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1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799</id><updated>2024-02-19T05:17:30.836-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Gezegond&#39;s Updates</title><subtitle type='html'>Selected news and articles from around the web</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>125</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-2966112938528151812</id><published>2018-01-03T07:17:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2018-01-03T07:19:22.411-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Check out voidu&#39;s giveaway!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a class=&quot;e-widget no-button generic-loader&quot; href=&quot;https://gleam.io/pSwB2/voidu-happy-holiday-giveaway&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Voidu&#39;s Happy Holiday Giveaway&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2. &lt;script src=&quot;https://js.gleam.io/e.js&quot; async=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/2966112938528151812/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2018/01/check-out-voidus-giveaway.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/2966112938528151812'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/2966112938528151812'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2018/01/check-out-voidus-giveaway.html' title='Check out voidu&#39;s giveaway!'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-912889063645451254</id><published>2013-08-06T07:54:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-08-06T07:54:56.141-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Jeremy Soule: &quot;Pac-Man will eat Mark Zuckerberg&#39;s lunch&quot;</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-08-06-jeremy-soule-pac-man-will-eat-mark-zuckerbergs-lunch&quot;&gt;Via Eurogamer.net:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
3. <br />
4. <div class="strapline"> <b>Elder Scrolls composer says "video gaming is the future of social media".      </b></div><div id="fragment-1">           <article class="hd">                <div class="social bottom">           <div class="facebook">    <span style="height: 20px; width: 111px;"></span>    </div><div class="twitter">             </div><div class="reddit">          </div></div><div class="byline">           <strong> </strong></div><div class="byline"><strong>By</strong>        <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/author/627">John Bedford</a>           <strong>Published</strong>        <span>                  Tuesday,  6 August 2013               </span>       </div><section class=""><br />
5. Jeremy Soule, the celebrated Elder Scrolls  composer and now music director for Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming  EverQuest Next, believes video games have the potential to overtake the  likes of Facebook and become the dominant medium for online social  interaction.<br />
6. "I don't even like the word MMO," he says. "I like  virtual world, because to me I want to rethink how we use music in a  game setting. This is bigger than a game though, because you have so  many social dynamics and things going on. I think video gaming is the  future of social media. Pac-Man will eat Mark Zuckerberg's lunch."<br />
7. Soule  explained his position: "Just as you can learn something from reading  Dickens, you can learn things from interacting with people around the  world amongst high concept or high-minded ideas such as saving people,  such as defending or building something together.<br />
8. "To me, this is  where the lines of social media and the lines of gaming are going to get  really blurred. I remember talking to Dave [Georgeson, producer of  EverQuest Next] and saying, 'Do you realise what's happening here? It's  not Facebook that's the future, I feel like this is the future.'<br />
9. "Anything done on the back-end of Facebook is being done in an MMO right now, just way cooler," Soule continued.<br />
10. "We're  actually reaching people of all ages, so this is a dynamic I have to  think about when I make music for millions of people. How do we reach  the individual and not just the masses? If the world is dynamic, the  music has to be just as dynamic."<br />
11. <div class="video">                </div>Soule was speaking during an interview with Eurogamer at this year's  SOE Live event in Las Vegas, where the first fully fleshed-out details  of EverQuest Next were presented to a largely enthusiastic gathering of  fans.<br />
12. The composer has been involved in the development of the game to a greater degree than past projects.<br />
13. "As music director of this project, I have the freedom to succeed or fail. It's a nice place to be," he said.<br />
14. "I  can say on past projects that I may not have had too much creative  reign. Now I can say the music has a cabinet level seat at the  roundtable of design. I'm able to represent things, concerns and  development issues to the rest of the team. And that's what important,  and I think what really sets EverQuest Next apart is the quality of the  team behind this project.<br />
15. "When I first came in for my interview, I  was expecting a couple of people to talk a little bit about the game.  Instead, all the principals of the team came in and we spoke for hours  about music, and so the cross-pollination and the precision I saw in the  team Dave put together, it really gave me the sense that this group  could go all the way, that they could have a number one. Because of that  it's invigorating and it's exciting, and it tells me I have to work  hard to keep up with this group."<br />
16. <div class="inline centre " id="inline-gallery-1603807" style="width: 100%;"><br />
17. </div><div class="inline centre " id="inline-gallery-1603807" style="text-align: center; width: 100%;"><div class="frame" style="height: 356px;"><img alt="EverQuest Next screenshots." src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/6/0/3/8/0/7/Earth_Elemental_in_underground_crystal_chamber.jpg.jpg/EG11/resize/600x-1" style="margin-top: 0px;" /></div></div><div class="inline centre " id="inline-gallery-1603807" style="width: 100%;"><br />
18. </div>As well as the main reboot of the EverQuest franchise, SOE is also  hard at work on EverQuest Next Landmark, a title due out later this year  in advance of the MMO's launch. As a creative tool, Landmark will not  only allow players to craft objects which might end up appearing in  EverQuest Next itself at launch, but also build their own settlements.  What prospects are there for budding musicians to contribute to the  cause?<br />
19. "As music director, I want to find ways to do that with  music as well," Soule teased. "We're working out some ideas. It's very  early right now, but I want to be able to say there is a way for you as a  musical person to be creative with this project. <br />
20. "We're engaging  the player, we're bringing the creativity. I've worked on some of the  biggest franchises and I think that all the ideas that we saw today,  they really shook me when I saw them.<br />
21. "This was a bolt of  lightning and when the rest of the industry catches onto this...To know  that you got a sneak peek of what I believe personally, as a developer  of 60 million games [sales] later, I think is the most exciting thing  I've ever worked on in my career."</section><div class="endnote ">  <br />
22. This article was based on a press trip to Las Vegas. SOE paid for travel and accommodation.<br />
23. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;social bottom&quot;&gt;          &lt;div class=&quot;facebook&quot;&gt;    &lt;span style=&quot;height: 20px; width: 111px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;    &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;twitter&quot;&gt;             &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;reddit&quot;&gt;          &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/article&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;ob_empty&quot;&gt;&lt;wbr&gt;&lt;/wbr&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/912889063645451254/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/08/jeremy-soule-pac-man-will-eat-mark.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/912889063645451254'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/912889063645451254'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/08/jeremy-soule-pac-man-will-eat-mark.html' title='Jeremy Soule: &quot;Pac-Man will eat Mark Zuckerberg&#39;s lunch&quot;'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-5021499385479997860</id><published>2013-08-06T07:53:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-08-06T07:53:06.742-07:00</updated><title type='text'>DMCA Notices to Search Engines Won’t Mitigate Piracy, Tech Giants Say</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://torrentfreak.com/dmca-notices-to-search-engines-wont-mitigate-piracy-tech-giants-say-130806/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Torrentfreak+%28Torrentfreak%29&quot;&gt;Via TorrentFreak:&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
24. <ul id="post-info"><li class="author_dark icon"><a href="http://torrentfreak.com/author/andy/" rel="author" title="Posts by Andy">Andy</a></li>
25. <li class="date_dark icon">August 6, 2013</li>
26. </ul>A new research paper seriously downplays the importance of search  engine traffic on sites that offer unauthorized downloads. The CCIA,  which counts Google, Yahoo and Microsoft among its members, says that  making items disappear from search results via DMCA notices is not the  key to substantially reducing piracy. General purpose search engines are  not part of the average infringer’s toolbox, the companies note, adding  that entertainment companies should focus on their own SEO.<br />
27. <div style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignright" height="171" src="http://torrentfreak.com/images/msfacebook.png" width="200" /> </div>One  of the hottest piracy-related topics in recent times is the role search  engines play in the discovery of unauthorized copyrighted material.<br />
28. Rightsholders in their thousands have already sent Google more than <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/google-removed-100-million-pirate-search-results-this-year-130725/">100 million</a>  DMCA takedown notices this year in the belief that removing search  engine listings will go a long way towards making illicit content harder  to find. But is that really the case?<br />
29. According to a new research paper titled ‘The Search Fixation:  Infringement, Search Results, and Online Content’, the emphasis  rightsholders are placing on censoring search engine results is actually  achieving very little and those valuable resources might be better off  spent elsewhere.<br />
30. The paper, published by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (<a href="http://torrentfreak.com/tough-copyright-laws-chill-innovation-tech-companies-warn-lawmakers-130727/">CCIA</a>)  which counts Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook among its members,  says that entertainment industry companies have become “fixated” on the  role search engines play in unearthing illicit content. The focus is so  great there was even an attempt to legislate site censorship via the  controversial Stop Online Piracy Act.<br />
31. “This might lead to the conclusion that search engines are a  prominent tool in the infringers’ tool box. In fact, available evidence  suggests that search is not a particularly relevant tool for infringers  seeking to find sites (such as The Pirate Bay) or for sites to find  users,” the report states.<br />
32. The CCIA cites research from BAE Systems Detica which found that  users are far more likely to return to infringing sites via a direct  browser entry or via social networks. Furthermore, it appears that users  looking for illicit material already know where they want to obtain it  from even before they start searching.<br />
33. “As of August 2013, over 20% of queries that result in traffic being  directed to the Pirate Bay consist of words compromising the Pirate  Bay’s domain name. This suggests that users are quite aware of their  intended destination before they arrive at a search engine, and that any  facilitation was minimal,” CCIA explain.<br />
34. When <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/riaa-google-fails-to-punish-pirate-sites-in-search-results-130221/">criticizing Google</a>  over its search results the RIAA has previously noted that searches  including the terms “download,” “mp3,” or “torrent” often turn up links  to infringing content.<br />
35. However, in their report the CCIA says that such searches are infrequent  when compared to straightforward lookups on artist names, which are  actually more likely to turn up links to authorized content. So why not  improve the usefulness of those?<br />
36. “The fixation on demoting responsive but undesirable search results  overlooks a more viable strategy: promoting desirable search results,”  the paper notes.<br />
37. CCIA suggests that if the entertainment industry wants their content  to appear in search results when users type in “objectionable” terms  such as those listed above, then they will have to start using them on  pages offering legal content. Noting that legitimate sites aren’t  currently employing such a strategy, the CCIA comes to two conclusions.<br />
38. “This suggests either (a) a deficiency in otherwise robust online  marketing strategies, or (b) that these terms are judged to be unworthy  of optimizing because they will drive a trivial amount of commercial  traffic.<br />
39. “Stated otherwise: if search terms such as ‘mp3′ and ‘download’ were  likely to lead to sales or subscriptions, a rational, profit-minded  online platform engaging in basic search engine optimization (SEO) would  attempt to incorporate those terms in site content.”<br />
40. The CCIA &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ccianet.org/CCIA/files/ccLibraryFiles/Filename/000000000821/CCIA_TheSearchFixation%20%282%29.pdf&quot;&gt;concludes&lt;/a&gt;  by noting that while DMCA notices might be a useful tool, they are  unlikely to achieve the desired result of substantially reducing piracy.  Concentrating on improving the visibility of legitimate content, even  if that means utilizing “objectionable” terms, would be a more robust  strategy.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/5021499385479997860/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/08/dmca-notices-to-search-engines-wont.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5021499385479997860'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5021499385479997860'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/08/dmca-notices-to-search-engines-wont.html' title='DMCA Notices to Search Engines Won’t Mitigate Piracy, Tech Giants Say'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-878723145702256448</id><published>2013-07-09T03:18:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-07-09T03:18:04.176-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Interview with Toshiaki Sakoda</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/toshiakisakoda-interview.htm&quot;&gt;Via ardcore Gaming 101:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
41. <br />
42. <br />
43. <div class="author">by <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/author.htm#kurtkalata">Kurt Kalata</a> - July 2013</div><table class="sectiontitle"><tbody>
44. <tr><td> <div class="sectiontitle"><span class="title">Interview with Toshiaki Sakoda</span></div></td></tr>
45. </tbody></table><table class="section"><tbody>
46. <tr> <td class="textcolumn">  Toshiaski Sakoda was a composer who worked for <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/compile/aleste.htm">Compile</a>  during the late 80s and early 90s. Beyond providing music to classics  such as Aleste 2 (MSX), assorted Madou Monogatari titles, <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/xevious/xevious.htm">Xevious: Fardraut Saga</a>, Gun*Nac, MUSHA, GG Aleste and Spriggan for for Compile, he also worked on titles for Naxat, such as <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/crushpinball/crushpinball.htm">Alien Crush and Devil Crush</a> for Naxat, as well as titles like Cyber Knight. After working with Compile, he joined Sting, where he provided music for <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/sting/sting.htm">Treasure Hunter G, Baroque, Evolution and others</a>.  His most famous tracks are heavy metal pieces, which sound incredible  given the PSG/FM limitations of the systems. Tracks from MUSHA and  Devil's Crush ranked highly on the <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/vgm/bestvgm2011.htm">HG101's Best VGM of All Time</a> poll. He often posts his works, old and new, on his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/erinaz1000">Youtube channel</a>. Additionally, the <a href="http://vgmdb.net/album/35719">Naxat Shooting Collection</a> CD includes music with his soundtracks, including MUSHA and Spriggan.<br />
47. <div class="interq">How did you first get involved with composing music?</div><div class="intera">When I was 8 years old, I played the classical guitar.  From that time, I wanted to compose. So, my guitar style is also  classical.</div><div class="interq">How did you become involved with Compile?</div><div class="intera">There was a recruitment ad. So, I applied for it.</div><div class="interq">Were you previously a computer or video gamer?</div><div class="intera">I wasn't really playing many games at the time.</div><div class="interq">Can you provide us with a full discography of all of the games you've worked on?</div><div class="intera">Unfortunately I cannot. The reason why is, a huge number of projects were ghostwritten.</div><div class="interq">Were you a full time employee of Compile, or did you  work as a freelancer too? Your other games included games published by  Naxat and Hudson, how did you become involved with them?</div><div class="intera">I was an employee of Compile. There are more than 100  game companies in Japan. I was involved in games produced by more  companies than just Naxat and Konami. Most games depend on  subcontracting companies. These larger companies depend on trustworthy  subcontracting companies where there are well-known people. So, I was  also an employee of a subcontractor company. I've worked with Naxat,  Konami, Hudson, Namco, Square-Enix, Microsoft and others.</div><div class="interq">What was the computer game development scene like in  the 1980s? Did you know any of the other composers, or did you ever  receive any feedback from fans?</div><div class="intera">I worked on MSX, PC Engine, Famicom, Mega Drive and  others. I am not interested in other composers. Sometimes my fans have  asked me \x81gI want you to compose a song like this\x81h, but they tend not  to be suitable for the game being produced.  </div><div class="interq">What kind of equipment did you use to compose your music?</div><div class="intera">At that time, I mainly composed using the MSX. I also produced the sound drivers. At the beginning of the 90s, we used MIDI.</div><div class="interq">What is your personal favorite soundtrack you worked on?</div><div class="intera"><a href="http://youtu.be/Rs-QUqGAApo">Seirei Senshi Spriggan</a> and Treasure Hunter G.</div><div class="interq">Do you have any other composers whose work you admire?</div><div class="intera">Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masahata Iwaru are my friends.</div><div class="interq">MUSHA and Devil's Crush are your most well known  works, so I can assume you're a fan of heavy metal. Which bands were you  favorites? And what other types of music are you a fan of?</div><div class="intera">VowWow, Van Halen, and Michael Schenker. I also like  flamenco, fusion, rock and Beethoven. I also like flamenco, fusion, rock  and Beethoven. </div><div class="interq">Have you ever met Toshiharu Yamanishi, the composer of  Thunder Force IV? The music styles in both that game and MUSHA are  quite similar. You guys should get together for a guitar dual!</div><div class="intera">I have not met with Toshiharu Yamanishi. It seems like his style is similar to my own, though.</div><div class="interq">How closely did you work with your peers? Did you eat with them or go out drinking after work?</div><div class="intera">I am the sound director of each project. We usually  eat together and drink with each other outside of work. Communication is  very important in game development.</div><div class="interq">Are you familiar with situation regarding the closing of Compile? Were you around for the final days of the company?</div><div class="intera">No. I resigned from Compile when I thought they would go bankrupt. At that point, I became a director and a producer at Sting.</div><div class="interq">Do you still compose music nowadays?</div><div class="intera">Yes. I <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/erinaz1000">upload music on Youtube</a> all the time.</div><div class="interq">Retro video game music seems to have been seeing a  resurgence on the Japanese marketplace lately. For example, the Naxat  Shooting Collection includes music from MUSHA. How do you feel about  exposing your music to a new generation of fans?</div><div class="intera">Recent game requires a lot of money. There are a lot  of games that are not interesting. I think generations are cyclical.  Music of the 70's are in vogue in the United States currently. The world  repeats.</div><div class="interq">Do you have anything you'd like to share with English-speaking fans?</div><div class="intera">I would like to work together with people in the  world. I want to put the music that a fan composed on my CD. Also, if  you invite me anywhere, I will go! Let's attend events together! </div><div class="intera">MUSHA Aleste was composed to be a heavy metal suite.  In order to overturn the industry, I made this song. It is a heavy metal  suite for the first time in the world. Rather than to play just a game, you can enjoy the music only for you.  Sound source is FM sound (frequency modulation oscillator). Thank you! </div></td> <td class="imagecolumn">   <div class="image"><a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/sakoda.jpg"><img src="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/sakoda.jpg" /></a></div><div class="caption">Toshiaki Sakoda</div><div class="image"><a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/musha.png"><img src="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/musha.png" /></a></div><div class="caption">MUSHA</div><div class="image"><a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/devilscrush.png"><img src="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/devilscrush.png" /></a></div><div class="caption">Devil's Crush</div><div class="image"><a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/treasurehunterg.png"><img src="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/treasurehunterg.png" /></a></div><div class="caption">Treasure Hunter G</div><div class="image"><a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/spriggan.png"><img src="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/interviews/spriggan.png" /></a></div><div class="caption">Spriggan</div></td>  </tr>
48. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/878723145702256448/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/07/interview-with-toshiaki-sakoda.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/878723145702256448'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/878723145702256448'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/07/interview-with-toshiaki-sakoda.html' title='Interview with Toshiaki Sakoda'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-8163949957654320341</id><published>2013-07-01T09:34:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-07-01T09:34:20.369-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Titanfall&#39;s robots created through &#39;old school techniques&#39; and &#39;80s influences</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/30/4479432/titanfalls-robots-created-through-old-school-techniques-and-80s&quot;&gt;Via Polygon&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;
49. <br />
50. By <a href="http://www.polygon.com/users/Megan%20Farokhmanesh">Megan Farokhmanesh</a>     <span class="timestamp">       on Jun 30, 2013       at 1:00p                 <a class="twitter" href="http://twitter.com/Megan_Nicolett">@Megan_Nicolett</a>            </span>   <div class="super"><div class="content"><div class="l-container--slim"><div class="l-chunk has-rail"><div class="l-main shelf" data-right-drawer-opened="false" id="article-shelf"><div class="l-main-float"><article class="m-entry article" id="article-wrapper"><div id="article-content"><div class="m-entry__content"><header class="m-entry__header">  </header>             <div class="polygon_entry_admin">         </div><div class="polygon_social_buttons"><br />
51. </div><div class="m-entry__body">              While crafting <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.polygon.com/game/titanfall/13592"><i>Titanfall</i></a>,  Respawn Entertainment's upcoming multiplayer first-person shooter,  developers used a few "old school techniques" to make the game come  alive, lead artist Joel Emslie said during an interview with EA Vision.<br />
52. <i>Titanfall</i> is set in a world where players suit up in giant  robots known as Titans. In the interview, which you can watch above,  Emslie addresses the team's early struggles and their vision.<br />
53. "When we first got to Respawn, we didn't have all the computers we  needed," Emslie said. "Some of the artists, myself included, went back  to some old school techniques... including kitbashing and practical  model making."<br />
54. Emslie added that the game's robots were influenced by ‘80s classics such as <i>Blade Runner</i>, Star Wars and early Sega title <i>Abrams Battle Tank.</i><br />
55. "We want the titans to feel analog and grounded, genuine, like a real  next-generation or further generation evolved version of an Abrams  Battle Tank," Emslie said. "If you look at some of the designs we have,  you can see some of those details that we've been inspired from by <i>Abrams</i>."<br />
