Kotaku
growing up is hard to do
Posts Tagged “
Gaming
”
growing up is hard to do
rumor
Matt Damon's So Not Interested In Gaming
It's not that Matt Damon doesn't like the action-heavy Bourne game, it seems he just doesn't like video games! Lev Chapelsky from Blindlight says they've tried to get him in games before, but Damon's not all that keen. Blindlight is responsible for helping to put Robert Downey Jr. in the Iron Man game and Edwart Norton into The Incredible Hulk game. According to Chapelsky:
We've been doing this for over eight years — we have more experience in this field than any other company — and by now we've made offers to just about every Hollywood name you can think of... When it comes to Damon, we've [made] several game offers to him over the years and have consistently found that he's not interested in working in the field.
Betcha didn't think of offering Damon a Myst-like puzzle game now did ya?
Talent Group Reports [Multiplayer] [Pic]
only in japan
Game, Anime, Manga Company Scramble!
Want a job working for a Japanese game, anime or manga company? GET IN LINE!! In Akihabara, an event called "Raku-Job" gathered twenty companies in the game, manga and anime world to interview prospective applicants. Approximately two-thousand hopefuls showed up, with would-be job hunters coming from as far away as Kobe. Remember kids, it's good to show up to job interviews in suits, but with blurry faces is a definite no-no.Job Hunting Event [Akiba Blog]
clip
Save for the 2008 inclusion of Final Fantasy XIII (doubt we'll see that this year), pretty much agree with the GT list (not the order). You?
Top Ten Anticipated Games of 2008
Top Ten List [Jyouhouya]
retro
Tell Us Your Obsolete Gaming Skills
This is cute. Over at the Guardian Unlimited's Games blog, they've got a nice post up that covers obsolete gaming skills. You know, those skills that we don't use anymore! Because, we've advanced and evolved. Guardian has a couple nice examples — as do the Guardian's comments. Those are:
• Installing PC games using MS-DOS (and often boot discs)
• Switching auto-fire on and off during a game
• Blowing into a catridge to get the damn thing to work
• Trying to grab every single extra life to use on a difficult final boss
• Getting into actual playground fights about who was better, Mario or Sonic. Now that was extreme fandom rather than all this message board fighting that modern console rivals do.
Anything other ideas? Let's hear 'em!
What Are Your Obsolete Gaming Skills? [Guardian Unlimited] [Pic]
industry
Develop Magazine has its list of 25 people who are changing the game industry. Number one shouldn't be a shocker (it's Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata). Luminaries like Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ray Muzyka, John Carmack and, yes, even Mark Rein. It's a good list and worth checking out to see why these folks matter and how they're reshaping gaming.
Game Changers [devleop via DS Fanboy] [Pic]
Twenty-Five People Who Are Changing Gaming
Develop Magazine has its list of 25 people who are changing the game industry. Number one shouldn't be a shocker (it's Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata). Luminaries like Hironobu Sakaguchi, Ray Muzyka, John Carmack and, yes, even Mark Rein. It's a good list and worth checking out to see why these folks matter and how they're reshaping gaming. Game Changers [devleop via DS Fanboy] [Pic]
opinion
Over at GoNintendo, they're running a two-week long feature called "Casual v. Hardcore: Opinions of the Gaming Industry." The question put forth was: "Is casual gaming a threat to hardcore gaming or will it help it in the long run?" My response:
Will Casual Gaming Hurt Hardcore Gaming?
Over at GoNintendo, they're running a two-week long feature called "Casual v. Hardcore: Opinions of the Gaming Industry." The question put forth was: "Is casual gaming a threat to hardcore gaming or will it help it in the long run?" My response:More »
What does hardcore gaming mean? Do we have a similar term for books? Do people say, "He's a hardcore reader"? I guess they'd say so-and-so is a bookworm. But "hardcore"? It's such a severe term. If games are going to be a truly dominate form of entertainment, they need to be approachable. Approachable doesn't mean a lesser game experience in any way, but rather, a streamlined one. That should actually help gaming!
children are our future
43% Of Parents Don't Game With Their Kids
A recently published Associated Press and AOL Games survey of over 2,000 adults, some 770 of which play video games, reveals that those with kids who game don't spend a whole hell of a lot of time gaming with their offspring. According to the poll, about 43% of parents who have given birth to gamers don't spend any of their family time playing games. Those who do game with the kids tend to be younger parents, like 33 year old Marvin Paup of Arizona who plays Halo 3 with his 10-year old son to the tune of 30 hours a week. Yikes! Hope the Xbox Live headset defaults to "mute others" at the Paup house.
Unsurprisingly, those not weened on joysticks, like 55-year old mother Karen Kimball, bemoan"the violence, the obsession" their kids are subjected to while gaming. One might think that more time alloted to spending time with your kid and a wireless controller might help one relate a bit better.
Kids, it's time to add copies of Scene It? and Wario Ware Smooth Moves to the Amazon wish list. Get a wireless controller into the hands of your crusty old folks the sooner the better.
starz
While wasting some time watching Scary Movie 4 (do people actually like this stuff?) and not laughing once, I happened to catch an ad for a Starz special called Hollywood Goes Gaming. From the short clip, it was hard to tell if it was going to suck or not, but the list of interviewees was pretty impressive including the likes of Clive Barker, Don Bluth, Nolan Bushnell, Jordan Mechner and everyone's favorite smiling game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto. As the title implies, the show will discuss the growing relationship between Hollywood and gaming ranging from classic stinkbombs like the Super Mario Bros. Movie to more recent collaborations. The show premiers on Nov. 26 at 9pm so set your DVRs, grit your teeth and hope for the best.
