Yet Another Vogue for the iPhone: Video Games

 

Is there anything an iPhone can’t do? See how the iPhone takes makes video games more portable then ever. Friendly Computers thinks you may find this very cool:

The iPhone has sent rivals scrambling, first to duplicate its glassy touch screen, then its successful mobile application storefront.

Now it is the video game industry that is sitting up and taking notice. Playing games, it turns out, is one of the most popular things to do with an iPhone. Of the 50,000 programs available for the iPhone and iPod Touch through Apple’s App Store, games are the largest category, about 20 percent of the offerings, according to the mobile analytics and advertising company Mobclix. The company also said that more than half of the billion downloads from the App Store are games.

That plethora of games, most of which are free or cost as little as 99 cents, are available in seconds via wireless download, which is driving the expansion of the audience for mobile gaming, said Tuong H. Nguyen, an analyst with Gartner Research who tracks the industry.

“Like many other features of the iPhone, it introduced the possibility of gaming on your phone to a whole new group of consumers,” Mr. Nguyen said.

Called casual gamers, these people who play a game for a few minutes here or there are a sought-after group by a video-game industry searching for growth. Sylvia Martinez, a 52-year-old educator living in Los Angeles, is one of them. Mrs. Martinez, who owns a 3G iPhone, said she had never played games on her cellphone before she bought the iPhone. “With older phones, the games were so hard to play,“ she said. “With the iPhone, everything works so well.“

Now there are several games that she plays at least once or twice a day, she said. “It suits my time frame,” she said. “I don’t have an hour to play; I have five minutes.”

Greg Joswiak, head of marketing for the iPhone and iPod, said, “This is the future of gaming.” The company has emphasized iPhone gaming in several television commercials. At the press conference in early June where the iPhone 3G S was introduced, the company ran a long video featuring testimonials from game developers. The company also trotted out several companies on stage to demonstrate games that made use of the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.

The popularity of gaming among iPhone users — some 79 percent of all iPhone owners have downloaded games, compared with 31 percent of smartphone users in general, according to data from the Web analytics firm Compete — has game publishers flocking to get their titles on the platform.

One of them is Electronic Arts, the giant maker of boxed software for PCs and game consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation3. “We knew it would be big,“ said Adam Sussman, vice president for worldwide publishing for the mobile division of Electronic Arts. “We knew we had to scramble and invest more on the iPhone.“

The built-in audience, which amounts to more than 40 million iPhone and iPod Touch owners, adds to the platform’s allure, said Mr. Sussman, who has overseen the translation of some of E.A.’s bigger franchises to the iPhone, including the Sims 3 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour.

The iPhone has already increased revenue at the French game developer Gameloft, which publishes games across a variety of platforms including the hand-held Sony PlayStation Portable and Nintendo’s DSi, in addition to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The company said that 15 percent of its sales were from iPhone games during the first quarter of 2009. It anticipates sales from the iPhone to top $20 million this year.

Some experts say that the big-name titles available for the devices are further evidence that larger game studios are taking the platform as seriously as other portable gaming devices like the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.

It does not require a budget backed by a publishing giant like Electronic Arts or Sega to churn out a successful game for the iPhone. The low technical barrier to publishing games in the App Store means that anyone with programming skills and a laptop can try their luck at it.

Indeed, many of the App Store successes were born of a clever idea from a single coder or produced by small independent teams like Firemint.

Firemint, an Australian mobile development team, is behind Flight Control, a simple yet addictive game that challenges players to guide aircraft to landing strips. “When my mother-in-law couldn’t stop playing it, I knew we had a success on our hands,” said Robert Murray, company founder. Since Flight Control went on sale in early March, the game has sold a million copies and hovered in the top ranking spots on iTunes, said Mr. Murray.

Gamers spend about 30 minutes playing some of the more polished games, said Krishna Subramanian, a co-founder of Mobclix.

“That level of gameplay is really starting to bite into the gaming market occupied by the PSP and DS,” he said.

Al de Leon, a spokesman for Sony, said the company recognized there was an appetite among their audience for direct access to software and more of it. In October, the company plans to release a new version of its flagship portable gaming device called the PSPGo that won’t use cartridges at all; rather it will deliver software directly to the device — just like an iPhone.

But even though the company is responding to trends that iPhone is driving, Mr. de Leon said the company is not worried that Apple’s device will take over their core audience. “At the end of the day, you buy the iPhone to make calls,” he said. “And you buy the PSP to play games.”

Cammie Dunaway, vice president for sales and marketing for Nintendo, echoed similar sentiments about the company’s lineup of portable hand-held gaming devices. “No one can match our years of experience in the hand-held market and the subscriber base we’ve built up over the last 20 years,” she said.

Michael Cai, vice president for video games at Interpret, a market research firm, said, “Dedicated portable devices have a certain appeal that the iPhone can’t quite match.” But that does not mean those companies are not paying attention, he added. “Sony and Nintendo definitely realize the threat of the iPhone and iPod Touch.”

 

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/technology/29iphone.html?ref=business

Warner Bros. emerges as sole bidder for Midway Games

 

Midway Games which filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection has only received one bid on the company. Friendly Computers learned that they expected a lot more bids to drive up the price. Below are the details: 

Warner Bros. has emerged as the only bidder for Midway Games Inc., all but assuring that it will take control of the bankrupt video game publisher previously owned by Viacom Inc. Chairman Sumner Redstone and become a major force in the video game industry.
Midway had hoped that the film studio's $33-million offer, made in late May, would spark a bidding war that would boost its price. A Chicago investment group and several game publishers kicked the publisher's tires, according to a source familiar with the discussions, but none pulled the trigger.

"No other bids came in, so there's not going to be an auction," Geoffrey Mogilner, a Midway spokesman, confirmed.
Redstone, who took control of Midway in 2004, was never able to bring the troubled company to profitability. He sold it at a huge loss to a private investor last November in exchange for a $700-million tax write-off that has since led to a lawsuit from the publisher's creditors.
Integrating Midway will significantly expand the scope of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the studio's small but growing video game division. Warner has acquired three game production companies in recent years and hired industry veteran Martin Tremblay as WBIE president. It also tried, unsuccessfully, to buy Eidos, the British publisher of the Tomb Raider games.

Although Midway has declined in significance in the last few years because of big losses and poor-selling games, it is still a well-known brand with a rich library of titles that Warner will be able to exploit as games or, potentially, movies and TV shows.
"We bid on Midway because we are interested in their catalog of intellectual properties," Tremblay said in May.
Assuming the deal goes through, the studio will take control of most of Midway's assets, including Mortal Kombat and well-known but dormant game series such as Joust and Spy Hunter. It will also get two production houses in Chicago and Seattle.
That would allow Warner to expand its video game lineup, which currently includes titles based on "Where the Wild Things Are," "The Lord of the Rings" and the "Harry Potter" books, as well as an original game called Scribblenauts that received numerous awards at the E3 industry conference.
"Building a company takes time," Tremblay said of his division's growth plans. "We have one of the most efficient distribution channels in the world. We have strong intellectual properties. But we're missing a third piece: talent."
Warner Bros. is one of three major media conglomerates, along with Walt Disney Co. and MTV Networks, to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in video games recently in an effort to reach younger audiences and tap a fast-growing market as traditional cash cows like DVDs decline.
Before the deal is complete, the Delaware court overseeing Midway's bankruptcy must address complaints by several creditors about the sales process. One of those is producer Larry Kasanoff's Threshold Entertainment, which worked on two "Mortal Kombat" films and claims it has the exclusive film and TV rights to the series. Also objecting is Tigon Studios, a production company controlled by Vin Diesel, which said in a filing that it is owed $200,000 for the star's work on the Wheelman game.
A court hearing to address those and other issues is scheduled for Wednesday.

