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The Emotions Free-to-Play Games Prey on to Get Players to Pay
“In a freemium game it’s not a rational decision to pay; it’s an emotional one.” Wednesday at the East Coast Games Conference in North Carolina, former BioWare design manager Ethan Levy explained how free-to-play games can harness to emotions of their players in order to profit. Up until recently Levy, who delivered the “Game Design…
By Mike Fahey Published April 27, 2012 - Uncategorized
Skyrim Patch Files Hint at an Incoming Snow Elf Prince and Crossbows
Hints of what’s coming next for Skyrim may be buried in the latest patch for Bethesda’s hit action/RPG. In the lore of The Elder Scrolls V, the Snow Elves have been driven underground by the Nords. But the in-game legends about the mystical race make it sound like they’re former badasses who’ve been laid low…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 27, 2012 -
UncategorizedThat Glorious Moment When Video Games Win Against Marriage
Unlike in-game marriages, real-life marriages can be problematic when video games are involved. Andrew Allen, a USC film student and a lifelong gamer, acts out these troubles in his latest episode of games versus marriage. Featured is Gears of War, which has undoubtedly ruined many people’s social and marriage lives. But Andrew (or, rather, the…
By Tina Amini Published April 27, 2012 -
UncategorizedWord Off Makes Spelling Into A Territorial Death Match
Word Off is, well, a face-off… with words. It’s an asynchronous Scrabble-scored Boggle fight, played on a strategy game’s grid and covered in a Roy Lichtenstein touch. Many word games have a sense of gravitas about them, something in their art style that holds up a hand at shoulder height and says, “You Must Be…
By Kate Cox Published April 27, 2012 -
UncategorizedA Minute’s Worth of Guild Wars Lore
With the first Guild Wars 2 beta weekend kicking off today and the seventh anniversary of the original game in full swing, The Game Station crew attempt to condense the lore of the first into an easy-to-digest one minute video. How’d they do? There are inconsistencies, at least that’s what the folks in the comments…
By Mike Fahey Published April 27, 2012 -
UncategorizedThis Video Puzzle Made with Four iPhones Makes My Brain Hurt
Four iPhones are arranged, rearranged, and rearranged again to the tune of “We Are Young” by Fun. I can barely wrap my brain around how the planning and choreography it took to get this down right. I can’t fathom how much work went into creating this YouTube video, but it took them 238 takes to…
By Tina Amini Published April 27, 2012 - Uncategorized
EVE Online Producers Declare Player’s Attempt to Destroy Game’s Economy “Absolutely Brilliant”
In most MMOs, if a player spearheaded a public, concerted crusade to destroy the game’s economy, the game’s producers would find a way to put a stop to it. But EVE Online isn’t quite like most other MMOs. High-ranking EVE Online player The Mittani was temporarily banned from the game after an unpleasant incident where…
By Kate Cox Published April 27, 2012 -
UncategorizedThe Space Shuttle Looks Awesome Flying Across New York’s Skyline
Just like it did over the skies of Washington, D.C. last week, the Space Shuttle made a low-altitude fly-by over the New York City Area this morning. Everybody here at Gawker HQ scrambled to the roof and waited for a few chilly minutes for Enterprise to come into our field of vision. Kotaku’s own Chris…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 27, 2012 - Uncategorized
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Welcome to Kotaku’s official forum, known affectionately as Talk Amongst Yourselves. This is the place where we gather on a daily basis to discuss all things video game and existential. Want to talk about new games, old games, games that aren’t even out yet? Knock yourselves out! Today’s TAYpic gender-bends Snooty Guy into a monster…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 27, 2012 - Uncategorized
Ask a Game Developer Anything: Your Excellent Questions Answered.
Hey Kotaku readers, I’m back at it again this month. Apparently things went well enough last month that Kotaku decided to keep me going… Well either that or they just forgot to revoke my press badge. Anyway, sorry if I’m a little late, my wife and I had a daughter this month! Our very first…
Jeremiah Slaczka, Creative Director, 5TH Cell Published April 27, 2012 - Uncategorized
There’s a Perfectly Rational Explanation for Why I Was Doing Bourbon Shots Before Noon Yesterday
As the games media panel at the East Coast Games Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina kicked off yesterday, moderator and Epic PR manager Wes Phillips set shot glasses in front of each of the participants. Then he filled them with bourbon. Then came the cupcakes. In the early planning stages of the “Game Media: From…
By Mike Fahey Published April 27, 2012 -
Uncategorized“People Will Be Happy” Watching These Incredibly Abrupt Old-School Game Endings
You die and die and die. Load up another save, maybe. Finally, you emerge triumphant over the boss battle or end sequence you’ve been struggling with. Nowadays, you’re likely to get a big shiny, fully-voiced cutscene topped off with swelling orchestral music. But that wasn’t the case thirty years ago. Back in the day, the…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 27, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThat Game About Dating Disabled Girls is Excellent (And You Should Play It)
When I first heard that a visual novel centered around dating girls with physical disabilities was being made, my first thought was “only in Japan.” Of course, I was completely wrong. While made in the style of a typical Japanese visual novel—and even based on a Japanese sketch—Katawa Shoujo was created by a group of…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 27, 2012 -
Kotaku EastA Reminder of Just How Cool the PS Vita Can Be
So PS Vita sales are nosediving. And Sony must be worried, because these are dark times for the Vita. Dark times. But just as everyone is forgetting what an impressive piece of hardware the Vita is, Sony released the PlayStation Developer Suite to allow developers to create apps for the Vita and other PlayStation certified…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2012 - Kotaku East
A Little Samurai Armor in the Living Room
May 5 is Children’s Day. Since my wife and I have, well, children, we get out a set of miniature “yoroi” (armor) so that our sons grow up healthy and strong. I’ve posted about this before, so forgive me if you read that previous post! But, I absolutely love getting out this miniature set of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2012 - Kotaku East
So, How Those Nintendo Machines Doing, Huh? Those Games?
Throughout its history as a game company, Nintendo has released an impressive array of game machines. Have you ever thought, hrm, I wonder how said game machines are doing? Let’s find out! Nintendo recently released worldwide lifetime sale data for its game machines as well as for its games. The data is of March 31,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2012 -
Kotaku EastWhen Mother-Daughter Relationships Appear Just Awful
This week, Chinese model Gan Lulu once again raised eyebrows. She appeared at the Beijing Motor Show in a dress that was more skin than fabric. Right along with her, every step of the way was her mom, snapping photos of her daughter on her iPhone. There’s nothing wrong with close mother-daughter relationships. But their…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2012 - Uncategorized
Leaked Rayman Legends for Wii U Trailer Hints at Assassin’s Creed Cameo
Rayman Legends is headed to the Wii U, a new leaked trailer reveals. It’s bringing legendary settings, new playable characters, touch screen controls and NFC (near field communication). The trailer shows off the four-person multiplayer as well as its swiped-based touch controls. The clip shows three on Wii-Remotes, and one player using the new Wii…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2012
