AltWeeklies Wire
Guitar Wars: Music Games Go Toe To Toenew
In under three years, music games have become the biggest segment of the video game industry. Kai Huang, president and co-founder of Guitar Hero originator RedOctane, a division of Activision Blizzard, says that the category's sales were $250 million US in 2006, and he expects the number will top $2 billion this year.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Blaine Kyllo |
11-10-2008 |
Video Games
Gaming Needs Good Journalismnew
That a major magazine is willing to devote any ink to gaming represents another chance to show the Wii-loving casual masses that our passion is as beautiful, complex, and vital as the new disc by Television on the Radio. But sans perspective, what we end up with is hosannah-laden stories like Vanity Fair's "review" of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Charleston City Paper |
Aaron R. Conklin |
09-24-2008 |
Video Games
'Spore' and the Evolution of Gamingnew
The new PC game Spore from Maxis lets users create life itself -- but what if video gamers don't want to evolve?
East Bay Express |
David Downs |
09-10-2008 |
Video Games
'Rock Band 2' is a Fret Above 'Guitar Hero'new
Amidst the plethora of games at Microsoft's annual gaming preview event, X'08, Rock Band 2 was by far the most exciting.
NOW Magazine |
Jen Chan |
08-26-2008 |
Video Games
Madden Match: Brett the Jet is the New Curse of the Gamenew
Electronic Arts surely thought they had finally found a can't-miss dodge to the legendary Madden Curse — you know, the maybe-it's-really-true phenomenon that holds that any athlete who appears on the cover of videogaming's most-hyped annual franchise is sure to suffer a career-altering injury (Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb) criminal ignominy (Ray Lewis, Michael Vick again), or a stinkbomb season (Vince Young).
Charleston City Paper |
Aaron R. Conklin |
08-20-2008 |
Video Games
Tags: video games
In the Wake of E3, Gaming's Big Three Move Towards Indistinguishabilitynew
Even as little as two years ago, the Big Three had distinct identities, market niches, and competitive advantages that set them apart: Sony had the mass appeal and the vast library of exclusive titles, Nintendo had the family gamers, and Microsoft catered to the hardcore online crowd. Funny how a little cutthroat competition over a few billion dollars changes the equation.
Charleston City Paper |
Aaron R. Conklin |
08-06-2008 |
Video Games
A Seattle Company Tries to Prove That Playing its Games Improves Your Mental Statenew
Is sitting on your ass and staring at the screen on your phone the gateway to greater alertness and contentment? PopCap Games says yes. With a staff of 180, it's one of the heavy hitters in the $2.25 billion-a-year casual-games industry.
Seattle Weekly |
Jesse Froehling |
08-04-2008 |
Video Games
E3 Summit: The Business of Beautiful Killing Gamesnew
Faster, Dracula! Kill! Kill! Bloodthirsty peeks at the latest versions of Flock, BioShock, Borderlands, WolfQuest and Castlevania, plus Konami designer Koji Igarashi.
L.A. Weekly |
Gendy Alimurung |
07-25-2008 |
Video Games
Legislature Guts Bill for North Carolina's Burgeoning Video Game Industrynew
With more than 30 video game-related companies based in the Triangle, the potential exists for the area to become the East Coast hub of game development. The question is whether the state government can develop an incentives package to help this nascent industry grow.
INDY Week |
Zack Smith |
07-18-2008 |
Video Games
TV Ads Signal a Widening Divide in Video Game Marketingnew
Ads for Battlefield 2: Bad Company imply that games aren't just for geeks anymore.
Charleston City Paper |
Aaron R. Conklin |
07-09-2008 |
Video Games
The Easy Button: What's the Point of Dumbing Down Gaming?new
Games, like Ninja Gaiden II, are getting easier. What's the reward?
Charleston City Paper |
Aaron R. Conklin |
06-19-2008 |
Video Games
Tags: video games, Ninja Gaiden II
Spielberg Goes 'Boom,' but Will Gaming Follow?new
It's both intriguing and a big deal that the man who owns one-third of one of Hollywood's largest film studios recognizes the power of gaming and wants to get involved. It's the sort of thing that can potentially lead to "respect" and "credibility" for gaming, concepts that the industry and gamers still struggle to own.
Charleston City Paper |
Aaron R. Conklin |
05-28-2008 |
Video Games
The Obligatory Video Game Outrage Over 'Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City'new
If it were a movie, it would have been directed by Martin Scorsese or David O. Russell, and we'd all be ooohing and aaahhing over its dark, ironic vision of immigrant life in a world at war with itself. But because Liberty City is a video game, where players are in the driver's seat, so to speak, it freaks people out.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Annalee Newitz |
05-08-2008 |
Video Games
'Grand Theft Auto IV' is Amazingnew
The latest installment of one of the most notorious game series in history takes you through an immigrant story that satirizes America's most beloved institutions, from Starbucks to American Idol, while simultaneously telling a gripping crime story that's as good as Scarface.
The Portland Mercury |
Earnest "Nex" Cavalli |
05-01-2008 |
Video Games
The Politics of Video Gamesnew
Violent video games don't really turn players into criminals, but their defenders do have a duty to confront the controversies they create.
Boston Phoenix |
Mitch Krpata |
04-24-2008 |
Video Games
Tags: violence, video games
