"LittleBigPlanet" being mentioned in the same sentence as "Barack Obama" — and of video games being included in the President's push for new ways to inspire kids to learn science, technology, engineering and math — sat well with Entertainment Software Association chief Michael Gallagher today.

"This is a very, very good day for the gaming industry," he told Kotaku. "This is a significant leap into maturity and toward acceptance."

Earlier in the day, Gallagher literally sat one row behind former astronaut Sally Ride and right near the former chairman of Intel and the current head of Sesame Street at a Washington, D.C. press conference where Obama announced plans for "Educate To Innovate," a series of mostly privately-funded initiatives to improve kids' knowledge of and enthusiasm for math and science.

The new programs could be the gaming industry's reach for the stars, to build on an astronomical analogy Gallagher said he used with White House officials as the new programs were taking shape. "Much as the space program inspired a generation of children to go into engineering," he said. "Today's learners are inspired by video games." Those who make games, in other words, have the capacity to influence America's youth toward scientific and technological greatness.

The gaming aspect of the Obama program involves two contests, both geared toward making games that will help children learn science, technology, engineering or math, so-called STEM topics. One contest involves the design of LittleBigPlanet levels. The other challenges developers to make browser games for children of different ages. Both embody what Gallagher says are the two defining characteristics of the gaming industry: Innovation and Competition.

But today was unusual. The video game industry doesn't often get a call from the White House, as the ESA did three months ago, to launch the programs announced today. Rare is the Administration that refers to games at all in a positive way.

Perhaps equally rare is an Administration that even understands games. Gallagher, who worked in the George W. Bush White House said that the "communication gap was a lot smaller" dealing with Obama officials. Some of the current President's speech writers, after all, recently stopped by an ESA reception to play The Beatles Rock Band, he said.

The ESA has also worked to promote the reputation of games and has enjoyed the findings of groups such as the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, which announced earlier this year that it saw games playing a key role in the future of education.

All of this may have helped produce a climate that led the White House to think positively about games.

"There is a preponderance of belief that we're a force for good and quality, as opposed to being stigmatized," Gallagher said.

So it wasn't a complete shock to the ESA that, three months ago, the White House contacted the group to invite the gaming industry to get involved in the President's education initiative.

From that request emerged the STEM National Video Game Competition, the browser game challenge, which will involve not just the ESA and the Information Technology Industry Council (an advocacy group for tech companies), but also Microsoft and Games4Change, a group dedicated to supporting games that serve a social good.

Anyone will be able to make games for the contest, vying for a portion of the total prize of $300,000. Even more alluring may be Gallagher's belief that the winning entries, which will be announced in June at E3, could become part of school curricula as soon as next school year. "We could be reaching and saving today's learners," he said, not waiting for a future generation and giving up already on today's kids.

"The objective is learning, not teaching," Gallagher said of the games he hopes people will make. He explained that a popular belief among educators is that teaching — the dispensing of information — is over-emphasized in school programs and that more attention needs to be paid toward learning — what goes on in a child's mind. It's learning where games have such strong potential, Gallagher argued, because the medium already has proven it has the ability to captivate a child's imagination and tap his or her curiosity.

The other program announced today involves Sony providing 1,000 PlayStation 3s and copies of LittleBigPlanet as part of an effort backed by the MacArthur Foundation to encourage learning through digital means.

Despite what Gallagher referred to as commendable efforts by Sony and Microsoft to get involved, they are just two gaming-related companies, the only two that were part of today's news. Gallagher says that is merely a function of how quickly the new programs came together and is confident that other gaming companies will get involved in similar efforts.

"We should be proud of this moment because it shows a maturity of our industry," Gallagher told Kotaku today. "It shows an acceptance of our industry as vital to our country's ability to meeting significant challenges." If video games can help America get better at science, technology, engineering and math, Gallagher would consider that a job well done.

[PIC]

"Our work is already bearing fruit," Howard said, according to the Associated Press. "We still have more work to do."

After its second year of losses in the current fiscal year, which ends March 2010, Stringer said that Sony's target is to turnaround their game business and have it be profitable by March 2011.

The company plans to use a two-prong strategy to achieve that goal. Sony believes they can improve profitability through cost reduction, becoming more efficient internally and getting internal divisions to work better together.

Sony also sees a growth in hardware, software and network services pushing sales up in the gaming division.

Stringer says that Sony's Playstation 3 has five key advatages: The incorporation of a Blu-ray player, the Playstation Network, PSP linkage, upcoming 3D games and their recently announced motion controller.

The Motion control, he said, uses the Playstation Eye camera, can track depth, position and motion by "sphere, gyro and acceleration sensors" and vibration feedback and "rendition by light."

Take this one, for example. It's been put together by The Business Insider, and charts the decline in video game sales since 2007. As it says, it's based on a year-to-year percentage change, so a dip means the industry was down on where it was at the same point the year before.

