Forgot to mention in my last post, 'Grand Theft auto: 4' is out in two days!
Two days until a flurry of individuals become too 'sick' to go into work or school or visit their other boy/girlfriends (girls game too, apparently).
Analysts are already assuming it is to be the game of the year already, and if early reviews are any thing to go by (perfect 10/10 - ign) it seems to be that way.
As i have mentioned before my topic for the exam will be video games with a hint of social networking and how the two converge and other the past week or so i have been delaying making an update as too gather information on the subject and in particular Playstation's take on this, 'Playstation Home'. Now i know that i have already made a post on 'Home' agessss ago (how the hell do i stop this hyperlink?!
There we go... any way, yeah i had intended for this update to be based on 'Home' as it is like social networking in a virtual literal sense as explained in that previous article, touted as 'gaming 3.0', but thanks to the punctual guys at 'Sony' there are still very little details about 'Home' to update on and just to add salt into hte proverbial wound, it was due for release in April 2009, you know, this month, the one thats almost finished. So 'Sony' have announced that they are delaying 'Home' again! If this is 'Sony' trying to do a 'Blair Witch' and delaying to create more hype, it is not succeeding. 'Sony' have been having 'closed Beta' testing on 'Home' for some time now (a beta is basically like a glorified demo on a game currently in development and/or nearing its release) we still don't seem to be any closer to having it on our XMB's.
Gamers are growing impatient as news on Home is dwindling into non-existence, and any news is likely to be further delays, so is 'Home' going to be too little too late? Will i never be able to play virtual bowling with avatars of people ive never meet before? As the magic 8-ball would say, 'Not likely'.
To be honest i don't particularly care too much for 'Home', i only use it as a counter to 360 vs PS3 arguements as long as my console still has games im happy, throw in an in game XMB and ill be even happier. But until then i guess ill just have to stick with reality... sigh.
As games consoles are adopting social networking, social networking are also adopting gaming. Social networking sites such as 'FaceBook' and 'MySpace' boast new 'application' features that allow their users to add applications to their pages that can range from games such as poker to snooker and paly with their friends on them over web 2.0. For example 'MySpace' has just announced the public launch of its "applications gallery" at Web 2.0. Central to those applications will be games. It's hardly 'Call of Duty' but its a start. I guess.
Read more here.
Speaking of 'facebook', i know that theres no such thing as bad publicity, but i was reading 'The News of the World' today and came across a section headlines 'Disgracebook', "haha, i see what they did there" i thought to my self, only to be disgusted to the articles premise. A section on a social networking website known as 'onemodelplace' or some other largely unoriginal name, where models, agents and photographers have profiles on this global website. Now your all probably think, "what the crap is wrong with that?" Well theres photos of girls as young as 11 who have uploaded pretty tasteless photos of themselves on it and posted details on how they long to work as glamour models. And ANYONE could just set up a fake login name etc and look through these profiles. Warning lights any one? Cos that is just WRONG!
It only further highlights the dangers and downsides of social networking.
If only there were some kind of police for this kind of thing...
In correspondence with my last entry on how people are blaming video games for some of the nastier things in life such as violence, a recent study have been carried out to prove or disprove this at Middlesex University by a Jane Barnett.
"The psychologists recruited 292 male and female online gamers, playing the game World of Warcraft. The players, aged between 12 and 83 years, were asked to complete a questionnaire on anger, aggression and personality and then played the game for two hours. After this time they were they were asked to complete the test again.
The psychologists found overall the gamers were more likely to feel calm or tired after playing – but there were differences depending on sex, age and personality.
Miss Barnett said: “There were actually higher levels of relaxation before and after playing the game as opposed to experiencing anger but this did very much depend on personality type.
“This will help us to develop a emotion and gaming questionnaire to help distinguish the type of gamer who is likely to transfer their online aggression into everyday life"
Yo, after a long absence of posts mainly due to all the other work i have had dropped on me from other subjects who believe that they are in fact the only ones i have taken coupled with the magazine coursework that i had to do for media, i didnt get to up date this quite as much as id of liked. But any way, all that rubbish aside and its time for more updates.