56. <i>Titanfal<span style="line-height: 1.5;">l </span></i><span style="line-height: 1.5;">was </span><a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/10/4415374/titanfall-coming-to-xbox-platforms-pc-in-2014" style="line-height: 1.5;">officially announced</a><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> earlier this month during Microsoft's </span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Xbox</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> E3 2013 press conference. The game is slated to launch Spring 2014 for </span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Xbox</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> 360</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">, </span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Xbox</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> One</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> and </span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Windows PC. For more details, check out our </span><a href="http://www.polygon.com/e3-2013/2013/6/12/4419110/titanfall-respawn" style="line-height: 1.5;">in-depth look</a><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> at </span><span style="line-height: 1.5;"><i>Titanfall</i></span><span style="line-height: 1.5;"><i> </i>from E3 2013.</span><br />
57. </div><footer>      <ul class="source"><li>Source</li>
58. <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_MfCAp41KeU">EAVision (YouTube)</a></li>
59. </ul><ul class="via"><li>Via</li>
60. <li><a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/06/29/titanfall-artist-talks-about-the-futuristic-shooters-old-school-beginnings/">PC Gamer</a></li>
61. &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/footer&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/article&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/8163949957654320341/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/07/titanfalls-robots-created-through-old.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/8163949957654320341'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/8163949957654320341'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/07/titanfalls-robots-created-through-old.html' title='Titanfall&#39;s robots created through &#39;old school techniques&#39; and &#39;80s influences'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-3290223802699208154</id><published>2013-07-01T04:11:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-07-01T04:11:50.562-07:00</updated><title type='text'>PS Vita 2.12 Upcoming VHBL Exploit Homebrew Compatibility List Announced</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://psx-scene.com/forums/content/ps-vita-2-12-upcoming-vhbl-exploit-homebrew-compatibility-list-announced-3496/?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;amp;utm_medium=facebook&quot;&gt;Via PSX-Scene:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
62. <br />
63. <br />
64. <div class="article_username_container_full">                                                                                by  <div class="popupmenu memberaction" id="yui-gen6"> <a class="username online " href="http://psx-scene.com/forums/members/tranced/" title="Tranced is online now"><strong>Tranced</strong></a>   </div></div><div class="article_username_container">                                                                                                  Published on 07-01-2013  06:20 AM                                                                                                                                                 </div><div class="article_rating_container">                                        <a href="http://psx-scene.com/forums/content/ps-vita-2-12-upcoming-vhbl-exploit-homebrew-compatibility-list-announced-3496/#comments" rel="nofollow">0 Comments</a>                         <img alt="Comments" border="0" src="http://psx-scene.com/forums/images/black_topaz/misc/comment.png" title="Comments" />                                 </div>Hey guys and girls! Here is an updated list with all the compatible homebrew for the <a href="http://psx-scene.com/forums/content/incoming-vhbl-expolit-ps-vita-firmware-2-12-3459/" target="_blank"><b>upcoming VHBL exploit.</b></a> For those who don't know, we recently announce a PS Vita 2.12 VHBL exploit by developer <b>qwikrazor87.</b>  So for those waiting in anticipation and for those who might want to  download the mystery game and try this new exploit, below is a list of  all tested homebrews one can expect running.<br />
65. <br />
66. <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://psx-scene.com/forums/content/attachments/45373d1372674028-vhbl2.12.gif/" id="attachment45373" rel="Lightbox_0"><img alt="" border="0" class="thumbnail" src="http://psx-scene.com/forums/content/attachments/45373d1372673576-vhbl2.12.gif/" style="float: CONFIG;" /></a></div><br />
67. <b>About PS Vita 2.12 Upcoming VHBL Exploit:</b><br />
68. <div class="bbcode_container"> <div class="bbcode_quote">  <div class="quote_container">            Note that a “non working” homebrew is not always a fatality. This  shows you the results from a few testers in a few sepcific conditions,  with the initial release of the hack. There are possibilities that some  working versions of the same homebrew exist (such is the case above with  Snes9xTYL, which itself works, while some mods of the emulator don’t  work), or tricks to make these homebrews work, or that an update of the  VHBL port will bring more compatibility.<br />
69. <br />
70. The lack of compatibility of PSPFiler, however, is a bummer. wMenu does  not have any File manager features, and that could become a problem if  no alternative exists, if only to delete/reorganize homebrews.<br />
71. <br />
72. As a reminder, Qwikrazor’s upcoming exploit will be in a game that is  only available in the US store. I explain here how you can buy US PSN  Credit if you live outside of the US, and we have an ongoing tiny  “contest” on twitter to win a $20 PSN Code. In parallel, I got contacted  about a possible EU exploit that could be available, and I am following  up on that as fast as my free time permits.       </div></div></div><div class="spoiler"> <h2 class="vsqminus">Working Emulators:</h2><div><br />
73. Gpsp Kai<br />
74. Nester AoEx R3 (confirmed by 2 testers)<br />
75. Atari 800<br />
76. ColEmPSP<br />
77. Deadalus r13<br />
78. EmuMaster v3.GX<br />
79. FinalBUrn Aplpha FBA4PSP CPS123<br />
80. FCEUltra-PSP<br />
81. MVSPSP adhoc<br />
82. NeoGeoPSP<br />
83. PCEPSP<br />
84. PLYNX<br />
85. PSPMame r0.6<br />
86. PicoDrive (confirmed by 2 testers)<br />
87. SMS+ Game Gear<br />
88. cps1psp<br />
89. cps2psp<br />
90. fMSX PSP<br />
91. fuse<br />
92. snes9xTYL (confirmed by 2 testers)<br />
93. VIce</div></div><br />
94. <div class="spoiler"> <h2 class="vsqminus">Working Homebrew & Apps:</h2><div><br />
95. BookR (confirmed by 2 testers)<br />
96. Lamecraft r56 (confirmed by 2 testers)<br />
97. Stickman Jump (sometimes freezes when you die)<br />
98. Kurok<br />
99. Cube Runner Advanced<br />
100. Cubynergy<br />
101. SnakeSP<br />
102. Left For quake 0.8<br />
103. CrazySnake<br />
104. CubicZombies<br />
105. Guitar Star<br />
106. JellyCar<br />
107. Quake Areana<br />
108. Wagic<br />
109. Hexen 2<br />
110. Quake<br />
111. Doom<br />
112. Silveredge</div></div><br />
113. <div class="spoiler"> <h2 class="vsqminus">Not Working:</h2><div><br />
114. Geometry Wars<br />
115. PSPFiler<br />
116. Deadalusx64R777 (confirmed by 2 testers)<br />
117. PSPkvm<br />
118. NZP 1.1<br />
119. Cosmos Lunar<br />
120. BattleShip<br />
121. gpSP mod<br />
122. learnjp09<br />
123. Polyon Hockey<br />
124. PspManiaV4<br />
125. PSPRevolution v0.4<br />
126. s9xTYLmecm_mod<br />
127. Xonergy<br />
128. Pong PSP alpla 5<br />
129. Doodle Jump 1.3<br />
130. Atari 5200<br />
131. emu mame4all v49r2<br />
132. NeoGeo CD<br />
133. PSPTI 99<br />
134. psp2600<br />
135. scummvm-0.13.0-psp (confirmed by 2 testers)<br />
136. Duke 3D<br />
137. OpenTyrian</div></div><br />
138. &lt;b&gt;Source&lt;/b&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;http://wololo.net/2013/06/30/upcoming-vhbl-hack-on-vita-2-12-updated-homebrew-compatibility-list/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;wololo&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/3290223802699208154/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/07/ps-vita-212-upcoming-vhbl-exploit.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/3290223802699208154'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/3290223802699208154'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/07/ps-vita-212-upcoming-vhbl-exploit.html' title='PS Vita 2.12 Upcoming VHBL Exploit Homebrew Compatibility List Announced'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-4280089373194355552</id><published>2013-07-01T02:20:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-07-01T02:20:12.787-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Darkspore removed from Steam after months of game breaking issues</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.polygon.com/2013/7/1/4482108/darkspore-removed-from-steam-after-months-of-game-breaking-issues&quot;&gt;Via Polygon:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
139.   <img alt="" class="vox-lazy-load lazy-loaded" data-original="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694467/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_640.0.jpg" data-ratio="1.77777777777778" data-sizes="{"384":"http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694477/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_384.0.jpg","400":"http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694465/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_400.0.jpg","100":"http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694679/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_100.0.jpg","320":"http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694471/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_320.0.jpg","960":"http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694469/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_960.0.jpg","640":"http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694467/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_640.0.jpg","1280":"http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694485/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_1280.0.jpg","1920":"http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694333/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_1920.0.jpg","480":"http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694475/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_480.0.jpg"}" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15694469/ss_01fd7187cb68a7e011cb219c93fa2021e6bc0015.1920x1080.0_cinema_960.0.jpg" style="display: inline; height: auto;" /><br />
140. <div class="m-entry__byline"><br />
141. </div><div class="m-entry__byline">By <a href="http://www.polygon.com/users/emilygera">Emily Gera</a>     <span class="timestamp">       on Jul 01, 2013       at 4:51a                 <a class="twitter" href="http://twitter.com/twitgera">@twitgera</a>            </span>   </div><div class="polygon_entry_admin">         </div><div class="polygon_social_buttons">  <div class="polygon_social facebook">    <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/7/1/4482108/darkspore-removed-from-steam-after-months-of-game-breaking-issues#">Share</a>   </div><div class="polygon_social twitter">      <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Darkspore+removed+from+Steam+after+months+of+game+breaking+issues&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsbn.to%2F129aFpM&via=Polygon">Tweet</a>   </div><div class="polygon_social googleplus">      <span class="g-interactivepost" data-calltoactiondeeplinkid="http://www.polygon.com/2013/7/1/4482108/darkspore-removed-from-steam-after-months-of-game-breaking-issues#comments?utm_source=polygon&utm_medium=interactive_share&utm_campaign=google_plus" data-calltoactionlabel="COMMENT" data-calltoactionurl="http://www.polygon.com/2013/7/1/4482108/darkspore-removed-from-steam-after-months-of-game-breaking-issues#comments?utm_source=polygon&utm_medium=interactive_share&utm_campaign=google_plus" data-clientid="208417962031.apps.googleusercontent.com" data-contenturl="http://www.polygon.com/2013/7/1/4482108/darkspore-removed-from-steam-after-months-of-game-breaking-issues?utm_source=polygon&utm_medium=interactive_share&utm_campaign=google_plus" data-cookiepolicy="single_host_origin" data-gapiscan="true" data-onload="true">         <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/7/1/4482108/darkspore-removed-from-steam-after-months-of-game-breaking-issues#">Share</a>       </span>     </div></div><div class="m-entry__body">              Maxis-developed action RPG <i><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.polygon.com/game/darkspore/4585">Darkspore</a> </i>is no longer available on the Steam store following months of server issues that made the game unplayable.<br />
142. This has proved to be a long-standing issue for the game, however. Since the game's 2011 release, <i>Darkspore </i>has  been plagued with server errors that have resulted in players being  unable to log in to the game. The title, published by Electronic Arts,  requires users to always be connected to EA's servers - a fact that at  one point created a barrier to entry for new players who were unable to  play the game for over nine days.<br />
143. Prior to its de-listing from Steam, <i>Darkspore </i>suffered from a server-side issue that meant players were unable to save changes made to their playable heroes. Despite this, a<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5;">ccording to an announcement on the game's </span><a href="http://forums.darkspore.com/" target="_blank">official forum</a><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5;">, there are no plans to fix these issues as the title is "for almost all intents and purposes an abandoned title."</span><br />
144. "<i>Darkspore </i>is no longer developed," reads a post from the  game's forum manager. "It is for almost all intents and purposes an  abandoned title. If you cannot play the game & have flicked through  technical issues for any fixes, then contact EA Customer Support;  especially if it regards CD-Keys or refunds.<br />
145. Error 73003 has gone unfixed & remains an issue.<br />
146. Error Code 3 has arisen for the majority/all & remains an issue.<br />
147. I will however keep the forums here as clean & tidy as possible  in my spare time. Why? Well why not. If it helps anyone with minor  problems, or find their way somewhere, then that's great. <span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5;">I wish you all luck, no matter what path you choose with <i>Darkspore</i>."</span><br />
148. While the game can no longer be purchased on Steam, it is still <a href="http://store2.origin.com/store/eaemea/en_GB/pd/productID.225364700/sac.true" target="_blank">available </a>for purchase on Origin. We have contacted EA for comment and will update the post when more information is available.<br />
149. </div><footer>      <ul class="source"><li>Source</li>
150. <li><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/search/?snr=1_4_4__12&term=darkspore">Steam</a></li>
151. <li><a href="http://forums.darkspore.com/">Darkspore</a></li>
152. </ul><ul class="via"><li>Via</li>
153. <li><a href="http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=67079481#post67079481">NeoGAF</a></li>
154. <li><a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/55519/darkspore-delisted-from-steam-plagued-with-game-breaking-issues">GameTrailers.com</a></li>
155. &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/footer&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/4280089373194355552/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/07/darkspore-removed-from-steam-after.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/4280089373194355552'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/4280089373194355552'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/07/darkspore-removed-from-steam-after.html' title='Darkspore removed from Steam after months of game breaking issues'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-1036382329864539071</id><published>2013-06-30T23:24:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-30T23:24:30.820-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The Top F2P Monetization Tricks</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130626/194933/The_Top_F2P_Monetization_Tricks.php&quot;&gt;Via Gamasutra:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
156.   <br />
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158. <tr><td width="630"><span class="newsAuth">by <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/author/RaminShokrizade/914048/">Ramin Shokrizade</a> on 06/26/13 08:16:00 am                      <img alt="Expert Blogs" border="0" src="http://twimgs.com/gamasutra/images/expertIcon_gamaBlog.gif" valign="bottom" />                    <img alt="Featured Blogs" border="0" src="http://twimgs.com/gamasutra/images/featuredIcon_gamaBlog.gif" valign="bottom" />                                    </span>                   <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin-top: 5px; width: 630px;"><tbody>
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166. <tr>                 <td class="newsText">                   <span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Coercive Monetization</strong></span><br />
167. <span style="font-size: x-small;">A coercive monetization model depends  on the ability to “trick” a person into making a purchase with  incomplete information, or by hiding that information such that while it  is technically available, the brain of the consumer does not access  that information. Hiding a purchase can be as simple as disguising the  relationship between the action and the cost as I describe in my </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130516/192386/Systems_of_Control_in_F2P.php">Systems of Control in F2P </a></em></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">paper</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span><br />
168. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Research has shown that putting even  one intermediate currency between the consumer and real money, such as a  “game gem” (premium currency), makes the consumer much less adept at  assessing the value of the transaction. Additional intermediary objects,  what I call “layering”, makes it even harder for the brain to  accurately assess the situation, especially if there is some additional  stress applied.</span><br />
169. <span style="font-size: x-small;">This additional stress is often in the form of what Roger Dickey from Zynga calls “fun pain”. I describe this in my </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><a href="http://gameful.org/group/games-for-change/forum/topics/two-contrasting-views-of-monetization">Two Contrasting Views of Monetization</a></em></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">  paper from 2011. This involves putting the consumer in a very  uncomfortable or undesirable position in the game and then offering to  remove this “pain” in return for spending money. This money is always  layered in coercive monetization models, because if confronted with a  “real” purchase the consumer would be less likely to fall for the trick.</span><br />
170. <span style="font-size: x-small;">As discussed in my </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130620/194429/Monetizing_Children.php">Monetizing Children</a> </em></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">paper,  the ability to weigh this short term “pain relief” vs. the long term  opportunity costs of spending money is a brain activity shown by  research to be handled in the pre-frontal cortex. This area of the brain  typically completes its development at the age of 25. Thus consumers  under the age of 25 will have increased vulnerability to fun pain and  layering effects, with younger consumers increasingly vulnerable. While  those older than 25 can fall for very well constructed coercive  monetization models, especially if they are unfamiliar with them (first  generation Facebook gamers), the target audience for these products is  those under the age of 25. For this reason these products are almost  always presented with cartoonish graphics and child-like characters.</span><br />
171. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Note that while monetizing those  under 18 runs the risk of charge backs, those between the age of 18 and  25 are still in the process of brain development and are considered  legal adults. It seems unlikely that anyone in this age range, having  been anointed with adulthood, is going to appeal to a credit card  company for relief by saying they are still developmentally immature.  Thus this group is a vulnerable population with no legal protection,  making them the ideal target audience for these methods. Not  coincidentally, this age range of consumer is also highly desired by  credit card companies.</span><br />
172. <span style="font-size: x-small;">The exception to the above child targeting would be products making heavy use of </span><a href="http://gamasutra.com/view/news/177237/The_new_rules_of_monetization.php#.UEs0NY1lThM" style="font-size: small;">Supremacy Goods</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">,  which I will discuss near the end of this paper. These products target a  wider age range of users  that are vulnerable to such appeals.</span><br />
173. <strong style="font-size: medium;">Premium Currencies</strong><br />
174. <span style="font-size: x-small;">To maximize the efficacy of a coercive monetization model, you <em>must</em>  use a premium currency, ideally with the ability to purchase said  currency in-app. Making the consumer exit the game to make a purchase  gives the target's brain more time to figure out what you are up to,  lowering your chances of a sale. If you can set up your game to allow  “one button conversion”, such as in many iOS games, then obviously this  is ideal. The same effect is seen in real world retail stores where  people buying goods with cash tend to spend less than those buying with  credit cards, due to the layering effect. </span><br />
175. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Purchasing in-app premium currency  also allows the use of discounting, such that premium currency can be  sold for less per unit if it is purchased in bulk. Thus a user that is  capable of doing basic math (handled in a different part of the brain  that develops earlier) can feel the urge to “save money” by buying more.  The younger the consumer, the more effective this technique is,  assuming they are able to do the math. Thus you want to make the numbers  on the purchase options very simple, and you can also put banners on  bigger purchases telling the user how much more they will “save” on big  purchases to assist very young or otherwise math-impaired customers.</span><br />
176. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Having the user see their amount of  premium currency in the interface is also much less anxiety generating,  compared to seeing a real money balance. If real money was used (no  successful game developer does this) then the consumer would see their  money going down as they play and become apprehensive. This gives the  consumer more opportunities to think and will reduce revenues.</span><br />
177. <strong style="font-size: medium;">Skill Games vs. Money Games</strong><br />
178. <span style="font-size: x-small;">A game of skill is one where your  ability to make sound decisions primarily determines your success. A  money game is one where your ability to spend money is the primary  determinant of your success. Consumers far prefer skill games to money  games, for obvious reasons. A key skill in deploying a coercive  monetization model is to disguise your money game as a skill game.</span><br />
179. <span style="font-size: x-small;">King.com's </span><em style="font-size: small;">Candy Crush Saga</em><span style="font-size: x-small;">  is designed masterfully in this regard. Early game play maps can be  completed by almost anyone without spending money, and they slowly  increase in difficulty. This presents a challenge to the skills of the  player, making them feel good when they advance due to their abilities.  Once the consumer has been marked as a spender (more on this later) the  game difficulty ramps up massively, shifting the game from a skill game  to a money game as progression becomes more dependent on the use of  premium boosts than on player skills.</span><br />
180. <span style="font-size: x-small;">If the shift from skill game to money  game is done in a subtle enough manner, the brain of the consumer has a  hard time realizing that the rules of the game have changed. If done  artfully, the consumer will increasingly spend under the assumption that  they are still playing a skill game and “just need a bit of help”. This  ends up also being a form of discriminatory pricing as the costs just  keep going up until the consumer realizes they are playing a money game.</span><br />
181. <strong style="font-size: medium;">Reward Removal</strong><br />
182. <span style="font-size: x-small;">This is my favorite coercive  monetization technique, because it is just so powerful. The technique  involves giving the player some really huge reward, that makes them  really happy, and then threatening to take it away if they do not spend.  Research has shown that humans like getting rewards, but they hate  losing what they already have much more than they value the same item as  a reward. To be effective with this technique, you have to tell the  player they have earned something, and  then later tell them that they  did not. The longer you allow the player to have the reward before you  take it away, the more powerful is the effect.</span><br />
183. <span style="font-size: x-small;">This technique is used masterfully in </span><em style="font-size: small;">Puzzle and Dragons</em><span style="font-size: x-small;">.  In that game the play primarily centers around completing “dungeons”.  To the consumer, a dungeon appears to be a skill challenge, and  initially it is. Of course once the customer has had enough time to get  comfortable with the idea that this is a skill game the difficulty goes  way up and it becomes a money game. What is particularly effective here  is that the player has to go through several waves of battles in a  dungeon, with rewards given after each wave. The last wave is a “boss  battle” where the difficulty becomes massive and if the player is in the  recommended dungeon for them then they typically fail here. They are  then told that all of the rewards from the previous waves are going to  be lost, in addition to the stamina used to enter the dungeon (this can  be 4 or more real hours of time worth of stamina).</span><br />