CHART OF THE DAY: Video Game Industry Not So Recession Proof After All [TBI, via 1UP]

We've contacted Idol Minds for comment but have not yet heard back.

The layoffs at the company, based in Louisville, Colorado between Boulder and Denver, have been coming in waves we're told, with the latest impacting 17 employees. Our sources tell us that in total, 26 of the staff of once 46 have been let go.

Over its 11-year history Idol Minds developed and published a number of games including My Street, Rally Cross 2 and the Coolboarders franchise. But they're perhaps best known for their pick-up-and-play, groan-inducing downloadable PS3 game PAIN.

In PAIN, gamers catapult a rag-doll avatar across a bustling setting, trying to rack up as much damage to both the landscape and the character as possible. Since it's release in 2007, PAIN has also received a number of new downloads that add characters and settings to the Playstation Network game.

In a September 2009 job listing for a producer, Idol Minds writes that PAIN "demonstrates the current evolution of our company and its goals."

"Our mission is to create a user-defined experience, build a community of users, develop on next generation hardware, and of course, have fun doing it!" according to the listing.

Our sources say the latest job cuts may be connected to "Sony budget cuts." Sony is currently Idol Minds' only source of funding, our sources tell us.

Crispy Gamer's David Thomas went searching for who decided on the $60 standard and more or less found no one in the industry specifically responsible. Which defies logic, as someone or some thing had to be the first. But when the decision was made, it wasn't tackled from the front - i.e., Company X made Y game, its production and marketing costs were Z, and profit A on top of that gives us price B. Publishers pick a price point and then work backward to justify a game, and the $10 allows them to justify more.

But the influx of downloadable games at much lower price points raises a new question: Are video games on the whole overpriced? Or are they underpriced? And if no one forced the $60 question, why do gamers accept it? You may not like the answers.

The 60-Buck Dilemma [Crispy Gamer, Sept. 23, 2009.]

The same argument could be applied to the movies: Movie tickets have increased because special effects cost more and Brad Pitt earns more and, gee, those nice seats at the theaters cost more. Of course, the price tag reflects a focus on the kind of fun big budgets deliver; and bigger-is-better dominates the public imagination.

"Ultimately, what we collectively found was that we've modeled a hits-driven business, not unlike film; and the massive downside to that structure is that it marginalizes the art-house products — the more risky or out-of-the-box games," [says the Entertainment Consumer Association president Hal Halpin.] "But that's also our roots, where we've come from. Really compelling, fun and great games that didn't cost an arm and a leg to produce, or to buy."

In other words, Brad Pitt and Michael Bay sell tickets. Hollywood is about stars and explosions, and the economics of box-office ticket sales tend to revolve around those needs. In games, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves costs $60 because it cost millions to make. So Braid either needs to make the $60 argument or pick up and move into the Xbox Live Marketplace.

To [analyst Jesse] Divnich , videogame math means something a little different.

"Either one is overpriced or the other is underpriced — and because games that only offer 20 to 30 hours of gameplay still sell incredibly well, I'd argue the latter. Some games offer such a value that they are clearly underpriced."

"I've always felt that pricing in our industry was completely arbitrary. Since few have challenged these price points, they've become cemented as a standard in consumers' minds; and deviating from the standard can be met with serious recourse," says Divnich.

Drop the price on a game below $59.99 and it must mean the game's no good, or it's old, or it's on some second-rate system. Perrier doesn't cost more than gasoline per gallon because it springs from some fairy well, and BMW doesn't charge a premium over a similar Lexus model because of some alien tech discovered during the war. Both bottled water and premium sports cars cost a lot in part because the people that buy them expect them to cost a lot.

Translated into the game world, fans have pretty much drunk the pricing Kool-Aid and figure games cost what they cost.

"Because consumers are cemented on the $60 price point," says Divnich, "The only way publishers can deviate from the standard pricing is by offering peripheral-based products and over-the-top special editions (e.g., Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Rock Band). Which, I may add, have been tremendously successful."

That's right, Joe Gamer, it's entirely possible that games cost $60 because some executive, at some point, thought it would be funny to raise the average price of a game by $10 and no one complained. And we kept lining up at the game store with three twenties and a sock of loose change for sales tax.

- David Thomas

Weekend Reader is Kotaku's look at the critical thinking in, and of video games. It appears Saturdays at noon. Please take the time to read the full article cited before getting involved in the debate here.

It seems that the vast majority of the industry professionals in the video agree. Games journalism has definitely changed drastically over the past decade, though definitely not for the worse...unless of course you're a big fan of magazines. I was actually discussing this with a friend this past weekend, how the internet hasn't just given us more information, but a greater hunger for information that desperately needs to be sated, and sated relatively quickly. People just aren't satisfied reading a story two months after the news hits anymore. That's where websites like the one you are currently reading come in.

