Monday, November 28, 2005 

Microsoft to push mobile gaming in 2006 - Joystiq - www.joystiq.com

Microsoft to push mobile gaming in 2006 - Joystiq - www.joystiq.com:

From a console launch to new strategy announcements, Microsoft sure are busy at the moment. Speaking to Business Week, Chris Early of the Microsoft Casual Games Group revealed that the software behemoth is planning to move into the mobile gaming sphere in a big way next year.

Casual gamers make up a fast-growing segment of the gaming demographic which Microsoft is already tapping into, but there’s room for more. There are already several Microsoft-franchised mobile games, but Microsoft has a vision of a unified future:

What we want to do is to offer the mobile community access to games that they’re familiar with — that they’ve played on MSN Games or the Xbox — on a mobile device. What will also be key to the Microsoft mobile-gaming experience is that you’ll be able to be part of the Microsoft gaming community whether you’re on your PC or your Xbox or your mobile phone.

Should Sony and Nintendo be surprised that Microsoft are moving into the mobile games space? No. Afraid? Perhaps. Microsoft will be focusing on an existing handheld device — the mobile phone — which is seen as a more casual platform, so their offering may compete directly or fill a niche in the portable market."

Posted by VUG at 11:33 AM

 

Cinematical

Cinematical: "

In yesterday's Variety, Ben Fritz speculated that internet-enabled game systems such as the spanking-new Xbox 360 and the much-anticipated PS3 could turn out to be the distribution systems of the future. Amongst the highlights:

* 360 as legal download device. 'Thanks to Xbox Live [Microsoft's private internet experience for 360 users], the 360 stands between the Internet and the TV, making it a powerful delivery mechanism for any form of media.' Fritz tells us to expect official, downloadable content for the 360 soon, starting with game-related peripherals, but potentially including movies-on-demand at some point down the line.
* Gaming is only the beginning. Fritz uggests that with devices like the 360 (and soon, the PS3) any and all gaming applications are merely 'Trojan horses to get Microsoft and Sony devices into as many homes as possible.' He posits that if studios want the valuable, young male demographic to watch their films, they'll go out of their way to make the content available on Sony's PS3-compatible Blu-Ray DVD, or format their media for delivery via Xbox Live.
* People don't want to go to the movies? Fine. Fritz notes the 'irony' in the fact that Sony – the most struggling studio in a distribution climate that can only be described as generally bad – is soon to launch the PS3, which will stoke the stay-at-home fires. But maybe they know what they're doing: '[I]t could also be seen as a savvy company recognizing fresh potential. Rather than fight a new technology – as studios have done with every innovation from radio through the Internet – Sony and most of its competitors are jumping on the bandwagon when it comes to gamers.'
* Gaming is already changing the way Hollywood thinks about content. Fritz cites several examples of movie producers planning game production into film production, including the new King Kong game, which incorporates graphics designed by Weta for Peter Jackson's film. Disney, too, is getting in on the act; Fritz quotes their senior VP of games: 'We're looking at sharing tools with our feature animation division to help produce higher quality games within the time frames we have.'

What do you think about all of this? Will gaming devices soon become the hub of every home entertainment center? Or is Fritz thinking way, way too far out of the Xbox?"

Posted by VUG at 11:32 AM

 

Gamasutra - Feature: 'Postcard: 'How to Manage a Large-Scale Online Gaming Community'

Gamasutra - Feature: 'Postcard: 'How to Manage a Large-Scale Online Gaming Community'

In today's main Gamasutra feature, we look at a talk by Rich Vogel (Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies) spoke at the Montreal Games Summit on handling your userbase in MMO games, pointing out that traditional marketing tactics and PR-speak simply don't work for most game players, and offering some alternatives.

In this extract, Gamasutra examines Vogel's opening arguments:

'Marketing in MMOGs, he claims, has to be both entertaining and informative, and those who drive the marketing need to balance those two aspects.

In a massively multiplayer online game, marketing can take a variety of forms, including text written by the gamemakers and displayed in or before the game, newsletters (written by the gamemakers also), forums connected to the game, forums not connected to the game, and the content of fan web sites. All these outlets provide ample opportunities for viral marketing at its best. However, the reality is that marketing written by someone other than the content creators could (intentionally or otherwise) subvert their objective.

What MMOG owners need to learn, in order to maintain control over their marketing, Vogel suggests, is to better manage the relationships they establish with their community, especially the outspoken members.'

