Industry

Industry — 2 Comments
8
Feb 10

Streamed games – hype or hope?

Mario meets cloud computing.

There’s more to digital distribution than just online sales – being able to instantly buy and (sometimes) play games online is only a part of the puzzle.  Where the game runs, where the game is stored, and how you “own” the game are equally important. Steam, Good Old Games, and similar services are the simplest model; by and large, they replicate bricks and mortar stores by providing a catalogue and a distribution system (in their case, the internet). As a category, these “Games on Demand” system are most likely to be the dominant model for the foreseeable future. Continue reading →

Industry — No Comments
1
Feb 10

Dancing elephants and digital distribution


If you don’t watch out, you’re liable to get stomped.

So far we’ve had a look at what the future holds for digital distribution and how data mining’s going to change the way we interact with our vendors of choice. But, that doesn’t answer the question: Where do we currently stand? Continue reading →

Culture / Experience / Industry — No Comments
26
Jan 10

This is Week – Back to Reality and Away Again Edition

Sometimes you forget that there’s a real world out there.

The Good

Great Videogame Inspired Advertising

Nintendo may now be mainstream, but in reality most of the world doesn’t really quite understand why you’d list videogames as a hobby, let alone as something that should be taken seriously. And sure, videogames are great, but from time to time, those of us who think too much about the games we play need to be reminded of how important they are in the scheme of things. Thank you Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman. Continue reading →

Industry — 1 Comment
25
Jan 10

Mining your habits for fun and profit


Or, how you’re going to end up buying more games than you thought you would.

More than anything else, digital distribution means change. Changes to the way we shop, changes to the way we perceive the goods that we buy, and changes to the way we interact with publishers and distributors. As we’ve explored previously, one of the likely outcomes of moving to digital distribution is that most people will probably spend far more than they were expecting. But, what does that mean, and why will it happen? Continue reading →

Industry / News — No Comments
20
Jan 10

This is Week – Compassionate Gamers Edition

Inside looks, charitable companies and even more Italy …

The Good

Irrational Behaviour Podcast

There’s a lot more that goes into the creation of a game than what can be gleaned from reviews or the dot points on product packaging. But Irrational (formerly 2K Boston), the design crew behind Bioshock, have begun putting together a monthly podcast (a bit of a trend amongst developers/publishers) aimed at giving the public a closer look at the world of game design. The first episode is out now and it focuses on the excess fat and plain old rotten bits that were cut from of some the developer’s highly regarded games. An incredibly interesting listen, it manages to prove that creating something great is as much about what you put in as it is what you leave out. Continue reading →

Industry — 1 Comment
20
Jan 10

The future of digital distribution

Psst … hey, you. Yeah, you with the cash – wanna buy a game?

Digital distribution means a lot of different things to different people. To some, it’s digital rights management (DRM) and the loss of freedom that implies. To others, it’s a convenient way of avoiding the shops. To me, it’s a screaming temptation ranking somewhere between a good single malt and pure crack. Like it or not, it’s here to stay.

But, what does that mean for the average gamer? More than you think – what we’re seeing at the moment is a tectonic shift in the way we buy and play games. And, what that means in practice may surprise you. For those unable to read to the end, here’s the summary – used game sales are going to disappear, you’re going to pay more and less for games even while you play more of them, and the system as you know it today is pretty much going to disappear. Continue reading →

Experience / Industry / News — 2 Comments
11
Jan 10

This is Week – Abused Feelings in 3D Edition

A week of emotions and far too much work…

The Good

Every Day The Same Dream

The real world not getting you down enough? Want to be reminded of just how monotonous and soul destroying your daily routine is? Every Day The Same Dream is the perfect antidote to the mindless escapism offered by the majority of games out there. Created over six days as part of the Experimental Gameplay Project, a monthly competition that also spawned the intensely addictive Canabalt, Every Day the Same Dream is a veritable Flash-based companion to Émile Durkheim’s famous examination of alienation, anomie, and suicide; making your way through the game is like playing an interactive version of a Radiohead videoclip. It’s depressing, open for interpretation, thought provoking and utterly brilliant. Continue reading →

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