Game

Video games, celebrity and the golden goose

Lately I am obsessed with video games, not so much in playing them but figuring how they work. It's kind of surprising that companies like Amazon and Google tell you how their entire infrastructures are built but as my fellow CNET blogger Don Reisinger points out, the gaming industry is shrouded in anonymity and secrecy.

It makes me think there is a huge opportunity for some kind of open source-esque video game console and game development. Gaming is a market dominated by 3-4 giant players just like how software was, and music has been. We've seen the effects … Read more

Chests on: 3rd Space FPS Gaming Vest

Modern games not immersive enough for you? You might want to consider getting the 3rd Space FPS Gaming Vest, which promises to blast you into the action in ways you might never have imagined. Sort of.

Here's how it works: You strap on the vest, connect it to your PC via USB, and to a compressor unit via an air tube. Fire up a compatible game (Call of Duty 2 is bundled), get shot, and the drivers will send a message to the compressor to fire a blast of air down the tube, and into a set of air … Read more

I can't stand anonymity in the gaming industry

As I searched for something to talk about today, I came across this article from Joystiq featuring a discussion by Will Wright about Spore and the gaming industry.

For those of you who don't know Will Wright, he's not only the creator of Spore, but he's also the creator of the Sims franchise, and arguably one of the greatest game developers of all time.

And yet, I'd venture to say that at least some of you reading this have never heard of Will Wright before. I'll bet you've played the Sims and may even know about Spore, but you had no idea who Will Wright is.

If that's true, the blame shouldn't be placed on you and you certainly shouldn't be expected to perform research just to find out who develops a specific game. Instead, the blame should be placed squarely on the video game industry, and more specifically, major companies like Take-Two and Electronic Arts, for creating an environment where anonymity is not only accepted, but expected as well.

And if you ask me, that's just wrong.… Read more

I'm In Like With You raises $1.5 million, looks to game development

I'm In Like With You, a social-network-turned-gaming-site that caught a brief flurry of press for its eye-popping design when it launched, has just closed a $1.5 million round of venture funding led by Spark Capital. It's the first funding the site has received since its angel round last year.

In addition to Spark, the round includes current investors Baseline Ventures, Betaworks, and veteran investor Ron Conway, as well as an investment from Netscape and Ning founder Marc Andreessen.

The funding round was widely rumored as the site--having failed to live up to the hype it first generated … Read more

Get a refurbished Xbox 360 Premium system for $199.99 shipped

These will sell out crazy-fast, so I'm going to keep it brief: Buy.com has reconditioned Xbox 360 Premium consoles on sale for $199.99--and shipping is free!

This is the non-HDMI version, but it does include the standard 20GB hard drive, wireless controller, and headset. Alas, you get only a 60-day warranty--though arguably a reconditioned Xbox will outlast a new one.

This deal is $20 sweeter than the last time I posted about a refurb Xbox 360, so if you've been waiting to pull the trigger on this killer console (and media-center extender), wait no longer.… Read more

Should you care about sex in video games?

The New York Times featured a story today that discusses the ongoing legal battle over the "Hot Coffee" scandal. For those of you who may have forgotten, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas featured a hidden scene where the star of the game was engaging in a form of sexual activity with another on-screen character.

After parenting groups expressed shock that developers could throw such a "disgusting" act in a video game, the ESA was forced to change its rating to Adults Only and Rockstar Games was brought under fire for having so-called pornographic material in a video game.

But as the Times is reporting, it seems the only people that care are the lawyers. According to the report, "Lawyers who sued the makers of the video game...profess to be shocked, simply shocked, that few people who bought the game were offended by sex scenes buried in its software."

Since the lawsuit was brought against the company, only 2,676 claims were filed and the lawyers have expressed displeasure over such a low number.

"Am I disappointed? Sure," said Seth R. Lesser, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs. "We can't guess as to why now, several years later, people care or don't care. The merits of the case were clear."

But were they? Was San Andreas really "sold as something it wasn't" and gamers were really upset to find out that sexual content made its way into a game even though they couldn't find it unless they had third-party software and some advanced knowledge of game development?

I certainly don't think so. Look, I don't see any problem with the scene and even if it was readily available, I wouldn't care. Call me a socially liberal loon or naive, but why should we care about sex in video games?… Read more

Why video games are the new entertainment leaders

After playing through Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, it became quite clear to me that video games have supplanted film as entertainment leaders. The game shines on so many levels, it's difficult to recount them all here. But perhaps more than anything, it allowed me to become a part of an environment that goes above and beyond anything I've ever experienced in a movie.

And after playing through this instant classic, I can't help but wonder if the video game industry has finally realized that it commands mainstream attention and must favor a new type of gaming that creates unprecedented entertainment value.

I'm a firm believer that video games have replaced movies as the de facto leader in entertainment. Games offer greater entertainment value, usually have better stories, and generally appeal to people far more than any movie currently in theaters.

The way I see it, movies are the next logical entertainment vehicle.… Read more

The 404 127: Where Justin gets his wardrobe off eBay

All the bizarre stories on today's show throw us into a rollercoaster of emotions. We start off innocent enough, begging Rick Moranis to do more movies, but then quickly spiral into flora weaponry, gender identity and male pregnancy, heartbreaking eBay auctioneering, and the difficulty in "Shorty" pimpery. We also come to the sobering realization that we've been duped...AGAIN! This must stop. EPISODE 127 Download today's podcast

News.com Daily Podcast: So clean tech's another bubble? Not so fast

More new investment money is going into clean technology than any other sector of high tech. And while that's exciting a lot of investors, it's also raising questions about whether we're about to repeat history. CNET News.com's Martin LaMonica, who recently heard a number of experts debate the question, offers some comparative context to that question.

New York Post reporter Michael Kane followed two of professional gaming's best-known teams, Team 3D and CompLexity, as they fought for the coveted No. 1 spot in gaming. The result--Kane's book, out today, called Game Boys: Professional … Read more