Having grown up plastering video game ads from magazines on my wall as a child and having to avoid slipping on a deep pile of said magazines every time I had to use the bathroom, I am a little bit nostalgic for the heyday of print. Printing out banner ads on my inkjet just isn't the same, and the bathroom is not the best place for a laptop.

The body, called the National Russian Association of Game Industry, will be created by October. There's also an All-Russian Conference on Game Industry taking place Oct. 27-29.

The announcement was made by Russia's Federal Agency for Management of Special Economic Zones, the State Academy of Innovations, and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Gamasutra notes that "Russia's game industry has historically been fairly insular, with a primary focus on PC titles." These moves are meant to broaden its profile within the global development community.

It's a sign of rather progressive support of the industry from one of its emerging markets. It's a shame we don't see more of it in the West.

Russia To Form National Game Body, First National Trade Conference [Gamasutra]

Right now, Gard (pictured above) says, the m.o. is to fire a bunch of people at the end of a project, but keep around a core team for future work on the IP. "[A]nd it's not really working out the way it should be," Gard said.

It seems like the industry wants to move to a more Hollywood model by bringing in experts for shorter periods of time and then leveraging their outsourcing, but also building small teams for projects.

But they haven't actually fully embraced that yet and I'm just wondering whether or not there's a way people will actually start doing that. The industry is still very stuck in its ways of building their internal teams.

Gard's consulting business - ding ding ding - could exploit that short-term need for experts, which is one reason he left Crystal Dynamics. Another, according to his remarks, is that he'd taken Tomb Raider about as far as he could, and he wasn't working much with Lara Croft anymore.

It's always difficult doing that but you can get stuck doing the same thing over and over, The only real way that I can really effect Lara Croft is to be in charge of a project. More and more as I was working at Crystal, especially on Underworld where I was just doing cinematic work, the reality is the control of the characters is in the hands of the creative directors and the publisher.

Gard: Time was right to leave Tomb Raider [GamesIndustry.Biz via GamerReports]

As part of Disney Interactive Studios' purchase of Wideload Games, Wideload and Bungie founder Alexander Seropian, will join Disney Interactive as the vice president of creative.

In his new role, Seropian will report to Global Product Development Senior Vice President Jean-Marcel Nicolai, and be tasked with overseeing creative development across Disney Interactive Studios' portfolio of video games.

"Wideload Games is among the premier small creative game development studios in the world. Wideload Games will be a great fit for our portfolio of internal studios, and Alex joining the global product development team provides the entire Disney game portfolio with a strong creative influence," said Graham Hopper, executive vice president and general manager, Disney Interactive Studios, in a prepared statement. "Alex has built his reputation around the power of original thinking. In leading the studio that created Halo, he helped turn great storytelling, exceptional design and polished gameplay into the ‘killer app' for Xbox. Alex's leadership of our creative community will enhance our ability to be a magnet for the best talent in the industry and enable the company to take an even more significant role in developing industry leading products."

In 2000, Seropian negotiated the acquisition of Bungie by Microsoft and then in 2003 he founded Wideload Games.

"Joining Disney is an ideal next step, both for our studio and me," Seropian said. "At Wideload, we've conscientiously built a forward-looking approach to game development that borrows many techniques from the film industry. Now, Wideload will be a part of one of the largest, most respected entertainment companies in the world. I'm looking forward to Wideload's continued success as a part of Disney and I'm eager to bring all my experience to the creative community at Disney Interactive Studios."

Under Disney, Wideload will develop original video game properties, according to the press release.

Quoting the Progress and Freedom Foundation, the report, published Aug. 31, says ESRB ratings are "in many ways the most sophisticated, descriptive, and effective ratings system devised by any major media sector in America." The parental control functions of the three current-gen consoles, plus Windows PCs, are also highlighted. The report mentions that game ratings are highly recognized and useful to parents (58 percent find them helpful, according to a third-party survey), and the percentage of kids buying M-rated games dropped dramatically from 2006 to 2008, according to the FTC.

Significantly, the report also says that the FCC considers "that video game players and video games are not the focus of the Child Safe Viewing Act," the piece of legislation that started this universal-rating discussion. "Video game players are not included among the devices specifically identified in Section 2(b)(2) of the Act, and video games are not mentioned in the Senate Report and were not discussed in the Senate hearing on the Act."

But the FCC inquiry did include video games when it sought comment on universal regulation, in light of their popularity with kids and concerns about their content. The majority of comments, the FCC noted, "take the position that video games should not be reviewed in this proceeding."

Final score: The ESRB gets a thumbs-up to Congress, and the legislation in question does not even concern video game consoles in the first place. If you like, you may download a pdf of the entire report and read it yourself.

FCC Cites Success of VIdeo Game Rating System [CNET]

The 2006 suit, which was tentatively settled for $20 million, also alleges that company officers earned more than $18 million in insider trading even as the company's stock plummeted.

