Kotaku: Texas

Video Shows Texas Judge Beating Disabled Daughter Over Computer Games, Music

Max Read — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:40:00 EDT

Here's a video, recently uploaded to YouTube, showing a man whip his disabled daughter with a belt, apparently for downloading games and music. The man is a Texas court-at-law judge named William Adams. His daughter's name is Hillary. And she's the person who recorded and uploaded the video. More »

Ultima Creator's House for Sale for a Cool $4 Mil

Owen Good — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:30:00 EDT

Richard Garriott, the Ultima creator and space tourist believed to be the only private citizen to own property on an extraterrestrial body, is selling real estate here on Earth. For about $4 mil you may claim the stately Texas manor owned by Lord British. More »

To Do in Dallas This Evening: Stalk Rage's Creators

Mike Fahey — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:40:00 EDT

Dallas-based id Software has a big title coming out tonight, so Tim Willits, Matt Hooper, John Carmack, and other key members of the Rage team will be hanging out at a GameStop, just like everyone else. Show them some love. More »

EA Sports Shows Everyone How You Lobby a Texas Governor

Owen Good — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:20:00 EDT

When it comes to negotiations , EA Sports doesn't mess around. They they know what matters most, and in Texas, that means football. More »

EA Sports to Open New Texas Studio

Owen Good — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:40:00 EDT

Electronic Arts today said it will expand its EA Sports operations to Texas, and bring in more than 150 new jobs in a move the state government will back with financial incentives. More »

Internal Memo Addresses Madden Losses, Lays Out EA Sports' Expansion Plans

Owen Good — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EDT

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In an internal memo obtained by IGN, a senior EA Sports executive says the label will soon open a third studio in Texas, and addresses the departures of key developers from its flagship Madden NFL product. More »

Here's How You Handle Looking and Turning in a Motion-Control FPS

Owen Good — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EDT

Head- and eye-tracking will be the next big breakthrough in motion-controlled gaming. Forza Motorsport 4 will deliver it via Kinect. But for first-person shooters, we're still stuck controlling our look with our arms, an act as unnatural as it is inconvenient. Some University of Texas students have whipped up a solution for that. More »

Man Pleads Guilty To Killing His Cousin Over Scarface: The World Is Yours

Mike Fahey — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:20:00 EDT

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22-year-old Alejandro Garcia of Corpus Christi, Texas, will spend the next 15 to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2007 shooting death of his younger cousin over whose turn it was to play Scarface: The World is Yours. More »

Could You Play Street Fighter IV With Your Face? And Win?

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:00:00 EDT

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Mike "Broly" Begum is a Street Fighter IV player from Texas. And he's pretty damn good. What makes Mike's success notable, though, is the fact he's so good despite having to play the game with his face. More »

The Girl At The Video Game Store Might Be There To Rob It

Mike Fahey — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST

Just because she's a female shopping by herself in at a major video game retailer doesn't mean she's shopping for her boyfriend. This is the 21st century. She might also be there to rob the place. More »

Texas GameStops Robbed, Re-Robbed, Robbed Some More

Owen Good — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST

Bandits have struck three San Antonio-area GameStops this week, two of the incidents involving armed confrontations and the latest ending with employees duct-taped on the floor as the thieves raided the till. More »

You Don't Need Shoulderpads To Play Madden, But It Helps

Owen Good — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:20:00 EDT

Madden NFL 11's remade cooperative online play this year, but rather than bog down in a technical discussion, let's see what happens when Ray Lewis and Mario Williams show up to pit two rival Texas high schools against each other. More »

Wii Fit Plus Targets Target Parking Lots

Mike Fahey — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST

Nintendo is rolling out the Wii Fit Plus Experience at select Target store parking lots in California, Georgia, and Texas over the next three weeks, with a $15 gift card for those willing to get their exercise on in public. More »

It Was Called Pac-Man Land

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:00:00 EDT

Frito pie, Dr. Pepper and Six Flags Over Texas. Memories of my childhood growing up in 1980s Texas. And I have vague, vague memories of this: Pac-Man Land. More »

ESA President Calls For Stronger Texas Game Industry Incentives

Mike Fahey — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:20:00 EDT

Entertainment Software Association president Michael Gallagher has issued a plea to the Texas state government to strengthen tax incentives for software companies residing in the Lone Star state. More »