 

Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-midway27-2009jun27,0,2631772.story

 

Remembering Michael Jackson's video game legacy

 

Friendly Computers was saddened to hear about the passing of Michael Jackson. Below is an article we found remembering the video game “Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker”. We think this may be interesting to you:

While he was probably best-known for his personal eccentricities, pet monkeys, and legal problems (and some music, too, we suppose), Michael Jackson, who died Thursday at age 50, has a small but important footnote in video game history as well.

Back when Jackson was merely a semi-eccentric star, Sega created a video game property for him, named Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (actually separate games for the arcade and Sega Genesis/Master System consoles). Moonwalker was notable for being an early example of real-life celebrities appearing in video games, and for using digitized versions of some of Jacko's songs.

The game is also unintentionally ironic because Jackson is tasked with rescuing helpless children from a crime boss named Mr. Big (although in hindsight, perhaps it was Mr. Big who was doing the rescuing).

The arcade version was a basic isometric beat-'em-up, with two players able to play as dual Jackos, one in a white suit, one in red (similar to his "Smooth Criminal" music video). Jackson's special attack was a dance move, and when activated, a spotlight from the heavens illuminated him as he pulled off some signature spins and kicks, destroying many of the onscreen enemies.

Even stranger, Bubbles the Chimp made a cameo, and if you picked him up, Jackson would be briefly transformed into a laser-shooting robot version of himself.

The somewhat more pedestrian home console version behaved more like a standard side-scrolling platform game. Again we're rescuing kids from a mobster, but the real appeal is hearing Jackson shout "Woo!" with each attack--usually a dance-like high kick that causes tiny stars to shoot from his foot.

The music in the home console version was a letdown for anyone who had played the arcade version--essentially MIDI-style pinky versions of tracks such as "Smooth Criminal" and "Beat It."

The game went on to become a cult classic, more for its cultural kitsch value than its gameplay, with its animated Jackson appropriated for funny Web videos and retro-'90s talking-head TV shows.

Subsequently, Jackson made only a handful of video game appearances, in Space Channel 5 (also from Sega) for the Dreamcast, and as an unlockable fighter in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2.

At the time of his death, rumors had surfaced that Jackson was involved with a new video game project for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3, but the game was never officially confirmed.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10273229-1.html?tag=mncol;title

Point-of-sale video game activations won't work

 

The EMA is considering implementing a system that will require video games to be activated by a cashier before they will be able to be played. Friendly Computers read about this and the many possible flaws in the  proposed system.  You may find this information interesting:

The Entertainment Merchants Association, an organization that represents North American entertainment retailers, reported in the latest edition of its trade publication, Inside EMA, that point-of-sale video game activations could help save the industry "billions of dollars" in lost sales due to theft and piracy.

Dubbed Project Lazarus, the organization's initiative plans to determine "the feasibility of deploying 'benefit denial' technology on retail optical discs."

According to the EMA, its study has found that benefit denial, the "concept of denying a shoplifter or internal thief the ability to use stolen goods," could lead to reductions in theft and piracy.

The study isn't complete, and associated costs still need to be analyzed. But the EMA says benefit denial could substantially improve the process of buying games.

According to the organization, games should be shipped to retailers in a "locked state and then automatically 'unlocked,' based on a point-of-sale transaction." So if anyone attempts to play a locked game on a console, it won't boot up. Only after the sales transaction is complete will the game be activated. It can then be played on the game machine of their choice.

The EMA thinks that this is the future. I think that the plan is a loser.

Piracy and theft is indeed a problem in the video game industry. But it's not so bad that it requires games to be shipped in an unactivated state. Moreover, game piracy is really a bigger problem on the PC than on consoles.

According to a study performed by TweakGuides.com, Crysis Warhead, a PC game, was illegally downloaded more than 243,000 times over a two-month period. Fallout 3's PC version was illegally downloaded more than 271,000 times in a single month. But the Xbox 360 version of the game was downloaded just fewer than 20,000 times in the same period. TweakGuides couldn't find a single PS3 copy of the game that was illegally downloaded.

Those are just a few examples of many that TweakGuides cites. Piracy is certainly impacting the industry. But as TweakGuides points out, it's not a major problem. And since most of the issues affect the PC side of the business, not even benefit denial will be able to stop piracy. Once the game is activated, it could easily be downloaded onto a computer and uploaded to torrent sites, as usual.

How will it work?
In order for benefit denial to work, the EMA would presumably require the three major consoles to have some sort of activation verification function to ensure that games were legally purchased. It will be interesting to see if Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft agree to that.

There is also a lucrative market for used video games to consider. After some gamers complete a title, they sell it back to the retailer. How will benefit denial handle that situation?

What if a gamer wants to share a title with a friend? Will that game still work on the friend's console, even though they didn't purchase it? It better.

And what about connectivity? Will video game consoles need to connect to the Web to verify activation? If so, it could pose a problem, since many users don't connect their consoles to the Internet. It's adds another hurdle to overcome before they can enjoy a game.

What about downloads?
We also can't forget that video game downloads will make this initiative obsolete before it even gets off the ground. Microsoft announced at E3 this year that it's bringing full-game downloads to the Xbox 360. The practice is widely considered the future of the video game industry. And once again, the EMA has proposed nothing with Project Lazarus that will address that.

Benefit denial just doesn't make much sense. I understand that retailers are trying to find ways to limit the amount of lost sales, but using a video game activation system will only make it worse on the industry. And since there are so many issues with the plan, I don't see how it can work.

I think it's time to get back to the drawing board, EMA.

 

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10270870-17.html?tag=mncol;txt

Specialty Game Retailer Game Crazy Donates Video Games & Consoles to USA Football Junior National Team

 

Playing video games to prepare for a football championship? It may sound crazy but not to Game Crazy and the coaches it has teamed up with . Friendly Computers found out that they are donating games and game consoles to help prepare the team. Check it out!

Football Video Games Used As Team USA Coaching Aids for IFAF Junior World Championship

WILSONVILLE, Ore., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- To prepare for the world's best competition in the 2009 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship, USA Football's Junior National Team are employing football video games and game consoles courtesy of national specialty game retailer Game Crazy.

Team USA head coach CHUCK KYLE of Cleveland St. Ignatius High School is utilizing 40 video games and 20 game consoles donated by Game Crazy to help America's team prepare for varying styles of play throughout the IFAF Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio, from June 27-July 5. Team USA's playbook was loaded onto the games to help players better comprehend their assignments during training camp (June 14-25) at Walsh University in North Canton.