184. <span style="font-size: x-small;">At this point the user must choose to  either spend about $1 or lose their rewards, lose their stamina (which  they could get back for another $1), and lose their progress. To the  brain this is not just a loss of time. If I spend an hour writing a  paper and then something happens and my writing gets erased, this is  much more painful to me than the loss of an hour. The same type of  achievement loss is in effect here. Note that in this model the player  could be defeated multiple times in the boss battle and in getting to  the boss battle, thus spending several dollars per dungeon.</span><br />
185. <span style="font-size: x-small;">This technique alone is effective enough to make consumers of any developmental level spend. Just to be safe, </span><em style="font-size: small;">PaD</em><span style="font-size: x-small;">  uses the same technique at the end of each dungeon again in the form of  an inventory cap. The player is given a number of “eggs” as rewards,  the contents of which have to be held in inventory. If your small  inventory space is exceeded, again those eggs are taken from you unless  you spend to increase your inventory space. Brilliant!</span><br />
186. <strong style="font-size: medium;">Progress Gates</strong><br />
187. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Progress gates can be used to tell a  consumer that they will need to spend some amount of money if they want  to go further in the game. If done transparently, this is not coercive.  For the purposes of this paper, the focus will just be on how this can  be layered to trick the consumer into spending on something they may not  have if they had been provided with complete information.</span><br />
188. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Now let's break progress gates into  “hard” and “soft” types. A hard gate is one where you cannot advance if  you do not pay up. The central buildings in Zynga builder type games are  a good example. All other buildings in a town/city/base are capped by  the level of the central building, forcing a hard progress gate. What  makes this coercive is that the player is not told that if they pay  through that gate they will just be presented with another hard gate  soon that will cost even more money. Thus the consumer may assume they  are getting more pain relief for their money than they are.</span><br />
189. <span style="font-size: x-small;">A soft gate is one where the player can get past the gate, eventually. </span><em style="font-size: small;">Clash of Clans</em><span style="font-size: x-small;">  uses this type in making building times ever longer and allowing the  user to spend to complete them. This is a method presumably borrowed  from games made by Zynga, Kabam, Kixeye, and others since it is a common  Facebook game convention. In order to improve the efficacy of the soft  gate, these games also make it so that resource generation in-game  increases faster than the player's ability to spend these resources  (because building/spending takes so long). Thus these “earned” resources  are lost (taken away) if real money is not spent. This is a method of  combining reward removal with a soft gate to increase the pain level  while at the same time layering, as the consumer may be gullible enough  to assume these effects are coincidental or due to some strategic  misstep they took earlier.</span><br />
190. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Another novel way to use a progress  gate is to make it look transparent, but to use it as the partition  between the skill game and the money game. <em>Candy Crush Saga</em>  employs this technique artfully. In that game there is a “river” that  costs a very small amount of money to cross. The skill game comes before  the river. A player may spend to cross the river, believing that the  previous skill game was enjoyable (it was for me) and looking to pay to  extend the skill game. No such guarantee is given of course, King just  presents a river and does not tell you what is on the other side. The  money game is on the other side, and as the first payment is always the  hardest, those that cross the river are already prequalified as  spenders. Thus the difficulty ramps up to punishing levels on the far  side of the river, necessitating boosts for all but the most pain  tolerant players. </span><br />
191. <strong style="font-size: medium;">Soft and Hard Boosts</strong><br />
192. <span style="font-size: x-small;">The purpose of a money game is to  promote Boost sales. Boosts that have an instant one-time effect are  “soft” Boosts. Those that stick around either forever or until they are  converted to something else are “hard” Boosts. The $1 “un-defeat” button  in </span><em style="font-size: small;">PaD</em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> is a soft Boost, as are all of the power-ups sold in </span><em style="font-size: small;">Candy Crush Saga. </em><span style="font-size: x-small;">The obvious advantage of soft boosts is that you can keep selling them as long as the player stays in the money game.</span><br />
193. “<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hard” Boosts include things like the random rare creatures that are sold in <em>PaD</em>  for $5 each. Having these in your stable effectively lowers the  difficulty of the game enough to allow you to get a little bit further  with each purchase. A technique that is very popular in Asian games with  hard Boosts (<em>PaD</em> included) is to allow hard Boosts to be  “merged” to allow for even bigger hard Boosts. This makes the math  involved in figuring out exactly how expensive a very high quality hard  Boost will be, daunting. It may even be completely invisible to the  consumer due to the various drop %s being hidden. Thus the best hard  Boosts in these games typically cost thousands of dollars, a fact that  is hidden to the user until they are already invested for at least a few  hundred dollars. This puts the consumer in the difficult position of  giving up and losing the equity already purchased, or going “all the  way” and spending some unknown large amount to get the top Boost. Some  of these techniques, sometimes called “kompu gacha”, are already facing  regulation in Asia due to their excessive layering and lack of  transparency.</span><br />
194. <span style="font-size: x-small;">In money games that contain a social  layer, this social layer is used as an added incentive to show off your  “skills” to other players that may still not realize they are in a money  game. This is the purpose of the mini-leaderboards in </span><em style="font-size: small;">Candy Crush Saga</em><span style="font-size: x-small;">, to make it look like you need to try harder to beat your more “skillful” friends. Even the “word-o-meter” in </span><em style="font-size: small;">Words with Friends</em><span style="font-size: x-small;">  can be considered a soft Boost in a money game disguised as a skill  game. This would, of course, depend on if you considered it to give an  advantage. If it didn't then why are people buying it?</span><br />
195. <strong style="font-size: medium;">Ante Games</strong><br />
196. <span style="font-size: x-small;">As described in detail in my </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><a href="http://gameful.org/group/games-for-change/forum/topics/how-pay-to-win-works">How “Pay to Win” Works</a> </em></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">paper</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">,  the key to these games is to start off with the appearance of a skill  game and then shift to a multiplayer money game that I call an “Ante”  game. The game could proceed as a skill game but never does since once  one player spends enough money it becomes a money game. At some point  players keep raising their antes, hoping that the other players will  fold. The “winner” (and loser) is the player that puts in the largest  ante. It is not unusual for winning antes to be over $5000, and some  Asian game developers that make only ante games like IGG have “VIP”  member sections that you have to spend $3000+ per year for the top level  of membership.</span><br />
197. <span style="font-size: x-small;">The target audience here tends to be  non-hardcore competitive gamers who need the self esteem boost that  comes with winning a skill game, and who for whatever reason never  recognize the game as a money game. Some of my peers in the Asian gaming  industry suggest that there this is merely a form of conspicuous  consumption. I would love to see some age demographics for these  “whales”.</span><br />
198. <strong style="font-size: medium;">Last Thoughts</strong><br />
199. <span style="font-size: x-small;">The above mechanics are not meant to  be exhaustive, but give a basic overview of key techniques used in  coercive monetization model based games to defeat a customer's ability  to make informed choices about the costs and values in these products.  The more subtle the hand, and the more you can make your game appear to  be skill based the more effective these products will monetize.  Currently I would consider </span><em style="font-size: small;">Puzzle and Dragons</em><span style="font-size: x-small;">  to be the state of the art. While it's gameplay mechanisms are  simplistic, the depth of its reward mechanisms and its adherence to most  of the best practices listed in my Supremacy Goods microeconomic model  make it quite elegant. Its fantastic use of reward removal in particular  is quite impressive.</span><br />
200. <span style="font-size: x-small;">While it is possible to make  commercially competitive games without using coercive methods, this is a  lot more work. In the current market, especially with most adults and  children not familiar with the nature of these products, the environment  is still ripe for fast profits, and likely will continue to be so for a  few more years. Note that while these methods can be very successful  with young and inexperienced gamers, they find less success with older  and more experienced gamers, and this population represents a group with  potentially very large gaming budgets.</span></td></tr>
201. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/1036382329864539071/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-top-f2p-monetization-tricks.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/1036382329864539071'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/1036382329864539071'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-top-f2p-monetization-tricks.html' title='The Top F2P Monetization Tricks'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-5780835540824911297</id><published>2013-06-29T22:20:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-29T22:20:47.947-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ten Years Later, A Terrible Game Is Not So Terrible Anymore</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://kotaku.com/ten-years-later-a-terrible-game-is-not-so-terrible-any-604415581&quot;&gt;Via Kotaku&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;
202. <br />
203. <img alt="Ten Years Later, A Terrible Game Is Not So Terrible Anymore" class="marquee js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" data-asset-url="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18s62g2vc0fuwjpg/k-bigpic.jpg" height="546" src="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18s62g2vc0fuwjpg/k-bigpic.jpg" width="970" /> <br />
204. &lt;div class=&quot;first-text&quot; data-textannotation-id=&quot;62d8e5f02a379fce20873c7e1a6de29b&quot;&gt;In  a rush to cash in on the popularity of the first Pirates of the  Caribbean film, publishers Bethesda and developers Akella released in  2003 a very strange game.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div data-textannotation-id=&quot;aa756982857f8208a8f94ab8d83fc477&quot;&gt;It wasn&#39;t &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; a Pirates of the Caribbean game. It &lt;em&gt;had&lt;/em&gt;  been in development as a sequel to Sea Dogs, a 2000 game that itself  was basically a homage to Sid Meier&#39;s Pirates!. So despite adding a few  characters specific to the film, and the obvious name change, the game  actually had very little in common with Disney&#39;s blockbuster property.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div data-textannotation-id=&quot;a40a99cac24a3b77ddd1d2b5da0a9fff&quot;&gt;What it did  have, though, was promise. As I remember it, the game that shipped  wasn&#39;t all that great, a pale imitation of Meier&#39;s classic, but the  bones were there for something better, something potential modders  quickly realised and set to work upon fixing.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div data-textannotation-id=&quot;b6df53ac4261128eb79de68b5614145c&quot;&gt;And so the Pirates of the Caribbean: New Horizons project was born.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div data-textannotation-id=&quot;29ee3dc298a0bb510b0fed7532ec665c&quot;&gt;One of the  longest-running mods in existence, the goal of the team was to transform  the 2003 game into &quot;as full an historical Age of Sail game experience  as possible&quot;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div data-textannotation-id=&quot;2633541250d4f6a097b13ff3ae02e8d9&quot;&gt;There&#39;s only so much they can do working within the confines of someone else&#39;s game, but what they&#39;ve done is amazing. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div data-textannotation-id=&quot;762267ec8526b27b7ab5b9a26383d6b2&quot;&gt;You can  check out the complete list of what&#39;s been changed, from graphics  upgrades to major gameplay tweaks, at the project&#39;s site below.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div data-textannotation-id=&quot;7f09a87e7d2746a030bd1db5c039c0ce&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.moddb.com/mods/new-horizons&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;New Horizons&lt;/a&gt; [ModDB]&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;lightBoxWrapper&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;img-border&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Ten Years Later, A Terrible Game Is Not So Terrible Anymore&quot; class=&quot;transform-ku-xlarge&quot; height=&quot;360&quot; src=&quot;http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18s62kql15hvnjpg/ku-xlarge.jpg&quot; width=&quot;640&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/5780835540824911297/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/ten-years-later-terrible-game-is-not-so.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5780835540824911297'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5780835540824911297'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/ten-years-later-terrible-game-is-not-so.html' title='Ten Years Later, A Terrible Game Is Not So Terrible Anymore'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-4227588759936701633</id><published>2013-06-27T21:03:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-27T21:03:17.567-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Google is developing an Android-based video game console</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-28-google-is-developing-an-android-based-video-game-console-report&quot;&gt;Via Eurogamer.net:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
205. <br />
206. <b>And an Android-based wristwatch. Yes, seriously.</b><br />
207. <br />
208. <div class="byline">           <strong>By</strong>        <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/author/647">Jeffrey Matulef</a>           <strong>Published</strong>        <span>                  Friday, 28 June 2013               </span>       </div><section class="">   <div class="illustrationPreview  ">    <img alt="1" class="preview clickable" data-uri="2013/articles/1/5/9/4/2/9/1/137237790482.jpg" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles/1/5/9/4/2/9/1/137237790482.jpg/EG11/resize/300x-1/quality/91" width="300" />     <div class="caption">The future is a strange and scary place.</div><div class="caption"><br />
209. </div></div>Internet mega-corporation Google is purportedly developing an Android-based video game console, according to a report by the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/27/wsj-google-developing-android-console-eyes-on-apple-ouya/" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a> (via <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/27/wsj-google-developing-android-console-eyes-on-apple-ouya/" target="_blank">Joystiq</a>).<br />
210. Evidently, the console is being developed alongside an  Android-based wristwatch, which I presume will tap into the 80s era  nostalgia that's totally in vogue right now.<br />
211. According to the report, the console and watch are being developed  as a buffer against Apple, with one source claiming that Google has been  keeping its all-seeing eye on the Ouya. <br />
212. The cubic Kickstarted Android-based console apparently sold out at  Gamestop and Amazon US upon its launch yesterday, according to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.develop-online.net/news/44632/Ouya-launches-in-US-UK-and-Canada&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Develop&lt;/a&gt;, but it appears to be back in stock now.&lt;/section&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/4227588759936701633/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/google-is-developing-android-based.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/4227588759936701633'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/4227588759936701633'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/google-is-developing-android-based.html' title='Google is developing an Android-based video game console'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-2691645437747527232</id><published>2013-06-27T21:01:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-27T21:01:59.496-07:00</updated><title type='text'>AMD And NVIDIA Talk 4K Gaming And Why The PS4 And Xbox One Are A Downgrade</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2013/06/25/state-of-the-game-amd-and-nvidia-talk-4k-gaming/&quot;&gt;Via Forbes:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
213. <br />
214. <div class="fleft clearfix article" id="leftRail">    <div class="body contains_vestpocket">           <a href="http://b-i.forbesimg.com/carolpinchefsky/files/2013/06/AMD-s-Official-Stand-on-Trinity-and-Llano-Transistor-Count-2.gif"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6684" height="240" src="http://b-i.forbesimg.com/carolpinchefsky/files/2013/06/AMD-s-Official-Stand-on-Trinity-and-Llano-Transistor-Count-2-300x240.gif" width="300" /></a><br />
215. While the Xbox One and PS4 took a lion’s share of the limelight at E3,  there was more to the event than the console launches and their Day One  games lineups. While catching up with NVIDIA about <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2013/06/20/state-of-the-game-nvidia-talks-shield-grid-android-and-the-future-of-gaming-its-not-consoles/" title="StateoftheGameNVIDIASHIELD">SHIELD</a>  at E3 I also heard about some of their plans for PC gaming. Arch-rivals  AMD also have plenty to say on that subject, and an AMD spokesperson  took a few moments to fill me in on their perspective too.<br />
216. AMD was quick to tell me that “AMD makes [the] technology that powers  the X-Box One and the PlayStation 4, and we also make technology in our  Radeon graphics that powers the Wii U. So we’re in all three of the new  next-gen consoles.” In the case of the new Xbox and PlayStation, AMD  provides the central APU (integrated CPU/GPU) engine, while the Wii U  uses AMD graphics. Not surprisingly, this makes AMD console fans.<br />
217. NVIDIA, meanwhile, don’t have a seat at the big consoles’ table. With  Tegra aimed at the Android mobile market and their own SHIELD portable  Android console, the company has their mobile strategy in place. But for  high-end gaming, NVIDIA now only has the PC as a platform to target.  This is an interesting turn of events, because it means NVIDIA, unlike  AMD, now has more at stake in pushing PC gaming forward.<br />
218. <span id="more-6666"></span>NVIDIA’s Jason Paul, director of product  marketing, told me: “I think PC still going to be the premiere gaming  platform. For game developers who want to deliver the richest, best  experiences, they’re going to develop for PC. I think that’s going to  keep PC very healthy through this new generation of consoles, and  obviously PCs are going to continue to take off in terms of innovation.”<br />
219. AMD are justifiably proud of their console hat-trick, but it doesn’t  mean they don’t care about the PC. After all, the next generation of  consoles can now easily game at 1080P, but many PC gamers have been  playing exclusively at that resolution for half a decade or more, and  are ready to move on to better things.<br />
220. As I’m standing in the AMD booth, AMD’s spokesperson points across the aisle to a <a href="http://www.forbes.com/companies/sharp/">Sharp</a>   32 inch 4K [3840x2160 resolution] display: “Something like that can be  plugged into a PC today. You can do 4K gaming right now with the games  that are out there now. So on the PC continues to lead and really define  the leading edge of gaming. So I don’t think it’s going anywhere; in  fact I think it’s actually grown quite a bit because [for] the consoles  that have been out there…it’s been a long console cycle.”<br />
221. As AMD and NVIDIA make high-end GPUs for which a single 1080P display  is no longer a challenge, for gamers looking for the next big thing,  the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One might not be as compelling as <a href="http://www.forbes.com/companies/sony/">Sony</a>  and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/companies/microsoft/">Microsoft</a>  hope.<br />
222. Paul said “…New consoles come out, and they catch up a little in  performance, but then they get stale over a while and the PC sort of  goes through a Renaissance. PC’s been really strong over the last few  years as the consoles have aged. Consoles will close that gap a little  bit. But one of the things that’s different about this generation is  generally the consoles will catch up to the PC in terms of performance.  With this next generation, at least what’s been released so far in terms  of specs, it doesn’t look like they’re going to close the gap with PC  this time.”<br />
223. AMD concurs. AMD’s spokesperson told me: “A lot more people have been  taking a look at the PC and saying ‘Oh wait, I can get better graphics  over here. Oh wait, my experience over here can be different’ like with  AMD’s [multi-monitor technology] Eyefinity…. Gaming with a mouse and a  keyboard is very different from gaming with a control on a sofa.”<br />
224. Or as Clay Causin, a senior software engineer at NVIDIA, puts it:  “Personal opinion: Consoles they have a place. if you need something  basic, you don’t care how your game looks, alright, I guess it works for  you. PC gaming is…bigger and better. Consoles are a downgrade.”<br />
225. There’s plenty of demand, in other words, for the kind of high-end PC  gaming parts both companies produce. Boutique PC rig builders will sell  you machines for many thousands of dollars if you want, but that  doesn’t mean gamers have to break the bank, unless of course they want  to.<br />
226. AMD’s spokesperson said, “You can totally build a gaming PC for $1000  or even $600-$700…. It all depends on what type of performance you are  looking at and what you want to do with the product. Although the  primary purpose of a user building their own PC might be to game it’s  still a computer. It still does everything a computer can do, you can do  multimedia steaming, you can do file crunching, you can build and  create things, you can use it for work or play.<br />
227. “It all depends on what you want to do and how big you want to go.”<br />
228. Just how big? AMD’s spokesperson mentions a Maingear machine that’s  using the company’s latest Radeon HD 7990 and Eyefinity to drive five  65-inch video TVs simultaneously. Rather like one of those TV cooking  shows where the chef is standing in a kitchen bigger than your house,  “It’s fun and a little obnoxious…showing people what kind of  cutting-edge technology you can do in big bold ways.”<br />
229. So, at the end of the day, how important is PC gaming? As Causin puts it: “Well, it pays all of our checks.”<br />
230. &lt;em&gt;You can follow me on &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/#%21/CarolPinchefsky&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Twitter&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/CarolPinchefsky&quot; title=&quot;CarolPinchefskyFB&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Facebook&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://plus.google.com/104903501021144404577?rel=author&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Google+&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, and here at &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://blogs.forbes.com/carolpinchefsky&quot; title=&quot;CarolPinchefsky&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Forbes&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/2691645437747527232/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/amd-and-nvidia-talk-4k-gaming-and-why.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/2691645437747527232'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/2691645437747527232'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/amd-and-nvidia-talk-4k-gaming-and-why.html' title='AMD And NVIDIA Talk 4K Gaming And Why The PS4 And Xbox One Are A Downgrade'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-5782269736814974074</id><published>2013-06-27T21:00:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-27T21:00:52.360-07:00</updated><title type='text'>U.S. government makes its first-ever Bitcoin seizure</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailydot.com/business/11-bitcoins-seized-government-dea/&quot;&gt;Via The Daily Dot:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
231. <br />
232. <br />
