Gary's Blog

Just a place to find out what's on my mind, or what's occupying my time whilst I avoid actual "work."

 

VGN for January 13th, 2006

Video Game News:



Link between video games and violence.



Elizabeth Millard, newsfactor.com Tue Jan 10, 8:20 PM ET

A new study has claimed that there might be a link between violence depicted in video games and increased aggressive real-life behavior in gamers.

In recent findings published on the New Scientist Web site, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia noted that study subjects who played violent video games showed diminished brain responses to images of real-life violence.

The reduction in response correlates to aggressive behavior, according to the study's authors.

Testing, Testing

For the study, the university recruited 39 experienced gamers. They then were shown images of both nonviolent and violent scenes, while their brain waves were recorded.

Subjects with the most experience in playing violent games displayed lower response rates to the violent images. These players also were discovered to be more enthusiastic about "punishing" an opponent in subsequent gameplay.

Although there has been much discussion regarding violence in games, the new study actually is one of the few academic undertakings on the subject.

A study done by the University of Illinois last year claimed that there is no evidence of a strong link between video-game violence and real-life aggression in players.

Here Again

The connection between game violence and real-life violence has been debated for years, and likely will continue to be the focus of attention, said Jason Della Rocca, program director for the International Game Developers Association.

Those in the game industry have heard such arguments before, particularly after a tragedy like the school shootings in Columbine, which some attributed partly to the killers' affection for violent gameplay.

Della Rocca believes that, as violence continues to be prevalent in society, and games get even more popular, games will continue to be a source of blame.

"It's easy for people to point to games and say that they brainwash people or make them act in certain ways," he said. "But in reality, there are social pressures and family issues, and a huge range of factors that go into how people behave. Games are just an easy scapegoat."



Speaking of Tools who won't go away...

Thompson The Untouchable
Jack Thompson keeps the dream alive in an online interview where he describes games as 'masturbatory'...
Posted: 17:45 on 12 Jan 2006
By: Jon Wilcox

Always one to ensure that his psychotic drivel is never far from the pages of gaming journals, US lawyer Jack Thompson has once again surfaced like a whale catching its breath. In an article with NetJak, the infamous lawyer has likened himself to 1930s Al Capone catcher Eliot Ness commenting, "Eliot Ness didn't go after the small-time criminals. Eliot Ness went after Al Capone. Actually, I must offer my apologies to Al Capone. He only targeted adults, corrupt adults with his crimes. Capone never went after minors."

Since most of his problems with the videogames industry lay with Take-Two Interactive, it's a fair assumption to make that in his eyes at least, T2 is ol'Scarface himself. Repeating a move that he made against Time Warner back in the 1990s, Thomspon has recently become a shareholder of Take-Two Interactive, where he hopes to raise his various issues with the upper echelons of management to the other shareholders.

Later in the interview, Thompson is asked whether he would refrain from taking action against T2 if they told retailers not to sell to minors. Stating that he would drop legal action if the company stopped marketing mature games to children, Thompson did comment that he would still have an issue with mature games on moral ground (which is anybody's prerogative - I don't like BigMacs, but I wouldn't stop kids from going to McDonalds.)

What Mr Thompson fails to see is that the issue doesn't lie with game developers or publishers - instead US law should be such that minors are refrained from buying mature titles in the first place.




Analysts, developers: PS3 to cost $399-$699

Informal CNN/Money poll finds many industry insiders think Sony's next-gen console will be mighty pricey.
Ever since the PlayStation 3 was announced, industry watchers have been prognosticating its price point. Just over a month after E3 2005, Merrill Lynch predicted the game would sell for $399, even though it would cost an estimated $494 to make--before labor.
However, when Microsoft announced the Xbox 360, which uses current-generation DVDs, would sell for $399, many thought the PS3's internal next-generation Blu-ray disc drive would push its cost higher. That assumption was reinforced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, when the first stand-alone Blu-ray disc player was unveiled--with a $1,800 price tag. (The Xbox 360 uses conventional DVDs, but will get an external drive which supports Blu-ray's rival format, HD-DVD).

In the wake of CES, CNN/Money correspondent Chris Morris decided to poll a nonscientific sampling of game analysts and developers to see how much they thought the PS3 will cost. "Several developers I spoke with (under the condition of anonymity) said their studios were expecting the system to launch at $499," wrote Morris, who included quotes from analysts who concurred with the assessment.
However, Morris said that not all insiders' estimates were the same. Some pegged the console as matching the 360's $399 price point--which, according to last year's Merrill Lynch report, means Sony could lose more than $1 billion during the console's first year on the market. Several developers also lowballed the console at $450, while others said it could cost as much as $699. However, as Sony is staying resolutely mum on the PS3--until GDC 2006, anyway--no price is yet official.




MS to deliver HD-DVD or Blu-Ray drive for XBOX 360.



Martyn Williams, IDG News Service Thu Jan 5, 6:00 PM ET

LAS VEGAS-- Microsoft said at CES that it plans to offer an add-on drive for its Xbox 360 gaming console that employs the HD-DVD optical drive format.
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The drive, expected later this year, will allow
Xbox 360 owners to watch high-definition movies on HDTVs by playing them through the console, said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division. No price or launch date was given for the product.

The Xbox 360, which Microsoft launched in late 2005, supports high-definition gaming. Later this year Sony is expected to launch its own high-definition gaming console, the PlayStation 3. The Sony console will be based around Blu-ray optical drive technology, which is a competitor to HD-DVD in the race to become the de facto replacement for high-definition DVD content.



Nintendo DS redesign?

Online retailer reports that Nintendo are set to announce a redesign of the Nintendo DS...
Posted: 16:38 on 12 Jan 2006
By: Jon Wilcox

Reports on Lik-Sang.com have today suggested that Nintendo may be just days away from unveiling a redesigned Nintendo DS, reinforcing similar rumours in Japanese publication Famitsu. According to the article, the announcement will be made on Monday 16th January though this is yet to be confirmed by Nintendo themselves.

What I've been playing:

Half Life 2

Finished Indigo Prophecy!!

Ninja Gaiden in HD.

Anime news:



 FX BEST OF SHOW WILL WIN $1000 IN PRIZES
Written by WasabiGuy  
Thursday, 12 January 2006


Wasabi Anime is producing a massive science fiction, fantasy, and anime costume contest to be hosted at FX: The Coolest Show On Earth and Hard Rock Live.  The contest is part of the FX toy show and convention taking place January 27th-29th at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.  Over $1000 in cash and prizes will be given away to winners with donations from JACON, Critical Mass Toys, Notable and Notorious, & Teddy Scares.  Preliminary judging takes place from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM at the Fairgrounds on Saturday, January 28th.  The final judging (with celebrity judges) and award ceremony will take place that evening at 9:00 PM at Hard Rock Live in Universal Orlando’s CityWalk.

Following the event at Hard Rock Live, Anime Gaijin America will be hosting a FREE midnight anime showing at the Lowe’s Cineplex at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk.

BEST OF SHOW WILL WIN $500 IN CASH IN $500 IN "FX BUCKS" TO SPEND AT THE CONVENTION.  THE WINNER WILL BE PRESENTED ON STAGE AT HARD ROCK LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

Con Corner:


FXShow!!

January 27th-29th, Central Florida Fairgrounds.

posted by: Gary1059 at 21:50 | link | comments |