You can now read the full Gamasutra feature on the subject, including more information on Vogel's Montreal talk (no registration required, please feel free to link to the article from external websites)."

Posted by VUG at 11:03 AM

Monday, November 21, 2005 

Slashdot | Nielsen Survey Investigates Gamer Choices

Slashdot | Nielsen Survey Investigates Gamer Choices: "Nielsen Survey
Gamasutra reports on findings from a large Nielsen survey on gaming and consumer choices. From the article: 'The survey also revealed that 57% of active gamers have played online, with free casual online games the most used, and a notable 21% having played MMO games. While online-enabled console, MMO and gambling gamers are disproportionately male -- 76% vs. 24% -- casual gamers who play free online games such as puzzles are just as likely to be women as men, 49% vs. 51% respectively.'"

Posted by VUG at 9:28 PM

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 

Online Games Platform Provider Game Trust Raises $9 Million

New York - Game Trust, a provider of infrastructure for premium online casual games, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $9 million in its second round of venture capital financing. TWJ Capital and NJTC Venture Fund led the investment round; Patriot Capital, CSK Ventures, Topspin Partners, Silicon Alley Venture Partners, Draper Associates and Elon Musk also participated. New York-based Game Trust's platform, used by gaming sites including Shockwave.com and MiniClip.com, adds avatars, chat, subscription, tournament and virtual merchandise models to online games. The company will use the proceeds to expand operations in North America and Europe, enter Asian markets, and expand the number of casual game titles it supports to over 150 by the end of 2006.
http://tinyurl.com/apu5j
http://www.gametrust.com

Posted by VUG at 6:12 PM

 

Introducing the Blizzard Launcher

World of Warcraft Community Site

The Blizzard Launcher serves as a portal to World of Warcraft and the latest World of Warcraft-related news, as well as a tool that provides greater security for our players. Once you complete the client patch update, you can begin using the Blizzard Launcher immediately. To learn more about this utility, please visit the Blizzard Launcher page and check out the Blizzard Launcher FAQ"

Posted by VUG at 4:11 PM

Monday, November 14, 2005 

EA to Deliver New Game Content Directly to Fans

EA to Deliver New Game Content Directly to Fans: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "EA to Deliver New Game Content Directly to Fans
Monday November 14, 2:09 pm ET
Battlefield 2: Special Forces(TM) Download Sales Start Today

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2005--Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) today announced the launch of online digital distribution that will deliver full games, demos, game trailers, and existing game updates to PC gamers worldwide.

'Digital distribution will keep content flowing to players, keeping their current EA games fresh and delivering new EA games quickly and conveniently,' said Chip Lange, vice president of EA Online Marketing. 'We are always looking for ways to better connect with our customers, and EA is innovating to give our game-playing community access to exciting and immersive content.'

Beginning today with Battlefield 2: Special Forces(TM), players can pre-buy and pre-download the game using a desktop application designed for convenience and ease of use. Then, on the Battlefield 2: Special Forces launch day (Nov. 22 in North America and Nov. 25 in Europe), Battlefield fans will be ready to play.(a)

The Sims(TM) 2 fans can also take advantage of the digital distribution. On Nov. 17, the The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack will available to download for $14.99. The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack includes 40 fun holiday items, everything from a holiday tree to a snowman to New Year's Eve fireworks. The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack is exactly what your Sims need to throw the perfect holiday bash.(b)

'Battlefield 2: Special Forces and The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack are the first two online downloadable offerings from EA; with a wide array of games, and new game content available in the future,' said Lange. 'We've been working on digital distribution for more than a year now, and are thrilled to deliver interactive entertainment in a new way to our players.'

For more information about the EA download service, visit downloader.ea.com.

For more information about The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack, visit www.thesims2.com.

For more information about Battlefield 2: Special Forces, visit www.battlefield2.com. Battlefield 2: Special Forces will also be available at retail.

(a) In order to play Battlefield 2: Special Forces, players must own Battlefield 2(TM).

(b) In order to play The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack, players must own The Sims(TM)2."