USA Football's Junior National Team will represent the United States and compete amongst a field of eight nations spanning four continents in Canton's historic Fawcett Stadium. The tournament field pursuing football's first junior world championship encompasses Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Sweden.

A number of games and consoles will be shared among all IFAF Junior World Championship athletes within the player lounge at Walsh University - the residence and practice home of all eight national teams.

"Preparing for well-coached and talented teams like those we'll see in Canton brings a great challenge," Kyle said. "We appreciate of this donation - these games allow us to accelerate the players' ability to learn the playbook, helping us to hit the ground running in Fawcett Stadium Saturday night."

Game Crazy, with six retail locations in Northeast Ohio, has donated to Team USA 20 copies each of EA Sports' "Madden '09" and "NFL Head Coach '09" video games, which allow for game set-up customization. The retailer has also provided USA Football with Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles. USA Football's coaching staff can now upload upcoming opponents' alignments and formations to help their players learn in-game assignments and responsibilities.

"We're proud to support Coach Kyle and USA Football in this historic tournament," said Game Crazy Chief Marketing Officer CLIFF TORNG. "We congratulate all of the coaches and players who have earned their way to Canton and are pleased to be able to provide them access to the latest in technology and training methodology. Video gaming is not only fun, but has also been shown to help develop and enhance athletic performance across a number of different sports. We look forward to a great tournament in a city whose football heritage and history is unmatched."

USA Football's Junior National Team is composed of 45 incoming college freshmen soon to enter one of 33 universities, including Michigan State, Mississippi, Ohio State, Oregon State, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Yale. The team is America's first on the junior level (19 and under) in football.

About Game Crazy

Game Crazy(R) (www.gamecrazy.com) is the nation's second largest specialty game retailer with approximately 550 locations across the country. Game Crazy provides customers with a vast selection of game titles, consoles and accessories; terrific value on new, used and trade-in games; and unmatched expertise. Headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon, Game Crazy is owned and operated by Movie Gallery, Inc, which is also the parent company for the Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video brands. Movie Gallery, Inc. is the second largest North American home entertainment specialty retailer with more than 3,700 stores located in all 50 U.S. states and Canada.

About USA Football

USA Football conducts more than 100 football training events annually to strengthen the game on youth and amateur levels. USA Football members - coaches, game officials and league commissioners - reside in all 50 states. The independent non-profit based near Washington, D.C., manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions and has provided more than $1.5 million in equipment grants for youth leagues and high school football programs since 2006. USA Football was started by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund. For more, visit usafootball.com.

Website: http://www.gamecrazy.com

 

Source: http://sev.prnewswire.com/retail/20090622/NE3615822062009-1.html

Crowdsourcing a video game's design

 

Have you ever wanted to design your own video game? Well now you can help. Roundhouse Interactive is designing a game which should be released next year, but internet community users can help choose what direction the game is going to go. Friendly Computers thinks you may find this interesting.

Laughing in the face of the concepts of the "tragedy of the commons" and "don't-design-by-committee," a game publisher has decided to put nearly all of the design decisions for a forthcoming console video game in the hands of a large-scale community of users.

The publisher, Roundhouse Interactive, says it will work with programming partner Frima Studio, but will rely mainly on the whims of a potentially six-figure-large community for the major decisions in the game's creation. The game, which is currently going by the code name The Game Cartel, is expected to be a console game available in December 2010.

In the first interview Roundhouse has given on the subject, Mike Montanaro, the president of Roundhouse Interactive, talked to CNET News about the project, the challenges it faces, and why this project could change the way the games industry puts out new products.

To hear Montanaro tell it, The Game Cartel project--the community itself will be known as the Game Cartel--will allow the community to have a major say on just about every single important decision about the game. And that includes its name. The process is expected to begin sometime during the summer.

"It's going to be a democratic voting system and society," Montanaro said. "We place a bunch of ideas out to the cartel members, and they get to decide the direction it goes, everything from the name of the game straight to what platform, the genre of the game, storylines, playability (and) controls. We're going to guide the consumer through the full development of the game."

One goal of the project, he added, is that Roundhouse hopes to give the average game consumer a view inside the development process that he or she has never had before, "the behind-the-scenes of how a game is made."

 

The idea is that at every step of the way, cartel members will be presented with a number of options--between five and eight--that they can vote on. The decision of the majority will rule, and as the programmers, Frima will implement those choices at every milestone. "We'll take that direction to the next level, and then open up another round (of choices) and ultimately create a game that is truly decided on by the members themselves," Montanaro said. "It basically gives gamers the opportunity to participate in the creation and direction of a full-scale game."

To begin with, those interested in joining the cartel will be asked to pay a $50 upfront fee that will guarantee them a copy of the game, as well as a series of incentives to participate at every step of the process. Montanaro said the more people get involved--in voting, and in regular discussions on the cartel's forums, on Facebook and in other venues--the more they will be rewarded. They'll also get their names listed in the game credits.

Further, Roundhouse hopes that within the community of cartel members, subgroups will form around specific directions members want to see the game take. Some, for example, may feel strongly that the game should be a first-person shooter, and may be willing to fight for that. Others may see it differently and argue for a different genre. The same will be true, the publisher hopes, at each step of the process.

Montanaro said Roundhouse is hoping to attract as many as 100,000 people to the cartel, figuring that that is enough people to provide a solid brain trust, but not too many to overwhelm the process. As well, of course, at $50 a pop, 100,000 members would mean a hefty $5 million in the bank, up front, for Roundhouse. And, given that Roundhouse hopes to keep the development budget to about $3 million, that would mean a nice profit from the get-go.

Of course, one could ask whether anyone, let alone 100,000 people, will reasonably be willing to pay $50 upfront for a game that won't be published for a year-and-a-half. But Montanaro said Roundhouse has run the number up the flagpole and he insisted that for a lot of gamers, $50 is an appropriate price to pay for getting "elite status" on a project like this. "They don't want it to be something that just anybody can be a part of."

That means, he added, that if Roundhouse can indeed sign up 100,000 cartel members, the list would be officially closed, and everyone else would have to wait for the game to publish to play it or be involved in any way.

To be sure, that's a very optimistic perspective and plan, and there's no way to know yet if Roundhouse is deluding itself or others in thinking that people really will be willing to pony up half a Benjamin for the right to be involved. There seems to be no precedent for such a project, and given the state of the economy, one has to wonder whether gamers--who have, in spite of the recession, proven they've still got the scratch to pay for the games they want--have the funds to pay for a role in such a project.

If it works, however, Roundhouse will have staked out a place in the industry that could pave the way for a lot of copycats. One reason is that the development of console games can often be a $20 million prospect these days, and for a publisher to put out such a game on a $3 million or so budget--Roundhouse is betting that the cartel members would serve as enthusiastic evangelists, saving the company money on marketing, not to mention that the cartel would pay for the right to be part of the development process, normally a very costly line item--would be a very attractive model. Further, said Montanaro, the project offers game consumers and the industry itself an antidote to the problem of never-ending sequels, franchise games, and a general lack of creativity.

