GameSetLinks: Atlus Brings Us... Ice Cream?
July 26, 2008 12:00 AM | Simon Carless
The hive mind must bring you GameSetLinks, and it does so this time by revealing that Persona developer Atlus has also debuted an awesome new IP - that's right, it's a refrigerated UFO machine that dispenses ice cream (pictured, left!) Take that, Megaten fans!
Also wandering around here - lots of free games listed, why user-created may not always be the best, more Harmonix analysis, comparisons of console download services, and a little journalist mugging.
Tra la la:
Historical Studies of Digital Entertainment Media | How They Got Game
Ah, neat game academia folks (Lowood, Bittanti) booting up this new academic journal for next year: 'The theme for this first issue will be "Digital Games: Historical and Preservation Studies."'
...on pampers, programming & pitching manure: Player Created Content: Industry Created Glut
'I do worry, however, that many will fall by the wayside for lack of sufficient user-base to generate the content.'
365 days of free games | GamesRadar
The PC Gamer UK guys, including some RPS-ers, excel themselves.
Bringing Gaming (and Gamers) to Your Library: 100 Tips and Resources | OEDb
'When libraries offer gaming programs, there's often a very favorable response, but how do you go about getting started?'
The Story of Sega’s Oddest Game Ever | Edge Online
Aha, was talking about Segagaga the other day - here's the full skinny.
Juvenile Journalists - www.developmag.com
'Don’t pretend you’re making some sort of Suffragette protest when you’re simply throwing your toys out of the pram.'
Trends in Japan » UFO Catcher for ice cream hits Japan’s game centers
'ATLUS has developed the “Triple Catcher Ice”, THE state-of-the-art prize machine carrying the latest freezing technology'.
Poynter Online - Romenesko: 'Magazine ad sales fall 8.2% in the second quarter'
In the U.S. - tech ad spending down almost 20%, it says - shows why most game mags are in such dire straits. (Happily, Game Developer mag, in a non-consumer market, is doing just fine.)
Harmonix Music Systems | The A.V. Club
Second part of the Dahlen analysis we've mentioned before, great attention to detail here.
Developing for PS3 PlayStation Network (PSN): newretro.org
Good series from Alex Amsel - also see XBLA, WiiWare.
Categories:
5 Comments
A couple of thoughts:
Byron's piece on journalists is interesting, but I'm slightly worried his point will be obscured by his, er, difficult sense of humour. I have to agree though that game sites now are taking things public that should actually be of no interest to anyone and making them these ridiculous causes célèbres, as if it'd doing anyone any good at all.
It's not. Grow up. (And that doesn't mean I in any way agree with restrictions on reviewers, btw.)
Also, I can't imagine desperately trying to win an ice cream from a UFO catcher while really hungry for one! I hope it's easy.
mathew | July 26, 2008 10:55 AM
Byron has a point about journo's lack of any moral right to access. If a company gets a journalist to sign an NDA - which always struck me as completely antithetical to an "on the record" interview or meeting - then the journalist is at their mercy.
But this happens in all areas of journalism that don't cover the raw public record. This week a story ran on how Barack Obama's campaign controls access. Getting to know Obama is arguably more in the public interest than finding out the length of the cutscenes in MGS 4, but even there, anyone who wants real access - a private interview, that the campaign has every right not to grant - has to play by the rules. (The article is at http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=6e9f4a42-9540-4d99-aba2-25adc276c25d
.)
The solution would be to prove to game companies that they should open the gates a little wider - by proving that the readers actually want, and will demand, deeper insight into the people and processes that bring them their favorite games, and that a carefully choreographed feature list and preview clip just won't cut it.
Chris Dahlen | July 26, 2008 5:24 PM
Sup Chris Dahlen,
Word. I basically agree with you!
So there we go then.
Dear Journalists,
Let's all do a better job together, ok?
Love,
Mathew
mathew | July 26, 2008 9:51 PM
In that situation, the trick is just to back off and not review the game. A little note apologising to your readers for not having a timely review is usually enough.
Throwing mud at a particular company because they put embargoes and/or conditions on the review does no-one any favours. Least of all the readers of your magazine/website.
Tim E | July 27, 2008 4:21 AM
Byron's piece has had a paragraph excised.
"As indignant rage goes, these games sites moaning about publishers dictating what they can and can’t write is a bit like prostitutes claiming to have been raped – sure, we know it’s wrong and we’re very sorry. But, really, you’ve been asking for it for a long time."
It's still in the Google cache. I was wondering how that paragraph wasn't a bit of career-ending misogyny for a columnist.
obo | July 29, 2008 6:43 AM