State of Texas Creates Video Game Day

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST

What were you doing on February 3rd? Let us tell you what you should have been doing, you should have been celebrating Entertainment Software Day. Oh yes. More »

Catch Real Mexicans In This Real Border Crossing "Game"

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:30:00 EST

There's a new "project" running in Texas that sounds a lot more like a "game" to us. It involves cameras, the internet, people sitting at home and catching Mexicans. Fun fun fun! More »

Don't Mess With Texas

Owen Good — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Well, that National Post thing went out the door at little early, so in return I give you a look at another story dated (echo chamber) FROM THE FUTURE ... In tomorrow's Austin American-Statesman is, or will be, a story by their gaming writer, Lilly Rockwell. She talked to Michael Gallagher, described as "one of the game industry's top lobbyists" but not the president of the Entertainment Software Association. Curious. Anyhow, we're familiar with the fact Texas is courting developers with incentives, and Gov. Rick Perry's appearance at E3 says as much. But tucked in the story is this little nugget: More »

Suspect Arrested In San Antonio EB Murder

Mike Fahey — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:20:00 EDT

In January 2007 we reported on the murder of Amber Belken, a 24-year-old EB manager for a San Antonio, Texas area EB Games store. Belken entered her store around 9AM on January 29th, 2007 only be be found dead - suffocated with a plastic bag - around 2PM when EB managers arrived on the scene to see why she hadn't been answering the phone. Now, over a year and a half later, police finally have a suspect in custody. More »

Texas Governor Perry Encourages Game Biz

Leigh Alexander — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Texas Governor Rick Perry believes in the game industry. It's in our nature, he said, to be driven and competitive, and that's why he wants more companies within the industry to put down roots in Texas. More »

GameFly Opens Austin Distribution Center

Mike Fahey — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:20:00 EDT

Video game rent-by-mail company GameFly has just announced the opening of a brand new distribution center in Austin Texas. The new center will handle mailing games in little orange envelopes to subscribers across Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. This is the third new center opened in the past 13 months, along with the Pittsburgh, PA and Tampa, FL locations. More »

Boys Pay Hookers To Play Halo And...Oh, That Story Isn't Real

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:20:00 EDT

If you've been trawling the recesses of the internets for the past week or so, you may have come across a story about a pair of 13 year-old kids who lied about winning a WoW tournament, booked a swish hotel room then paid for two $1000-a-night hookers to come upstairs and play Halo with them. For their troubles, the pair have allegedly been "convicted of fraud". It'd be a pretty funny story if it was true. Thing is, it's not. Kiwi site Stuff actually bothered to check with the police in Newark, Texas, where the events supposedly took place, and were told:

As far as we know, this story is a hoax. There have not been any arrests here, and we're not aware of any convictions like that in this county.

Hint: as soon as the story involves midgets, and not just hookers, Xbox and WoW, there's a good chance it's too good to be true. More »

DA Under Investigation For Buying Gaming PC with Public Money

Brian Crecente — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:01:33 EDT

A Texas District Attorney under investigation for a slew of misconduct is being accused of using public money to buy a "gimmicky" computer designed to play computer games in his office. More »

Tabula Rasa Totally Tanked? NCSoft Austin Downsizing?

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:00:09 EST

Apparently, MMORPG Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa bombed. And when games bomb, heads roll. If true, it's at NCSoft's Austin Studio! The Korea Times reports that the Austin subsidiary "has proven to be a financial disaster." Making Tabula Rasa was no cake walk, with rattailed Richard Garriott restarting the project several times, costing NCSoft added expenses. In a conference call, NCSofts chief financial officer Lee Jae-ho said: More »

El Paso Police Nab Fugitives With 360s

Mike Fahey — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:40:04 EST

Rule of thumb here people. If you are on the run from the law for a crime you did or did not commit, you don't win video game consoles. Even if you do, you don't. A lot of fugitives from justice learned this lesson the hard way in early November, when police in El Paso Texas staged a roundup using an Xbox 360 and a television as bait. The fugitives in question were informed that they had won a fabulous video game prize, and when they arrived to pick it up they were arrested on the spot. The operation led to 115 arrests, 129 cleared warrants, and the collection of $25,686 in unpaid traffic fines. Not one Xbox 360 was given away. Once again, if you are on the lam, you win nothing. Don't try to collect a prize, show up for the game show you suddenly get invited to, or follow that piece of candy being mysteriously drug along the ground by a string towards a waiting paddy wagon. It can only end in tears. More »