Too many cooks?
On the other hand, the project risks drowning in input from too many captains. It's hard to imagine how a cohesive game could come out of such a massive development-by-committee project. Particularly when there's no advance road map. But Montanaro said that is one of the appealing elements of the project, and that Roundhouse is already thinking about a second, and third, go-round.

Still, Roundhouse isn't handing the reins entirely over to the community. Rather, it is employing what it calls a "celebrity" panel of arbiter judges who will help guide the community through the decision-making processes. Plus, one would expect that Frima will apply its development expertise to sticky situations caused by the community's choices, whatever they may be.

Whatever happens, Roundhouse has guaranteed that people will be watching what happens with the project. If it succeeds, it will surely be much copied. If it fails, Roundhouse can argue that it was a (fairly) inexpensive experiment that was worth trying. Whatever happens, one imagines that the discussions over what happens at each step along the way will be highly entertaining.

 

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10267336-52.html

Some Video Games Can Make Children Kinder And More Likely To Help

 

Video games often get a bad wrap that they promote violence and aggressive behavior in children. Studies have now been done with pro-active video games which promote teamwork and kindness and it seems that the games are having a positive effect on children's lives in the real world. Friendly Computers found this information:

That's the conclusion of new research published in the June 2009 issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

The article presents the findings of three separate studies, conducted in different countries with different age groups, and using different scientific approaches. All the studies find that playing games with prosocial content causes players to be more helpful to others after the game is over.

The report is co-authored by a consortium of researchers from the United States, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.

"Dozens of studies have documented a relationship between violent video games and aggressive behaviors," said lead author Douglas Gentile, an Iowa State University psychologist. "But this is one of the first that has documented the positive effects of playing prosocial games."

Prosocial video games involve characters who help and support each other in nonviolent ways.

"These studies show the same kind of impact on three different age groups from three very different cultures," said Brad Bushman, a University of Michigan co-author of the report. "In addition, the studies use different analytic approaches—correlational, longitudinal and experimental. The resulting triangulation of evidence provides the strongest possible proof that the findings are both valid and generalizable."

"These studies document that children and adolescents learn from practicing behaviors in games," said Rowell Huesmann, a U-M co-author of the report.

One study examined the link between video game habits and prosocial behavior among 727 secondary students in Singapore, with a mean age of 13. Students listed their favorite games and rated how often game characters helped, hurt or killed other characters. They also answered questions about how likely they were to spend time and money helping people in need, to cooperate with others and share their belongings, and to react aggressively in various situations.

As in numerous other studies, the researchers found a strong correlation between playing violent video games and hurting others. But the study also found a strong correlation between playing prosocial games and helping others.

The second study analyzed the long-term connection between video game habits and prosocial behavior in nearly 2,000 Japanese children ages 10 to 16. Participants completed a survey about their exposure to prosocial video games, and rated how often they had helped other people in the last month. Three to four months later, they were surveyed again, and researchers found a significant connection between exposure to prosocial games and helpful behavior months later.

"This suggests there is an upward spiral of prosocial gaming and helpful behavior, in contrast to the downward spiral that occurs with violent video gaming and aggressive behavior," said Bushman, a professor of communications and psychology and a research professor at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR).

For the third study, the researchers carried out an experiment with 161 U.S. college students, with a mean age of 19. After playing either a prosocial, violent, or neutral game, participants were asked to assign puzzles to a randomly selected partner. They could choose from puzzles that were easy, medium or hard to complete. Their partner could win $10 if they solved all the puzzles. Those who played a prosocial game were considerably more helpful than others, assigning more easy puzzles to their partners. And those who had played violent games were significantly more likely to assign the hardest puzzles.

"Taken together, these findings make it clear that playing video games is not in itself good or bad for children," Bushman said."The type of content in the game has a bigger impact than the overall amount of time spent playing."

 

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617171819.htm

Will Apple offer ratings for iPhone games?

 

Video Games have user ratings so that parents know if the game their child wants to play will be appropriate. iPhone applications currently do not have such ratings. The ESRB would like to have iPhone applications use the ratings as well. Friendly Computers found this information that you may find useful:

Most iPhone games are clearly appropriate for all audiences: puzzles, brain-teasers, mazes, and the like. But others, including some of the most fierce shooter games, may not be kid-friendly, at least from parents' perspectives.

But at least right now, there are no ratings for iPhone games, unlike for console or PC titles, and the president of the Electronic Software Ratings Board thinks that needs to change.

The ESRB--which is controlled by the video game industry's leading companies--rates games according to their content. The ratings include "C," for young children; "E," for everyone; "E 10+," for ages 10 and up; "T," for those 13 and up; "M," for ages 17 and older; and "AO," for adults only.

According to Kotaku, ESRB President Patricia Vance thinks it's a no-brainer that iPhone games should be rated, so that parents can have a sense of whether games on the hit mobile device are right for their kids.

"ESRB ratings empower parents to do their job," Vance told Kotaku. "Considering the fact that the vast majority of parents are already aware of and regularly using ESRB ratings, Apple's adoption of them for iPhone games seems like a no-brainer."

That's particularly true, Vance added, because Apple, in its announcements on Monday about the newest iPhone firmware upgrade, said it would offer the ability to block movies and TV shows on the iPhone based on content. But the company said nothing about games.

"Adding ESRB ratings to the controls (Apple) already plans to offer," Vance told Kotaku, "would give parents the ability to exert control over the games their children play as well."

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board rates games, but its president is asking why Apple has not offered such ratings for iPhone games.

(Credit: ESRB)

And Vance has a point. Games are clearly one of the killer apps for the iPhone, what with thousands of them already available on Apple's App Store, and many of them among the most popular apps. And while Apple attempts to filter submitted apps for some level of appropriateness, there have been many documented cases of apps of questionable taste making it through.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request by CNET News for comment.

One has to wonder if this is something Apple has thought about, or how much extra work it would take them to add ESRB-style ratings. On the other hand, adding the ratings would also create a situation where Apple might find itself embroiled in controversy if a game ended up having hidden--or difficult to find--content outside the applied rating. That, of course, is what happened with Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2005, a scandal that reverberated across the games industry and into politics.

Perhaps Apple has decided it wants none of that.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/gaming-and-culture/?tag=hdr;snav

Nintendo outsells competition nearly 2 to 1 in May

 

Even with the recession and lack of big title game releases, Nintendo is still going strong. Friendly Computers found this information on how Nintendo is still going strong:

Video game sales were down by 23 percent in May, according to the latest data from NPD Group. The bright spot of the report is the ongoing domination by Nintendo, whose hardware and associated games outsold the competition by nearly 2 to 1.

As CNET's Lance Whitney reported, "NPD blamed most of the decline on the lack of blockbuster games rather than the weak economy. The report noted that last year's sales were boosted by the launch of popular software titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV. Nintendo's Wii Fit also was a hot commodity in 2008."