Not much realllly happened since i last made an update;
The xbox 360 had cut its price down to 200 pound for a standard model where as the P$£ is remaining at a rather heft price tag of 300 pound for an ordinary model. This people have got in a huff about as some internet dwellers seem to forget that the 360 has been around for a year longer than the ps3 and is by all means entitled to a price drop by now. This caused an increase in sales by up to 40% in the first week. But to a few people surprise, the ps3's predecessor, the ps2 was also one of the most highest selling consoles of the easter... However this is a clever marketing marketing campaign as it is used to promote momentum for the 360 as the PS3 slowly catches it up.
Other news on the net includes a new aka for the 360. As to many gamers it is know to be prone to malfunctions, thus developing the nick name '3FixMe!'. Not a great reputation really.
Also as the format war is now well and truly over and Toshiba has officially discontinued their productions of HD-DVD players and HD-DVDs rumours are sparking up everywhere like the back of a bike shed that the 360 will be graced with an external Blu Ray drive. Only time will tell on that one as Microsoft have always seemed adamant that this would never be the case.
Games giants 'Electronic Arts', known for franhises such as 'EA Sports' have been very busy lately by trying to monopolise the gaming market all to their self by buying out smaller more indie games developers that pose any threat to their success and money making. 'EA' made most of their money with their annual franchises such as 'Madden 2008' and over recent years the averages score ratings for their games has seen a slump as there games continued to lack innovation and originality. Not one to break their carnivorous eating habits 'EA' have set its sights on 'Take Two Interactive' as games publisher and distributor known for their highly anticipated and loved 'GTA' series and the not so loved 'Manhunt' series. After 'TT' denied an offer of 2 billion dollars EA set out other means to acquiring the company by buying out big share holders of the company. This convergence of companies is not the first in this sense as 'Activision' and 'Vivendi' formed earlier on in the year. In my opinion, 'TT' would be fools to sell out at such a crucial time what with the release of GTA 4 coming out, which is almost guaranteed to make millions.
Oh yeah i forgot to mention, today in class we were told to narrow down our NMT scope and i have narrowed mine down to Games. If you couldn't already tell. But i will also be using other aspects of NMT such as social networking in games (xbox Live, PSN), convergence in games with other peripherals and incorporating the format war (blu ray vs HD-DVD) and wireless aspects such as wifi in psp's etc.
I have chosen this because i feel that games are at a time in the media where they are attracting alot of attention. The majority of which is negative as games are being used as scape goats for violence and other maladaptive behavior. Reasons for this being because kids are playing games that are far too mature for them, or that kids are spending to much time on games. These are the types of retarded games politics that are gunna ruin gaming as presidential hopefuls such as Barack Obama whose opinion on gaming is that it is a 'Metaphor for under achievement'
Yeah...
As well as it being proposed that games receive film like certificate ratings, i always thought they already had them to be honest. But thankfully female psychologist Tanya Byron is acting as the voice of reason in a world full of retards claiming they should "get a grip".
Waheys!
In my opinion any one who goes out and buys a game which simulates violence and cannot differentiate between reality and that video game is bound to do something wacky regardless of whether or not a game is involved. I have been playing video games from a very early age and not once have i had the urge to hijack a car, go for a joy ride, then kill some prostitutes. If were banning violent material then why not ban some violent literature while were at it, King Lears pretty messed up, some guy had his eyes plucked out, sure Shakespeare wouldn't mind i know i wouldn't.
Rant over.
On a lighter note on april fools day a story was leaked about those crazy Japanese and how they came up with a bizzare new way of playing the wii. Taking the name a bit too literally i think in the form of 'Super Pii Pii Broters'.
Look how much fun shes having.
Basically what the game entailed is strapping the wii remote on to a pair of peripheral pants and then well, peeing. According to the Japanese text on the box "Super Pii Pii Brothers promotes good bathroom skills and allows women to experience for the first time the pleasure of urinating while standing." How thoughtful. Unfortunately though this is just one of the many april fool gaming pranks up there with the likes of a new Final fantasy 7 remake for the ps3.
Sigh, in time.
- Alex x