233. &lt;div class=&quot;row-fluid span10 offset1&quot;&gt;                                      &lt;div class=&quot;byline&quot;&gt;        &lt;span class=&quot;by-date&quot;&gt;             By             &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailydot.com/authors/tim-sampson/&quot;&gt;Tim Sampson&lt;/a&gt;             on             &lt;time class=&quot;article-pub-date&quot; datetime=&quot;2013-06-26&quot;&gt;June 26, 2013&lt;/time&gt;         &lt;/span&gt;         &lt;span class=&quot;byline-nav&quot;&gt;             &lt;a class=&quot;author-email&quot; href=&quot;mailto:tim@dailydot.com?subject=U.S.%20government%20makes%20its%20first-ever%20Bitcoin%20seizure&quot;&gt;Email&lt;/a&gt;                       &lt;/span&gt;         &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt; The U.S. government may not print &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailydot.com/tags/bitcoin/&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;Bitcoin&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or regulate it, but apparently the feds can still seize it.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt; Earlier this week, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.forfeiture.gov/pdf/DEA/OfficialNotification.pdf&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;the federal Drug Enforcement Agency reported that it had seized 11.02 bitcoins&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;—roughly  $814—from a South Carolina man attempting to buy illegal substances  with the world&#39;s leading digital currency. It&#39;s the first known seizure  of Bitcoin by the U.S. government, signaling just how seriously the feds  take Bitcoin and the online black markets it fuels.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt; A report from the DEA notes that the money was netted in April. Little  detail is provided about the seizure, which appears on the  third-to-the-last page of a 128-page document. Its not even clear what  substance the suspect was trying to buy. But for Bitcoin experts, the  particulars of this case are less important than the apparent fact that  the U.S. government is performing sting operations on Bitcoin sites.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt; &quot;The DEA appears to have been the first agency to seize actual Bitcoins  from an individual with this seizure,&quot; wrote Brian Cohen and Adam B.  Levine on the blog &lt;a href=&quot;http://letstalkbitcoin.com/post/53700133097/users-bitcoins-seized-by-dea&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;Let&#39;s Talk Bitcoin&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &quot;Exactly how the Bitcoin was seized is not known as of this writing.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt; How the funds were seized is still technically a mystery, but the  authors of the Let&#39;s Talk Bitcoin piece and others have their theories.  The prevailing wisdom is that a Bitcoin seizure could have occurred one  of two ways. Since there is no evidence that Bitcoin itself was  compromised, a DEA agent would have either had to take control of a  computer with an unencrypted wallet and transfer the amount to a DEA  controlled wallet, or they would have had to set up a &quot;honeypot&quot; sting  on the popular &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailydot.com/news/silk-road-drug-market-ddos-attacks-ransom/&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;Silk Road&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  Internet black market, where Bitcoin is regularly used to purchase  contraband. In that case, the alleged criminal would have unknowingly  transferred the Bitcoins to the DEA himself.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt; These are still just theories on the part of Bitcoin enthusiasts, who  wait to see how the official proceedings will play out. What is clear  though is that federal interest in Bitcoin continues to grow.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt; As Bitcoin&#39;s value has grown, the U.S. government has begun to more  heavily scrutinize the anonymous, unregulated cryptocurrency. Last  month, the Department of Homeland Security &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailydot.com/business/homeland-security-dwolla-bitcoin-mt-gox/&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;seized one of the U.S. bank accounts of Mt. Gox&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,  the world&#39;s leading Bitcoin exchange. The seizure was the result of Mt.  Gox&#39;s failure to comply with anti-money laundering laws.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;p2&quot;&gt; The scrutiny from the U.S. government has gotten so severe that Mt. Gox has &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailydot.com/business/mt-gox-bitcoin-cash-withdrawals-suspended/&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;temporarily halted all U.S. cash withdrawals&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; while it works to meet government regulations. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/5782269736814974074/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/us-government-makes-its-first-ever.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5782269736814974074'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5782269736814974074'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/us-government-makes-its-first-ever.html' title='U.S. government makes its first-ever Bitcoin seizure'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-5975359925669571563</id><published>2013-06-27T06:54:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-27T06:54:46.811-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Atlus at risk after parent company announces bankruptcy</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/27/4469788/atlus-at-risk-after-parent-company-announces-bankruptcy&quot;&gt;Via Polygon:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
234. <br />
235. <div class="m-entry__photo">  <img alt="" class="vox-lazy-load lazy-loaded" data-original="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469359/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_640.0.jpg" data-ratio="1.77777777777778" data-sizes="{"320":"http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469361/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_320.0.jpg","384":"http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469383/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_384.0.jpg","1280":"http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469375/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_1280.0.jpg","960":"http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469365/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_960.0.jpg","640":"http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469359/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_640.0.jpg","100":"http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469373/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_100.0.jpg","1920":"http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469161/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_1920.0.jpg","400":"http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469357/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_400.0.jpg","480":"http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469367/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_480.0.jpg"}" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15469365/zenoclash2_review_main_1920.0_cinema_960.0.jpg" style="display: inline; height: auto;" />    </div><header class="m-entry__header">           <h2 class="m-entry__title">Atlus at risk after parent company announces bankruptcy</h2><div class="m-entry__byline">    By <a href="http://www.polygon.com/users/emilygera">Emily Gera</a>     <span class="timestamp">       on Jun 27, 2013       at 7:56a                 <a class="twitter" href="http://twitter.com/twitgera">@twitgera</a>            </span>   </div></header>             <div class="polygon_entry_admin">         </div><div class="polygon_social_buttons"><br />
236. </div><div class="m-entry__body">              <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.polygon.com/game/zeno-clash/7898">Zeno Clash</a>  publisher Atlus is at risk of sale or restructure following today's  announcement that parent company Index has filed for civil  rehabilitation proceedings as it faces bankruptcy.<br />
237. According to a report from <a href="http://japan.cnet.com/news/business/35033951/" target="_blank">CNET</a>, Index owes debts of <span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">¥</span>24.5 billion <span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">— </span>roughly $224 million <span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">— </span>and the company's president Ochiai Yoshimi has hinted at his resignation.<br />
238. Index Corporation states that its previous attempt to acquire  businesses targeted at both domestic and international interests did not  work as planned, while overseas acquisitions was particularly  unsuccessful in creating the necessary increase in revenue to justify  the purchase.<br />
239. We have contacted Atlus for comment and will update the post when more information is available.<br />
240. </div><footer>      <ul class="source"><li>Source</li>
241. <li><a href="http://japan.cnet.com/news/business/35033951/">CNet Japan</a></li>
242. </ul><ul class="via"><li>Via</li>
243. <li><a href="http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=605566">NeoGAF</a></li>
244. &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/footer&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/5975359925669571563/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/atlus-at-risk-after-parent-company.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5975359925669571563'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5975359925669571563'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/atlus-at-risk-after-parent-company.html' title='Atlus at risk after parent company announces bankruptcy'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-5283009556922239932</id><published>2013-06-26T22:44:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-26T22:44:31.801-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The war for the free and open internet — and how we are losing it</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://suegardner.org/2013/06/26/the-war-for-the-free-and-open-internet-and-how-we-are-losing-it/&quot;&gt;Via Sue Gardner&#39;s Blog&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;
245. <br />
246.  <a href="http://suegardner.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/sopa_ft2.png"><img alt="SOPA_(FT2)" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1725" height="296" src="http://suegardner.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/sopa_ft2.png?w=460&h=296" width="460" /></a><em> </em><br />
247. <em>Below is the text of a talk I delivered Monday at the <a href="http://civic.mit.edu/conference2013/">2013 MIT-Knight Civic Media Conference</a> in Boston. Republican Congressman <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Issa">Darrell Issa</a>, Icelandic member of Parliament <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birgitta_J%C3%B3nsd%C3%B3ttir">Birgitta Jónsdóttir</a> and I spoke on the theme of “Insiders/Outsiders: what is the right approach to change.”</em><br />
248. Unlike many of the people in this room, I’m not an academic or a  public policy expert and so I won’t be bringing you statistics or  analysis or theories today. I run a big website. I’m also a journalist.  If we consider ourselves to be in a war for the free and open internet, I  am here to tell you some stories from the trenches.<br />
249. Wikipedia is pretty much the consummate insider-outsider: the #5  most-popular site in the entire world, read by a half a billion people  every month, yet written by utterly ordinary people with no special  power or authority at all. If they have credentials, they park them at  the door.<br />
250. Wikipedia is a tremendous success story. It launched in 2001 and took  off very quickly: by 2006 it had surpassed all the other news and  information sites in terms of popularity. Today it’s a behemoth. And  people love to point to it as an example of everything great about the  internet. There’s only one problem with that. Wikipedia is pretty much  alone. It’s NOT the general rule: it’s the exception that proves the  rule.<br />
251. Wikipedia is operated by a non-profit. In Silicon Valley, people  often find that astonishing – they ask me why Jimmy Wales “left so much  money on the table,” and whether he regrets doing it. (Answer: no.)  Sometimes people ask me why we don’t just put ads on the site, and  whether we are against advertising, against for-profit companies,  against capitalism.<br />
252. We say no. Our view is that the internet should have balance, much  like the offline world. A city has restaurants and shops and banks as  well as schools and libraries and parks. Wikipedia is like a park. It’s a  public space, accessible and used by everybody.<br />
253. But where are the other parks?<br />
254. <ul><li>Wikipedia is the only donor-supported site in the top 50</li>
255. <li>Wikipedia and Mozilla are the only two nonprofits in the top 25(*)</li>
256. <li>The average person spends practically all their time online on the  sites of for-profit companies, the vast majority of them American.  (Caveat: mainland China.)</li>
257. </ul>This worries me. The internet is evolving into a private-sector space  that is primarily accountable to corporate shareholders rather than  citizens. It’s constantly trying to sell you stuff. It does whatever it  wants with your personal information. And as it begins to be regulated  or to regulate itself, it often happens in a clumsy and harmful way,  hurting the internet’s ability to function for the benefit of the  public. That for example was the story of SOPA.<br />
258. My first war story happened soon after I joined the Wikimedia Foundation. It’s about censorship in the United Kingdom.<br />
259. The internet industry is, of course, generally hoping to remain  unregulated. In the UK a coalition of ISPs have formed an association  called the Internet Watch Foundation, which is essentially a group of  retired police officers, paid by the ISPs to investigate complaints of  child pornography online. In 2008, that group got a complaint about an  image on Wikipedia of an album cover from 1976(**) – an album called  “Virgin Killer”, by a German heavy metal band called the Scorpions. The  album cover image is a young girl, nude, which has been treated with an  effect that makes it look like she’s looking at you through a pane of  glass that has been shattered by a bullet. It’s deliberately provocative  – it’s heavy metal.<br />
260. The Internet Watch Foundation decided this was child porn, and  attempted to block it from the view of UK internet users. In doing that,  they accidentally made it impossible for anybody to edit Wikipedia from  inside the UK.<br />
261. People went nuts. There was a lot of press coverage, both inside the  UK and internationally. The Wikimedia Foundation spoke to the press, and  individual Wikipedia editors in the UK spoke to the press and blogged  and tweeted and so on. And after a few days the IWF reversed its  decision.<br />
262. Two interesting things:<br />
263. <ol><li>When they reversed their decision, they explicitly said that they  still believed the image was child porn, but that the public outcry was  too much for them. They backed down because they couldn’t win a PR war  against fans of the number five website in the world. If we had been  Joe’s Album Art History Wiki, it’s clear the decision would not have  been reversed.</li>
264. <li>Importantly and invisibly, while this story was playing out, and was  being written about by journalists internationally, at the Wikimedia  Foundation we noticed Amazon had quietly pulled the Virgin Killer album  from its site. It still sold a version of the album that had a different  cover, but it no longer sold the version with the image that was being  challenged. Amazon didn’t call us to ask what was going on, or to offer  us help. They didn’t even silently watch and wait. They pulled the album  off their shelves — not just in the UK but worldwide.</li>
265. </ol>Don’t get me wrong, I love Amazon. I spend a significant portion of  my disposable income at Amazon every year, and I am grateful that it’s  made my life easier and given me choices I didn’t have before it  existed. Amazon is fantastic. But it’s also true that Amazon’s job is  not to protect the public interest – it’s to advance the interests of  Amazon.<br />
266. Another story.<br />
267. In 2011, there was a Wikipedia conference in Mumbai at which Jimmy  Wales spoke as well as our Board member Bishakha Datta, and a few of our  staff. To our considerable surprise, a popular Indian political party  picketed outside our conference and demanded that the police arrest us.  They were doing that because the map of India displayed on Wikipedia  shows the country’s borders as per the United Nations – with the borders  with China and Pakistan “disputed” – and not as per the map defined by  the government of India. It is only legal, in India, to publish a map  showing India’s borders as they are defined and understood by the  government of India.<br />
268. As you can imagine, the protest made us exceedingly anxious. We knew  that although India is a democracy with a commitment to free speech,  that commitment is variable and laws and community standards inside  India are somewhat volatile. And so we retained a bunch of lawyers. We  spent weeks researching the legal and PR issues. Where we could, we took  a variety of small non-controversial steps to protect ourselves. And  ultimately we got lucky, and the issue seemed to fizzle out.<br />
269. What we did not do was change the map of India displayed on  Wikipedia. Partly because we can’t – that’s a Wikipedia community  decision – but also because we shouldn’t. It’s perfectly reasonable to  publish a map of India with the UN borders.<br />
270. What was interesting here, as we researched our position, was what  everybody else does. It seems that inside India, every major player  except Wikipedia displays the map of India with the borders as defined  by the Indian government. If you’re in India, that’s what Google shows  you. When the Economist magazine prints a map of India, I was told by  our lawyer, the version of the magazine they sell inside India shows a  map different from the version in the magazine they sell elsewhere.(***)<br />
271. It’s also worth noting that the Wikimedia Foundation has a legal team  and a PR team, and Wikipedia is a popular site, much-loved by its  readers. Not everyone has those resources. Of those that do, most are  private and for-profit. Again, some of those players are doing great  things. But on the whole, over time, they will put profits before public  service. That’s their job and their obligation.<br />
272. Governments, in my experience, aren’t helping. Mostly they’re just  befuddled, but even if they knew what to do, there’s no reason to  believe they’d do it. Too often they’re corporate captives. We saw it  with SOPA. Today they listen too much to the entertainment industry –  the copyright owners. Tomorrow, maybe they’ll be listening too much to  giant technology companies. Either way, the voices of ordinary people  will only rarely be heard, and I have difficulty believing that more or  better civic engagement will fix that anytime soon. I agree with Larry  Lessig: structural problems – fundraising, gerrymandering – have made  for a powerful incumbency with skewed incentives.<br />
273. And so, as a soldier in the trenches, my message to this conference is caution and concern.<br />
274. Aside from Wikipedia, there is no large, popular space being carved  out for the public good. There are a billion tiny experiments, some of  them great. But we should be honest: we are not gaining ground. Our  schools, our libraries, our parks – they are very, very small and they  may or may not sustain. We certainly have no information-sharing  participatory Garden of Eden, the promise of the internet that we all  originally believed in. Though we are not lost, we are losing.<br />
275. I say this because it’s easy to come together for a conference like  this and get excited about awesome experiments and interesting  breakthroughs. It’s worth doing! We want to celebrate success! But if  you’ve read <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Wu">Tim Wu</a>‘s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Master-Switch-Information-Empires/dp/1455884391">Master Switch</a>, if you’re reading <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._McChesney">Robert McChesney</a>‘s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Disconnect-Capitalism-Internet-Democracy/dp/1595588671">Digital Disconnect</a>, you know that the insiders are winning. We are not.<br />
276. The internet needs serious help if it is to remain free and open, a  powerful contributor to the public good. That’s what I’m hoping you’ll  discuss over the course of this conference. How to create an ecosystem  of parks and libraries and schools online … that supports participation,  dialogue, sharing.<br />
277. Thank you.<br />
278. <em>(*Turns out I was wrong about this. Mozilla is #60 globally  according to comScore Media Metrix, the industry standard for web  audience measurement. Therefore, I should actually have said Wikipedia,  at #5, is the *only* non-profit in the top 25.)</em><br />
279. <em>(**When I delivered the talk I said 2009 and 1979. I’d been misremembering: it was 2008 and 1976.)</em><br />
280. &lt;em&gt;(***Since delivering this talk, &lt;a href=&quot;http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/User:Tbayer&quot;&gt;Tilman Bayer&lt;/a&gt; at the Wikimedia Foundation pointed me towards &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13529512&quot;&gt;this BBC article&lt;/a&gt;,  in which the Economist accuses the Indian government of hostile  censorship after it forced the magazine to place a blank white sticker  over a map of Kashmir in the 30,000 copies of the May 2011 Economist  that were distributed in India.)&lt;/em&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/5283009556922239932/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-war-for-free-and-open-internet-and.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5283009556922239932'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5283009556922239932'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-war-for-free-and-open-internet-and.html' title='The war for the free and open internet — and how we are losing it'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-4259716320763276961</id><published>2013-06-26T16:32:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-26T16:32:38.051-07:00</updated><title type='text'>id Software president leaves after 17 years</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gamespot.com/news/id-software-president-leaves-after-17-years-6410773&quot;&gt;Via GameSpot.com&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;
281. <br />
282. <div class="time"><time datetime="1372284732" pubdate="">June 26, 2013  3:12PM PDT</time></div><br />
283. <div class="authorByline  ">    <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/users/eddienoteddy/"> <img alt="Eddie Makuch" class="headShotSmall" src="http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/shared/authors/eddie-makuch-2_46.jpg" />  </a>   <div class="wrap"> <address>By  <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/users/eddienoteddy/">  Eddie Makuch</a>, News Editor  </address><div class="follow_buttons_wrap">          </div></div></div><div id="storyDeck">Todd Hollenshead departs Doom studio to pursue "other personal interests." </div>id Software president and former CEO Todd Hollenshead has left the Doom  studio after 17 years with the company, publisher Bethesda has  confirmed.  <br />
284. <div class="embscreen">                                <a href="http://au.gamespot.com/pages/image_viewer/index.php?single=1&path=2013%2F176%2FTodd_76754_screen.jpg&blog=1" rel="popup:imageviewer nofollow">                                 <img alt="" class="thumb" src="http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/2013/176/Todd_76754_embed.jpg" /></a></div>"After many years with the studio, Todd Hollenshead decided to leave id  Software to pursue other personal interests," Bethesda said in a  statement.  <br />
285. "While Todd was not part of the development teams, he was an integral  part of id Software's success as the business head of the studio, and we  wish him the very best in his future endeavors." <br />
286. Hollenshead joined id Software in 1996 as CEO, before taking on the role of president in 2009.  <br />
287. The most recent new release from id Software was 2011&#39;s &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gamespot.com/rage-2011/&quot;&gt;Rage&lt;/a&gt;. The studio is currently working on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gamespot.com/doom-4/&quot;&gt;Doom 4&lt;/a&gt;, which has been &lt;a class=&quot;gslink&quot; href=&quot;http://www.gamespot.com/news/doom-4-rebooted-but-still-in-development-6406340&quot;&gt;rebooted&lt;/a&gt;.  </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/4259716320763276961/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/id-software-president-leaves-after-17.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/4259716320763276961'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/4259716320763276961'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/id-software-president-leaves-after-17.html' title='id Software president leaves after 17 years'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-1717096662363281479</id><published>2013-06-26T16:31:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-26T16:31:10.070-07:00</updated><title type='text'>EA and Nintendo: the collapse of the &quot;unprecedented relationship&quot;</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-26-ea-and-nintendo-the-collapse-of-the-unprecedented-relationship&quot;&gt;Via Eurogamer.net:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
288. <br />
289.  "Our job as game creators and executives is to be where the gamers are."<br />
290. <br />