While there are a wealth of new games coming in 2009, including what appear to be some winners for PS3 and Xbox, Nintendo platform games made up just shy of 50 percent of the top 10 sales in May:

1. UFC 2009 Undisputed(THQ) Xbox 360 - 679,600
2. Wii Fit(Nintendo) Wii - 352,800
3. EA Sports Active(EA) Wii - 345,800
4. UFC 2009 Undisputed(THQ) PS3 - 334,400
5. Infamous(Sony) PS3 - 175,900
6. Pokemon Platinum(Nintendo) DS - 168,900
7. Mario Kart(Nintendo) Wii - 158,300
8. Punch Out!!(Nintendo) Wii - 156,900
9. X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged(Activision) Xbox 360 - 120,700
10. Wii Play(Nintendo) Wii - 109,800

Total Nintendo software: 1,292,500
Total other vendor software: 1,310,600

Nintendo also remains strong in the console business, with sales of the Nintendo DS and Wii nearly doubling the competition.

• Nintendo DS: 633,500
• Wii: 289,500
• Xbox 360: 175,000
• PlayStation 3: 131,000
• PlayStation 2: 117,000
• PSP: 100,400

New games, including a few blockbusters, would certainly alter the scenery a bit.

 

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10264419-62.html

Video game industry sales sink 23 percent in U.S.

 

Video game consoles, games, and accessories have been doing well despite the economy….until recently. Friendly Computers found this article about the decline in sales:

Video game industry sales in the U.S. dropped 23 percent to $863 million in May compared with $1.12 billion a year ago, according to a new report.

This marked the first time since August 2007 that monthly sales dipped below $1 billion, NPD Group said Thursday in its report.

The drop was felt across the board as gamers coughed up less cash for hardware, software, and accessories. Sales for hardware fell 30 percent year over year to $302.5 million. Software revenue was down 17 percent to $449 million, while sales of gaming accessories tumbled 25 percent to $112 million.

 

"The video games industry continues to struggle with difficult comparisons to last year," NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement.

NPD blamed most of the decline on the lack of blockbuster games rather than the weak economy. The report noted that last year's sales were boosted by the launch of popular software titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV. Nintendo's Wii Fit also was a hot commodity in 2008.

"While there were some very strong new releases this month," Frazier said, "this month's top 10 games sold 2.6 million units combined, whereas last year the top 10 sold 3.7 million units. Again this illustrates how tough the comparisons are to last year."

Nintendo's Wii was the best-selling system in May at 289,500 units, though sales plummeted from last year. Microsoft's Xbox 360 found 175,000 new customers, a gain of 22 percent from a year ago. Sony brought up the rear, selling only 131,000 PlayStation 3 and 117,000 PlayStation 2 consoles.

Despite the sluggish sales, NPD has a positive outlook for the rest of the summer.

"Looking ahead to June, there are some promising games coming out this month between Sims 3 (PC), Prototype, Red Faction, Virtual Tennis, Ghostbusters, Transformers and Tiger Woods just to name a few," noted Frazier. "June comparisons are still likely to be tough, but the wide variety of new content could help reinvigorate things somewhat."

The May report followed NPD's analysis for April, which showed that video game sales had dipped 17 percent year over year.

Source:  http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10263534-235.html

Video-gaming trends: Releases show off physical-fitness skills, as well as games aimed at tween girls

 

Video Game trends have changed a lot over the years. With the introduction of sensor remotes, a lot of new gaming styles were developed. Friendly Computers found this article which explains different trends in the gaming word:

One of the biggest trends in video gaming for the upcoming year asks players to get out of their chairs and get some exercise.

Physical-fitness games and motion controllers -- such as the waggling remote of the hot-selling Nintendo Wii -- were the rage at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), a gigantic industry gathering at the Los Angeles Convention Center that is part Ringling Bros. and part enormous video-game arcade.

Hot new releases range from the orgy of violence in "God of War III" to the tween-girl styling fantasies of the "Imagine" games.

Gaming junkie Vince Horiuchi attended E3 and lists his 10 favorite titles and announcements from this year's show. He's highlighted release dates, as announced; most of the rest of these games are expected to land on store shelves in time for the holidays.

Motion controllers » Sony and Microsoft introduced new technology to jump on Nintendo's motion-controller bandwagon.

Microsoft offers Project Natal, a special camera that sits next to the TV and points at the player to scan the body and capture the gamer's movements without the need of a game pad or joystick. It also uses voice recognition for commands.

It's very impressive wizardry -- if it works. The live demonstrations showed some lag, and Microsoft displayed only video of its more amazing feats.

Meanwhile, Sony introduced its

motion controller, which looked like a wand with a sphere. It was amazingly accurate and didn't show the same lag as Microsoft's technology, but it wasn't as ambitious as Project Natal. Both are expected next year.

Physical-fitness games » Game publishers Nintendo, Ubisoft and Electronic Arts all introduced more exercise games designed to get gamers off their couches and moving around -- albeit in their family rooms.

Nintendo introduced "Wii Fit Plus," the sequel to its hit fitness game. Electronic Arts has "EA Active," as well as an expansion pack scheduled for release later in the year. Ubisoft offers "Your Shape," which uses a camera to scan the gamer's body for movement.

Girl games » Girl power was never more evident than at last week's E3 convention. Electronic Arts, Nintendo and Ubisoft all introduced new games for tween girls, including makeover titles and a new line of virtual pets games. Even Sony introduced the pink Hannah Montana PSP.

"Splinter Cell: Conviction" » Tom Clancy's heroic spy, Sam Fisher, returns in a new game that not only features amazing graphics on the Xbox 360 but also uses new storytelling conventions. This is more action-oriented than earlier "Splinter Cell" games but still uses stealth as a key ingredient. Release: Fall.

"Uncharted 2" » One of Sony PlayStation 3's flagship games is back. Part "Indiana Jones" and part "Die Hard," this sequel to the hit adventure game is exciting and cinematic and offers some of the best graphics ever displayed. Release: Nov. 2.

"Wii Sports Resort" » This week, Nintendo released the Wii Motion Plus, an add-on accessory that gives the controller even more motion sensitivity. This new sequel to "Wii Sports" includes more activities, including archery and ping pong. Release: July 26.

PSP Go » The PlayStation Portable gaming system gets a hardware refresh. It has a 3.8-inch screen, is 40 percent lighter and 50 percent smaller than the original PSP, and now stores its games in digital memory only -- no disc drive. It's also compact and stylish, but too expensive at $249. But long-awaited portable versions of the racing game "Gran Turismo" and the horror hit "Resident Evil" are finally coming to the PSP. Release: Oct. 1.

"God of War III" » This is the first game in the brutal and popular action series to land on the next-generation PlayStation 3. Once again, gamers control a Spartan warrior asked to do unspeakable things in the name of the Greek gods. Stunning graphics, top-notch production values, unbeatable gameplay -- and did I mention stunning graphics? Release: Look for it next spring.

"ModNation Racers" » Think "Mario Kart" with the versatility and replay ability of PlayStation 3's "LittleBigPlanet." This cartoon racing game for the PS3 allows players to create their own drivers, cars and tracks and share them with other people around the world. In a demonstration, producers made a track from scratch in under five minutes.