Hollywood Goes Gaming
While wasting some time watching Scary Movie 4 (do people actually like this stuff?) and not laughing once, I happened to catch an ad for a Starz special called Hollywood Goes Gaming. From the short clip, it was hard to tell if it was going to suck or not, but the list of interviewees was pretty impressive including the likes of Clive Barker, Don Bluth, Nolan Bushnell, Jordan Mechner and everyone's favorite smiling game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto. As the title implies, the show will discuss the growing relationship between Hollywood and gaming ranging from classic stinkbombs like the Super Mario Bros. Movie to more recent collaborations. The show premiers on Nov. 26 at 9pm so set your DVRs, grit your teeth and hope for the best.
bbc
Let's Bust Those Gaming Myths
Gaming makes players into fat, anti-social, cold-blooded killers. Right? Right?! Nope! The BBC has a nice piece called "In Defense of Computer Games," which aims to clue in John Q. Public about what gaming actually means. Think of it as antidote for questionable dummies like wacky Florida "lawyer." From the BBC piece:
It's a common misconception that gaming is a solitary activity, as today an increasing number of titles are for gamers to get together and play in turn. In this respect, it's no different to golf — a game which can be a source of marital friction but is rarely accused of incitement to murder... Games like Halo are part of such a large sub-culture that people who don't play them are likely to be seen as oddballs and excluded from many conversations — in much the same way as people who aren't interested in football or who don't have a television.
The piece goes on to cite a university professor who says gamers have more friends than non-gamers and mention evidence that games improve eye-hand coordination. Maybe it's something in the air, but I get the feeling gaming's days as the scapegoat for society's ills are numbered. More of this level headed reporting please!
In Defense of Computer Games [BBC]
sealed up tight
Some people like retro games. Others like retro games sealed. That way, and only that way, can one guarantee that it doesn't have cooties. And no cooties means higher retro game prices! Game site Insert Credit points to English/German forum Sealed Game Heaven, which exactly that: A sealed game heaven. The site is for people who collect unopened games and is packed with useful info like different kinds of seals PlayStation games use. Fascinating stuff — even if you prefer actually playing games over looking at packaging.
Sealed Game Heaven [Official Site via Insert Credit]
Games That Haven't Been Played
Some people like retro games. Others like retro games sealed. That way, and only that way, can one guarantee that it doesn't have cooties. And no cooties means higher retro game prices! Game site Insert Credit points to English/German forum Sealed Game Heaven, which exactly that: A sealed game heaven. The site is for people who collect unopened games and is packed with useful info like different kinds of seals PlayStation games use. Fascinating stuff — even if you prefer actually playing games over looking at packaging. Sealed Game Heaven [Official Site via Insert Credit]
up the industry
BBC To Reveal Gaming Strategy
The BBC is starting to look at gaming beyond the odd licensed children's titles and web-based flash games they currently offer. BBC new media boss Simon Nelson will be at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival on August 14th to deliver a keynote that addresses the company's gaming strategy, which 'industry sources' are speculating to be push towards making games that the gaming community would actually consider...games. The BBC is keeping its cards close to its chest right now, refusing to reveal anything further until next week's festival. Some suggest the move will be tied into the iPlayer On-Demand engine, which allows for digital content to be downloaded and saved for up to thirty days via certain PC's and set top boxes. Me? I predict that there had better be a decent Doctor Who game in the works or I shall write a harshly-worded letter most ill-befitting a gentleman of my stature.
BBC to make a play for computer games market after phone-ins scandal [Scotland on Sunday via Gamasutra]
read
Book Authors Looking For Chatty Industry Peoples
Any industry folkin out there? Who like to talk or can? Random House is publishing a revised and expanded version of 2006's Paid to Play: An Insider's Guide to Video Game Careers, a career guide for breaking into and working in the gaming industry. The book's authors are looking to interview part-time and full-time professionals in the following fields: More »
book worm
Advice to Libraries? Start Gaming!
With the standard line being that "video games are bad," it's nice to see people actually being encouraged to play them. Nicer when it's librarians being encouraged to play them. At the annual American Library Association meeting in Washington, a room full of librarians were recommended to get their game on. The reason? Today's students are "digital natives," while librarians are "digital immigrants" — meaning that librarians might have embraced tech and learned the language, but it's still not their first language. More »
my mom can beat your mommy
My Mother, The Gamer
Some of our readers have bred, which might or might not be a good thing. But, it does give them an understanding of what gaming is, that it's not bad or evil. The Guardian points to a gaming parent post written by the mother of a 16 year-old son. It details how Super Mario 64, Halo and PG-13 rated trash talk has brought them closer. There's From the post: More »
commodore
Commodore PCs Out Now for a Brick of Cash
More Dutch bashing over the interweb as Commodore is releasing the sale of their new box-thing dedicated to PC gamers. As of today, those living in Great Britain and Ireland who want to shell out from $1,759 GBP ($3,500 US, baby) can order it online at the Commodore Gaming site. More »
love
Game Similes To Describe Your Relationship
Brandon Sheffield over at Insert Credit points to a delightful post by Mathew Kumar (pictured happy dude) and his lady friend that lists 52 game similes to describe your relationship. Just dive right in and take a look at some stand outs: More »
dr. 90210