"As a result of the disclosures of the Company's true financial condition, its stock ratings have been slashed," the suit, initially filed by John Fenninger who purchased Take-Two common stock, states. "Moreover, the Company is exposed to class action lawsuits and regulatory enforcement actions brought by the Attorney Generals of several states. While the public investors lost over one billion dollars in market capitalization, the Individual Defendants pocketed over $18 million in insider trading proceeds."

Hot Coffee, a bit of hidden sex found behind the apartment doors of the game, was discovered in July 2005 after a modder released a hack for the game that unlocked the previously hidden content.

Earlier today, Take-Two announced that they had reached a settlement in the case, with the company and its insurer paying out more than $20 million.

The nut of the allegations contained in the 34-page suit, is that Take-Two was spending more than it was bringing in and couldn't survive until the next Grand Theft Auto. So, the suit alleges, the company pushed Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas out the door knowing that there was pornographic material in the game because delays would have cost the company too much. If the material was known to be in the, the suit continues, major retailers wouldn't have sold it.

The outcome, according to the suit, was inflated stock prices based on bad or uninformed information from the company and a plunge in stock values when the truth came out.

The suit also alleges that Take-Two lied about the included sex scenes, nicknamed Hot Coffee, when they first came to light, with the company the scenes were "the work of a determined group of hackers who have gone to significant trouble to alter scenes.'"

The suit outlines how the value of Take-Two's stock first rose significantly with the release of the game and then began to plummet as the allegations and suits came to light. The suit connects the two, alleging that the company lied during financial statements to try and cover themselves and later key executives profited from inside information while selling company stock.

It's an interesting read and worth some time if you've been following the Hot Coffee allegations and are interested in a document that ties stock values and company statements to the life-cycle of the controversial sex scene in San Andreas. But do keep in mind that just because the suit was settled, that doesn't mean the contents have been proven or disproven.

Class Action

"On the video game front, (Marvel) have some smart licensing agreements with some of the best video game manufacturers in the business," said Bob Iger, Disney's CEO. "While we have been steadily moving in the direction of video game integration, we don't rule out the blend of licensing and self-produced and distributed video games.

"As these licensing deals expire we have the luxury of considering what's best for the company and the products."

Earlier today, Disney announced that they were buying Marvel for $4 billion in cash and stock. The deal would give Disney ownership of Marvel's 5,000 characters. Currently both Activision and Sega publish games based on Marvel properties.

Under current deals with Marvel, Activision, Sega, Gazillion and THQ all have different licensing deals to make video games based on the comic company's characters.

Activision's deal with Marvel, which includes the Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Wolverine games, expires in 2017. Gazillion Entertainment's deal with Marvel, which includes several massively multiplayer online games, expires in 2019. Sega's deal with Marvel, which includes games based on Marvel movies, is described multi-year. The same is true of THQ's deal with Marvel, which includes video games based on Marvel's Super Hero Squad.

While video games are certainly an important part of Disney's acquisition of Marvel, there are plenty of other opportunities for both companies, including comics, toys and movies.

Speaking more generally Tom Staggs, Disney's senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, noted that Disney is well aware of Marvel's great potential and that Disney is looking into future potential characters that can be turned into other things, including movies and video games.

"As the current agreements in place sunset we will look to exploit the library of characters more broadly," Staggs said. "This is a big library of properties and we think there is real opportunity.We plan to evaluate where those opportunities are greatest and how we can leverage those across both Marvel and Disney."

Does that mean we're going to see future video games with Marvel and Disney characters in one title? I suspect not, with perhaps one major exception. But would involve getting Square Enix on board as well.

We have calls into all of the publishers with licensing contracts with Disney and will update as we hear back.

What games would you love or hate to see come out of this deal?

The FCC will begin the inquiry after they deliver a report on media blocking and rating techniques to Congress on Aug. 31, two commission officials told Bloomberg.

The purported FCC action will come following congressional inquiries into whether children are harmed by inappropriate content and questions by senators about whether the laws need to be changed to protect children.

While the report, due to hit next week, won't make any recommendations, it will announce that kick off of their look at universal ratings. The report looks specifically at technology that can block programming by ratings, which is, apparently, why movies aren't included on the list.

Broadcasters met with the FCC earlier this month, warning them that a compulsory ratings system could be a violation of the First Amendment.

Reached for comment by Kotaku, the Entertainment Software Association echoed that sentiment.

"The ESA appreciates the FCC and its important role. However, the ESRB rating system is considered by parents, family advocates, the Federal Trade Commission, and elected officials as the gold standard in providing caregivers with the information they need to make the right choices for their families," said Rich Taylor, senior vice president for communications and industry affairs, at the ESA. "Universal ratings will, in the end, only serve to confuse consumers, violate the Constitution's first amendment, and are a solution in search of a problem."

Earlier this year, Taylor told Kotaku that the Barack Obama administration no longer seemed focused on Universal Ratings and that the president seemed gamer friendly.

