Q7000 is that, if you want, you can buy the components separately and make as simple or elaborate system as space, money and your home cinema amp allow - from a basic 2.1 configuration with two satellites and a subwoofer, right up to a picture-rattling seven-channel system with two subs.- Price: £800
- Pros: Great looks, full-on sound for games and movies, excellent with soundtracks
- Cons: High volumes can get a little harsh, you need a reasonable-size room
- Verdict: The package that does it all - big sound, tidy style and great value
- Also Consider: The Boston Acoustics Soundware XS5.1SE (£350) is a bijou alternative at more affordable money - but you don't get the scale of the Q Acoustics setup.
[h=3]Best Headphones: Panasonic RP-HTX7[/h][h=2]Panasonic RP-HTX7 Specs[/h]- Type: Circumaural, closed-back
- Weight: 153g
- Cable Length: 1.6m
If you want to keep gaming into the night without annoying family or indeed neighbours, a pair of cans plugged into your TV's headphone output will see you right. These retro-looking Panasonics are a circumaural design (they completely enclose your ears), so you won't have to worry about external noise.
They're a good, balanced listen, with a sweet treble that never veers towards brittle territory, and bass performance that, while weighty, isn't overbearing. There might not be a mic unit (check out our "Also Consider" option, below), but you do get an extension cord and a 6.3mm adaptor jack for sitting further away from your TV set or plugging in to an AV amp.
They're good with music, too, uncovering an impressive amount of detail for their modest price-tag. Just don't get carried away while wearing them for gaming; you might not be able to hear your anguished cries, but your neighbours might…- Price: £40
- Pros: Stylish looks, detailed, immersive sound, will also work with your smartphone or portable console
- Cons: Nothing at this money
- Verdict: A great-value proposition, finished off with no small amount of retro-chic
- Also Consider: Put a pair of Turtle Beach Ear Force PX21s on your head and you'll get a mic for hurling insults at fellow players. These work with every gaming system you can shake a stick at.
[h=3]Honourable Mentions[/h]The sky's the limit when it comes to assembling a system to supercharge your TV's sound - and we can really only scratch the surface here. But one thing is for sure, whatever your budget, there'll be a solution to suit you.
For example, you might not want to have to deal with speakers, cables, amps and the like - or even want a soundbar under your set. If that rings true, consider Q Acoustics' Q-TV2 or Q-TV2X - these units (for 30-42in and 42-50in TVs respectively) attach to the rear of your telly and flank it with a pair of stereo speakers, while a flat subwoofer sits behind.
"Audio has entered the high-def era too: you need an advanced sound system to match your HD display - anything less is a disservice to the audio engineers working behind the scenes on your favourite games."
1/7 A selection of photos showing our chosen alternatives to our main picks, along with other honourable mentions worthy of your attention.
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On the other hand, if you decide to go all-out, you'll need an amplifier. We suggest Onkyo's outgoing TX-NR609 - yours for £400 if you act fast - or the new TX-NR616. Both are THX Select2 Plus-certified, with the appropriate gaming modes, and will provide a powerful engine for your system. They also give you access to online services such as Spotify and Napster, and let you stream music from your network storage device.
And if you assemble the right system, don't forget that it can form an entire home entertainment hub for movies, streaming, gaming and more...
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/df...r-gaming-audio
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March 18th, 2012, 19:12 Posted By: wraggster
Yeah, streaming Skyrim on a Tegra 3-powered Ice Cream Sandwich tablet is nice and all, but what about folks who want a more immersive experience with their beloved time sink? One tech-savvy gamer took matters into his own hands -- conjuring a bit of electronics alchemy by throwing together Sony's HMZ-T1 head-mounted display with a Kinect sensor, a TrackIR5 for head tracking and voice recognition software. The result is an experience that allows any wannabe adventurer to press onward into Tamriel's frozen north by marching in place while imbibing in a true, head-mounted first-person perspective. Admittedly, stomping around and flailing one's arms may lack the elegance and playability of The Gadget Show's $650,000 Battlefield 3 simulator, but at $1500, it's a homegrown virtual reality experience that's actually within reach. Now go forth and explore the video after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/17/k...l-reality-sky/
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March 18th, 2012, 15:38 Posted By: wraggster
The UK games retail market rallied last week thanks to the release of EA’s Mass Effect 3 and Capcom’s Street Fighter X Tekken.
The pair helped break a two-week decline, generating a 47.9 per cent increase in market value to £17.9m. Unit sales rose 27.2 per cent.
However, the market was down compared to when Mass Effect 2 hit shelves in January 2010. UK games retail generated £22.8m that week – almost £5m more than it could manage two years later.