"Modern Warfare 2" » The sequel to the biggest-selling video game of last year lands on all the major next-gen consoles and looks gorgeous. This first-person modern-day shooter again places the gamer in a military uniform to rid the world of terrorists. Expect the same great play mechanics.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/features/ci_12562836

Budget shopping tips: Video games and gaming gear

 

If you are looking to play video games on a budget, Friendly Computers found this article which may help you on your next video game gear shopping trip:

Video games and gaming gear aren't necessarily among the cheapest gadgets you can own, but there are ways to get the most bang for your buck.

The cheapest consoles
A Nintendo Wii is only $250 and comes with the ever-popular Wii Sports game bundled inside. For that flat price, you'll be set to play straight out of the box. However, extra Wii remotes and nunchuks are going to cost you extra.

Even cheaper, the Xbox 360 Arcade is only $200 but doesn't come with a hard drive. You'll need the HDD for downloading larger games and using the console to watch movies. We can only recommend the Arcade for those who don't plan on doing anything else with their system besides play store-bought disc games and very few mini Arcade titles. For those who want to access the full potential of the system, you're much better off spending the extra $50 for the 60GB Xbox 360.

The cheapest handhelds
While the PSP Go will be available in October for $250, the current PSP-3000 is still the much more affordable option. Also, the less expensive DS Lite is still available for around $130 next to its more expensive camera- and download-enhanced DSi ($170).

Rechargeable batteries for controllers
Both the Wii and Xbox 360 controllers require user-replaceable batteries. Unfortunately, this can wind up becoming quite the expensive chore. We'd definitely recommend you picking up a recharging solution for either console. PlayStation 3 controllers have batteries built in, so there's no need to buy any extra accessories.

There are plenty of options for the Wii, so be sure to check out our Wii charger roundup. Things are a bit simpler for the Xbox 360. While Microsoft sells a charging solution for $30, it only includes one battery. Instead, you may want to check out the Nyko Charge Base 360 which can simultaneously charge two controllers at once. It also comes with two batteries and is available for the same price.

Bargain titles
When it comes to video games themselves, there are usually inexpensive gems to be found out there. Check out our constantly updated lists for the cheapest titles for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, and DS.

Also, don't be afraid about purchasing used games. Whether it's online or in-store, there are deals to be had. That said, don't expect prices on newer used games to be that drastic.

 

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10260984-1.html

Video game consoles could double as lie detector

 

Nintendo Wii introduced at the Electronics Entertainment Expo a sensor that goes on your finger and hooks up to your controller. It will measure "skin conductance” and could be used at a lie detector. Friendly Computers thinks you may find this cool too…

At the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) trade show in Los Angeles, Nintendo announced the Wii Vitality Sensor accessory for its market-leading Nintendo Wii game console.

The Wii Vitality Sensor attaches to the user's finger to read their pulse and measure "skin conductance".

Games using the Wii Vitality Sensor have not been announced yet, but Nintendo said the Vitality Sensor would "provide information to the users about the body's inner world".

Nintendo staff at E3 suggested their ground-breaking device would enable developers to create games which check stress or aid relaxation.

Skin conductance response is a measurement of fluctuations in the electrical conductivity of skin -- also known as electrodermal response and galvanic skin response.

These fluctuations in conductivity correlate with changes in emotions, such as experiencing fear, anger and desire.

That's why polygraphs - generally called lie detectors - measure skin conductivity changes along with other bodily responses including pulse and blood pressure.

Polygraphs are used to measure how a person responds to a series of questions to try to determine if they are telling the truth.

Their use for interrogating suspects is surrounded with controversy because their accuracy has been challenged.

You can imagine games along "truth or dare" lines being developed for fun at home on a Nintendo Wii fitted with a Wii Vitality Sensor.

The Wii could use the sensor to assess whether or not the player was telling the truth.

Imagine the embarrassing consequences such games will have - ranging from catching out a child's fibs to revealing a partner's infidelities.

 

Source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25613185-11869,00.html

Too Much Computer Gaming Can Steal Your Sleep.

If you are an excessive gamer then you may not be getting enough sleep. Friendly Computers found this study that you may find interesting:

The thrills and chills of computer games can be a nocturnal nightmare for some people, new research suggests.

Excessive gamers get too little sleep at night, then spend their days struggling to stay awake. But many of them aren't aware of the link between the two, the study found.

The study revealed that college students, who play video games more than seven hours a week and consider themselves addicted, sleep almost two hours less a night than occasional or non-gamers.

The research team, led by Amanda Woolems of the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, collected data on 137 students. Nearly 11 percent said gaming interfered with their sleep, and 12.6 percent said they were addicted to gaming.

"Our statistics revealed that those who admitted addiction scored higher on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale," Woolems said in a prepared statement. "It surprised us, however, that of the people who admitted being addicted to gaming, only about a third of them recognized an interference with their sleep."

Other health-care professionals weren't surprised by the study's findings.

"These findings are not unexpected," said sleep expert Dr. Alexandre Rocha Abreu, an assistant professor in the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, who was not involved with the study.

A concern is that people who are sleep-deprived don't function optimally in the daytime. "These people may have some cognitive impairment," he said.

It's not just the excitement of gaming that keeps folks wired. Another factor in sleep loss is the environment. "These people tend to be in a room where there is a lot of indirect light from the TV and the screen on the computer. The computer screen tends to simulate sunlight, so even at night you can delay your sleep phase," Abreu said.

Also, because of different times zones, it's possible to play computer games around the clock. "You can be playing games 24/7 with different people from different countries. These people tend to sleep less," he said.

The results of the study were to be presented Monday at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies annual meeting, in Seattle.

Another study presented at the meeting concluded that sleep problems among children often go unnoticed by their doctors.

According to the study, data from pediatricians on nearly 155,00 patients, ranging in age from infancy to 18 years old, showed that fewer than 4 percent were diagnosed with a sleep problem. The most common diagnoses were sleep disorders that were "not otherwise specified" (1.42 percent), bedwetting (1.24 percent), sleep disordered breathing (1.04 percent) and insomnia (0.05 percent).

Lead researcher Lisa Meltzer, of the Sleep Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, noted the rate of diagnosis in this study is far below the prevalence of children's sleep problems reported in epidemiological studies.

"Sleep is often discussed during checkups for young children, but it may not come up as a topic with teenagers, resulting in an under-diagnosis of sleep disorders for this group of adolescents," Meltzer said in a prepared statement. "Pediatricians should ask about sleep during every well-child visit. Children who snore, have problems falling asleep, are difficult to wake in the morning or who fall asleep in school should be further evaluated for sleep disorders."

Source: http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/cpui/627831.html

Nintendo's Fils-Aime takes aim at rest of world

Friendly Computers found this article which includes an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime, who is the COO for Nintendo. It touches on the economy and the future of Nintendo. We think you may find this interesting:

LOS ANGELES--Although the video games industry has begun to take some hits--suggesting it may not be recession-proof after all--Nintendo has managed to maintain a solid financial performance.

Its sales are up 19 percent year-over-year, according to the company, which would be impressive in any year, but is particularly so in the current economic climate.

