Kotaku
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Beta Watch
Be A Hello Kitty Online Founder
I'm not sure when there's so much interest here on Kotaku regarding Hello Kitty Online, and I'm not sure I really want to know, if only so I can maintain plausible deniability for whatever comes next. For whatever twisted reasons, the excitement is there, so I thought I'd let you in on the chance to gain prestige far beyond that of the normal Hello Kitty fan, by becoming one of the Hello Kitty Online founders! If selected, you'll gain early access to the game on October 8th, along with special founder's benefits and bragging rights powerful enough to make any preteen girl cry. All you have to do is have a SanrioTown account set up and send a blank email from your registered account to hkofounder@hellokitty.com, after which you'll get a reply that goes something like this:
Thank you for your message. If you were contacting us about becoming a Founder for Hello Kitty Online, please be assured that we received your email and will process it accordingly. You should receive an update within a couple of weeks. Thank you for your interest in Hello Kitty Online!
Yatta! *V* Good luck!
Hello Kitty Online: Founder’s Beta Announced! [SanrioTown - Thanks Shijirou!] -
beta watch
Finally - Hello Kitty MMO Enters Closed Beta
Only one MMO could possibly release World of Warcraft's death-grip on the massively multiplayer gaming market - Hello Kitty Online. Sanrio Digital proudly announces that HKO - the cool gamer abbreviation sure to sweep the nation - is now entering the closed beta phase in preparation for the game's expected late 2008 release. The free-to-play game features all of the MMO standards - customizable avatars, player housing, crafting, a sophisticated combat system...Hello Kitty combat? I can't wait! The whole shebang is tied into the community features at SanrioTown.com, so players can share videos, email, and blog about their personal Hello Kitty experiences. Targeting female players from their pre-teens to twenties, Hello Kitty Online is the first installable MMORPG to set its sights on this demographic profile.
Funny, I know another group aiming at that demographic, oftentimes easily identified by the law-mandated signs in their front yard. Hit the jump for the press release and info on how you can get in on some of this hot HKO action. More »8:20 AM on Wed Feb 13 2008
By Mike Fahey
25,151 views, 75 commentsLatest by Jenstar: Being an HK addict, I'm genuinely somewhat excited to hear about this. My biggest turnoff in the game though more »
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burning sensation
PSP Sets Fire To Schoolboy's Pants
At the Warner Middle School in Farmington Hills Michigan this morning a fire broke out in a young boy's pants. According to police, the PSP in the student's pocket overheated and exploded, burning a hole in his pocket and causing minor burns on his legs. A teacher at the school managed to separate the boy from his gaming system, after which a lockdown was instituted at the school to facilitate emergency personnel reaching the injured young man, whose burns were treated on school grounds before being transported to a local hospital. Police are currently investigating the cause of the PSP's malfunction. In the meantime, you might want to consider moving that puppy from your pocket to a backpack - preferably lined with asbestos, which is easily found at many schools across the country. I've had video games get my pants hot before, but somehow this just seems a whole lot less pleasant.
Child Burned By Video Game In Pocket [ClickOn Detroit]
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mainstream media
Can Online Games Attract Child Molestors?
In sharp contrast to the overblown Pictochat story we I discussed a few weeks back, Seattle's ABC affiliate KOMOTV aired a story regarding the dangers of children playing online games via XBox Live. The report explores voice chat filters and ease of communications between children and adults, and the possibility of a predator forming an online relationship with an unsuspecting child. They give several examples of incidents that have occurred, and even went as far as to demonstrate using Phantasy Star Universe. They created a young girl character and were bombarded with offers of money for sex or pics. Many of them might have been idiots joking around, but how many weren't? More »12:20 PM on Thu Feb 22 2007
By Mike Fahey
2,408 views, 38 commentsLatest by Wernstar: Agrees with Amsterdaam, removing kids from XBL would make everyone happier. oh and with reference to "what the fuck? what kind more »
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ds
Can The DS Attract Child Molesters?
Short answer? No...unless they are child molesters into handheld gaming, but Fox News 6 out of Milwaukee seem to think otherwise. In a special report entitled "Playing Games With Your Kids Safety," Reporter Brad Hicks delves into the disturbing, implausible possibilities. It is pretty much one of those grab the viewer stories that they tease during prime time television. Things like, "Could those french fries give you testicular cancer? Find out at 11." The stories are generally use fear to entice people to help stations generate advertising dollars, and are generally ridiculous. Even more so in this instance. More » -
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howto
HowTo: Custom Black 360 Controller
Once the presents have all been unwrapped and the guests have all gone home, there's no better way to while away the holidays than potentially dangerous DIY projects. Alcaron over at Alcaron's Projects (weird place to find him, huh?) has posted a guide to coloring your Xbox 360 controller that involves dangerous fumes, potential melting, and chemical bonding processes. If you can't fatally screw this one up you've got issues.
Pretty nice results! The trick is substituting paint with Plastikote vinyl dye, which costs about $5 and is absorbed into the plastic, avoiding the buildup you get with a paint application. Alcaron has posted a step by step guide on his site, though of course it's always more amusing to gather the parts and try to figure it out for yourself. More »2:40 PM on Thu Dec 21 2006
By Mike Fahey
3,921 views, 17 commentsLatest by Chilly Hollow: The Empress catches up on her mail and laughs, then knights Michael. more »
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