Posted by VUG at 11:18 AM

Thursday, November 10, 2005 

Slashdot | Internet Gaming Has Not Yet Peaked

Slashdot | Internet Gaming Has Not Yet Peaked: "Internet Gaming Has Not Yet Peaked
Posted by Zonk on Thursday November 10, @12:43PM
from the online-is-the-best-line dept.
Role Playing (Games) The Internet
heartless_ writes 'The Korean Game Conference is under way and Raph Koster has posted his notes on Bill Roper's keynote. According to Roper, the internet has not yet peaked. There are 1 billion Net users. That's 130,000,000 more than last year. There's a lot of growth left for online games. More, that growth number has been steady for the last few years. Bridging the gap between PC and console gamers was on tap and Koster stated in regard to the keynote... 'I don't know if the PS3 and 360 are really going to be the convergence of PC and console and online. It is encouraging to see MS announce 1m customers for Live-but really, for a lot of online games happens in the first few hours.'' Additionally, with no central service for the PS3 will that many people make the jump online when the console launches?"

Posted by VUG at 1:03 PM

Wednesday, November 09, 2005 

Sony Online Discusses Broadening the MMO Market

Full Article Here

Full interview too long to post - here's highlights:

While the MMO sector has certainly gained in popularity, it still has a ways to go before reaching true mainstream status. Following his recent announcement that SOE will make a "free" MMO, we spoke with Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley about how they'd like to expand the market with subscription-less business models and more diverse types of online games.



BIZ: Is the subscription-based MMO market being limited by monthly fees? Is this turning people away?

JS: Subscriptions are one way to go and it's currently the biggest revenue driver in online gaming. I believe you will see upsell models (i.e. buying items, character appearance upgrades) begin to grow in a big way. Imagine being able to have a completely non-subscription based MMO that makes its money only from these upsells. We're already working on a game with that model that's going to release next year.


BIZ: Obviously the "free" model has been tried before with games like Guild Wars. How is SOE going to make this model even more efficient?

JS: We do like Guild Wars at SOE -- there are a lot of people playing it here -- but we don't technically consider that game an MMO. What they've done is great, but it's much closer to a game like Diablo II than to EverQuest (which makes sense, when you consider the team's background). For us, we're exploring the concept of a truly free game, a game without a retail component at all, that would have an executable small enough for people to literally email to each other.

BIZ: If this business plan is a big success, will SOE make the switch to providing nothing but "free" MMOs or do you believe that you'll always offer both subscription-based and "free" games?

JS: You will see both types of games -- and more -- from SOE in the future. The right way to go is to offer our players as many choices as possible.

BIZ: Will selling in-game items in the "free" MMOs really be enough to make up for the loss of the subscription revenue?

JS: Yes. In fact, we've seen evidence of this already in different things we're already offering. Over 33% of our audience for EverQuest II signs up for Station Players (web based services like character profiles, guild forms, guild chat). We charge $.99 per feature or $2.99 for bundle of all the services. We also see a high dollar average from our Station Exchange (player-to-player auction service) for EverQuest II. We strongly believe we could potentially make more money and offer the core game for free.

BIZ: The MMO business model you described sounds perfect for the console world, especially on Xbox Live with Marketplace. Is this something that SOE is considering, and do you believe that MMOs in general will be successful on consoles?

JS: Yes, we think that ultimately the MMO business will come to be a major part of the console gaming world. We tried it first in North America with EverQuest Online Adventures for the PS2, which is still running and being played. We were a bit ahead of our time, but we've learned some very valuable lessons about designing online games for consoles that we will be applying to future titles. In particular we saw that how people paid for this game was quite a bit different than our PC based games. At one point over 40% of the audience was using game cards (purchase of gametime from stores) as opposed to 15% for our PC based games.


BIZ: Finally, how do you see the MMO market evolving over the next several years?

JS: I expect to see many more casual style games beginning to emerge here in the U.S. (it's already happening in Asia). Stuff like Baseball, bowling, racing games and golf will begin to grow in popularity. I also think you'll see more consolidation in our space as the cost to produce these games goes up drastically.

Posted by VUG at 7:42 AM

Tuesday, November 08, 2005 

Bringing the Arcade Home on a Video Game Machine - New York Times

Bringing the Arcade Home on a Video Game Machine - New York Times: "Bringing the Arcade Home on a Video Game Machine
By MICHEL MARRIOTT

Buyers of the Xbox 360, Microsoft's second-generation video game console, will, of course, expect to play big, expensive marquee games like Call of Duty 2 from Activision and Madden N.F.L. 06 by Electronic Arts.

But the Microsoft Corporation is also banking on them to play small arcade-style video games, purchased and downloaded from the Internet.

