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Like a flaming crossbow bolt casually launched at gigantic rooftop slogan, Sony celebrity spokesmodel Kevin Butler returns to launch the "Long Live Play" marketing campaign. More »
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Fan films, like this Portal one, are impressive and all, but stage renditions are more impressive. More »
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Playboy's Jo Garcia is a big gamer. Ultimate Fighting Championship octagon girl Brittney Palmer is a big button masher. Together, they go boob-to-boob knuckle-to-knuckle in Mortal Kombat. More »
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Kyoto's Q-Games, the studio behind PixelJunk and a whole host of wonderful titles, is auctioning off a signed ThinkGeek t-shirt for "Play for Japan". The whole PixelJunk staff autographed the shirt! More »
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Almost one out of every ten artifacts unearthed from the ruins of the ancient city of Mohenjo-daro in present-day Pakistan were play related. Have archaeologists been underestimating the social significance of play and games? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5756095&view=rss&microfeed=true It's nice to know I wasn't the only one blown away by Wired Magazine on the iPad. John Abell, New York bureau chief of Conde Naste, notes on Twitter that 24,000 copies of the e-mag were sold in the first 24 hours. Check it out, you deserve it. More »
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Reader Geist002 took the time to check out a school play about video game addiction in East Brunswick, New Jersey. More »
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The summers of my childhood were marked with scars. Good scars, not bad ones. More »
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Who would have thought that this late in the console's life cycle that a PlayStation 2 game would make the cover of a major gaming publication? The latest issue of Play magazine features Atlus' upcoming RPG Persona 4, with a whole slew of special Shin Megami Tensei-themed features packed inside. It's really an odd sight to see, especially considering the other games listed in the top-right corner of the cover - Afro Samurai, Mirror's Edge, Resistance 2, Sonic Unleashed, and Prince of Persia - all big name, current generation titles. More »
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And you thought you played games to have fun — Steven Poole has a lengthy essay trying to prove you wrong. We're working — working for the (video game) man, man. I must confess that even if we're on a literal or figurative rat race when it comes to 'working' in games (I am, after all, a passionate fan of the Harvest Moon series, which is unabashedly obvious about the necessity of work), I still find much of it fun. Still, despite the wet blanket overtones, Poole's essay is thoughtful and makes some interesting point. Is it really just about following orders?: More »
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The editor in chief of Play magazine, Dave Halverson, has some harsh words for anyone who scored Sega's Golden Axe: Beast Rider below a 7 out of 10: "Be wary. The majority of these people (can’t call them critics) either didn’t complete a fraction of the game, don’t understand game design, or just plain suck at games." At last check, all outlets but Play have reviewed the game well below Play's 9 out of 10 — the GameRankings average is currently at 44%. Halverson derides these "sad reviews" as an "ever pervasive sign of the times." More »
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Despite the fact that I spend my nonexistent spare time writing for Kotaku and being pretty immersed in the wild, wild world of "game culture," I harbor a bit of 'game shame.' OK, a lot. I've gotten a little bolder in discussing my Kotaku gig, but I still keep my love of games and gaming under wraps in most situations, unless it's apparent that I'm talking to someone who isn't going to look at me like I have three heads when I bring the topic up in anything more than a detached, academic way. Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer takes a look at 'game shame' and how we attempt to justify gaming — 'they make learning fun!'; 'they stimulate cognitive processes!'; 'they teach us things! Lots of things!'. And while all of these things may be true to varying degrees, he asks what's so wrong with admitting that some games facilitate play in the best, self-indulgent sense of the word: More »
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There's a fun little piece over at the Escapist on social networks (real ones, not the virtual variety) and gaming. The social aspect of gaming lends itself to the creation of complicated rules and unspoken codes of behavior: More »
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Over the weekend, First Person Shooter: The Play premiered in San Francisco. The play is set in a start-up video game company that has achieved big-time success due to a the "hottest, most violent game on the market." Things go bad when the company is blamed for a schoolyard shooting. The play was written by Aaron Loeb, former IGN writer and current game developer COO. Says Aaron: More »
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Tired of looking at the same damn Lost Odyssey trailer footage over and over again? Then you need to make your way to San Jose California for the Play! A Video Game Symphony performance on May 26th. The concert will feature the debut of brand new Lost Odyssey footage, as well as a fresh look at Mistwalker's other Xbox RPG, Blue Dragon. More »
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San Jose will be the first place to hold this year's Play!, a "video game symphony", complete with full orchestra and visuals. This two-hour concert is performed by the Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale (fancy word for "choir") and has a playlist that includes music from Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, The Legend Of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., World Of Warcraft, Sonic The Hedgehog, Shenmue. Even though it's part of a world tour, the only date that has been set is in San Jose. More »
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Good news! Famous Sega music machine Yuzo Koshiro, responsible for famous background tunes for Streets of Rage, Revenge of Shinobi, ActRaiser and more recently Castlevania Portrait of Ruin, will be DJing a set of his classic video game jams at the upcoming PLAY! concerts in June. More »
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Play is reporting that a bunch of the Epic Games staffers are hitting Gear of War on Xbox Live this weekend for some open play. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=238184&view=rss&microfeed=true It's a great week to be a PSP owner with 6 new titles, while Wii owners are all aflutter over the new WiiPlay. The PC also has a few titles, including a new MMO. If you've been cautiously hanging on to your game budget, this might just be the week to break open the piggy bank! Flynn De Marco More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=235664&view=rss&microfeed=true Activision just sent us this cool video showing some GUN play. Oh man, this looks like it's going to be another must have for the Playstation Portable. Brian Crecente More »
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N-Sider, "The World's Most In-Depth Nintendo Resource!", has posted one of those extremely in-depth Nintendo resources that I keep hearing they are known for. In this case, it's the detailed account of one gaming music lover's experience attending the recent Play! Video Game Symphony. It sounds like a wonderful event, aurally radiating with a palpable geeky glow: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=177642&view=rss&microfeed=true Nintendo fansite N-Sider has a nice thick article about the Play! video game symphony, with interviews with Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, and Chrono Trigger/Cross composer Yasunori Mitsuda. While the drooling fanboy style of the article is a trifle irritating, the attention to detail and commentary on the audience enthusiasm are good stuff. More »
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Chris Kohler writes about the looming battle of video game concerts for Wired today. The article looks at Play versus Video Games Live. Both events are planning international tours, with VGL's executive producer Tommy Tallarico remaining cautiously optimistic after a cancellation last year. More »
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Nobuo Uematsu, who composed the music for the Final Fantasy games and some of the music for Chrono Trigger, signed on to compose the official opening fanfare for PLAY! A Video Game Symphony. More »
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Here's a chunky little stat: X-Fire, the specialized IM engine for gamers, claims that its users play an average of 88 hours a month. 22 hours a week is just over 3 hours a day, although of course weekday play will always be less than weekend play. More »
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Play! A Video Game Symphony, which kicks off in North America next year, is going international. The event, created be the people who organized Dear Friends, will even be bringing it's game music goodness to Australia and New Zealand. More »
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Music4Games is reporting on an upcoming video game symphony concert that will be kick-starting a world wide tour in North America next year. PLAY! is being put together by the creative team that produced the Dear Friends Music from Final Fantasy Symphony Tour, so you can expect this one won't cancel after selling tickets to venues around the country. More »
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