Archive for Gaming

Video game players take a shot at being frugal (LA Times)

The game industry has held up better than many other forms of entertainment during the recession as consumers cut back on their discretionary spending. That’s because many see games as a good value since most titles feature dozens of hours of play.

[…] From January through May, gamers surveyed by Nielsen bought an average of 3.4 used games, up 31% from the same period last year. Although they’re still buying new games, one third of their purchases were used discs, up 13% from last year. –Alex Pham

[True. According to my PS3, I logged over 52 hours playing Street Fighter IV; over 6 days playing Call of Duty: World at War; and over 6 days playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. I avoid purchasing used games because I’m a game snob (much like how hate buying used textbooks), but with things like eBay, I am able to buy new games at used prices. BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (SquareEnix)


[Seeing this game almost makes me want a Wii. Almost. BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow E3 09 Trailer (G4)

[Here is another game I am looking forward to next year. Patrick Stewart being on-board is awesome. BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

Final Fantasy XIV Online Trailer (G4)

[SquareEnix announced FF14 Online will be released in 2010 as well as long-awaited FF13. I resisted FF11 Online because otherwise, as my best friend Nick Stepaniak says, “Nobody would ever see me again,” but I anticipate many lost hours after next year BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

The Beatles: Rock Band E3 Debut Trailer (G4)

[E3 is a major conference for video game developers and fans that often features official announcements about upcoming games. I believe Beatles Rock Band may be the best Rock Band game to date and certainly puts Guitar Hero to shame (sorry, Guitar Hero fans). BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives Update

[I recently contributed a literacy narrative to The Ohio State University’s Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives and now my story is available for viewing on its website. Any person may make a contribution at any time and researchers (undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate) will make use of them. From Cynthia. BK]

category: Gaming, Life, Literacy, Pedagogy, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

“Rock Band” Franchise Exceeds $1 Billion In Sales Before Beatles Game Arrives (Rolling Stone)

Whatever the revenue gap between RB and GH is now, expect it fluctuate as both titles release big-name versions this year: Guitar Hero: Metallica hits shelves March 29th (James Hetfield talks that game here) and The Beatles: Rock Band, perhaps the most-anticipated game in either franchise’s history, will be released on September 9th, 2009. To counter, Guitar Hero reportedly has a Van Halen-dedicated version on the way.

[I’m not a big fan of Metallica and playing “Enter Sandman” on Rock Band 2 is as tough (if not tougher) as playing “Green Grass and High Tides” on Rock Band. I am more impressed with Rock Band’s catalog compared with Guitar Hero and its securing The Beatles’ music (which is an important digital first for the band and its catalog) makes me feel better about being a Rock Band player. BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

Cloud Computing Games: The Future? (Red Herring)

If, when the device launches, the servers can still retain the lag-free instant-stream gameplay, then OnLive will have successfully redefined the video game industry. PC gamers will no longer have to spend thousands of dollars in order to play a game at maximum settings–they can simply stream it onto their screen. And there’s great potential for OnLive to be a serious contender in the console arena as well. –Michael Lee

[An interesting idea at least another year away, but if successful, might help programs like Second Life with its ridiculous system requirements. BK]

category: Gaming, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

New York Museum Opens National Center for the History of Electronic Games (Gamasutra)

The new National Center for the History of Electronic Games houses a 15,000-item collection — one of the largest in the United States, it claims — including some 10,000 games as well as every major system released since the Magnavox Odyssey, recognized as the first video game console. –Chris Remo

category: Gaming, Pedagogy, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

Microsoft to see if shoot-em-up games can enhance education (El Paso Times)

Microsoft has put up $1.5 million to start The Games for Learning Institute, a joint venture with New York University and other colleges. The goal of the research is to see whether video games — and not just software specifically designed to be educational — can draw students into math, science and technology-based programs. The institute has begun lining up middle school students to study. –Dave Kolpack

[Sources such as Linda Burch, chief program and strategy officer for Common Sense Media, claims that “There isn’t a lot of good research out there,” referring to shooter games. However, James Paul Gee’s What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and LIteracy is a book-length examination of the first-person-shooter video game genre, recently revised and updated in a new edition. BK]

category: Gaming, Literacy, Pedagogy, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology    

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