At E3 here this week, Nintendo made a few bold moves, but tended to play it relatively safe. It unveiled a new version of its mega-hit exercise game, "Wii Fit Plus," and showed off the next-generation of its motion-sensitive controller, the Wii Motion Plus.

Do you think all the innovation we're seeing in accessories for Wii, Xbox, and PS3 is making a rush to the next generation of consoles unnecessary?
Fils-Aime: We certainly believe there's a lot more Wii volume to be done, and a lot more games for the Wii. And that's not just what we've been able to do with accessories like the Balance Board, or future accessories like the Vitality Sensor. It's also what we're able to do with Wii Motion Plus, from an archery standpoint, or what we're doing with ping-pong, in putting this big spin and curve on the ball. Who would have thought that possible three or four years ago? Nintendo's driving a focus on innovation that maybe wasn't in our industry four or five years ago. I think that's where the major difference is.

One of the things that has driven the mystique of the Wii has been how hard it has been to buy one. But now it's available anywhere, anytime. Does that take away the mystique?
Fils-Aime: I don't think so. From the start, we wanted to reach out to people who did not consider themselves gamers. The only way to reach them is for the product to be readily available, because they won't sleep out in front of a store to buy a Wii. We had to get to the point of having massive availability. We're selling 300,000 or 400,000 units a month, 30 months after launch, and that's never been done before. We've blown past the PlayStation 2 sales rate after 30 months.

How did you solve the availability issue?
Fils-Aime: We've been manufacturing it at a rate that's never been seen before.

But why were there still shortages last holiday season?
Fils-Aime: The fact is, we've been producing at this rate for a year. It's taken us that long to satisfy all of that pent up demand. Now we can do some outreach to people who in the past were saying, "I might be interested in the Wii, but I'm not going to go sleep out in front of a retailer."

With their announced new motion-sensitive control systems, Sony and Microsoft seem to be planning to aggressively go after the elusive mainstream audience. But perception-wise, at least, Nintendo maybe has the opposite problem: You've got the mainstream. How do you reach that core gamer?
Fils-Aime: We have near-term, mid-term and long-term opportunities. The near-term opportunity is the consumer who owns an PS3 or an Xbox 360 and has been bad-mouthing Wii to their friends. We can reach that consumer with games like The Conduit or Tiger Woods with Wii Motion Plus. The mid-term opportunity is the more mainstream consumer who saw Wii at a friend's house but just needs a little extra incentive to get into our game. That's what Wii Motion Plus and Wii Fit Plus and new Super Mario Bros. Wii will hopefully achieve. And the long-term opportunity is that person who currently says, "I don't play video games and I have no interest in playing video games."

What about the Halo audience?
Fils-Aime: We think we win over the Halo audience with something like The Conduit, a multi-player, online, shooting experience, or Dead Space Extraction. And you know what? Once those people buy into Wii, they'll go buy Mario Kart or Wii Fit Plus. We're not going to be satisfied just picking up that existing gamer. We have to reach beyond and get that consumer who doesn't game. That's the only way we'll be able to continue growing as a company and as an industry.

That's not an unlimited audience, right?
Fils-Aime: It's not. And actually the challenge increases the further you dip into this group. Two years ago, theoretically, there were ten consumers who said, "I would never play video games." We picked them off one at a time with Wii Fit or Brain Age 2. Now maybe there's five left, but now the bar is substantially higher for how to get them. Which is why we're looking to push the envelope with something like the Vitality Sensor, and why we have to make current gamers say, "Huh? What is that?" But that's exactly the type of reaction we got a couple of years ago when we first talked about "Wii Fit," and look where we are now.

You just announced the multi-player Super Mario Bros. Wii. How important is that for broadening your Mario audience?
Fils-Aime: I think Super Mario Bros. Wii will first appeal to the traditional Mario fan. But I think we'll also appeal to the consumer who first bought a Wii to play Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus, who maybe has felt that platforming games are a little too challenging. We'll get that consumer because it's Mario, and because they can play with other people, whether competitively or cooperatively. That's exactly what happened when we launched Super Mario Bros. DS. Initially it was the Nintendo fan. But the only way it's been able to stay in the top ten month after month is because we've reached beyond the Nintendo fan into the brand-new consumer who's picked up a DS for the first time.

Can you talk about what you saw from Microsoft and Sony when it comes to the motion-sensitive controllers. It will be a sort of a new arms race.
Fils-Aime: The only thing I'll say is a rhetorical question. Is it fun? If it's fun, then I tip my hat and say, "Well done." But what's happening sounds to me a lot like, "Who's got the prettiest picture. Who's got high-definition. Who has the best processing power?" It sounds like technology, when the consumer wants to be entertained. Our focus is how do we take active play and make it entertainment. And that's what we're going to continue to focus on. And I think we've done a great job with Wii Motion Plus, and the Balance Board. And we're going to continue to push the envelope in ways to make it more fun.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10257720-235.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

Game Industry Remains Optimistic Despite Economy

While other companies suffer, the video game industry is expecting to continue to grow. Friendly Computers found out that video games are expected to make more money then movies this year. Read on to see what may be happening this year:

Video games expected to make more than the movie industry

The global economic recession has forced most companies regardless of their industry to take a hard look at expenses. Some companies big and small have found that continuing to operate was simply impossible.
The view game industry is traditionally one of the strongest in the technology sector as more and more consumers take up video games. Reuters reports that game publishers came together this week to report an optimistic outlook for the industry despite the poor economy.
EA, Activision, and THQ say that they all plan to focus on mostly blockbuster titles and franchises that have been best sellers in past years. Out of the three major game developers, only Activision was able to turn a profit in the last quarterly results posted.
According to estimates by research firm NPD, spending on video games in America dropped 17% in April compared to previous months.
THQ CEO Brian Farrell told Reuters, "Our actual net development budget has been significantly reduced this year to $120 million ... but its focus is on a few of these quality titles."
Industry executives see hope for the future of gaming though with more and more people starting to play games, the market is expanding beyond the traditionally male user base to include women and older people.
The industry is optimistic because the poor economy has consumers looking for cheaper entertainment, and some people are finding that buying even the most expensive video games is cheaper than taking a vacation or other forms of entertainment. Some of the most expensive video games like Tony Hawk Ride sell for over $100, though most games are around $50-$60.
Analyst David Ernst from Hudson Square research predicts that video game sales for the fiscal year that ended in March will be about $29 billion. That number is larger than the predicted revenue generated by the movie industry at $27 billion.
Publishers are also hoping that major console makers will cut prices this year. An increase in console sales means an increase in game sales as well.
THQ CEO Brian Farrell said, "We love those price wars. I wouldn't rule out that if Sony cuts, Microsoft and Nintendo may respond. When those guys have their hardware wars, we supply the ammunition."

 

Source: http://www.dailytech.com/Game+Industry+Remains+Optimistic+Despite+Economy/article15332.htm

E3 2009: Project Natal

 

Microsoft is developing a wireless motion sensing controller for Xbox 360 which can sense your movements without you having to hold any type of controller. Friendly Computers thinks this will be a cool addition to the Xbox line. Check it out :

LOS ANGELES - The Electronic Entertainment Expo hasn’t even officially started yet, and already a major announcement has come to light.