U.S. Will Consider Single Rating System for TV, Phones, Games [Image]

On Wednesday, Crecente posted a gallery of developers and industry insiders. Today, we continue that trend by showing you the workspaces and homes of those who bring us our video game news on a daily basis – video game journalists.

With more than ten game sites and blogs participating, you will be able to see the offices and living rooms of journalists at IGN, Destructoid, BoingBoing, and even some of our own Kotaku editors.

We hope you enjoy the gallery!

Blues News: Stephen "Blue" Heaslip's game room.
Blues News: Stephen "Blue" Heaslip's office
BoingBoing (Former): Joel Johnson's office
BoingBoing (Former): Joel Johnson's office
BoingBoing: Xeni Jardin's laptop
BoingBoing: Xeni Jardin's laptop
BoingBoing: Xeni Jardin's desk
BoingBoing: Xeni Jardin's desk
Destructoid: editor-in-chief Nick Chester's desk
Destructoid: editor-in-chief Nick Chester's game setup
Destructoid: editor-in-chief Nick Chester's desk
Destructoid: editor-in-chief Nick Chester's game setup
Destructoid: editor-in-chief Nick Chester's game setup
Destructoid: editor-in-chief Nick Chester's desk
Destructoid: founder, robot, Yanier "Niero" Gonzales' desk
Destructoid: founder, robot, Yanier "Niero" Gonzales' work area
Destructoid: founder, robot, Yanier "Niero" Gonzales' work area
Destructoid: founder, robot, Yanier "Niero" Gonzales' game setup
Destructoid: founder, robot, Yanier "Niero" Gonzales' play area
Destructoid: founder, robot, Yanier "Niero" Gonzales' amazing view
Destructoid: founder, robot, Yanier "Niero" Gonzales' game setup
Destructoid: founder, robot, Yanier "Niero" Gonzales at his desk
Bitmob: Dan "Shoe" Hsu's office (EGM 2008)
Bitmob: Dan "Shoe" Hsu's office (EGM 2008)
Bitmob: Dan "Shoe" Hsu's desk (EGM 2008)
Bitmob: Dan "Shoe" Hsu's home
Bitmob: Dan "Shoe" Hsu's home
The Escapist: Russ Pitts' desk
The Escapist: Russ Pitts' living room
The Escapist: Russ Pitts' battle living room
The Escapist: Russ Pitts' console
The Escapist: Susan Arendt's desk (GameLife 2008)
The Escapist: Susan Arendt's home
IGN's Demo Room
IGN's Demo Room
IGN's Demo Room
IGN: senior vice president and editor Peer Schneider's movie and game room
IGN: senior vice president and editor Peer Schneider's movie and game room
IGN: senior vice president and editor Peer Schneider's movie and game room
IGN: senior vice president and editor Peer Schneider's movie and game room
IGN: senior vice president and editor Peer Schneider's living room
IGN: senior vice president and editor Peer Schneider's movie and game room
IGN: senior vice president and editor Peer Schneider's living room
IGN: PlayStation team editor Greg Miller's desk
IGN: PlayStation team editor Greg Miller's desk
IGN: Nintendo team editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina's gameroom
IGN: Nintendo team editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina's swivel mount TV
IGN: Nintendo team editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina's living room
IGN: Nintendo team editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina's living room
IGN: Nintendo team editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina's game room, Wii accessories
IGN: Nintendo team editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina's game room
IGN: Nintendo team editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina's bedroom
IGN: Nintendo team editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina's living room
IGN: Nintendo team editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina's game room
Crispy Gamer: Kyle Orland's game room
Crispy Gamer: Kyle Orland's office
Crispy Gamer: Harold Goldberg's shelves
Crispy Gamer: Harold Goldberg's shelves
Crispy Gamer: Harold Goldberg's game room
Kotaku: correspondent AJ Glasser's favorite blogging spot
Kotaku: correspondent AJ Glasser's console setup
Kotaku: correspondent AJ Glasser's PC setup
Kotaku: senior contributing editor Brian Ashcraft's home system (2008)
Kotaku: senior contributing editor Brian Ashcraft's office (2008)
Kotaku: editor-in-chief Brian Crecente's home setup: right side
Kotaku: editor-in-chief Brian Crecente's home setup: left side
Kotaku: editor-in-chief Brian Crecente's office shelves
Kotaku: editor-in-chief Brian Crecente's office desk
Kotaku: editor-in-chief Brian Crecente's office desk right side
Kotaku: editor-in-chief Brian Crecente's home setup: bar
Kotaku: editor-in-chief Brian Crecente's office desk: left side
Kotaku: editor-in-chief Brian Crecente's home setup: lounge
Kotaku Alumni: Flynn De Marco's game room
Kotaku Alumni: Flynn De Marco's office
Kotaku: contributing editor Luke Plunkett's desk (2008)
Kotaku: contributing editor Luke Plunkett's game room (2008)
Kotaku Alumni: Maggie Greene's desk
Kotaku Alumni: Maggie Greene's game room
Kotaku: contributing editor Michael Fahey's desk
Kotaku: contributing editor Michael Fahey's game room
Kotaku: deputy editor Stephen Totilo's Office (MTV 2008)
Kotaku: deputy editor Stephen Totilo's desk (MTV 2008)
Kotaku: deputy editor Stephen Totilo's game room (2008)
Kotaku: deputy editor Stephen Totilo's office
Kotaku: deputy editor Stephen Totilo's game room
Kotaku Alumni: Tori Floyd's desk
Kotaku Alumni: Tori Floyd's game setup
Penny Arcade: writer and Tycho Brahe alter ego Jerry Holkins' desk
Penny Arcade: writer and Tycho Brahe alter ego Jerry Holkins' desk
Penny Arcade: artist and Gabe alter ego Mike Krahulik's game room
Penny Arcade: artist and Gabe alter ego Mike Krahulik's office
Massively: Michael Zenke's desktop setup
Massively: Michael Zenke's gaming room
VE3D (Former): Robert "Apache" Howarth's game room
VE3D (Former): Robert "Apache" Howarth's office
Gamasutra news director and Kotaku columnist Leigh Alexander's game setup
Gamasutra news director and Kotaku columnist Leigh Alexander's home
Gamasutra news director and Kotaku columnist Leigh Alexander's cat and computer
Gamasutra, Game Developer Magazine, and GameSetWatch publisher Simon Carless' home office
Gamasutra, Game Developer Magazine, and GameSetWatch publisher Simon Carless' office
Gamasutra, Game Developer Magazine, and GameSetWatch publisher Simon Carless' office