That’s not to discredit Mass Effect 3. The space shooter RPG outsold its predecessors’ week-one sales combined and became the biggest No.1 of 2012 so far. It garnered more sales than the previous four No.1s – SSX, UFC 3, Uncharted and Reckoning – combined.
Other new entries Street Fighter X Tekken and The Sims 3: Showtime debuted at No.3 and No.6 respectively.
The week-on-week growth in the market came despite Mass Effect 3, Street Fighter X Tekken and The Sims 3: Showtime not being stocked in GAME and Gamestation.
Expect another strong performance for EA next week with continued sales of Mass Effect 3 and the arrival of FIFA Street today (Friday, March 16th).
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/softw...s-17-9m/092920
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March 18th, 2012, 15:36 Posted By: wraggster
GAME Group is in a race to secure £180m to pay creditors or face administration, The Sunday Times reports.
The specialist giant apparently has a £21m rent payment due on Sunday, a £12m wage bill due shortly after, and owes more than £10m in deferred VAT and £40m to video game suppliers.
The paper says that GAME could be put into administration this week as lenders believe the firm will not be able to find a backer in time. Any investor, as well as the above mentioned debt, would have to pay the firm's six banks - including Royal Bank of Scotland – £100m.
GAME is in emergency talks with a number of potential new backers, the paper writes.
OpCapita is interested, but the lenders are sceptical that the private investment specialist has the means to rescue the stricken High Street giant.
Wal-Mart and GameStop are believed to be two other likely suitors. Hilco is reportedly interested in GAME's international assets.
GAME hit trouble following a poor Christmas sales period. The business believed it would be a much stronger Christmas period, telling investors in September that they were confident in the software line-up – which included Modern Warfare 3, FIFA, Halo, Zelda, several 3DS titles, Skyrim and Saints Row: The Third.
Like many retailers, GAME relies on Christmas to generate revenue, and uses a banking facility to get it through the quieter Spring and Summer months.
However, following a disappointing festive period, the Group had to renegotiate a deal with its lenders (namely RBS, Barclays and HSBC). It received a significantly lower facility, which bought the firm some time. However, in order to survive until the profitable Christmas period, GAME needed better supplier terms.
It reached out to its publishers, even holding an event at BAFTA for 80 to 90 of its partners to explain what was required in order to see the retailer survive.
Although early reports suggested the meeting was a success, GAME has failed to win over some big suppliers. The firm has since missed out on major release Mass Effect 3, and has lost support from Capcom, Nintendo, Microsoft, Activision, Sega, Tecmo Koei and more. Sony is a notable exception, supplying GAME with Vita units and games such as Twisted Metal
The situation has taken GAME to the brink of collapse.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/repor...se-180m/092984
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March 18th, 2012, 13:24 Posted By: wraggster
The days of screaming activists marching with signs in hand to voice their displeasure at a particular politician are changing rapidly – just ask Vic Toews. Canada's public safety minister was the latest in a string of public-policy lightning rods to feel the wrath of Anonymous, a loose coalition of web-based activists who went after Toews for his overly vociferous promoting of the government's online surveillance bill. ... Graeme Hirst, a professor of computational linguistics at the University of Toronto, says that while Anonymous does share some properties of older protest movements, sometimes its motives can be called into question. 'It's a kind of civil disobedience, so we can immediately make analogies to the Civil Rights movement of the '60s,' Hirst said in an interview. 'On the other hand, it's not entirely clear that Anonymous is as altruistically motivated as those protests were.' ... Hirst viewed theJanuary showdown as 'the first legitimate online protest' that was really only about the online world and suggested that the key to its success was that it was organized not by individuals but by organizations — and ones with clout. ... Another apparently successful online campaign was the Cost of Knowledge protest started by an international group of researchers in January, following a blog post by Cambridge University math professor Timothy Gowers.
http://politics.slashdot.org/story/1...online-protest
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March 18th, 2012, 13:23 Posted By: wraggster
The Smithsonian's 'Art of Video Games' exhibition opens today. To kick it off, they're holding a three-day festival with panel discussions, live action gaming, and crafting activities. 'Video games allow us as human beings to explore our dreams, our fears, our thoughts, our morals, and engage with each other in a way that no other medium allows us to. I find that inspiring and beautiful, and I am so happy to be alive during this time. We are going to experience, I think, one of the greatest surges of artistic intent in human history, and I believe that the majority of it will come through video games,' said Chris Melissinos, former Sun exec and guest curator of the new exhibition.
http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/0...hibition-opens
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March 17th, 2012, 00:42 Posted By: wraggster
GDCA lifetime achievement award recipient predicts 'increasing stratification'
Warren Spector, creator of Deus Ex and the recipient of a lifetime achievement award at this years Game Developer Choice Awards, says that consoles are here to stay, despite increasing competition from the mobile gaming sector.