Microsoft Corp. had been widely predicted to unveil at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, a wireless motion sensing controller for their leading Xbox 360 video game and entertainment console.

The fortune tellers were close, but they left out one detail: its not a controller at all.

Microsoft’s Project Natal, revealed for the first time at a media briefing at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles on Monday morning, is a set-top device that promises to recognize users’ voices, faces, and emotions and allow for total body motion capture with no device or controller physically on the user.

The device, which has no set release date, will work with all Xbox 360 consoles.

“Surely we’ve been making interactive games for 20 years right? 30 years? No I don’t think we have,” said Peter Molyneux of Microsoft’s Lionhead Studios. Molyneux called the hand-held video game controller “the biggest barrier,” to what developers want to create in the world of interactive entertainment.

In a demonstration of the technology, Microsoft programmed an artificial intelligence of a young British boy and played a video of the boy interacting with an employee. The boy immediately recognized her voice and face and responded to her tone of voice. For instance, when the woman player firmly asked the boy if he had finished his homework, the boy looked down, away from the camera, and looked embarrassed.

In another impressive feature, the woman drew a picture of a fish and “handed it” to the boy by gesturing it toward the camera. The boy responded by virtually “picking up” a piece of paper. An identical virtual representation of the drawing appears on screen and the boy recognizes the colors and shapes.

The unveil was the biggest announcement at Microsoft’s two-hour conference, which included announcements about several new games including, for the first game, a title in the Metal Gear Solid franchise — previously a Sony Playstation exclusive — coming to the Xbox 360. The title, Metal Gear Rising, has no announced released date.

Source: http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/2009/06/e3-2009-project-natal/

E3-2009: Xbox offers on-demand video games

Friendly Computers just found out that Xbox 360 plans to release 30 big name games to be available for download. Although the games are not new titles, downloadable games seems to be the direction the market is heading. Read on to find out more…

Microsoft ran out of time during its press conference yesterday and instead saved news about its on-demand download service for Xbox 360 games for a luncheon following the press event.

But the news is pretty significant because it further charts a course for the industry toward downloadable AAA games for the next gen consoles. We've had downloadable games for the PC for five year or more, but the console download business has been largely light arcade games, smaller titles or expansion packs and other extra goodies. PlayStation Network also has downloadable games but they are of an older variety or some games specifically built for the PSN.

But Microsoft announced Monday that come August, they would start selling about 30 big name games at retail value for download on the Xbox 360. These are somewhat older titles, at least a year out of date but they are top notch games including: Assassin's Creed, BioShock, Call of Duty 2, Crackdown, Mass Effect, and Oblivion. Pricing will be consistent with retail prices but you will be able to pay for them using a credit card instead of Microsoft Points.

I talked with Microsoft execs last night and they said they weren't motivated by the desire to reclaim lost used game sales revenue. In fact a good number of the games they're selling will have generally left game shelves a long time ago. But they want to be able to offer games even if they've lost their place on game shelves in traditional retail stores.

Still, retail outlets should be concerned. While these aren't downloadable games available on day 1, they represent a shifting tide toward full downloadable content. First, it's older games more than a year old. Then, we'll probably see games only 6 months old. Eventually, it would have to be games available on day 1, as many are for the PC. And then goes a lot of that of that used game sales revenue.

In talking with GameStop, they know this is coming and while they insist retail is going to be around for a long time, they too are planning for a digital future. The economy might be accelerating the process but this is where we're going. We'll see if GameStop can keep up.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/techchron/detail?entry_id=40996&tsp=1

Price cuts and video games

Friendly Computers found out that Microsoft announced that it will be lowering the cost of their entire Xbox line. Why are other game manufactures not following suite? Read on:

 

In an announcement that was confirmed earlier this week, Microsoft has officially announced that its Xbox 360 console price will drop across the entire line. For those who are keeping score, the Elite version will go for $449.99, the Halo version for $399.99, the premium version for $349.99 and the core version for $279.99. And while I applaud Microsoft for making some headway in reducing prices, why can't the same be said for the entire video game industry? Why are prices so high? Forget movie theater tickets, the real robbery is found on video game shelves at Gamestop and Best Buy.

If you haven't already noticed, the video game industry is taking us for everything we own. Why should I pay $60 for a new version of Madden when it's the same game with a few enhancements here and there? Let's be honest with ourselves: $60 video game pricing is one of the biggest robberies in technology.

I understand the argument that as video game development costs rise, prices must rise as well, but I have a feeling development costs are just a slight consideration when companies decide on pricing. That's not to say that I have an issue with paying $60 for a video game, but what I'm saying is some games have no business being $60.

The video game industry needs to move towards a graduated pricing scale that is realistic about the prospects of sales.

The first step in deciding pricing is (of course) evaluating the total cost associated with a title. I can't imagine a game like Elder Scrolls: Oblivion will cost less than a game like Madden because, after all, an epic title should always cost more than a game that is basically an update of the prior year.

Once the total cost is budgeted, common sense needs to play a role. If your game is a low-budget title with a derivative storyline and spotty gameplay, why in the world would you charge $60 for it? It'll be killed by the review teams people will stay away from it like the plague. But if it was priced at the lowest feasible price, don't you think sales would increase?

Granted, there are a few games on the market that do retail for a lower price than the norm, but each title is becoming more sparse by the minute. I remember the days of $39.99 Playstation games sitting alongside $59.99 Nintendo 64 games. And while the pricing difference was always attributed to the cost of the Nintendo 64 cartridges, did anyone believe for a second that the price couldn't have been lowered by $10?

And while I disagree with the pricing structure in the industry, there's no stopping it. People buy games for $60 and if a Limited Edition comes around the corner, they'll buy it for even more.

But unfortunately the price gouging doesn't stop at video games themselves. Companies are now charging $10 for armor and ludicrous sums of money for maps that will enhance your experience for about an hour at best. And just because companies lay on the claim that these sales are for the developers who worked so hard to make the game, it doesn't mean those developers are necessarily seeing any of the money from that $10 sale.

I'm a firm believer in giving developers credit where it's due. Video games are great today because they are made by men and women who spend hours and nights in a dark room trying to get that last bug out of the second mission. Video games are great today because those men and women who are outside of the corporate hierarchy feed a passion into each game they develop. The solution to price gouging in the video game industry is not to ignore higher priced games or purchase used games so you can get them at a discount. The true solution to video game price gouging in recognition of the developers.

I would be more than happy to pay $60 for a video game if I knew that the people who took the time to make the game were being the credit they deserved. How many games are released each month under the moniker of a EA or Microsoft or Nintendo while the people who actually created the game remain anonymous?

The time has come for the video game industry to change the way it does business. Video games are not created by a company, they are created by passionate men and women who get very little for their troubles and that's a damn shame.

The future of the video game industry should reflect recognition and respect for developers. Each game should give credit like a movie gives credit to its director. I'm tired of price gouging and anonymity -- those days are over.

Those days should have been over years ago.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-9756165-17.html?tag=mncol