We're now in the process of updating Work and Play: A Peek Inside the Lives of Gaming's Greatest with new desks and new developers. We've decided to move the entire project over to our new photo system, making it much easier to zip through and read the descriptions.

The original idea for the concept was born out of a simple concept: You can judge a lot from a person's desk. And you can judge just as much from their home entertainment system.

Currently the project includes photos from nearly 20 studios.

You'll get to see the desk of such greats as Sid Meier, Peter Molyneux and Tetsuya Mizuguchi along with plenty of others. Have fun.

Special thanks to intern Andrew Freedman for all of his hard work on this.

2K Games: creative director Greg Gobbi's desk
2K Games: founder, lead designer 2K Boston Ken Levine's desk
ASTRO Games: producer Joshua "Stormy" LaTendresse's gaming setup
ASTRO Games: producer Joshua "Stormy" LaTendresse's loft
ASTRO Games: producer Joshua "Stormy" LaTendresse's new triple head computer workstation
ASTRO Games: producer Joshua "Stormy" LaTendresse's new triple head computer workstation
Buzz Monkey Software: Lead Level Designer Ted Brown's desk (Neversoft, 2006)
Bungie: Design Director Paul Bertone's home
Bungie: Design Director Paul Bertone's desk
Capcom: Bionic Commando producer Ben Judd's desk
Capcom: Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi's desk
Double Fine Production: founder Tim Schafer's desk.
Double Fine Production: founder Tim Schafer's desk.
Double Fine Production: founder Tim Schafer's desk.
Double Fine Production: founder Tim Schafer's couch. Shhhhh.
Eat, Sleep, Play: co-founder David Jaffe's desk
Eat, Sleep, Play: co-founder David Jaffe's game area
Eat, Sleep, Play: co-founder David Jaffe's bookshelf
Eat, Sleep, Play: co-founder David Jaffe's desk
Eat, Sleep, Play: co-founder David Jaffe's shelves
Eat, Sleep, Play: co-founder David Jaffe's office
Electronic Arts Montreal: general manager Alan Tascan's office
Electronic Arts Montreal: general manager Alan Tascan's home
Electronic Arts Montreal: general manager Alan Tascan's office
Electronic Arts: head of The Sims studio Rod Humble's desk
Electronic Arts: head of The Sims studio Rod Humble's office
Electronic Arts: head of The Sims studio Rod Humble in his office
Electronic Arts: head of The Sims studio Rod Humble's game table
Electronic Arts: head of The Sims studio Rod Humble's office
Electronic Arts: head of The Sims studio Rod Humble's office
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's display case.
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's display case.
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's display case.
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's Lynx.
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's desk.
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's office.
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's smock wearing T-Rex.
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's display shelves.
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's display case.
Epic Games: designer, Cliff Bleszinski's display case.
Firaxis Games: founder and director of creative development Sid Meier's office desk
Firaxis Games: founder and director of creative development Sid Meier's home office
Firaxis Games: founder and director of creative development Sid Meier's Firaxis office
Firaxis Games: founder and director of creative development Sid Meier's home office
Flying Lab Software: Public relations for Flying Lab Software Theresa Pundenz' office
Flying Lab Software: Public relations for Flying Lab Software Theresa Pundenz' home office
Gearbox Software: Co-founder Randy Pitchford's desk
Gearbox Software: Co-founder Randy Pitchford's game area
Gearbox Software: Co-founder Randy Pitchford's office
Gearbox Software: Co-founder Randy Pitchford's game area
Gearbox Software: Co-founder Randy Pitchford's Office
Gearbox Software: Co-founder Randy Pitchford at his desk
Gearbox Software: Co-founder Randy Pitchford's office
Gearbox Software: Co-founder Randy Pitchford's office
Gearbox Software: Co-founder Randy Pitchford's game area
Harmonix Music: technical artist Leo Tolentino's office
Harmonix Music: technical artist Leo Tolentino's office
Harmonix Music: technical artist Leo Tolentino's office
Harmonix Music: technical artist Leo Tolentino's office
Harmonix Music: vice president of operations Mike Dornbrook's office