291. <div class="byline">           <strong>By</strong>        <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/author/639">Tom Phillips</a>           <strong>Published</strong>        <span>                  Wednesday, 26 June 2013               </span>       </div><section class="">   Just two years ago, during another typically sunny morning in Los  Angeles, ex-EA boss John Riccitiello walked on stage at the Nokia  Theatre to announce an “unprecedented relationship” with Nintendo.<br />
292. It was June 2011 and the Wii was closing in on its 90 millionth  console sold. With the world ready for new hardware, Nintendo seemed  poised to make lightning strike twice. The Japanese company had a new  touchscreen controller and, finally, an HD-capable console, and with  PlayStation 4 and Xbox One seemingly still far away, Wii U was, briefly,  the cool new kid in town.<br />
293. “Over the years I've made appearances at E3 with console partners,  but never before for Nintendo,” Riccitiello began. “What brings us  together today is a breakthrough in our relationship based on a stunning  breakthrough in technology. What Nintendo's new console delivers speaks  directly to the players of EA Sports and EA Games.”<br />
294. Riccitiello gave examples of EA's vision. A new Madden title could  have instantly-available stats via the GamePad, he suggested, or a fresh  Battlefield game would be able to use DICE's meaty Frostbite engine and  the Wii U's graphical power. Other benefits of the system would include  easy-to-access online multiplayer and the ability to provide a constant  stream of game-extending DLC.  <br />
295. It's easy to see why the prospect had EA drooling. Nintendo had a  huge existing Wii userbase and a new console ready to be filled with the  publisher's slate of games. And it would strike first with fresh  hardware at the tail end of a long - too-long - console generation. <br />
296. Fast forward a year later to the Wii U's launch in Nov 2012, and <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-04-24-nintendo-makes-surprise-profit-despite-lower-than-expected-wii-u-sales">far slower console sales than expected</a>.  EA released a FIFA and a Madden game (the former with fewer features  than on other platforms and the latter only in North America). It also  provided delayed ports of Mass Effect 3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted  (with existing DLC included on-disc, and later expansions simply  missing). <br />
297. Nintendo's online systems were better than the Wii's, but the  console's included hard drive sizes and shaky eShop download speed meant  most publishers ignored DLC altogether. And then, just six months into  Wii U's life, EA revealed that it no longer had any Wii U games in  development. The “unprecedented partnership” had come to an abrupt end.   In total, EA made four Wii U games. <br />
298. “[Need for Speed: Most Wanted] was the last one we did,” Patrick  Soderlund, boss of EA Games Labels, told Eurogamer during an interview  conducted at E3. “Right now I don't have any other games in development  for the Wii U. We are, frankly, hard at work with what we have in front  of us and with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. We're focusing on  those for now and getting that right.<br />
299. “When you have new technology like these two platforms represent  and you have game teams focused on it, you can only do so much. And even  though we have a lot of people we have decided for now... and I can  only speak for my label... that we focus on the previous platforms, PS3  and Xbox 360, as well as PC, Xbox One and PS4.<br />
300. “For now.”<br />
301. It's hard to believe that a company the size of EA could lack for  resources, but this year's financial results saw EA fall short of its  own targets. It was for this reason that Riccitiello quit, the company <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-22-layoffs-at-ea-montreal-and-los-angeles-as-gargantuan-company-manages-console-transition">triggered even more lay-offs</a> and announced the cancellation of <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-14-dead-space-isnt-dead-but-no-ones-working-on-dead-space-4-right-now-ea-confirms">several</a> under-performing <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-30-ea-to-shutter-the-medal-of-honor-brand-following-warfighters-well-below-expectations-sales">franchises</a>. It's not that EA didn't have the resources, then, but  that it no longer had the resources spare for a lower-priority console.<br />
302. <div class="pullquote  left ">When you run a business - and we all  run businesses - you have to make decisions that are good for the  consumers, and the people who work inside this company and good for our  shareholders. <br />
303. <div class="citation ">Patrick Soderlund, boss of EA Games Labels</div></div><div class="illustration    " style="width: 600px;">    <img alt="1" class="clickable" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-1f44g1.jpg" height="337.5" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-1f44g1.jpg/EG11/resize/600x-1/quality/91" width="600" />     <div class="caption">As the final part of a story-driven trilogy with  no previous entries on a Nintendo console - and released six months  after other versions - was Mass Effect 3 ever going to sell on Wii U?</div></div>"My guess is that EA saw poor share on the Wii and Nintendo  promised to help it gain greater share on the Wii U, and EA hadn't seen  enough progress to give it confidence that it should continue support,"  explained Michael Pachter, famed video game analyst and managing  director of equity research at Wedbush Securities.<br />
304. "Add to that the fact that EA missed its financial targets last  year, and went through a comprehensive review of spending that didn't  generate a return," Pachter continued. "It is highly likely that in this  review, it determined that it was not profitable on incremental R&D  spending for Wii U, and it couldn't see the poor-selling console  turning the corner in the next year or two."<br />
305. EA's Soderlund confirmed to Eurogamer that the decision to abandon  Wii U - at least for the time being - was business-orientated, with the  simple fact that Nintendo hadn't sold enough consoles to blame. <br />
306. "When you run a business - and we all run businesses - you have to  make decisions that are good for the consumers, and the people who work  inside this company and good for our shareholders," Soderlund explained.  "We put our eggs in the basket where we think they'll matter the most. I  understand some people will be disappointed by that."<br />
307. "Our job as game creators and executives is to be where the gamers are. Frankly, it's as simple as that."<br />
308. But EA is still supporting many other consoles. For FIFA 14, EA  Sports will launch the mega-selling football franchise on the original  Wii but not Wii U. It will launch for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One,  on mobile, on 3DS, on PSP, on Vita and even for the decade-old  discontinued PlayStation 2 but not Wii U.  It's the first time a FIFA  game has failed to launch on a Nintendo platform in over a decade, and  rekindles memories of EA's decision to drop support of Sega's much-loved  but ill-fated Dreamcast console.<br />
309. <div class="pullquote  left ">Listen, we went out in strong support of the Nintendo Wii U. <br />
310. <div class="citation ">Andrew Wilson, boss of EA Sports</div></div><div class="illustration    " style="width: 600px;">    <img alt="2" class="clickable" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1500" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-b46m53.jpg" height="337.6" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-b46m53.jpg/EG11/resize/600x-1/quality/91" width="600" />     <div class="caption">The last time a new FIFA game skipped Nintendo's current hardware was in the pre-GameCube era.</div></div>"Listen, we went out in strong support of the Nintendo Wii U, and  we actually built a number of games as a company including FIFA for the  Wii U," EA Sports boss Andrew Wilson told Eurogamer when we asked why  there would be no FIFA 14 on the platform.<br />
311. "For us, in all honesty, the take-up there around sports gaming on  that platform wasn't where it needed to be in order for the continued  support of FIFA on that platform at this time. The reality was it wasn't  there. We have to build and invest in games for the broad gamer base so  we can ensure we deliver the best possible games." <br />
312. But it's hardly surprising that Wii U owners - even those who are FIFA fans - avoided last year's title. It <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-22-theres-good-and-bad-news-about-fifa-13-on-wii-u">included fewer features</a>  than its PS3 and Xbox 360 counterparts, such as the First Touch system  and the FIFA Street skill system. At the time, EA told Eurogamer that  the disparity between versions was the fault of it having been busy  building up a Wii U-specific FIFA framework to use in future entries -  versions which now may never see light of day.<br />
313. “Listen, I think we built a really solid game," Wilson said at E3  in the game's defence. "We were very happy with the game. We did the  best to take advantage of the capabilities and the features of the  Nintendo Wii U. Fun is a subjective thing. But what I can say is we put  everything we could into making that the best possible game with the  tools we had at hand."<br />
314. Both Wilson and Soderlund suggested that EA's current stance on Wii  U is not necessarily set in stone - the publisher could potentially  return at some point in the future, but only if Nintendo turns around  the fortunes of its struggling console. <br />
315. "Nintendo's a fantastic partner to us," Wilson said. "We've had a  long relationship with them. We certainly never count them out. I know  they are working diligently to grow their install base and grow their  install base of sports gamers, which by default will grow their install  base of FIFA gamers. And as that happens we may be given cause to  re-evaluate where we go and what we focus on."<br />
316. <div class="pullquote  left ">We talk to EA all the time. In the end this is simple business. <br />
317. <div class="citation ">Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America boss</div></div><div class="illustration    " style="width: 600px;">    <img alt="3" class="clickable" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-wh75ip.jpg" height="337.5" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-wh75ip.jpg/EG11/resize/600x-1/quality/91" width="600" />     <div class="caption">Nintendo will return to its most iconic franchises for this year's holiday line-up - Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong.</div></div>Nintendo declined to comment on the loss of EA's support when  contacted by Eurogamer, but executives have mentioned it in interviews  and even said they understand the decision.<br />
318. At E3 in June, Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime told <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/14/4429168/nintendos-e3-press-conference-absence-was-a-one-off-publisher-says" target="_blank">Polygon</a>  it was up to Nintendo to increase the Wii U's install base, not EA. “We  talk to EA all the time,” he said. “In the end this is simple business.  First party needs to drive a large diverse install base for publishers  to create content to take advantage of that install base.<br />
319. “That is what we are looking to do, you know for any publisher what  they want to say to themselves is that we have game X and we are  confident that we can sell game X not only to pay off the investment but  to make a profit on that game.”<br />
320. It's clear that right now, EA does not feel it can make a profit on Wii U.<br />
321. <div class="pullquote  centre ">--- <br />
322. </div>It's difficult to determine exactly how long it took for cracks in  the EA-Nintendo relationship to appear, but the fact that EA never  announced any further games for Wii U beyond its initial quota suggested  that it may have already become more cautious of its chances by the  console's disappointing launch.<br />
323. It's likely that platform decisions for EA's spring 2013  blockbusters Dead Space 3 and Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel were made  before Wii U was a known quantity. Yet the developer of another spring  EA game, Crysis 3 studio Crytek, suggested a Wii U port would have been  possible - EA was just uninterested. <br />
324. As an independent company that deals with EA solely for its Crysis  series, Crytek has been more open with its comments about Wii U than the  EA mothership. As early as April 2012 - 10 months after the EA-Nintendo  relationship was announced - a Crytek employee was heard to say that  there was a "<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-04-25-crytek-fat-chance-of-crysis-3-wii-u">fat chance</a>"  of Crysis 3 appearing on Wii U. Subsequent clarification made it clear  that Crytek itself had been working on an Wii U version, but that it "<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-04-crysis-3-was-running-on-wii-u-but-port-had-to-die%20due">had to die</a>" due to a lack of interest from EA.<br />
325. <div class="pullquote  left ">I'd love to see it [Crysis 3] on Wii  U, but what I love to see and what gets done at the end of the day are  two different things. <br />
326. <div class="citation ">Cevat Yerli, Crytek boss</div></div><div class="illustration    " style="width: 600px;">    <img alt="4" class="clickable" data-original-height="2188" data-original-width="3500" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-llt0c4.jpg" height="375.085714285714" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-llt0c4.jpg/EG11/resize/600x-1/quality/91" width="600" />     <div class="caption">EA backed Mass Effect 3, but not Crysis 3.</div></div>"I'd love to see it [Crysis 3] on Wii U, but what I love to see and  what gets done at the end of the day are two different things," Crytek  boss Cevat Yerli <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-07-ea-lacks-business-drive-to-put-crysis-3-onwii-u">explained</a>  in January this year, before the game launched. "If that business  decision doesn't make sense, or seems to not make sense for them,  it's... not possible for us to make it. We can't publish ourselves, and  that's the bottom line." <br />
327. It's hard to hear that EA actively shunned a Wii U version of  Crytek's shooter and not see it as some kind of barometer for the  company's waning interest. It's also not difficult to imagine the kind  of discussions that went on in EA's Redmond boardroom in the months that  followed Riccitiello's E3 2011 speech, as the company pondered  less-than-stellar Wii U sales predictions while Sony and Microsoft  representatives dropped off the latest dev builds of Orbis and Durango. <br />
328. With none of EA's major spring slate headed to Wii U and just the  delayed port of Need for Speed: Most Wanted still left on the horizon,  the unprecedented relationship was very much on the rocks. EA cemented  the break-up with its next announcement: that its upcoming major wave of  games would run on DICE's Frostbite 3 engine, which it claimed was <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-08-wii-u-to-miss-out-on-15-ea-games-using-frostbite-engine-3">not Wii U-compatible</a>.  The framework will be used in 15 upcoming titles, including Battlefield  4, Need for Speed: Rivals, Mass Effect 4, Dragon Age: Inquisition,  Mirror's Edge and its unannounced Star Wars games. Wii U will miss out  on them all. <br />
329. By way of explanation, DICE technical director Johan Andersson  claimed via Twitter that "FB3 has never been running on Wii U. We did  some tests with not too promising results with FB2 and chose not to go  down that path." Would EA now have the same technical problems with  Frostbite on Wii U had the console been selling like hot cakes? Or was  EA simply eyeing a less-than-spectacular return on Wii U releases? "It's  both," Patrick Bach, executive producer of Battlefield at DICE told  Eurogamer.<br />
330. <div class="pullquote  left ">If the Wii U was immensely popular we would probably put more focus into seeing how we could mitigate this. <br />
331. <div class="citation ">Patrick Bach, Battlefield executive producer</div></div><div class="illustration    " style="width: 600px;">    <img alt="5" class="clickable" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-z8z4yk.jpg" height="337.5" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-z8z4yk.jpg/EG11/resize/600x-1/quality/91" width="600" />     <div class="caption">DICE's new Mirror's Edge won't release on Wii U.</div></div>"If the Wii U was immensely popular we would probably put more  focus into seeing how we could mitigate this, because it is a technical  problem," Bach said. "It is a technical problem at its core because the  Frostbite engine is not designed to run on that hardware, and the  hardware is quite different from the next-gen consoles and the previous  gen consoles."<br />
332. But the Wii U is at least as powerful as current generation  consoles and Frostbite 3 is designed to be scalable - we'll see  current-gen versions of Battlefield 4, for example. With Frostbite 2  appearing to work on Wii U fine, does the argument about having  technical difficulties really still stand up?<br />
333. "From our perspective it's not as powerful as it should be to be  able to run a Battlefield game," Bach responded. "Straight out of the  box, as in Frostbite 3, it doesn't run that well on the Wii U, which  means it takes a lot of time and energy from us that would then take  from something else.<br />
334. "So, we made the decision to say, no, let's not take away the focus  from the PlayStations and the Xboxes and the PCs to do this. At the end  of the day it's about focus and priorities. If we could press a button  to move it over to Wii U, of course we could make a Wii U SKU, but it  would take some substantial time to do it. I know some fans get very  upset when we say that, but it's true. There's a reason why not all  games are on the Wii U platform."<br />
335. And again, should Nintendo turn around Wii U's fortunes, DICE is open to returning to the platform, Bach concluded.<br />
336. "Absolutely. Of course. There's no reason why we couldn't focus  down and make a Nintendo GameBoy version of it as well. It's all about  where you put your focus and how you scale things. Where do you scale  down? Where do you put your team efforts? <br />
337. "We need to do what is right for the franchise and what feels right  in our gut. If you have to scale your game down in the wrong places too  much, then you lose some of the core values of what your game stands  for. It's complicated. It's more complicated than people would like it  to be. I would love for us to be able to be on Samsung TVs as well, but  we have to draw the line somewhere."<br />
338. <div class="pullquote  left ">We need to do what is right for the franchise and what feels right in our gut. <br />
339. <div class="citation ">Patrick Bach</div></div><div class="illustration    " style="width: 600px;">    <img alt="6" class="clickable" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-vio1i7.jpg" height="400" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-vio1i7.jpg/EG11/resize/600x-1/quality/91" width="600" />     <div class="caption">A Samsung TV. Unlikely to be running Battlefield 4 anytime soon, unless you plug your console in first.</div></div>EA is responding to the platforms it thinks it will turn a profit  on, then, but as Soderlund said, you would expect nothing less from any  other business.  Ubisoft, while remaining as one of the Wii U's  strongest third-party supporters, has still reorganised its 2013 Wii U  slate with the same mentality. It attracted the ire of countless  Nintendo fans for ditching Rayman Legends' Wii U exclusivity. Yet it did  so to make sure that <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-19-ubisoft-boss-talks-rayman-legends-delay-wii-u-was-not-going-to-sell-enough">Legends would be available for a wide audience</a> after analysing Wii U launch sales. <br />
340. "This is not just an EA issue," agreed Piers Harding-Rolls, senior  analyst and games boss at UK-based IHS Screen Digest. "Most publishers  will be looking for Nintendo to generate platform momentum before  committing significant investment at this stage. We expect Wii U sales  to pick up in line with the release of big hitting titles and increased  marketing support. But overall we expect Nintendo to lose significant  market share this generation compared to last gen."<br />
341. And it might be some time before Nintendo is able to build up a  strong enough Wii U userbase that publishers are happy with the risk,  Harding-Rolls concluded.<br />
342. "Nintendo's short term plan is to generate momentum through first  party games and to then stimulate increased third party investment. This  still means, however, that we are unlikely to see significant third  party releases until the end of 2014." <br />
343. "My bet is that once Wii U gets a respectable installed base (say  15-20 million units), EA will look at supporting it again, as it might  be able to sell sufficient units of its big games to turn a profit,"  Pachter added, explaining that even mainstream EA releases can find it  hard to penetrate Nintendo's userbase.  "It is unlikely that FIFA on Wii  U would penetrate many more than 10 per cent of the installed base, and  it might not justify the incremental cost to make the game for only  500,000 units sold."<br />
344. Until then, though, Wii U owners will have to make do, on the  whole, with Nintendo-made games. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has  said that his company can re-establish third-party support, but its  focus is fixed squarely on fueling console sales through its  heavy-hitting brands: Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda.<br />
345. <div class="pullquote  left ">Our focus is, first of all, to regain  the momentum of the Wii U towards the end of this year, and then we'll  try to establish successful third-party Wii U software titles. <br />
346. <div class="citation ">Satoru Iwata, Nintendo company president</div></div><div class="illustration    " style="width: 600px;">    <img alt="7" class="clickable" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-8vitei.jpg" height="337.5" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/3/6/0/7/eurogamer-8vitei.jpg/EG11/resize/600x-1/quality/91" width="600" />     <div class="caption">Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will be the second outing for DK this year.</div></div>“Our focus is, first of all, to regain the momentum of the Wii U  towards the end of this year, and then we'll try to establish successful  third-party Wii U software titles,” Iwata told <a href="http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/06/20/nintendo-third-party-support-a-secondary-priority" target="_blank">IGN</a>  at E3. “I believe in the importance of third-party support for Nintendo  platforms. I'm very willing to change the current situation.”<br />
347. According to Harding-Rolls, Nintendo is better equipped than its  competitors in the console game space to suffer from a lack of  third-party support. “Although missing mainstream favourites such as  FIFA or Madden and enthusiast titles such as Battlefield is a blow,  Nintendo's portfolio of games IP is so strong that the lack of  third-party support is less of a PR issue to Nintendo than it would be  to Sony or Microsoft,” he said.<br />
348. Pachter's assessment is more to the point: “The lack of third-party  support makes the Wii U more of a dedicated Nintendo software player  than any device prior.<br />
349. “That makes it like Apple TV.”<br />
350. It would be great for Wii U owners if all third-parties supported  the console with a wide variety of games, of course, but the blame for  the current lack of interest in the platform by publishers correlates  directly with the blame for the current lack of interest in the platform  by the public. Nintendo has yet to convince a large enough slice of the  population to buy a Wii U, which in turn is keeping publishers cautious  about lending it their support.<br />
351. It remains to be seen whether EA will rejoin the Wii U at some  point, but in the short term at least,  the battle lines for this  Christmas' crucial sales season are already drawn up. Nintendo has big  hopes of its own, of course: Super Mario 3D World, in my own opinion the  best multiplayer Mario platformer ever made, an HD remake of  fan-favourite Zelda: The Wind Waker, plus Donkey Kong Country: Tropical  Freeze, Sonic games from Sega and a smattering of AAA support from  Ubisoft. But, without EA, there is no doubt that Wii U will face its  difficult second Christmas more isolated than its first, and now  alongside two huge new platforms hungry for your attention.<br />
352. &lt;/section&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;endnote &quot;&gt;  Additional reporting by Wesley Yin-Poole.&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/1717096662363281479/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/ea-and-nintendo-collapse-of.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/1717096662363281479'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/1717096662363281479'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/ea-and-nintendo-collapse-of.html' title='EA and Nintendo: the collapse of the &quot;unprecedented relationship&quot;'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-1248464466656450208</id><published>2013-06-21T13:37:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-21T13:37:38.916-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The most popular arguments in favour of Xbox One DRM</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-21-the-most-popular-arguments-in-favour-of-xbox-one-drm&quot;&gt;Via Eurogamer.net:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
353. <br />
354. <div class="byline">           <strong>By</strong>        <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/author/31">Tom Bramwell</a>           <strong>Published</strong>        <span>                  Friday, 21 June 2013               </span>       </div><section class="">   Yesterday I questioned whether Microsoft's decision to change its Xbox One DRM plans <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-19-microsoft-restores-game-ownership-and-expects-us-to-smile">addressed the underlying issues that got the company into trouble in the first place</a>,  but on the whole I was happy to see the proposed policies rolled back,  and left hoping that Microsoft will use this as an opportunity to find a  better balance between the art and business sides of gaming.<br />