"I don't know that console gaming will ever go away," Spector told GamesIndustry Intenational(formerly gamesindustry.biz).
"I think it's going to become more - god I said I would never get into the business of prediction, but here I go - I think what you're going to see is an increasing sort of stratification, where you see fewer, much higher end games that continue to do exceptionally well on the console."
Spector says that as the cost of making competitive console games gets higher, there will be fewer publishers and developers who can afford to take the risks.
"That's going to leave a lot of people behind. It's a lot like when, frankly, the first CDs came around and everybody at Origin [Systems] was looking at this silver disk going 'oh my god, what happens when people with more money than we have start filling that thing with assets?' Well now, I mean, once you start actually doing Pixar quality interactive entertainment, there aren't going to be a lot of companies who can afford to do that."
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...Warren-Spector
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March 16th, 2012, 00:08 Posted By: wraggster
In this video, Brian Alspach tells you how Gamestar Mechanic helps turn kids from game players into game authors, which helps them learn a lot about programming and how computers work in easy steps while having a good time. If you're a parent, you'll especially want to read this page on their site, which will help reassure you that these folks know what they're doing, and might even (hint hint) give you the idea of suggesting that your local school should subscribe to Gamestar Mechanic, which several thousand schools already do. The price varies between free and $6 per month, which is a great deal for something that can engage children for many hours every day -- and just might keep a parent or grandparent interested, too.
http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/0...er-games-video
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March 15th, 2012, 01:38 Posted By: wraggster
It'll be another six to eight years before tablets can even match high-end consoles
Game consoles still dominate this industry, but with smartphones, tablets and digital distribution methods on PC, the pressure on console makers is continually increasing. Tablets like the iPad in particular offer a compelling experience, and they increase in graphical horsepower almost every year, but Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney still see consoles as irreplaceable... for another six to eight years at least.
Speaking to GamesIndustry International in a wide-ranging interview, Sweeney explained why consoles will remain in the driver's seat.
"The big difference between a console and a tablet is the console can consume 100 or 200 watts of power, while the tablet consumes one or two or three or four watts. That's really the limiting factor of performance there. Just on the grounds of the laws of physics, you'd have to think it is three to four hardware generations, or six to eight years before the current highest end desktop or console performance you can achieve becomes achievable on tablets," he said.
"To me, that really defines the role of consoles in the world. They define the highest and most impressive graphics experience anywhere in the industry. They focus on delivering teraflops of computing performance in a way that a portable device or an economical computer really couldn't, despite sheer focus on that one aspect," Sweeney continued.
As for Apple and the iPad, Sweeney remarked that Epic has been amazed by how quickly Apple has pushed technology forward. It's certainly benefited the game developer.
"I'm continually astounded by Apple's sheer will to push the industry forward," Sweeney said. "Apple is by far the leading phone provider in terms of profits or any other objective measure of how well they are doing. A company in that position could just rest on their laurels and keep making more and more profit from each new phone. Apple doesn't take that approach. Rather, they push the technology forward as fast, or faster than possible to go from lower resolution displays."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-and-heres-why
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March 15th, 2012, 01:35 Posted By: wraggster
Sony's portable offering didn't see a rise in sales from the company's Game Heaven announcements
Media Create sales data for the week of March 5 to March 11 shows Nintendo's 3DS dominating the charts while Sony's PlayStation Vita hangs on for dear life. Last week saw Sony put on the Japanese Game Heaven event with a number of announcements for PlayStation Vita titles, but sales don't seem to have budged. On the hardware side, the 3DS led with 68,951 units sold, down slightly from last week, while the Vita still hovered in the same spot with 10,041 units sold.
This week's sales leave the 3DS at 960,496 units sold in 2012 alone, with a million units being a safe bet this week if sales remain constant.
The 3DS also had 10 titles in the software Top 20, led by Sega's Hatsune Miku and Future Stars: Project Mirai at number 2 with 86,676 units sold. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D debuted at number 4 with 38,374 units sold, while Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, and Monster Hunter 3G remained among the strong performers in the 3DS lineup. The only Vita title in the Top 20 is SCE shooter Unit 13, which landed at number 15 with 8,089 units sold.
The 3DS retains strong momentum in Japan, while the Vita is still looking for a true system seller. What titles does Sony need in order to improve its fortunes?
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...lion-this-year
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