Unlike its competitors, the Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, the new Xbox, which goes on sale Nov. 22, can play games on two separate tracks. One is the familiar terrain of big budget, deeply immersive games that feel more like interactive movies than games. The other is a return to the video game's arcade roots.

But don't call the arcade games simple, said Greg Canessa, group manager of Xbox Live Arcade, part of Microsoft's Xbox division.

'Arcade games are really miniature Xbox 360 games,' he said. The price is somewhat miniaturized as well; the arcade games cost $100,000 to $200,000, compared with $15 million to $20 million for the larger games.

The arcade games will be sold only online, downloadable through the Xbox's broadband-only Internet connection. While Microsoft has not officially announced prices for the games, it is widely expected that they will cost between $5 and $10. By contrast, new Xbox games sold at retailers like Best Buy are likely to cost $60, or about $10 more than previous Xbox games, according to some game publishers.

The new cream-colored machines, slimmer and more powerful than the original Xbox released in 2001, will cost $300 for a basic model and $400 for a model with a 20-gigabyte hard drive. They will also be able to play DVD's, CD's and standard music files, including MP3 and Windows Media Audio files, as well as display digital snapshots on a TV screen.

Those functions and the arcade-type gaming feature are central to Microsoft's strategy to reach a broader family market, beyond the young male players who have been the Xbox's primary audience.

To do that, Peter Moore, vice president for marketing at Xbox International, said Microsoft would eliminate the need for credit cards in making online purchases of games, accessories and upgrades. Instead of credit cards, the Xbox Live online service will accept Microsoft value cards that can be purchased in various denominations online or at retail and convenience stores, Mr. Moore said. The value cards would function, in effect, like tokens in an arcade.

'We have to get credit cards out of the way,' said Mr. Moore. 'We've got to broaden this to younger demographics.'

Another big selling point for the 360 is its enhanced Internet connectivity through the Xbox Live service.

Microsoft will give Xbox 360 owners a free subscription to Xbox Live Silver, which gives players access to the online system's features, including the ability to buy and download games. A Gold membership, at $50 a year, permits users to play games with others over the Internet.

Mr. Canessa said that each arcade game could play at 1080i high definition, and most could take advantage of the 360's ability to communicate with other players over a broadband Internet connection.

'We will have from 12 to 15 games by launch,' Mr. Canessa said, adding that at least 75 percent would be capable of being played live online by more than one player.

Each Xbox 360, he said, will include a free copy of the full version of Hexic HD, an arcade-style puzzle game developed by Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris.

'We created a whole market, a whole new world, for downloadable games,' Mr. Canessa said. While online arcade games have proved popular on personal computers, he said he believed the 360's embrace of arcade games would further invigorate independent game design.

'The indie game developers is one of the opportunities I'm most excited about,' he said. 'You have small, independent, three guys in a garage making games, totally innovating. It's the Sundance Film Festival, if you will, of games.'"

Posted by VUG at 9:51 PM

 

Shockwave Brings In-Game Ads to Online Casual Games

Shockwave Brings In-Game Ads to Online Casual Games: "Shockwave Brings In-Game Ads to Online Casual Games
While in-game ads have been much talked about when it comes to console video games, not much has been said about ads in online casual offerings. Shockwave.com is changing all that with its new in-game advertising network. Shockwave claims the network will give advertisers a chance to target an audience of 20 million.

Web-based casual games portal Shockwave.com announced today an in-game advertising network for the company's titles that will 'ultimately offer advertisers more than 50 million ad impression opportunities a month.' At the risk of AdWatch sounding like a broken record, the news represents a further increase in the legitimacy of video games as a vehicle for advertising messages.

Shockwave.com's announcement noted that several initial advertisers are already on board including SBC Communications, Intel Corporation, Microsoft Game Studios, Sony Pictures, and Sprint. It seems many corporations have been willing to test the in-game advertising waters with the more casual gaming experience Shockware.com has to offer before moving into the more high-stakes world of console in-game advertising through the likes of Massive, DoubleFusion, or IGA.

Shockwave's Immersive Network
Shockwave has dubbed the network The Shockwave.com Immersive Network. Right now only one title is being used to test the system network—Switch Wakeboarding. Ads are placed on ramps or on the sides of passing boats. Shockwave, like every other company serving in-game ads, didn't reveal their specific formula for determining an ad impression. However, many factors contribute, including the length of time the ad appeared on screen, and the size it was viewed at.