355. Not everyone was pleased with the company's decision, though. Here  are a few of the most popular arguments in favour of the original Xbox  One policies, along with some of my thoughts on why they are flawed.<br />
356. <div class="illustrationPreview  ">    <img alt="1" class="preview clickable" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/2/6/2/5/drm1.jpg.jpg" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/2/6/2/5/drm1.jpg.jpg/EG11/resize/300x-1/quality/91" width="300" />     <div class="caption">I remember when all this was fields.</div></div><strong>"Xbox One would have solved the problem of buying a game on  disc and then not being able to store it digitally or download it from  the cloud."</strong>   <br />
357. The situation that we have now - and will have on Xbox One - is  certainly inelegant, but I don't think the answer is to sacrifice what  little sense of ownership is left to us. What I would like to see is a  solution that shows an appropriate amount of respect to the creator,  distributor <em>and</em> customer.<br />
358. Compared to the original Xbox One ideal, the movie industry  (somewhat incredibly - they would cut you up for firewood if it meant a  better margin) has the less draconian Triple-Play, where you pay a  premium to buy a film on Blu-ray, DVD and digital at the same time. This  isn't perfect either, but it feels like a step in the right direction,  and it is also offered as an option rather than a one-size-fits-all  solution.<br />
359. <strong>"Publishers could charge less for games."</strong>   <br />
360. This claim seems to hinge on the idea that publishers will suddenly  receive a cut of the resale market and therefore won't have to squeeze  us. This is extremely optimistic. I think publishers will charge us  exactly as much as we will pay, so if we continue to buy games at £40  then publishers will pocket the new money they get from a digital resale  market and charge us £40 for new stuff all the same. That's just how  business works, really - a few smaller companies with strong morals and  ethics may pass on savings, but otherwise surely the notion of  trickle-down economics has been thoroughly discredited?<br />
361. Actually, the cost of gaming will probably continue to go up -  maybe not in terms of the initial outlay, but over the lifespan of a  game we enjoy, the cost of necessary micro-transactions, boosters and  subscription elements will mean we pay more per release. Meanwhile,  sales of traditional triple-A games could even get worse if the existing  resale market is threatened, because a lot of consumers factor resale  value into their purchase decision and would find the alternative  unappealing.<br />
362. <strong>"You could make more money from your trade-ins."</strong>   <br />
363. We don't know exactly how the used game market - or 'used licence'  market, if you like - was supposed to work, so it's hard to pre-judge  its impact, but it seems extremely optimistic to think you would be able  to simply sell your licence back to Microsoft for the equivalent of a  partial refund. Any second-hand salesman has to be able to say 'no' to  someone proposing a trade-in deal, or else they can end up with loads of  stock they will never shift.<br />
364. It's more likely that the digital used game market on Xbox One  would have resembled an auction house, in which case the convenience to  people using it would also increase competition among individual  second-hand sellers, which would actually drive prices <em>down</em>. Meanwhile, publishers would make out well by skimming a percentage of whatever you did get for your licence off the top.<br />
365. As for the bricks-and-mortar resale market, I can't imagine how it  would have worked, but GameStop's existing attitude to consumers hadn't  exactly filled me with optimism.<br />
366. <div class="illustrationPreview  ">    <img alt="3" class="preview clickable" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/2/6/2/5/drm3.jpg.jpg" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/2/6/2/5/drm3.jpg.jpg/EG11/resize/300x-1/quality/91" width="300" />     <div class="caption">We're already paying more for our favourite games over their lifespans and this trend will continue.</div></div><strong>"Everyone used to hate Steam, but everyone loves it now. Xbox One could have been the same."</strong>   <br />
367. Steam is a closed system like Xbox Live, but the crucial point is  that it has to compete with other systems, like GOG, Amazon, Origin,  U-Play and various others. These competitive market forces are one of  the key reasons that the price of new PC games is driven lower than its  console equivalent.<br />
368. Meanwhile, there is only limited digital competition within the  console space. Some digital games are multi-format, but as Microsoft's  management of Xbox Live Arcade demonstrates, it will do its best to keep  things exclusive so that it is not subject to these competitive market  forces.<br />
369. As for super-cheap sales of old games on Steam, they happen because those games stand more chance of making <em>any</em>  money that way. Otherwise they are just catalogue items that users  barely notice. The same thing also happens to a limited extent with Xbox  Live summer sales, and Xbox One's attitude to pricing would probably  just resemble that.<br />
370. <strong>"Sharing games with your 10-person family plan would have  been so much better than the total lack of digital sharing we have now."</strong>   <br />
371. Obviously this ignores the fact that we still have the option to  buy many of our games on disc, where no such restrictions apply.<br />
372. If you modify the claim to apply to digital stuff only, then yes,  it's true that a 10-person sharing plan would be superior to what we  have now - assuming it meant sharing the whole game for free across  multiple devices owned by the same family. So what's stopping them  introducing that anyway? Physical media should be able to co-exist with  this system, which is why we could still see it in the future, assuming  Microsoft actually thinks it was a good idea and it wasn't just an olive  branch conceived after the original PR battering.<br />
373. <strong>"The 24-hour online check-in was a necessary evil because it  allows games to run entirely off the hard disk and be shared  digitally."</strong>   <br />
374. It's hard to unpick this one without knowing the specifics of how  it all worked, but it's worth noting that making installation obligatory  was Microsoft's decision in the first place, and if we are going back  to the way things work on Xbox 360 then perhaps it won't be necessary.<br />
375. As with many of the Xbox One's positions on DRM, the 24-hour  check-in was convenient for Microsoft's business objectives, but it  clearly wasn't that important to games. The ease with which these  elements have been scrapped, and the very small number of things  Microsoft has had to sacrifice in order to hit its November date with a  full software line-up, just goes to show just how unnecessary it all  was.<br />
376. <div class="illustrationPreview  ">    <img alt="2" class="preview clickable" data-uri="2013/articles//a/1/5/9/2/6/2/5/drm2.png" src="http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles//a/1/5/9/2/6/2/5/drm2.png/EG11/resize/300x-1/quality/91" width="300" />     <div class="caption">Competition drives the prices on Steam down.</div></div><strong>"DRM makes stuff more affordable."</strong>   <br />
377. I'm afraid I think this is a case of mistaking correlation for causality. <em>Competition</em> makes stuff more affordable.<br />
378. <strong>"Now all we have is Xbox 360 2.0. How is this progress?"</strong>   <br />
379. It isn't progress. But change doesn't automatically represent progress either.<br />
380. The thing that is genuinely sad about the rollback of Xbox One's  policies is that it has drawn even more attention to the absence at E3  of any startling new creative thinking from the people using it to make  games. But we shouldn't forget that the promise of innovation in Xbox  One - made by the likes of Phil Harrison during the system's original  unveiling - was the triumvirate of cloud computation, being able to rely  on Kinect 2.0 in every box, and the promise of using multiple devices  at once. None of these things relies on any of the measures Microsoft  has taken out of the Xbox One this week, so there is no reason that Xbox  One games should be any less imaginative and exotic than they were  going to be in the first place.<br />
381. As for whether those things were going to result in better games  anyway? Well, we shall have to wait and see. It&#39;s not long now until  November, so we&#39;ll know soon enough.&lt;/section&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/1248464466656450208/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-most-popular-arguments-in-favour-of.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/1248464466656450208'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/1248464466656450208'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-most-popular-arguments-in-favour-of.html' title='The most popular arguments in favour of Xbox One DRM'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-5689764329589432203</id><published>2013-06-20T11:21:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-20T11:21:18.916-07:00</updated><title type='text'>More data storage? Here&#39;s how to fit 1,000 terabytes on a DVD</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://theconversation.com/more-data-storage-heres-how-to-fit-1-000-terabytes-on-a-dvd-15306&quot;&gt;Via theconversation.com:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
382.  <img alt="T5gbpxcm-1371621655" data-id="25828" src="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/25828/wide_article/width926x450/t5gbpxcm-1371621655.jpg" />       <br />
383. <figure class="image1 grid-eleven grid-last wide" id="slot1"><figcaption>         Using nanotechnology, researchers have developed a technique to  increase the data storage capacity of a DVD from a measly 4.7GB to  1,000TB.           <span class="source" title="Source">Nature Communications</span>       </figcaption>   </figure>                                        We live in a world where digital information is exploding. Some 90% of the world’s data <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522085217.htm">was generated in the past two years</a>. The obvious question is: how can we store it all?<br />
384. In <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/130619/ncomms3061/full/ncomms3061.html">Nature Communications today</a>,  we, along with Richard Evans from CSIRO, show how we developed a new  technique to enable the data capacity of a single DVD to increase from  4.7 gigabytes up to one petabyte (1,000 terabytes). This is equivalent  of 10.6 years of compressed high-definition video or 50,000 full  high-definition movies.<br />
385. So how did we manage to achieve such a huge boost in data storage?  First, we need to understand how data is stored on optical discs such as  CDs and DVDs.<br />
386. <h2>The basics of digital storage</h2>Although optical discs are used to carry software, films, games, and  private data, and have great advantages over other recording media in  terms of cost, longevity and reliability, their low data storage  capacity is their major limiting factor.<br />
387. <figure class="align-centre zoomable"><a href="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/25829/area14mp/n2yt78jq-1371621811.jpg"><img src="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/25829/width668/n2yt78jq-1371621811.jpg" /></a>       <figcaption><span class="caption"> <span class="source">Adam Foster | Codefor</span></span></figcaption></figure>  The operation of optical data storage is rather simple. When you burn  a CD, for example, the information is transformed to strings of binary  digits (0s and 1s, also called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit">bits</a>). Each bit is then laser “burned” into the disc, using a single beam of light, in the form of dots.<br />
388. The storage capacity of optical discs is mainly limited by the  physical dimensions of the dots. But as there’s a limit to the size of  the disc as well as the size of the dots, many current methods of data  storage, such as DVDs and Blu-ray discs, continue to have low level  storage density.<br />
389. To get around this, we had to look at light’s fundamental laws.<br />
390. <h2>Circumnavigating Abbe’s limit</h2><figure class="align-left zoomable"><a href="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/25831/area14mp/n42jg3cs-1371622079.jpg"><img src="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/25831/width237/n42jg3cs-1371622079.jpg" /></a>       <figcaption><span class="caption">Ernst Abbe. <span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span></figcaption></figure>  In 1873, German physicist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Abbe">Ernst Abbe</a> published a law that limits the width of light beams.<br />
391. On the basis of this law, the diameter of a spot of light, obtained  by focusing a light beam through a lens, cannot be smaller than half its  wavelength – around 500 nanometres (500 billionths of a metre) for  visible light.<br />
392. And while this law plays a huge role in modern optical microscopy, it  also sets up a barrier for any efforts from researchers to produce  extremely small dots – in the nanometre region – to use as binary bits.<br />
393. In our study, we showed how to break this fundamental limit by using a  two-light-beam method, with different colours, for recording onto discs  instead of the conventional single-light-beam method.<br />
394. Both beams must abide by Abbe’s law, so they cannot produce smaller  dots individually. But we gave the two beams different functions:<br />
395. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/25830/area14mp/npmycqrs-1371621965.jpg"><img src="https://c479107.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/25830/width237/npmycqrs-1371621965.jpg" /></a>       <figcaption><span class="caption"> <span class="source">Nature Communications</span></span></figcaption></figure>  <ul><li>The first beam (red, in the figure right) has a round shape, and is  used to activate the recording. We called it the writing beam</li>
396. <li>The second beam – the purple donut-shape – plays an anti-recording function, inhibiting the function of the writing beam</li>
397. </ul>The two beams were then overlapped. As the second beam cancelled out  the first in its donut ring, the recording process was tightly confined  to the centre of the writing beam.<br />
398. This new technique produces an effective focal spot of nine nanometres – or one ten thousandth the diameter of a human hair.<br />
399. <h2>The technique, in practical terms</h2>Our work will greatly impact the development of super-compact devices as well as nanoscience and nanotechnology research.<br />
400. The exceptional penetration feature of light beams allow for 3D  recording or fabrication, which can dramatically increase the data  storage – the number of dots – on a single optical device.<br />
401. The technique is also cost-effective and portable, as only  conventional optical and laser elements are used, and allows for the  development of optical data storage with long life and low energy  consumption, which could be an ideal platform for a Big Data centre.<br />
402. As the rate of information generated worldwide &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.economist.com/node/15557443&quot;&gt;continues to accelerate&lt;/a&gt;, the aim of more storage capacity in compact devices will continue. Our breakthrough has put that target within our reach.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/5689764329589432203/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/more-data-storage-heres-how-to-fit-1000.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5689764329589432203'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/5689764329589432203'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/more-data-storage-heres-how-to-fit-1000.html' title='More data storage? Here&#39;s how to fit 1,000 terabytes on a DVD'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-4881294984353606135</id><published>2013-06-20T11:19:00.003-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-20T11:19:43.537-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Anti-slavery campaign targets Nintendo for protest day</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/19/4446046/anti-slavery-campaign-targets-nintendo-for-protest-day&quot;&gt;Via Polygon:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
403. <br />
404. <br />
405. <div class="m-entry__byline">    By <a href="http://www.polygon.com/users/Colin%20Campbell">Colin Campbell</a>     <span class="timestamp">       on Jun 19, 2013       at 5:21p                 <a class="twitter" href="http://twitter.com/ColinCampbellx">@ColinCampbellx</a>            </span>   </div><div class="polygon_entry_admin">         </div><div class="polygon_social_buttons">  <div class="polygon_social facebook">    <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/19/4446046/anti-slavery-campaign-targets-nintendo-for-protest-day#">Share</a>   </div><div class="polygon_social twitter">      <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Anti-slavery+campaign+targets+Nintendo+for+protest+day&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsbn.to%2F19SLAbm&via=Polygon">Tweet</a>   </div><div class="polygon_social googleplus">      <span class="g-interactivepost" data-calltoactiondeeplinkid="http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/19/4446046/anti-slavery-campaign-targets-nintendo-for-protest-day#comments?utm_source=polygon&utm_medium=interactive_share&utm_campaign=google_plus" data-calltoactionlabel="COMMENT" data-calltoactionurl="http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/19/4446046/anti-slavery-campaign-targets-nintendo-for-protest-day#comments?utm_source=polygon&utm_medium=interactive_share&utm_campaign=google_plus" data-clientid="208417962031.apps.googleusercontent.com" data-contenturl="http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/19/4446046/anti-slavery-campaign-targets-nintendo-for-protest-day?utm_source=polygon&utm_medium=interactive_share&utm_campaign=google_plus" data-cookiepolicy="single_host_origin" data-gapiattached="true" data-gapiscan="true" data-onload="true">         <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/19/4446046/anti-slavery-campaign-targets-nintendo-for-protest-day#">Share</a>       </span>     </div></div><div class="m-entry__body">              A new campaign has been launched by anti-slavery organization <a href="http://www.walkfree.org/" target="_blank">Walk Free </a>that aims to persuade Nintendo to tighten up its supply chain and avoid the use of 'conflict minerals' mined by slave labor.<br />
406. Walk Free has launched a video lampooning Nintendo characters Mario  and Luigi, which states that Nintendo has yet to respond to a forceful  campaign to join an electronics industry audit program for conflict-free  mineral supplies. The video points out that minerals sourced from some  suppliers come from slavery operations in conflict regions, including  the Democratic Republic of Congo, where miners are often forced to work  at gunpoint.<br />
407. Walk Free's website states that the campaign aims to tell Nintendo  that "slavery is not a game." It adds, "We've sent 430,558 emails  calling on Nintendo to take concrete steps to ensure slave-mined  conflict minerals are not in its gaming consoles, and we have heard  nothing back."<br />
408. Electronics devices like games consoles <a href="http://kotaku.com/5574360/did-buying-your-gaming-console-help-fund-war-atrocities-in-the-congo" target="_blank">make use of minerals</a>  such as tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold, often sourced from conflict  zones. "Government troops and militias fight for control of the mines,"  states Walk Free. "They often terrorize communities using forced   labour, debt bondage, sexual slavery, the use of children by armed  groups, and other forms of child slavery. Child slaves are often used  for the worst types of labour such as diggers at the mine sites, or  porters assisting in the transport of conflict minerals."<br />
409. A protest day is being planned to coincide with Nintendo's Annual  General Meeting on June 27. Supporters are being encouraged to cosplay  and demonstrate outside retail outlets selling Nintendo consoles. Anyone  who signs up receives a downloadable kit explaining protest plans.<br />
410. Nintendo has previously <a href="http://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012/9/12/3324384/Wii-u-conflict-minerals-nintendo" target="_blank">stated to Polygon </a>that  it provides "specific directions to our production partners regarding  socially responsible procurement practices," based on "relevant laws,  international standards and guidelines that focus on protecting human  rights, ensuring workplace safety, promoting corporate ethics, and  safeguarding the environment."<br />
411. Walk Free counters that this is not enough. It points out that many  companies, including Intel, Apple, Sony and Microsoft, have signed up  for full audits of their supply chains to root out minerals sourced from  slave-mines. Its literature states, "Nintendo ranked dead last among 24  major consumer electronics companies on efforts to examine and end the  use of conflict minerals. Nintendo has yet to join the electronics  industry audit program for conflict-free smelters nor has it required  its suppliers to use only conflict-free smelters, the bare minimum  requirement for taking action on conflict minerals."<br />
412. Polygon has contacted Nintendo for comment.<br />
413. </div><footer>      <ul class="source"><li>Source</li>
414. <li><a href="http://www.slaveryisnotagame.com/#takeaction">Slavery is Not a Game</a></li>
415. </ul><ul class="via"><li>Via</li>
416. <li><a href="http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/anti-slavery-campaign-targets-nintendo/0117367?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mcvuk%2Fstream+%28MCV%3A+Home+Stream%29">MCV</a></li>
417. &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/footer&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/4881294984353606135/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/anti-slavery-campaign-targets-nintendo.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/4881294984353606135'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/4881294984353606135'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/anti-slavery-campaign-targets-nintendo.html' title='Anti-slavery campaign targets Nintendo for protest day'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-643923230570102046</id><published>2013-06-20T11:19:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-20T11:19:01.110-07:00</updated><title type='text'>BazaarBot: An Open-Source Economics Engine</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/technical/game-programming/bazaarbot-an-open-source-economics-engine-r3206&quot;&gt;Via GameDev.net:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
418. <br />
419.  <b>By            <a href="http://www.gamedev.net/user/211698-larsiusprime">Lars Doucet</a>                 </b>    | Published Jun 20 2013 11:39 AM in <a href="http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/technical/game-programming/">Game Programming</a>      <br />
420. Peer Reviewed by (<a href="http://www.gamedev.net/user/116251-hodgman">Hodgman</a>, <a href="http://www.gamedev.net/user/5-michael-tanczos">Michael Tanczos</a>, <a href="http://www.gamedev.net/user/33427-alpha_progdes">Alpha_ProgDes</a>)                  <a class="ipsTag ___hover___taginfo _hoversetup" href="http://www.gamedev.net/index.php?app=search&module=tags&section=view&tag=open%2Bsource" id="anonymous_element_2" title=""><span>open source</span></a> <a class="ipsTag ___hover___taginfo _hoversetup" href="http://www.gamedev.net/index.php?app=search&module=tags&section=view&tag=economics" id="anonymous_element_3" title=""><span>economics</span></a> <a class="ipsTag ___hover___taginfo _hoversetup" href="http://www.gamedev.net/index.php?app=search&module=tags&section=view&tag=engine" id="anonymous_element_4" title=""><span>engine</span></a> <a class="ipsTag ___hover___taginfo _hoversetup" href="http://www.gamedev.net/index.php?app=search&module=tags&section=view&tag=haxe" id="anonymous_element_5" title=""><span>haxe</span></a><br />
421. <br />
422. <div id="article">          <div>                         <ul class="post_controls" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><li><a class="right" href="http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/technical/game-programming/bazaarbot-an-open-source-economics-engine-r3206#">View Stats</a></li>
423. </ul></div><div class="ipsBox" style="background: none; border-top: dotted 1px #eee; margin-top: 4px; padding-left: 15px;">        <div class="ipsPad">     <div id="article_body" style="min-height: 250px; padding: 5px;">           <br />
424. <div style="float: right; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 15px; width: 250px;">  <img height="150" src="http://www.gamedev.net/interface/esi/track.php?a=3206&cb=a69618813b9f21830cfbdbf78c7bd65d&r=ece629722b87ca50ce47c3d4bd2b89a5.jpg" style="border: solid 1px black; float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px;" width="250" />    <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamedev.net%2Fpage%2Fresources%2F_%2Ftechnical%2Fgame-programming%2Fbazaarbot-an-open-source-economics-engine-r3206%3F"><img src="http://www.gamedev.net/images/articles/icons/facebook.png" style="float: left; margin-right: 5px;" /></a>   <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=BazaarBot%3A+An+Open-Source+Economics+Engine&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamedev.net%2Fpage%2Fresources%2F_%2Ftechnical%2Fgame-programming%2Fbazaarbot-an-open-source-economics-engine-r3206%3F"><img src="http://www.gamedev.net/images/articles/icons/twitter.png" style="float: left; margin-right: 5px;" /></a>   <a href="https://plus.google.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamedev.net%2Fpage%2Fresources%2F_%2Ftechnical%2Fgame-programming%2Fbazaarbot-an-open-source-economics-engine-r3206%3F"><img src="http://www.gamedev.net/images/articles/icons/googleplus.png" style="float: left; margin-right: 5px;" /></a>   <a href="http://www.gamedev.net/index.php?s=9ad2e05f7a45958a83c008ce03b4220e&app=forums&module=extras&section=forward&url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5nYW1lZGV2Lm5ldC9wYWdlL3Jlc291cmNlcy9fL3RlY2huaWNhbC9nYW1lLXByb2dyYW1taW5nL2JhemFhcmJvdC1hbi1vcGVuLXNvdXJjZS1lY29ub21pY3MtZW5naW5lLXIzMjA2Pw,,&title=BazaarBot%3A+An+Open-Source+Economics+Engine"><img src="http://www.gamedev.net/images/articles/icons/email.png" style="float: left; margin-right: 5px;" /></a>   <a href="http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamedev.net%2Fpage%2Fresources%2F_%2Ftechnical%2Fgame-programming%2Fbazaarbot-an-open-source-economics-engine-r3206%3F"><img src="http://www.gamedev.net/images/articles/icons/reddit.png" style="float: left; margin-right: 5px;" /></a>    </div><div class="ipsType_textblock ipsPad">This availability of commodity physics engines has freed designers to focus on interesting new games, powering everything from <em>Crysis </em>to <em>Angry Birds</em>.   The key is straightforward API's that let  developers just throw  things around and let the chips fall where they  may (literally!).<br />
