July 8th, 2010
Support the ECA's Gamer Petition
Recently, the Supreme Court of the United States took up a case from California. This Case involves a law that was passed in 2005 that would regulate the sale of violent video games to minors. The video game industry, represented by the ESA, has challenged this law in federal court. Twice it has been ruled unconstitutional. It is now up to the Supreme Court to decide once and for all.
The Entertainment Consumers Association has issued a petition that they want all people who play games to sign. This petition puts to voice of the people behind the defense of the game industry from this law. I have already put my name on it and I think you should as well.
Here are my thoughts on why. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: ECA, ESA, Supreme Court, Video Game Laws
Posted in
Politics and Law |
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June 29th, 2010
With EA’s decision to charge $10 for online play and Ubisoft and THQ looking to follow suit, is it about time that game publishers started selling local and online play separately? Drop the price of the local play to $50 and charge another $10 for those who want to play online.
It seems obvious that $10 is the price that EA has given online play is all they value that feature at. So why make everyone pay for it when getting a new copy when those who purchase used have the choice?
I find it hard to believe that everyone who buys a game new will play for any extended period of time. EA has already decided to give everyone a 7 day free pass designed around the idea that people will borrow or rent their games and want to play online for that time. Why not give that option to everyone who buys used or new and then charge everyone the $10 if they want to go online for longer than that. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: DRM, EA, NPD, THQ, Ubisoft
Posted in
Game Philosophy |
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June 29th, 2010
Recently the Cub Scouts of America introduced a new award based on video games. At first this may seem very surprising considering the goal of Scouting is to build life skills within boys and young men. So what life skills can one learn from video games? Let’s take a look at what a Cub Scout must do to get this award. (source)
There are two parts to this award. This first is a belt loop and the second is a pin. There are requirements that the scout must do to get each part. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts
Posted in
Game Philosophy, News |
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June 29th, 2010
The Supreme Court of the United States recently decided to review the California Law that would regulate the sale of video games to minors. There is a 10 court precedent that is in favor of the video game industry which means that the Supreme Court would most likely rule in favor of the video game industry as well.
But if they do, will that be the end of all such legislation? My answer is no. I base this off of what has happened in Oklahoma. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: California, Oklahoma, Supreme Court, Video Game Laws
Posted in
Game Philosophy, Politics and Law |
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June 29th, 2010
Over the last few months, I have been thinking more deeply about the ever connected gaming world and what exactly that means, not just for the consumer but also for the games we play.
This console generation is the first generation of consoles to all have a connection to the internet. All three consoles have online multiplayer, downloadable content and servers that need to be maintained in order for that functionality to continue.
This generation of game consoles have also brought about the ability to patch and update not just the games on the console but also the console itself.
Have you ever thought of what that means for the games of this generation when the switch on those servers is turned off?
There is already some evidence of what will happen. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: DRM, online gaming, PS3, Ubisoft, Walmart, Xbox
Posted in
Game Philosophy |
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June 29th, 2010
After my review of game development on the PC, I came to realize that there is very little if any support for Linux as a viable platform from the creators of game engines for the PC. Even those that advertise that they are cross platform engines only go so far as to be cross platform for Windows and Mac.
As a gamer that has decided to use Linux as my primary OS for me and my family, I find this disheartening.
I am well aware of the small market share that Linux has world wide. (around 1%) It is not that small when compared to the Mac market. (around 5%). (source) So why is Linux’s 1% valued so little compared to the Mac’s 5%. Both are relatively small compared to Windows’ astounding 92%. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Flash, Linux, Mac, PC, Silverlight, Torque, Unity, Unreal, Wine, XNA
Posted in
Game Philosophy |
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June 29th, 2010
Throughout the games industry there is a big debate on the legality of Mod Chips, those nifty little circuit boards and cartridges that allow for people to do things with video game consoles that the manufacturers did not intend. We all know what they are capable of doing, pirating games being the most hotly debated. What we may not realize is that they have a lot in common with another device that has become a home staple, the VCR.
Back in the 70s, Sony introduced their entry in the home video cassette format war, Betamax. Betamax, much like VHS, allowed for the recording and playback of television broadcasts. Some companies in the entertainment business were not happy as they felt that the ability for home viewers to record shows and movies and play them back at later times constituted copyright infringement and that Sony should be held liable for providing the tools that made it so easy.
So what did these entertainment companies do? They sued Sony. This case went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States and became known as Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. (http://supreme.justia.com/us/464/417/case.htm) Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Betamax, copyright, fair use, homebrew, infringement, mod chips, piracy, Sony, Supreme Court
Posted in
Game Philosophy, Politics and Law |
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June 29th, 2010
Here are some interesting thoughts. The used game market is complained about by the suppliers of games more than any entertainment market out there. There are stores that sell used music, used videos, used books, used comics, used toys etc. Very few individuals from those industries complain about their used market and any that do are not as vocal as those from the games industry. So why does the games industry complain so much and so loudly? What can be done to alleviate their concerns? Let’s talk.
First, Why do they complain? Well the first reason I can think of is that the used game market does not add any money directly in the pockets of those who create them. This can be concerning for those who are struggling to profit or are barely breaking even. From what I have read and heard, the used game market is often put on the same level as piracy. After all, if you are not putting money in the pockets of the developers you are essentially stealing. At least that is what they want you to think. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: DLC, First Sale Doctrine, NPD, piracy, used games
Posted in
Game Philosophy |
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June 29th, 2010
I have finished my new site. I was planning on doing a WordPress site, but after thinking it through, I found it to be the best option for my needs.
I will be adding content as time moves on. Stay tuned.
Tags: Wordpress
Posted in
News, Shameless Plug |
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