'The Shockwave.com Immersive Network will offer advertisers new opportunities to reach one of the largest and most active gaming communities,' said Dave Williams, GM of Shockwave.com. 'Placing the right advertising within the correct context will add to the realism and entertainment of the gaming experience at Shockwave.com. We're in the enviable position of being able to offer powerful integrated advertising opportunities and a huge, engaged audience.'

Although Shockwave's ad integration will undoubtedly get better with time, it's worth noting that the current state of their in-game ad service is inferior to what is now being done in the console space. AdWatch tested out the wakeboarding title and found that the ads were essentially bright yellow Sprint-branded textures on top of an otherwise wooden-looking ramp.

Backlash Begins
An Associated Press story about Shockwave's new ad serving technology noted that the site already features multiple banner ads as well as a video ad that plays while games load. 'But don't expect this virtual escape to guarantee relief from marketers' attempts to get in front of your eyes,' the article warns about the in-game experience.

All marketing companies ultimately serve the consumer, who, in turn, ultimately votes with his dollars or his web traffic. It's easy for bloggers and columnists to complain about the slow and steady ad creep, but in the end most still find that free services such as Shockwave's game room are still worth their patronage, no matter how angry they might outwardly seem.

In-game advertising is a touchy subject that must be handled with care, but criticism of the new technology should probably be taken with a grain of salt. After all, no one would ever be happy about advertising being found in yet another aspect of their life, even if they're ultimately happy enough to accept it as part of the medium.

Still, Williams recognizes that the ads can't be too intrusive, or else they'll take the player out of the experience. 'Consumers are not screaming for more ads,' he told the AP. 'And we want to make sure that as we roll this out, that the places where you'll see the ads will be where you would expect to see them in the real world as well.'

Future Expansion Planned
Shockwave claims that last month 20 million visitors participated in over 25 million game sessions, allowing for ample growth to their in-game ad serving service. Right now the company stated that it will be able to deliver a minimum of 1-12 million impressions a month, and that 'inventory on the site will grow to 50 million impressions a month by early 2006 as more games are added to the network.'

The company is also able to track and report on a variety of statistics, including day of the week, time of day, and geographic location.

'We have a long history of developing creative that gets gamers engaged with brands,' added Williams. 'We'll bring this same kind of creative power to advertising in this new network.'"

Posted by VUG at 7:29 AM

Monday, November 07, 2005 

Players of some online games in China will require an ID number to prevent teenagers becoming addicted

PLAYERS of some online games in China will require an ID number to prevent teenagers becoming addicted to cyberspace, especially PK games, Xinhua news agency reported.

PK is the abbreviation of player kill, which means online gamers upgrade their characters' level in the game by killing other players' characters. Such games are full of violence and some teenagers become addicted to them, so the government has decided to restrict access to the games.

Last month, the government required 11 of the country's most popular online games to include penalties for players who play for more than three hours at a time.

These games including Shanda Networking's "The Legend of Mir II," NetEase's "Westward Journey Online" and The9's "World of Warcraft" as well as games operated by Kingsoft, Optisp, Sina and Sohu.

Once a player has played for more than five consecutive hours, the system cuts the ability level of that player's character to the lowest level allowed by the game, often zero.

The new system will soon be adopted in all Chinese online games.

 

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2005/11/04/210390/China_curbs_online_games.htm

 

Posted by VUG at 7:34 PM

 

GRAVITY ALLIES WITH CJ INTERNET

UK-headquartered game publisher and developer Codemasters, which has recently been making moves into the MMO business with the Western licensing of Korean title RF Online, has announced that it is teaming with Turbine to be the online service provider for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach in Europe.

Codemasters will be responsible for hosting, community management, technical support and billing for D&D Online in Europe when it launches next year, and this continues the company's move into the online arena, following the July set-up of Codemasters Online Gaming, a new division of the company will focus specifically on massively multiplayer online games and online casual games.

 

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7091

Posted by VUG at 7:31 PM

 

Codemasters Online Gaming, a new division of the company will focus specifically on massively multiplayer online games and online casual games.

UK-headquartered game publisher and developer Codemasters, which has recently been making moves into the MMO business with the Western licensing of Korean title RF Online, has announced that it is teaming with Turbine to be the online service provider for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach in Europe.

Codemasters will be responsible for hosting, community management, technical support and billing for D&D Online in Europe when it launches next year, and this continues the company's move into the online arena, following the July set-up of Codemasters Online Gaming, a new division of the company will focus specifically on massively multiplayer online games and online casual games.