Harmonix Music: vice president of operations Mike Dornbrook's office
I AM 8-BIT: founder Jon M. Gibson's office
I AM 8-BIT: founder Jon M. Gibson's desk
I AM 8-BIT: founder Jon M. Gibson's game room
Incognito Entertainment: producer Dylan Jobe's office
Incognito Entertainment: producer Dylan Jobe's game room
Incognito Entertainment: producer Dylan Jobe's office
Insomniac Games: CEO Ted Price's Office
Insomniac Games: CEO Ted Price's game room
Kojima Productions: assistant producer Ryan Payton's desk
Lionhead Studios: founder Peter M olyneux's desk
NanaOn-Sha: founder Masaya Matsuura
Naughty Dog: co-president Christopher Balestra's office
Naughty Dog: co-president Christopher Balestra's home
Naughty Dog: co-president Evan Wells' Office
Naughty Dog: co-president Evan Wells' home
NCSoft: executive producer Richard Garriot's house
NCSoft: executive producer Richard Garriot's desk
NCSoft: executive producer Richard Garriot's office
NetDevil: art director Peter Grundy's office
NetDevil: art director Peter Grundy's home game room
NetDevil: Lead Producer on LEGO Universe Ryan Seabury's office
NetDevil: Lead Producer on LEGO Universe Ryan Seabury's office
NetDevil: Lead Producer on LEGO Universe Ryan Seabury's office key
NetDevil: Lead Producer on LEGO Universe Ryan Seabury's office
NetDevil: Lead Producer on LEGO Universe Ryan Seabury's shelves
NetDevil: Lead Producer on LEGO Universe Ryan Seabury's desk
NetDevil: Lead Producer on LEGO Universe Ryan Seabury's zombie portrait
NetDevil: Lead Producer on LEGO Universe Ryan Seabury's office
NetDevil: Lead Producer on LEGO Universe Ryan Seabury's office library
NetDevil: president Scott Brown's office
NetDevil: president Scott Brown's home game room
NetDevil: president Scott Brown's office desk
Neversoft: lead designer Alan Flores' office
Neversoft: senior producer Brian Bright's home setup
Neversoft: senior producer Brian Bright's office
Neversoft: character art director Nolan Nelson's office
Ninja Theory: co-founder Mike Ball's home
Ninja Theory: co-founder Mike Ball's office
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Andrew Goldman in his office
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Andrew Goldman in his office
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Andrew Goldman in his office
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Andrew Goldman in his ofice
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Josh Resnick's office
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Josh Resnick's game room
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Josh Resnick's office
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Josh Resnick's office
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Josh Resnick's home office
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Josh Resnick in his office
Pandemic Studios: co-founder and co-general manager Josh Resnick's home office
Jet Set Games: co-founder and vp of design Adam Isgreen's Home
Jet Set Games: co-founder and vp of design Adam Isgreen's Home
Jet Set Games: designer Chris Ainsworth's game room
Jet Set Games: designer Chris Ainsworth's game room
Petroglyph Games: president Mike Legg's den
Petroglyph Games: president Mike Legg's den
Petroglyph Games: 3D artist Nick Teasdale's work office
Petroglyph Games: 3D artist Nick Teasdale's work office
Petroglyph Games: 3D artist Nick Teasdale's home office
Petroglyph Games: 3D artist Nick Teasdale's home office
Q Entertainment: founder Tetsuya Mizaguchi's game room
Q Entertainment: founder Tetsuya Mizaguchi's game room
THQ: creative director Scott Rogers' office
THQ: creative director Scott Rogers' desk
THQ: creative director Scott Rogers' office
THQ: creative director Scott Rogers' desk
THQ: creative director Scott Rogers' whiteboard
Video Games Live: co-creator, executive producer, and host Tommy Tallarico's game theatre
Video Games Live: co-creator, executive producer, and host Tommy Tallarico's studio
Video Games Live: co-creator, executive producer, and host Tommy Tallarico's desk
Video Games Live: co-creator, executive producer, and host Tommy Tallarico's game library
Whorecraft: Pornography producer Dez' computer
Whorecraft: Pornogrpahy producer Dez at his computer
Whorecraft: Pornography producer Dez at his desk

What we were able to learn after digging through Nintendo's official quarterly and annual reports is that the DSi launched a bit more slowly in the Americas than the DS Lite. But first some background.

