By Nadia Oxford on Jun 16, 2011 in Business, Culture, Game Design
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E3 is three solid days of flipping out over video games. Every minute on the show floor is crammed with gaming: We run from kiosk to kiosk, sampling this and that. A certain metaphor about kids in candy stores comes to mind, and boy, is it apt.
So it’s kind of weird to lean back after E3, reflect on what we’ve played, and ask ourselves, “Gee…what’s new?”
Nobody is questioning the quality of the demos, all of which offered up...
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By Nadia Oxford on Jun 10, 2011 in Business, Digital Distribution, Game Development
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If you’re amongst the growing number of gamers who are unhappy about the gradual dissipation of the single-player experience, Silicon Knights’ boss, Denis Dyack, has someone you can blame: GameStop.
Last month, Dyack told IndustryGamers that developers are being forced to build their games around multiplayer options because the used game trade–which GameStop more or less owns–is putting a serious hurt on game studios.
Dyack said,...
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By Nadia Oxford on Jun 10, 2011 in Business, Digital Distribution, iPhone and iPad
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GameStop already has command over retail game distribution, and is particularly interested in the sale and trade of used games. Recently, the chain has made public its plans to offer widespread digitally downloadable games and streaming. Is there any game retail territory left for GameStop to jab its flag into? You bet, and that’s the next stop: GameStop is testing out a trade-in market for Apple iOS devices like iPod Touch digital music players, iPhone...
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By Nadia Oxford on Jun 7, 2011 in Business, Online Games, Retail
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There is no scientific procedure for determining the exact point when a rabidly popular television or video game series peaks and then loses its seemingly supernatural appeal (or, as the kids say, “jumped the shark”). The best anyone can do is make a note of the exact moment a gaming series they once loved came tumbling down after enjoying a stay at the top. From there, they find like-minded individuals in an online community and inscribe that moment in...
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By Nadia Oxford on Jun 4, 2011 in Marketing, Retail, Sony
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What’s in a name? As far as a video game console is concerned, history, power, brand recognition, and at least six months worth of Internet-bound puns and jokes. The “Nintendo Entertainment System” was specifically branded and engineered to squirm its way into North American family entertainment centers and take its place among the VCR’s of the age: The term “video game system” induced too many flashbacks of sub-par Atari games....
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