 

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7091

Posted by VUG at 7:27 PM

 

Seoul - Committee for Online Games Planned

SEOUL (Yonhap) _ South Korea said Friday it will form a strategy committee to map out plans on how to boost the nation's online game industry.

The committee, which will consist of government officials, executives and professors, will be launched on Monday, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said.

The committee will develop medium and long-term plans by March to make South Korea one of the world's top three online game publishers by 2010, the ministry said.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200511/kt2005110620174111720.htm

 

Posted by VUG at 7:23 PM

 

Advertisements to invade online games in US

SAN JOSE, Calif.:

Online game provider Shockwave.com on Monday will begin offering advertisers a way to insert ads within the games themselves.  

While it's believed to be the first such invasion in Web-based games, it's only one of a growing number of venues advertisers are using to reach its shifting and fleeting audiences. 

The traditional pillars of advertising in print and television media have eroded in recent years as people - especially the elusive demographic of young men - have instead spent more time on video games and on the Internet. 

Hence, the ad creep, whether loudly from the walls of sports fields, subtly from the strategic product placements within films, or annoyingly from the pop-up ads all over the Internet.

biz.thestar.com.my

Posted by VUG at 7:20 PM

 

Electronic Arts, Nettwerk Music Group Launch Digital Record Label

Redwood City, Calif. - Video game publisher Electronic Arts announced on Friday that it has partnered with Canadian record label Nettwerk Music Group to launch a digital music distribution label, that will release EA-owned compositions as ringtones. EA Recordings will deliver ringtones to iTunes, Rhapsody and other retailers from artists who have contributed original music to its games, such as beats from Da Riffs and Just Blaze, original songs and remixes from Paul Oakenfold, and themes and soundtracks composed by Sean Callery, Michael Giacchino, Chris Lennertz, Trevor Jones and Mark Mothersbaugh. "We've entered a new age where video games are arguably more powerful than the radio when it comes to exposing audiences to music," said Nettwerk CEO Terry McBride. Initially, music will come from EA titles including "The Sims," "NBA Live," "FIFA Soccer," "Medal of Honor" and the company's James Bond game series. Redwood City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts also operates a joint venture with Cherry Lane Music Publishing, Next Level Music, that focuses on signing artists and licensing EA music for TV, film and commercial productions. EA also has a relationship with hip-hop label Def Jam, and has released a series of games featuring Def Jam artists and music.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/051104/20051103006190.html?.v=1
http://tinyurl.com/9xw2u (Reuters)
http://www.ea.com
http://www.nettwerk.com

Posted by VUG at 9:55 AM

Friday, November 04, 2005 

Games for romance and more

Games for romance and more - Joystiq - www.joystiq.com

Blog Grand Text Auto has compiled a wrap-up of games designed to satisfy certain desires beyond mere entertainment, or at least the Maslovian desire for love. Here’s a brief list of the games mentioned (and a few more not mentioned, in the interests of comprehensiveness):

* Mojo Master (developed by WildTangent for Axe Body Spray for Windows PCs)
* Sprung (dating game published by Ubisoft for the Nintendo DS)
* Project Rub (developed by Sega for the Nintendo DS for ages 12 and up)
* Singles 2 (published by Ubisoft for Europe, a ”life-sim flirt game” for Windows PCs)
* Black Love (a “Massively Multiplayer Virtual Sex Game” or MMVSG for Windows PCs)
* Spend the Night (another MMVSG for in development for Windows PCs)
* Heavenly Bodies (another MMSVG for in development for Windows PCs)
* Red Light Center (yet another MMVSG in development for Windows PCs)
* Second Life (a virtual world where sex and adult situations are more than plentiful)
* There (a virtual world where flirtation and all that comes with it is common)

Heck, you could include World of Warcraft, The Sims Online and Everquest in this list since more than a little virtual hanky-panky takes place in those games, encouraged by bodacious player models and revealing clothing.

There are many more games along this theme, but it should be clear from this list that the games industry, the social software industry, and the adult entertainment industry are all converging. Who knows what it’s all going to look like once the miscegenation is complete."

Posted by VUG at 5:02 PM

Thursday, November 03, 2005 

AtomShockwave Acquires AddictingGames

AtomShockwave Corp. today announced that it has acquired AddictingGames. The acquisition bumps up AtomShockwave's monthly audience to more than 30 million. The company hopes that AddictingGames casual gaming audience will synergize with their site's short film aficionados.