The DS Lite and the DSi both had staggered launches around the world: The DS Lite first hit Japan, landing there on March 2, 2006, and then Australia on June 1, North America on June 11 and Europe on June 23. The DSi also hit Japan first, launching there on Nov. 1, 2008, and then hitting Australia on April 2, 2009, Europe on April 3 and North American on April 5.

Because of Nintendo's reporting period it's impossible to use their numbers to look at the first three months of each platform for the world. It's easier to do that if you narrow the focus to just North and South America, but you do end up with an extra two weeks of sales for the DS Lite.

Here's how those number work out:

Sales in the "Americas" for the DS Lite from the day it hit here on June 11, 2006 to the end of September were 2.23 million units. While Sales in the "Americas" for the DSi from the day it hit on April 5, 2009 to the end of June were 1.56 million units.

That means the DS Lite sold on average about 20,000 units a day at $130 a pop during the 112 days of that reporting period, while the DSi sold on average about 18,000 units a day at $170 a pop during the 87 days of it's reporting period.

So is a 2,000-a-day gap during the launch window here a sign of weaker interest, a more daunting price, or are other factors at play?

A little over a year ago Viacom was singing the praises of Rock Band, heralding the rhythm game as the driving force behind a 33% profit increase during the first quarter of 2008. Cut to a year later, and Rock Band is once again a focus, but not in such a positive way. The company's second quarter 2009 financial results report a 14% decline in revenues and a 26% decline in operating income. In both cases, slow sales of Rock Band are listed as a key factor in the losses, driving down the company's Media Networks segment's operating income by 12% and revenues by 8%.

The Media Network revenue drop to $1.97 billion is listed as being "principally due to a 41% decline in ancillary revenues driven by lower sales of the music video game Rock Band."

If Rock Band alone can have that big of a positive or negative effect on the company's financials, it sounds like there are too many rhythm-based eggs rocking out in that one basket there.

The expected sales drop is also more than 12 percent lower than initially expected.

Yves Guillemot, Chief Executive Officer for Ubisoft, places much of the blame for the drop on what he calls a "very sharp slowdown" in sales of DS games in Europe and the United States. Guillemot says that DS sales are down 67 percent. He also pointed out that the company's back catalog of Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 titles were also lower than expected.

"We are currently experiencing a very sharp slowdown in our sales for Nintendo DS as well as sales of back-catalog titles, in the context of a market that is tougher than anticipated," Guillemot said. "This will have a significant impact on our first-half showing. Against this backdrop, the solid performance of our Wii titles combined with the successful launches of Anno and Call of Juarez are points of satisfaction and demonstrate that good products are continuing to sell well."

In a follow up question, Guillemot seems to place much of the blame on the drop in DS sales on rampant piracy in Europe.

"Piracy is strong so we are working to put new figurines and new elements in the boxes that will change that in the future… for example in Europe we have the same market share in DS this year as last year…," Guillemot said. "We see a different attitude toward piracy in the U.S. than Europe. We did a survey that said our consumers will be more willing to buy products than pirate them. "

The news came during today's first-quarter report by Ubisoft. In the report the company also announced that they would be delaying four games: Splinter Cell Conviction, Red Steel 2, Ghost Recon and I am Alive.

"Developers in the East and West should not be too separate," said Matsuura at Develop Conference 2009 in Brighton, Uk. "It should me international, and we need to work with more international artists."

Matsuura stated that he hoped things changed "very soon". The East-West division could actually hurt gaming, he continued. "I'm very concerned about this point, and perhaps it could be bad for the industry." Developers around the world, join hands!

Matsuura: 'East and West must not be divided' [Develop]

"We can confirm we closed the Newcastle studio this morning, our time," said Geoffrey Mogilner, Midway spokesman. "During the notification period we were actively searching for bidders, and since we didn't find any unfortunately it was necessary to close it down.

"We tried really hard to find a solution for the Newcastle studio."

Midway CEO Matt Booty traveled to the studio to make the announcement in person to the roughly 80 people let go, Mogilner said. The announcement of the closure came at the end of the notification time required by UK law.

While the Wheelman IP is now owned by Warner Brothers Interactive, along with the Midway trademark and games such as Mortal Kombat and This is Vegas, no one has yet purchased Necessary Force, Mogilner said.

Under California law, Midway's San Diego studio still has until September to find a buyer.

"We are still hoping to find a buyer for the studio," Mogilner said.