425. <br />
426. For years, I've been wondering whether we could do the same with an <strong>economics engine</strong>.  I remember playing strategy games where prices would rise and fall in  proportion to supply and demand, but I could never find an open source  engine to handle this, nor was I able to program it myself.<br />
427. <br />
428. That is, until I found <a class="bbc_url" href="http://larc.unt.edu/techreports/LARC-2010-03.pdf" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">this research paper</a> by <a class="bbc_url" href="http://svn.larc.unt.edu/%7Ejon/" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Jonathon Doran</a> and <a class="bbc_url" href="http://larc.unt.edu/ian" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Ian Parberry</a>.  Entitled "Emergent Economies for Role Playing Games," it outlines  exactly how to write a basic free-market simulator, in much the same  style as <a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/baraff/www/index.html" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Baraff</a> and <a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/aw/www/index.html" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Witkin</a>'s <a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/%7Ebaraff/sigcourse/index.html" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">seminal papers</a> on rigid body simulations.<br />
429. <br />
430. Over the course of two days I wrote a straight implementation of  Doran and Parberry's method, and I figure I'd share my results. Behold: <a class="bbc_url" href="https://github.com/larsiusprime/bazaarBot" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">bazaarBot</a>!<br />
431. <br />
432. <h1>bazaarBot</h1><br />
433. bazaarBot is a simple, open-source free market simulator written in <a class="bbc_url" href="http://haxe.org/" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Haxe</a>.  This means it can be easily compiled down to multiple languages,  including actionscript 3, C++, javascript, and more. It's very basic for  now, but I would like to eventually turn it into a sophisticated engine  with a decent API that can be used for games and simulations.<br />
434. <br />
435. Let's talk about what makes it tick.<br />
436. <br />
437. <h2>Prices emerge from Beliefs</h2><br />
438. I knew a free market simulator needed at least the following things:<br />
439. <ul class="bbc"><li>Some kind of market, a clearing/auction house to handle trades</li>
440. <li>Agents that hold and trade commodities</li>
441. <li>A currency to denominate commodity prices</li>
442. <li>Recipes and/or jobs that define how commodities are transformed</li>
443. </ul>But what was I missing? For starters, I was missing <em>price beliefs</em>.   In a free market, goods don't have some inherent value stamped into  their very being.  Instead, their value is simply whatever someone is  willing to pay.  This willingness is modeled as a <em>Price Belief</em>  that each agent maintains about each commodity in the market, defined as  a range of two numbers.  This represents not only what they think the  price is, but also <em>how certain </em>they are of that price. When it  comes time to decide the cost of a good when buying or selling, the  agent picks a random number within their belief range.<br />
444. <br />
445. Each trading round, agents create "bid" (buy) and "ask" (sell) orders  for various commodities, and the market fills up with orders. Then, the  market resolves the orders thus:<br />
446. <ul class="bbc"><li>Shuffle the bid and ask lists</li>
447. <li>Sort bids by -> highest to lowest</li>
448. <li>Sort asks by -> lowest to highest</li>
449. <li>Match bid[0] with ask[0]</li>
450. </ul>Clear the trade:<br />
451. <ul class="bbc"><li><em>clearing_price = </em>Average of bid/ask prices</li>
452. <li>Trade the minimum of units offered in bid or ask @ <em>clearing_price</em></li>
453. <li>If bid[0] units == 0, remove it from list</li>
454. <li>If ask[0] units == 0, remove it from list</li>
455. <li>Continue until either bid or ask list is empty</li>
456. <li>Reject all remaining offers</li>
457. </ul>The  "average market price" of a commodity for a given round is defined as  the average clearing price for a successfully traded unit that round.<br />
458. Each round, agents update their pricing models. If they had a  successful trade, they become more confident in their price belief and  tighten the range around the mean. If they failed, they become less  confident in their price belief and expand the range. Furthermore,  failed agents will look at the average market price from the last round,  and translate their price beliefs towards that range.<br />
459. <br />
460. There's a bit more to it than that (see the paper), but the result is  that commodity prices rise and fall in proportion to supply and demand.  Some agents will be more successful than others, so some will have a  tight range and others a large one.<br />
461. <br />
462. When supply is high, selling prices will be all over the place. If  demand is low, buyers can fill their orders entirely with just the goods  offered at the low end of the price spectrum.<br />
463. <br />
464. When demand is high, buying prices are all over the place. If supply  is low, sellers can offload their entire inventory with just the offers  at the high end of the price spectrum.<br />
465. <br />
466. The result of that round then reinforces price beliefs, causing next round's prices to change.<br />
467. <br />
468. <h2>Agent AI</h2><br />
469. That's just the first step. Next, there has to be some feedback to make  agents respond properly to price signals. Agents have very rudimentary  AI that works like this:<br />
470. <ul class="bbc"><li><em>ideal_amount = </em>Decide how many units to buy/sell of COMMODITY<em> </em></li>
471. <li><em>curr_price</em> = Check current market price of COMMODITY<em> </em></li>
472. <li><em>favorability = </em>Compare <em>curr_price </em>to <em>my_observed_trading_range</em> <em> </em></li>
473. <li>Buy/sell <em>(ideal_amount</em> * <em>favorability</em>) units of COMMODITY</li>
474. </ul>This block simply determines, "Assuming I want 10 hamburgers, how many will I <em>actually </em>buy if they cost $5 a pop?" It has nothing to do with <em>how </em>the  Agent comes up with its generalized lust for hamburgers. In the paper's  example (and which I model in the bazaarBot's example project), each  agent just tries to maintain static, pre-defined units of each commodity  in its inventory at all times. Under ideal conditions, Blacksmiths just  always want X units of metal, and Farmers just always want Y units of  wood, etc. During production (defined separately) they will consume  these input commodities to make tools and food, and then they'll want to  replenish their stocks next round.<br />
475. <br />
476. The price signal logic simply makes the Agent buy low and sell high. How  the agent determines what counts as "high" and "low" is based on its  own history of successful trades. This value (<em>my_observed_trading_range</em>)  is simply a list of trading prices per commodity. This means that more  successful agents have better information and are less likely to make  mistakes, but also more likely to bid conservatively and miss  opportunities when prices change sharply.<br />
477. <br />
478. There's a few other things thrown in, but that's the basics of it.<br />
479. <br />
480. <h2>Agent Replacement</h2><br />
481. Finally, some agents will run out of money due to bad trades and/or  market conditions. In this simulation, the bankrupt agent is replaced by  a new one of the currently most profitable job type. This is another  driver of supply and demand - if so much wood is being sold that the  price collapses and woodcutters start going broke, people quit  woodcutting and start farming. The supply of wood goes down, the price  rises, the few remaining woodcutters stick with their jobs, and the  population reaches a more stable distribution or careers.<br />
482. <br />
483. There were a few kinks in this system. I stored each job's  profitability per round in a public information list, which worked  nicely for a while until a particular job was completely abandoned. At  that point, that job's profit per round would be continuously logged as  "0." At this point, no new agents would ever consider the job again,  even if there was enormous demand (and zero supply!) of that job's chief  export!<br />
484. <br />
485. I couldn't figure out how Doran and Parberry solved this issue, so I  added in a special case during agent replacement to check for a good  "market opportunity," defined as any commodity with signicantly higher  demand than supply. If such an opportunity existed, the new agent would  favor the job that creates the most of that commodity rather than the  default behavior of picking the most profitable existing job. This  covered that case pretty well - any time all the woodcutters or  blacksmiths would go out of business, eventually the pent-up demand for  wood or tools would become high enough to encourage a short boom in  those careers.<br />
486. <br />
487. The above formula for agent replacement works well enough, but it  should probably be a lot more customizable as each game's needs will be  different.<br />
488. <br />
489. <h1>Where to Go From Here</h1><br />
490. A lot of work remains to be done to make bazaarBot the kind of  open-source economics engine that can drive the strategy games of the  future. Here are some futher thoughts on that.<br />
491. <br />
492. <h2>A well designed API</h2><br />
493. Right now the engine doesn't have much of an API to speak of, it's  just a simple proof-of-concept. Further work is needed to decide what  should be the walled-off internal guts, and what parts should be for  public consumption. <strong> </strong><br />
494. <br />
495. Most physics engines work by creating two parallel universes - the  game world, and the physics world, and closely linking them. Thus, every  game object has a corresponding physics object, and the physics object  is used to update the game object's position every frame.<br />
496. <br />
497. bazaarBot's API would be similar - there's a game world, and an  economics world, and game objects will somehow be linked to economics  objects via bazaarBot instances.  <br />
498. <br />
499. So, you could have a simple  game town filled with NPC's that walk around, some are woodcutters that  find and cut down trees (which grow back according to some schedule),  some are miners that look for and mine ore (which is finite and  unreplenishable), and at the end of each day they bring their goods to  the town square, itself a game object which is linked to a bazaarBot.<br />
500. <br />
501. Each NPC updates their economic Agent's inventories and desires, the  market object runs a round of trading, and the NPC's pull their new  inventories from their economic Agent's, and then go out and do another  day's work before coming back to trade.<br />
502. <br />
503. This would be one of the more simpler implementations, but you could go further.<br />
504. <br />
505. <h2>A Tale of Two Cities</h2><br />
506. By creating multiple bazaarBot instances, you could model separate  economies for cities that can then trade with one another.  Let's create  two cities, Paris and London, each with their own economies. Prices for  goods in each city will be different, and let's say wheat has been  cheaper in Paris for the last 10 rounds.<br />
507. <br />
508. A Londoner could notice this, and game logic could make him become a  "merchant," with knowledge of both markets. This merchant checks the  cost of the "travel-to-paris" token (redeemable in game for the  travel-to-paris <em>service</em>), and it's currently favorable, so he hops on a ship across the English channel.<br />
509. <br />
510. Next round he's in Paris, and the price of Wheat is way below his  observed trading range in London, so he offers a generous price (for  Paris) and buys as much as he can carry.<br />
511. <br />
512. He buys a "travel-to-london" token as well and travels back to London  the next round. He checks the price of Wheat in London, and it's well  above what he paid for it in Paris, so he sells it all at slightly below  the current market price.<br />
513. <br />
514. The activity of trading merchants would eventually cause prices in  each city to communicate somewhat, mediated by the time and expense of  travel, as well as any policy restrictions (such as tariffs) imposed by  governments.  Furthermore, the price of travel would respond to demand  by merchants.<br />
515. <br />
516. Some work might need to be done to enable the "Tale of Two Cities"  example specified above. Currently bazaarBot Agents do not have any  mechanism for explicitly keeping track of what they've paid for the  items they currently own, this is just sort of handled implicitly via  price signals and observed trading ranges.<br />
517. <br />
518. There also might need to be first-class support for "merchants,"  though this could also be left entirely to the game logic side just by  moving Agents from one market to another.  Support could also be added  for "government policies" such as taxes, import duties, subsidies, bans,  and price controls. These rules could be set on a per-market basis.<br />
519. <br />
520. There's currently no formal support for multiple currencies, but it  could be handled implicitly by how we treat the "money" in each market.   In the above example, London and Paris can freely exchange, so they  might as well be cities in the same country.  Now, let's instead call a  unit of "money" in London "Pounds" and units of money in Paris "Francs."<br />
521. <br />
522. The exchange rate between a Pound and a Franc would be done by  comparing the total value of goods in one country versus that of  another. In a simple example, the only commodity available is wheat, so  if Paris has 100 wheat trading @ 1 Franc and London has 50 wheat trading  @ 1 Pound, then 1 Franc = 2 Pounds, showing that it's currently cheaper  to import wheat from Paris. I'm really not sure what effect formal  currency exchanges and money changers would have on things.<br />
523. <br />
524. (Feel free to correct me if you know something about currency exchange and valuation)<br />
525. <br />
526. <h2>Agent AI</h2><br />
527. It should be noted that Agents are kind of stupid. bazaarBot has  rudimentary support for a basic data-driven scripting engine, but it's  honestly some cheapo thing I hacked together letting you specify actions  and conditions in JSON, so it's not ideal. In the future I might expand  this, switch to an actual scripting language like lua, or just leave it  entirely to the game logic side to extend Agent objects and provide  your own code for handling their production logic.<br />
528. <br />
529. Perhaps it's even best for Agents to have as little AI as possible  beyond economic matters, and all the user does is update their inventory  and desire for certain products, with the entire matter of <i>how</i> those values are created being entirely left to game logic.<br />
530. <br />
531. One caveat I should mention is that AI is stupid, really stupid. This  is no replacement for a real human-driven economy, nor is it likely to  be an incredibly accurate simulation of one.<br />
532. <br />
533. <h2>Complex Finance</h2><br />
534. bazaarBot has no current support for anything beyond buying and  selling commodities of uniform value. It doesn't even have support for  borrowing or loans, let alone interest rates, bonds, short selling,  options, or credit-default swaps. Services could easily be modeled just  by mapping them to a tradeable token, which could work just like a  commodity.<br />
535. <br />
536. Some or all of these could be added later, I suppose, but this brings me to my next point.<br />
537. <br />
538. <h2>Finding the Fun</h2><br />
539. Emergent complexity is no magic formula for fun, and is often quite  the opposite. I'm a data nerd at heart, and I get a huge kick out of  tweaking intricate and complex systems, but I've found players are  mostly interested in systems with clear inputs and outputs, and choices  that are easy to understand. I think an economy engine could be really  useful, but it will take special care to make a fun game out of it.<br />
540. <br />
541. I'd recommend keeping economies simple at first before going too far  down the rabbit hole with complex Agent behaviors or whacky financial  instruments. <strong><br />
542. </strong><br />
543. <br />
544. <h2>Ideological Bias</h2><br />
545. I've tried to keep things as simple as possible, but it bears  mentioning that any economic simulation is going to reflect a certain  bias. My hope is that bazaarBot will be flexibile enough to model many  different kinds of economies, as well as demonstrate economic principles  from a multitude of perspectives, be they <a class="bbc_url" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Keynesian</a>, <a class="bbc_url" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Hayekian</a>, <a class="bbc_url" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_marx" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Marxist</a>, <a class="bbc_url" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_George" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Georgist</a>,  etc.  Most of that high-level bias will come from the actual scenario  that's modeled, as well as how the game designer decides to reduce  real-world entities to economic objects.<br />
546. <br />
547. From the engine's perspective, a commodity is just a commodity. But  if you treat land as a simple commodity, you are at odds with Georgism,  and if you treat labor as a simple commodity, Marxists might have  something to say. <br />
548. <br />
549. There are already some fundamental biases, however, that I can see in  the current engine. For one, it assumes that commodities are uniform in  value and quality.  This is how the United States treats agricultural  products on major commodities exchanges, and <a class="bbc_url" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food,_Inc." rel="nofollow external" title="External link"><span>some </span><span>would argue</span></a>  (including myself) that favoring commoditizable goods can have serious  repurcussions for the health and welfare of humans, animals, and the  environment.<br />
550. <br />
551. <h2>Flexibility</h2><br />
552. However you feel about food politics, I think we can all agree there  are limitations to the "commodity" model as a one-size-fits-all model  for tradeable goods. Some designers might want more flexibility. I  suppose one way to do that is to add quality "grades" to commodities,  and treat each as separate commodity types that are still somehow linked  to a parent type. For example, if you want to buy Grade-A pork bellies,  but they're too expensive, you might be willing to substitute Grade-B  pork bellies instead. <br />
553. <br />
554. Further considerations could let us define goods that don't act like  commodities at all, so instead of having unique data structures in the  market for each commodity type, you could have "flea market" lists that  are a random grab-bags of goods, where items aren't defined by what they  <em>are</em> but insetad by <em>what they can do. </em><br />
555. <br />
556. So, if an agent is just looking for something -anything- that is  "sharp," they could make bids for axes, knives, swords, etc, based on  the properties of those items. <br />
557. <br />
558. I'm not sure I want to dive down that rabbit hole just yet, though, but it's one possible solution.<br />
559. <br />
560. <h1>Signing Off</h1><br />
561. Well, that's my economics engine! It only took me two days to write  over the weekend, but I've been thinking about if for a long time. If  anyone else has some tips for me, I'd really appreciate it, as I'm  constantly looking for ways to improve this thing.<br />
562. <br />
563. <a class="bbc_url" href="https://github.com/larsiusprime/bazaarBot" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">Here's the Github link again</a>, in case you want to contribute (I'll put it under MIT license):<br />
564. <br />
565. And <a class="bbc_url" href="http://larc.unt.edu/ian/research/content/" rel="nofollow external" title="External link">here's a link to the page where I found the research paper</a>, it's got lots of other good stuff in it!<br />
566. </div><br />
567. <br />
568. <br />
569. <h2>About the Author(s)</h2><br />
570. <i>Lars A. Doucet is the Co-Founder of Level Up Labs, LLC, an  independent game design studio based in Bryan, TX, and has a Master's  degree in Visualization Sciences from Texas A&M University.<br />
571. <br />
572. His latest project is the successful RPG/Tower Defense hybrid Defender's Quest.<br />
573. <br />
574. In  addition to his work at LUL, Lars has been a consultant who specializes  in "Applied Gaming," an emerging field that uses game design and game  technology for new uses both in and out of the entertainment sector.<br />
575. <br />
576. Lars'  applied gaming projects include Super Energy Apocalypse, in  collaboration with the Houston Advanced Research Center, and CellCraft,  through Wake Forest University and the MacArthur foundation.<br />
577. <br />
578. Lars has also consulted for Rice University's Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning and Texas A&M University.</i>    <br />
579. <br />
580. <h2>License</h2><br />
581. &lt;i&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/gdnethelp/gamedevnet-open-license-r2956&quot;&gt;GDOL (Gamedev.net Open License)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/643923230570102046/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/bazaarbot-open-source-economics-engine.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/643923230570102046'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/643923230570102046'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/bazaarbot-open-source-economics-engine.html' title='BazaarBot: An Open-Source Economics Engine'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-2601074166413696778</id><published>2013-06-19T19:21:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-19T19:21:52.772-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Microsoft restores game ownership and expects us to smile</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-19-microsoft-restores-game-ownership-and-expects-us-to-smile&quot;&gt;Via Eurogamer.net:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
582. <br />
583. <br />
584. <div class="strapline">       For this reversal to have meaning, it must be matched by deeper change.      </div><div class="social bottom">           <div class="facebook">    <span style="height: 20px; width: 111px;"></span>    </div><div class="twitter">             </div><div class="reddit">          </div></div><div class="byline">           <strong>By</strong>        <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/author/31">Tom Bramwell</a>           <strong>Published</strong>        <span>                  Thursday, 20 June 2013               </span>       </div><section class="">   I remember waking up on the day Microsoft unveiled its original set  of Xbox One policies, reading through them on my phone and being  desperately sad. When I wrote about them that morning, I chose a  headline that reflected the kind of sombre dejection I was feeling: <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-07-microsoft-kills-game-ownership-and-expects-us-to-smile">Microsoft kills game ownership and expects us to smile</a>.<br />
585. The original policies would have taken ownership of games away from  players completely, rather than allowing us to sacrifice it for the  convenience of digital access if that was our choice. And while they  promised to create mechanisms for sharing or reselling the licences that  we would be paying for instead, the details were either murky or  restrictive. The console would also have had to access the internet once  a day or else.<br />
586. Less than two weeks later, Microsoft <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-19-microsoft-will-reverse-position-on-xbox-one-drm-today-report">completely changed its approach</a>,  reversing its position so much that the Xbox One will now work in much  the same way as Xbox 360. There is some collateral damage - such as the  loss of digital game-sharing options - but I don't imagine it will be a  terrific stretch for Microsoft to introduce features along those lines  at a later date, should it wish to do so.<br />
587. The fact that Microsoft has decided to give its customers more  choice and greater control over their investments is an improvement on  its original position, but I am still deeply sceptical about its  intentions and their potential consequences. Let me explain why.<br />
588. I got married earlier this year and my wife and I intend to start a  family. I have a lot of old games - Super Nintendo cartridges like  Chrono Trigger and EarthBound - that I look after very carefully, and I  am excited about the idea of showing them to my children. It will be  natural for children born today to understand and appreciate video games  throughout their lives, and while the artistic achievements of the  games we have now will seem primitive compared to the games they play as  they grow up, it makes me happy that I will be able to show them the  original building blocks for something they love. For them to understand  or even contribute to this artform, I believe it is important that they  are able to trace those origins and experience them, in the same way  that somebody who wants to understand the cultural legacy of Citizen  Kane can go back and study that film.<br />