"This acquisition is the first step in an aggressive plan to extend our media footprint, and continue to attract millions of consumers," said Mika Salmi, AtomShockwave CEO. "Our mission is to provide entertainment that feeds an exploding interest among consumers for bite size entertainment they can easily access and consume in short bursts."

"Consumers want to grab the entertainment they want when they want," continued Salmi. "They don't want to sit down to a full course meal. Instead of downloading feature length movies or hours of console gaming, consumers are instead grabbing short content that they can enjoy between classes or meetings, after dinner, or between phone calls. Addictinggames.com is the ultimate directory of short, fun, online games and fits perfectly with our strategy to reach today's time pressed consumers."

Posted by VUG at 11:50 AM

 

RuneScape passes the 500k subscriber milestone

Jagex, the developer and operator of the 3D Java online adventure game RuneScape today announces that this week RuneScape passed the 500,000 subscriber mark for the first time.

'A raft of strong game updates has helped us attract players in ever larger numbers to upgrade to the member's game,' says Managing Director, Constant Tedder. 'We're thrilled with the way both the free game and the members games are growing – it's a real vindication of the superb efforts of our team.'RuneScape is a browser-based 3D adventure game that can be played for free unlimited at www.runescape.com. Players can subscribe to the members version at any point for $5/month to gain access to a whole host of benefits including a map that is over three times as big with three times as many quests, many new skills and priority customer support. Subscribers get free content updates almost every week so there is always something new to do.

Posted by VUG at 11:49 AM

 

IGN: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Special Edition DVD Review

IGN: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Special Edition DVD Review: "Since the game has not changed at all since it was originally released, we thought we'd take a gander at the extra DVD that came packed with the set and review it separately, since it is the only significant reason to plunk down more cash. There are three elements to the disc: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas- The Introduction, the low-rider documentary Sunday Driver, and a trailer for the PSP game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. The trailer is essentially an extra, leaving the other two pieces as the main attractions.

For uber-fans of GTA, The Introduction sheds light on some of the back story of the characters in the game. As a piece of video, it has all the charm of the game… meaning not much. It plays out like an extended cut scene from San Andreas and uses the in-game models to tell the story. What results is a rather ugly animated feature that plays like an over-extended cinematic, and will only be interesting to those who were drawn deep into the story of San Andreas. The voice work is solid, but the story isn't very compelling. Definitely not worth the purchase of the Special Edition."

Posted by VUG at 10:18 AM

 

Q going online - PSP News at GameSpot

Q Entertainment CEO Shuji Utsumi has confirmed that the company has its eyes set on new markets. Talking to Mainichi Interactive, Utsumi said that his company will begin production of an online game aimed at audiences in China and Southeast Asia. Q is specifically targeting those regions because the population of online gamers there has grown substantially larger than the Japanese market. Unfortunatley, Utsumi did not reveal any details about the online game project, including its platform."

Posted by VUG at 7:36 AM

 

750k women subscribe to EA’s Club Pogo in first 2 years

Texas Hold Em at Club PogoEA’s casual gaming destination, Club Pogo, has registered its millionth subscriber in its over two years of existence, and it has women to thank for 75% of the total, who average 50 hours of playing per month and at least 3 recommendations to friends and family members to join.

The stereotype of women gamers being drawn to casual games isn’t new, but seeing hard numbers for female users (whose average age is 35) can be quite surprising if you’re not visiting Yahoo Games or a similar free site on a regular basis.

While not as quantitatively impressive as the subscriber tallies for World of Warcraft or Xbox Live, the figures still speak to the ability of casual games to bring in greater numbers of older women gamers than men."

Posted by VUG at 7:31 AM

 

Next Generation - Warcraft Fuels VU Games 92% Rise

Next Generation - Warcraft Fuels VU Games 92% Rise: "VU Games has announced year-on-year sales up 92% for the first nine months of this year, driven by World of Warcraft's success. The company also pointed to releases such as The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Robots, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, Empire Earth 2, The Simpsons: Hit & Run and FlatOut.

But World of Warcraft, which has managed over 4 million paying customers worldwide, was the main catalyst.

VU Games, owned by Vivendi, announced revenues of 396 million Euros ($450 million) for the period.

Posted by VUG at 7:26 AM