Gaming

The business lessons of 'World of Warcraft'

AUSTIN, Texas--"World of Warcraft" is a game. There's no doubt about it. More than 6 million people around the world have signed up to go questing, kill beasts, search out loot, and have fun with friends and strangers alike.

But Joi Ito, a venture capitalist, blogger and longtime game player from Japan, thinks WoW is also a valuable business tool that can be used to help companies learn how to work better. That was the takeaway from his talk at the ScreenBurn beta festival, an adjunct group of presentations at the South by Southwest conference here. … Read more

What are MMOs really about?

If anyone is qualified to wax philosophical on the lessons of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, it's probably Raph Koster.

Koster is the chief creative office of "EverQuest" and "Star Wars Galaxies" publisher Sony Online Entertainment and an old-school MMO philosopher. And he's recently laid out his thoughts, almost poetically, about what such games teach, according to Wonderland.

For example, he begins, "Lone heroes can't slay dragons. It takes an army."

Or, "Intelligent beings who have civilizations and languages of their own are generally evil and should be slain." … Read more

Forget knitting needles--this granny likes her controller

Put aside those stereotypes of gamers as young testosterone-laden men and make way for "Old Grandma Hardcore", a 70-year-old Cleveland resident who's now the "senior correspondent" for MTV's G-Hole.

In this G-Hole clip, which has apparently made its way through the Web with help from someone at Case Western Reserve University (via Chip Chick), Barbara St. Hillaire tells how she got into gaming and, among other things, notes the game that makes her curse "like a sailor" (the most).

St. Hillaire was named one of GamerGod's "10 Most Interesting People in Gamingfor 2005,&… Read more

PlayStation 3 to be delayed?

The North American launch of Sony's much-anticipated PlayStation 3 could be delayed until next year, according to a research report issued by Merrill Lynch.

In the report (Click here for PDF), the analyst firm proposed the idea that high costs and Sony's decision to use an "ambitious new processor architecture--the Cell" is making it look like the company might not be able to meet its goal of getting the PS 3 out in the U.S. this year.

The report suggests the possibility that the PS 3 would launch this fall in Japan and in late … Read more

Shortage of Xbox 360s due to memory chips?

If you've been trying without success to find an Xbox 360 since November, you might want to blame the shortage of Microsoft's new video game console on one of the companies making chips for the machines.

According to the San Jose Mercury News' Dean Takahashi, Infineon, one of the two companies manufacturing chips for the new console, has been unable to keep up with demand. And because of the chip shortage, Takahashi writes, Microsoft hasn't been able to satisfy the Xbox hunger.

The new Xbox debuted last November and quickly sold out in stores across North America. … Read more

Inky and Blinky go teensy weensy

Sick to death of "Solitaire"? No one sitting down at your domino table on Yahoo Games? Try playing a few of the classics in a whole new way at Giump.com, which bills itself as the world's smallest Web site. Visitors to the site can play miniature versions of some of the old favorites, including "Pong," "Asteroids" and "Space Invaders." At first glance, playing any game in a .25-inch square seems impossible. But the game play is simplified enough to make it work. In "Pac-Man," for example, there is … Read more

Blizzard apologizes for GLBT guild warning

Blizzard Entertainment has officially apologized to a "World of Warcraft" player who it warned could be kicked out of the game because she had been recruiting for a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender-friendly guild using the in-world chat system.

Further, reports In Newsweekly, the company said that it would try to ensure that its game masters don't repeat the incident.

The warning, which came last month, caused a furor, and a great deal of discussion about WoW publisher Blizzard's policy regarding sexual harassment and protections against sexual harassment. At the time, the player, Sara Andrews, was … Read more

Xbox 360s on Amazon, but you'd better hurry

Not sure how long it will last, but when I popped over to Amazon.com on Friday morning, I saw an ad noting that they had Xbox bundles in stock.

The bundles, actually from partner Toysrus.com, weren't cheap, ranging from just under $800 for the Core Bundle Mature to nearly $1,000 for the Pro Steel Bundle.

But, since the consoles have been in short supply, I was sure someone out there wanted to know...

Sudoku games could awaken survival genes

If you've been feeling a little less than sure in your ability to make it here on Earth, you might want to consider picking up one of those overhyped sudoku puzzles.

That's because, according to a release from the video game publisher Mastiff, which quoted a study by the University of Edinburgh's Giles Hardingham, sudoku games can "awaken 'survival genes' that lay dormant in the human brain. These survival genes make the brain cells live longer and resist disease, strokes and the effects of drugs."

Luckily for us, or at least Game Boy Advance owners, … Read more

Xbox "modders" face 17 years in prison

Two owners of a Hollywood video game store, as well as a third man, were indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday for modifying Xbox video game consoles to disable copy protection, and preloading copyrighted games onto the machines for sale.

The case stems from an investigation by the Entertainment Software Association, whose investigators reported that they had bought a modified Xbox from the store in May 2005.

If convicted, the store owners could face up to 17 years in federal prison.