Game Devs Get Incentives to Move to Texas

Kim Phu — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:40:00 EDT

That's right, Texas. They are willing to pay top dollar to lure Hollywood and game developers out to the Lone Star state, but the cash doesn't come without restrictions. Governor Rick Perry recently signed a bill that allows game developers to receive grants up to $250,000, but they must meet certain requirements. Violent games or games that the State deem to have "inappropriate" or "obscene" content would not be able to enjoy the new benefits and neither would games that portray Texas in an unflattering way. Under the bill, the State would ultimately have the right to pick and choose which projects fulfill all the requirements. More »

QuakeCon 07 Announced

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 23:20:36 EST

Stop showering now, Quake and Doom fans. You have less than eight months to build up a respectable gamer odor before the next, newly announced QuakeCon. The yearly event is scheduled to take place August 2-5, 2007 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. More »

Feeding Off the E3's Rotting Carcass

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 09:24:20 EDT

E3... dead, bastardized, whatever. The Guardian GamesBlog points out just how opportunistic my fellow Texans are. Comparing these Johnny-Come-Latelies to vultures (and heck, why not?), GamesBlog posts this email excerpt from the Austin Game Conference: More »

Belt Buckle Fit for Red Neck Mario Fans

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 11:20:56 EDT

Being from Texas, I have seen my fair share of belt buckles (also guns and high school football games). And being from Texas, I do think I am in a position to judge a good buckle. The one in the Sticky Fingersesque photo above was purchased in LA's fashion district for $10. The belt was free. In my good ol' boy scorechart, this buckle gets ten out of ten heehaw's. Brian Ashcraft More »

Pac-Man Lotto Gobbles Up Your Money

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 07:22:25 EDT

There are some who never give up. Florian, for instance, is relentless and still hasn't got more than a frosty "slog off, matey!" out of Eliza. He has better chances of winning this Texas Lottery Pac-Man scratch off. Match numbers to win up to US $25,000 or reveal a Pac-Man symbol and win a Pac-Man cocktail table arcade game. If I was 13 years old and if the year was 1982, that *might* be cool. Florian, though, is sadden to learn this lotto is open only to Texans. Yee-ha! Brian Ashcraft More »

Student Research: Real Sex Beats In-Game

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 16:21:15 EDT

Aleks Krotoski over at The Guardian points to Trinity University research on that in-game sex phenomenon. She's posted some choice quotes, but what caught my attention was the conclusion to this student paper: More »

Video Game Sin Tax?

Brian Crecente — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 07:10:16 EDT

Texas Senator Juan Hinojosa plans to propose a tax on video game sales in the state of Texas, similary to the tax some states place on alcohol or taboacco. More »

Texas Modder Ready To "Unleash" On Yer Xbox 360

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 13:20:35 EST

Over in the den of sin known as Craigslist, there's a Texas modder near UT claiming to be able to make Xbox 360s play import and backed up games. "I will show you how to make legal back-ups of games you own," writes the modder. It takes only 30 minutes and costs $150. More »

Bioware Announces MMO

brownlee — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 14:40:12 EST

Bioware — those crafty geniuses behind Baldur's Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights and Knights of the Old Republic — have finally decided to launch themselves into the MMORPG game. Like all press releases, the following is filled with boring business PR twattle, telling us relatively nothing about the game and instead harping on the fact that Fifty-First State Bioware is opening a Texas MMOG house for the project. More »

No Taxation Without Retardation

lsmith — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 14:42:15 EST

Texas gubernatorial candidate Star Locke thinks a 50% tax on violent video games, abortion and soft drinks is the way forward for the "everything's bigger here" state. This tax, in Locke's eyes, would replace property tax as the big breadwinner of taxation. Whatever happened to just taxing the absolute shit out of cigarettes and alcohol to make more money for the state? The times they are a-changin'. More »

Mario & Sonic on Gizmondo?

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 11:22:57 EST

"You know what this little bad boy can do?" the Gizmondo guy asks, not even looking up from the portable he's playing. More »