589. Moreover, I want them to fall in love with games to the same extent  that I have, and while the notion of physical media is not an  irreducible component of that relationship, I believe that the concept  of ownership is extremely significant to it. The world needs collectors,  archivists and curators who strike up deep, spiritual bonds with art  and history in order for those things to continue to resound throughout  our cultural consciousness, and I believe those bonds start at a  personal level. It is my own experience - I am who I am because I was  able to collect and covet these things as they began to matter to me.<br />
590. So I was sad about Microsoft's original Xbox One policies not  necessarily because of the effect they would have on me (I haven't  pre-ordered Ryse anyway, I'm afraid), but because I felt they were  driving us toward a future where games would be inherently more  transient, reducing their potential to leave any kind of cultural  legacy, and because they were making it harder to form lasting bonds  with them and preserve artistic achievement, reducing their potential to  make a future generation of gamers fall in love with games in a way  that should be their birthright.<br />
591. Microsoft's new policies tell us what it is going to do in the  first days of Xbox One, but they don't tell us that its desires have  changed, and those desires were responsible for the old policies. Those  desires <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-13-the-big-interview-microsoft-studios-phil-spencer-discusses-xbox-one">were on full display at E3 last week</a>,  where Xbox executives repeatedly manoeuvred the conversation towards  connected experiences and the portable game library, arguing that the  choices we were losing were not as important as the benefits we gained.  This is not true. It is more accurate to say that the choices we would  lose are not as important <em>to Microsoft</em> as the resulting  alternative. The reason that the original Xbox One policies were  attractive to Microsoft is because it wants to own the living room with  an Xbox service that can rival iTunes, and they would have been a very  neat fit with that objective.<br />
592. I started off my original post about game ownership by quoting  something I wrote during E3 in 2012. "If we are entertained by what  Microsoft chooses to do for its own gain," I suggested, "then that is  simply a happy coincidence." The coincidence was over, I concluded,  because Xbox One's original DRM policies were devastating. All I can  conclude today is that the coincidence has been extended. To judge by  what Microsoft said at E3, it has probably been done so reluctantly. I  see nothing to suggest that the desire behind its original decisions has  changed, and until Microsoft convinces me that it understands the  significance to gaming of ownership and legacy, I will find it hard not  to be pessimistic.<br />
593. What I sincerely hope is that Microsoft hasn't just concluded it  went too far too soon with its original Xbox One policies but that, as  it considers the ramifications today's U-turn will have on its future  Xbox strategy, it works more carefully to balance its business interests  against the long-term sustainability of the medium it desperately wants  to control.<br />
594. &lt;/section&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/2601074166413696778/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/microsoft-restores-game-ownership-and.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/2601074166413696778'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/2601074166413696778'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/microsoft-restores-game-ownership-and.html' title='Microsoft restores game ownership and expects us to smile'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-6446012914631904540</id><published>2013-06-19T14:49:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-19T14:49:30.483-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Microsoft to drop Xbox One DRM, region locking</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-to-drop-xbox-one-drm-region-locking-256617.phtml&quot;&gt;Via Destructoid:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
595. <br />
596. <i style="font-size: 16px !important;"><a href="http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-to-drop-xbox-one-drm-region-locking-256617.phtml" style="color: #777777; line-height: 23px;">Changes come 'as a result of feedback from the Xbox community'</a></i><br />
597. <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody>
598. <tr><td valign="top"><div class="author_time"><img align="absmiddle" src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/images/ui/authorpoint.gif" /><span style="font-weight: normal !important; line-height: 14px;"><b>1 hour ago -  3:37 PM</b> on 06.19.2013</span></div></td><td style="padding-right: 10px;" valign="top" width="48"><div id="mm_likebutton"><a class="upvote_lnk" href="http://www.blogger.com/null" id="256617"></a><br />
599. <div style="cursor: pointer; height: 40px; padding-top: 3px; text-align: center; width: 50px;"><a class="upvote_lnk" href="http://www.blogger.com/null" id="256617"><b id="v256617">4</b></a></div></div></td><td valign="top" width="48"></td></tr>
600. </tbody></table><div style="-khtml-border-radius: 4px; -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; align: center; background-color: #cccccc; border-radius: 4px; border: 1px #ccc solid; float: left; overflow: hidden; width: 620px;"><a href="http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-to-drop-xbox-one-drm-region-locking-256617.phtml"></a><br />
601. <div style="float: left;"><a href="http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-to-drop-xbox-one-drm-region-locking-256617.phtml"><img alt="Xbox One drops DRMMicrosoft to drop Xbox One DRM, region locking photo" class="post_headline_photo" src="http://www.destructoid.com//ul/256617-h1.jpg" width="620" /></a></div></div><br clear="all" /> <div style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-left: auto; width: 620px;"><br />
602. <center></center><br clear="all" /> [<b>Update</b>: It's true. Microsoft has  reversed its policies. There's only a one-time system setup that  requires an Internet connection -- no daily check-ins. Discs work like  they have in the past -- they'll need to be in your console's tray -- so  trade-ins aren't going to change. Also, no regional restrictions. Best  part? The <a href="http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update" target="_blank">update</a> was written by Microsoft's Don Mattrick.]<br />
603. After what already feels like an eternity of <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-one-has-single-handedly-alienated-the-military--256457.phtml" target="_blank">warranted criticism</a> over Microsoft's mandatory <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-xbox-one-will-need-to-go-online-eventually-254231.phtml" target="_blank">online check-ins</a>  for Xbox One and other related DRM policies, the company has seemingly  taken the backlash to heart. The always-online requirement has been  dropped, meaning users won't have to check in daily and game discs will  function as they do currently, reports <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/microsoft-to-pull-complete-reversal-on-xbox-one-dr/1100-4673/" target="_blank">Giant Bomb</a>. Sources tell the outlet that the new polices will result in the following:<br />
604. <ul><li>No more always online requirement</li>
605. <li>The console no longer has to check in every 24 hours</li>
606. <li>All game discs will work on Xbox One as they do on Xbox 360</li>
607. <li>An Internet connection is only required when initially setting up the console</li>
608. <li>All downloaded games will function the same when online or offline</li>
609. <li>No additional restrictions on trading games or loaning discs</li>
610. <li>Region locks have been dropped</li>
611. </ul>The official <a href="http://news.xbox.com/2013/05/qa" target="_blank">Xbox website's FAQ</a>  for Xbox One has been updated today stating that "As a result of  feedback from the Xbox community, we have changed certain policies for  Xbox One reflected in this blog. Some of this information is no longer  accurate -- <a href="http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update" target="_blank">please check here for the latest</a>." At the time of publication, the link is unavailable. We'll know what's been changed soon enough.<br />
612. I was so convinced that Microsoft was committed, that it had the  infrastructure in place and wouldn&#39;t turn back no matter how much heat  it took. It feels so great to be wrong.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;overflow: hidden; width: 622px;&quot;&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;width: 650px;&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;post_gallery_photo_cropper&quot; style=&quot;background-color: #cccccc;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.destructoid.com/post_gallery_one_photo.phtml?post_key=256617&amp;amp;photo_key=264821&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Microsoft to drop Xbox One DRM, region locking photo&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;post_gallery_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://www.destructoid.com//ul/256617-microsoft-to-drop-xbox-one-drm-region-locking/xbox180-2-220x.jpg&quot; style=&quot;min-height: 170px;&quot; width=&quot;197&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;post_gallery_photo_cropper&quot; style=&quot;background-color: #cccccc;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.destructoid.com/post_gallery_one_photo.phtml?post_key=256617&amp;amp;photo_key=264822&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Microsoft to drop Xbox One DRM, region locking photo&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;post_gallery_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://www.destructoid.com//ul/256617-microsoft-to-drop-xbox-one-drm-region-locking/xbox180-1-220x.jpg&quot; style=&quot;min-height: 170px;&quot; width=&quot;197&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/6446012914631904540/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/microsoft-to-drop-xbox-one-drm-region.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/6446012914631904540'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/6446012914631904540'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2013/06/microsoft-to-drop-xbox-one-drm-region.html' title='Microsoft to drop Xbox One DRM, region locking'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-1563959888343178793</id><published>2012-10-28T12:18:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2012-10-28T12:18:10.864-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Snapshot: Anna (PC)</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/27/snapshot-anna-pc/&quot;&gt;Via Joystiq&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;br /&gt;
613. <div align="left"><span style="color: grey;"><small>There are so many games out there we couldn't possibly review them all. Welcome to <a href="http://joystiq.com/tag/snapshot">Snapshot</a>, where we highlight games that might fall outside our usual coverage but are still something we think you should know about.</small></span></div><hr /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/26/snapshot-anna/"><img alt="Snapshot Anna" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2012/10/anna-mill.jpg" /></a></div>Don't fool yourself about what type of game <i><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/game/anna">Anna</a> </i>is. Though screenshots may deceive you into believing the game is a realistic point-and-click set in the gorgeous Italian countryside, <i>Anna</i> is a horror game through and through. Even the developers at Dreampainters pitch <i>Anna</i> as a classic point-and-click adventure, based on the heritage of Val D'Ayas, a small village steeped in ancient folklore. The sawmill? "Oh, that, it's sort of haunted," the developers seem to say, "but don't worry your pretty little head about it."<br />
614. <br />
615. After playing <i>Anna</i>, I suggest you worry about it. Worry about it <i>a lot</i>.<br />
616. <div><b>Gallery: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/anna/">Anna</a></b><br />
617. <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/anna/#5327568"><img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2012/09/anna-4_thumbnail.jpg" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/anna/#5327569"><img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2012/09/anna-3_thumbnail.jpg" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/anna/#5327570"><img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2012/09/anna-2_thumbnail.jpg" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/anna/#5327571"><img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2012/09/anna-1_thumbnail.jpg" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/anna/#5327572"><img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2012/09/anna_thumbnail.jpg" title="" /></a></div><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/27/snapshot-anna-pc/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <i>Snapshot: Anna (PC)</i></a><br />
618. &lt;div style=&quot;background: #ffffcc; border: 1px solid #ffff99; clear: both; padding: 5px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.joystiq.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Joystiq&quot; src=&quot;http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif&quot; style=&quot;float: left; padding: 0 5px 5px 0;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/27/snapshot-anna-pc/&quot;&gt;Snapshot: Anna (PC)&lt;/a&gt; originally appeared on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.joystiq.com/&quot;&gt;Joystiq&lt;/a&gt; on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST.  Please see our &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/&quot;&gt;terms for use of feeds&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h6 style=&quot;border: 0; clear: both; font-size: 1px; height: 2px; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding: 8px 0 0 0;&quot;&gt;&lt;/h6&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/27/snapshot-anna-pc/&quot; rel=&quot;bookmark&quot; title=&quot;Permanent link to this entry&quot;&gt;Permalink&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.joystiq.com/forward/20362405/&quot; title=&quot;Send this entry to a friend via email&quot;&gt;Email this&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/27/snapshot-anna-pc/#comments&quot; title=&quot;View reader comments on this entry&quot;&gt;Comments&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/1563959888343178793/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2012/10/snapshot-anna-pc.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/1563959888343178793'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/1563959888343178793'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2012/10/snapshot-anna-pc.html' title='Snapshot: Anna (PC)'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-3697462472820760176</id><published>2012-10-28T12:17:00.003-07:00</published><updated>2012-10-28T12:17:50.620-07:00</updated><title type='text'>RIAA Failed To Disclose Expert’s Lobbying History to “Six-Strikes” Partners</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~3/-biDLmd9jN4/&quot;&gt;Via TorrentFreak&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;br /&gt;
619. <img align="right" alt="riaa" src="http://torrentfreak.com/images/riaa-logo.jpg" /><a href="https://torrentfreak.com/att-starts-six-strikes-anti-piracy-plan-next-month-will-block-websites-121012/">Starting next month</a> the MPAA, RIAA and five major Internet providers in the United States will start punishing persistent BitTorrent pirates,<br />
620. The scheme is being coordinated by the Center for Copyright Information (CCI) who agreed to hire an impartial and independent expert to review the evidence that will be used to accuse suspected subscribers. <br />
621. However, earlier this week the news broke that the touted independent technology expert, <a href="http://www.strozfriedberg.com/">Stroz Friedberg</a>, is not so neutral. In fact, the company <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/six-strikes-independent-expert-is-riaas-former-lobbying-firm-121022/">is a former RIAA lobbying firm</a>. <br />
622. The <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/firmsum.php?id=F25268&year=2009">lobbying job</a> earned the company more than half a million dollars ($637,000), which makes it hard to view the company as “independent and impartial” as the agreement between the copyright holders and ISPs requires. <br />
623. In our initial report we already noted that it was rather surprising that, of all the available companies, this one was picked. Stroz Friedberg may operate without any bias, but given the public’s skepticism CCI should have anticipated the backlash. <br />
624. That is, if they knew about Stroz Friedberg’s history with the RIAA.<br />
625. A source at the CCI tells TorrentFreak that the RIAA had not informed the participating Internet providers or CCI’s Executive Director Jill Lesser about this unfortunate relationship. Our report on Monday came as a complete surprise to them, and it has been the topic of a heated internal discussion during the days that followed. <br />
626. While Jill Lesser <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/news/piracy-six-strikes-copyright-alerts-RIAA-lobbyists">appears to be</a> unaffected by the controversy in her comments to the press, she and the board members are facing a small crisis which they plan to “do something” about shortly.<br />
627. TorrentFreak was informed that behind the scenes a few options have been discussed this week. <br />
628. The first option that’s being considered is to make Stroz Friedberg’s review of the BitTorrent tracking technology public. This would allow the world to see whether it was done properly, as opposed to taking CCI’s word that everything is in order.<br />
629. A second option that has been discussed is to hire another independent expert, possibly an academic, to confirm that Stroz Friedberg did a proper review.<br />
630. Initially some forces at the CCI pushed to deliver a quick response to alleviate the concerns about the impartiality of the review, but things appear to be moving slowly. TorrentFreak is informed that it might take a week or two before the group makes an announcement. <br />
631. Ironically enough, the CCI owes most of the bad press it received over the past months to itself. The group has been very reluctant to give out information to the public, thereby allowing rumors to continue and conspiracy theories to bubble up. <br />
632. This might be a good time for them to start realizing that sharing information is not <i>always</i> a bad thing.<br />
633. Source: <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/riaa-failed-to-disclose-experts-lobbying-history-to-six-strikes-partners-121026/">RIAA Failed To Disclose Expert’s Lobbying History to “Six-Strikes” Partners</a><br />
634. &lt;div&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=-biDLmd9jN4:vwK1g1EJHeY:yIl2AUoC8zA&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?d=yIl2AUoC8zA&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://feed.torrentfreak.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?a=-biDLmd9jN4:vwK1g1EJHeY:D7DqB2pKExk&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Torrentfreak?i=-biDLmd9jN4:vwK1g1EJHeY:D7DqB2pKExk&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img height=&quot;1&quot; src=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Torrentfreak/~4/-biDLmd9jN4&quot; width=&quot;1&quot; /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/3697462472820760176/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2012/10/riaa-failed-to-disclose-experts.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/3697462472820760176'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/3697462472820760176'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2012/10/riaa-failed-to-disclose-experts.html' title='RIAA Failed To Disclose Expert’s Lobbying History to “Six-Strikes” Partners'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8861260141104292799.post-8654419192322205770</id><published>2012-10-28T12:17:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2012-10-28T12:17:35.884-07:00</updated><title type='text'>EVE Online avatar inspires self-described “pathetic loser” to get fit, reports CNN</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32730/f/510578/p/1/s/7a6e16f7/l/0L0Spcgamer0N0C20A120C10A0C260Ceve0Eonline0Eavatar0Einspires0Eself0Edescribed0Epathetic0Eloser0Eto0Eget0Efit0Ereports0Ecnn0C/story01.htm&quot;&gt;Via PC Gamer&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;br /&gt;
635. <a href="http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2012/10/121022061126-roc-marcus-split-image-horizontal-gallery.jpg" rel="lightbox[108287]"><img alt="" height="343" src="http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2012/10/121022061126-roc-marcus-split-image-horizontal-gallery-610x343.jpg" width="610" /></a><br />
636. When it comes to <a href="http://www.eveonline.com/">EVE Online</a> news, CNN may not be your top destination for stories of deep-space intrigue or battle-scarred economic upheavals. But when it comes to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/health/bodybuilder-gamer-avatar-inspiration/index.html?hpt=hp_c3">quirky human interest stories involving extreme weight loss and spousal embarrassment</a>, the mainstream media outlets have got your back. Enter Marcus Dickinson, an EVE Online player who was so inspired by the taut, testosterone-fueled manliness of his avatar Roc Wieler that he hit the gym and shed 45 pounds to look more like him…err, it.<br />
637. The 40-year-old advertising director began his transformation from chunky to hunky following a 2009 trip to an EVE Online Fanfest held in Iceland, where he noticed something disturbing about himself and his fellow players. “We were all just a bunch of pathetic losers,” Dickinson says. “We paid good money to fly all the way to Iceland and instead of enjoying Iceland, most of us spent all our time sitting around playing the videogame we already played back home.”<br />
638. At this point, you may wonder if Dickinson knows what a videogame fanfest <i>is</i>. Spoiler Alert: People play Quake at QuakeCon.<br />
639. “Something snapped inside me, and I realized I wasn’t being true to my brand,” continues Dickinson. “Why can’t I be this character? Why can’t I look like this? He acts and talks like me because he is me. I’m the one who gave him life.”<br />
640. Since then, Dickinson has chronicled his weightlifting and cardio routine on his blog <a href="http://rocwieler.com/">Roc’s Ramblings</a> to show his progress towards becoming the man in his monitor. He now lives a dessert-free lifestyle of 3,000 calorie days consisting of lean protein, vegetables, and trips to the gym. It isn’t mentioned how much time he still commits to playing EVE Online, though.<br />
641. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/health/bodybuilder-gamer-avatar-inspiration/index.html?hpt=hp_c3">The article</a> wraps up by bringing the creep, implying that Dickinson’s obsession with his online persona isn’t all about health and rock-hard abs. Says CNN quoting Dickinson’s wife: When Dickinson slips into Roc’s deep voice with a “Hello, darling…’ greeting after work, “I’m like ‘Oh, shut the hell up.’”<br />
642. For his wife’s sake, it’s a good thing Dickinson isn’t playing as a Goblin in World of Warcraft instead.<br />
643. <img border="0" height="1" src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32730/f/510578/p/1/s/7a6e16f7/mf.gif" width="1" /><br />
644. <div><table border="0"><tbody>
645. <tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=EVE+Online+avatar+inspires+self-described+%E2%80%9Cpathetic+loser%E2%80%9D+to+get+fit%2C+reports+CNN&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcgamer.com%2F2012%2F10%2F26%2Feve-online-avatar-inspires-self-described-pathetic-loser-to-get-fit-reports-cnn%2F"><img border="0" class="tseiktjpambrxpxvvucb" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=EVE+Online+avatar+inspires+self-described+%E2%80%9Cpathetic+loser%E2%80%9D+to+get+fit%2C+reports+CNN&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcgamer.com%2F2012%2F10%2F26%2Feve-online-avatar-inspires-self-described-pathetic-loser-to-get-fit-reports-cnn%2F"><img border="0" class="tseiktjpambrxpxvvucb" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr>
646. </tbody></table></div><br />
647. <br />
648. &lt;a href=&quot;http://da.feedsportal.com/r/2054035191/u/31/f/510578/c/32730/s/2054035191/a2.htm&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tseiktjpambrxpxvvucb&quot; src=&quot;http://da.feedsportal.com/r/2054035191/u/31/f/510578/c/32730/s/2054035191/a2.img&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;1&quot; src=&quot;http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/2054035191/u/31/f/510578/c/32730/s/2054035191/a2t.img&quot; width=&quot;1&quot; /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/feeds/8654419192322205770/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2012/10/eve-online-avatar-inspires-self.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/8654419192322205770'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8861260141104292799/posts/default/8654419192322205770'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gzupdts.blogspot.com/2012/10/eve-online-avatar-inspires-self.html' title='EVE Online avatar inspires self-described “pathetic loser” to get fit, reports CNN'/><author><name>Gezegond</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/15824564740415027716</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyK5kGcq4MPGJNHQZCYLKDy27lkcPDFnsi-zru-H4vT01FF-MmfO2AElv8Ov5NEnbLcu3mqxVLT0XKWDU1BbnWccLmsLHgD4mQfrtOfqtI9jXM2E_WqCq9m0JdtH_9w/s1600/G3_256.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>

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