Geek and Fandom Events in BC and Washington State
Well, there goes the OEM market for Windows. In a one-word e-mail to a fan (the word was “yes”) the Gaben hath confirmed that Linux will be getting a native steam client in 2012. This is surely to greatly reduce the amount of tweaking needed to play games on Linux and might seriously affect the operating system’s market share on PCs. With the playing field levelled like this, are the OS wars about to heat up again?
Source: The Escapist
We can all remember the time when E3 was a superbowl, a prom, and a gala on par with Comicon or Gencon. Video game magazines (remember those?), blogs and websites would light up like Las Vegas, and our summer dreams would be filled with promises of the latest and greatest technology in time for Christmas. Now, things are different. If you look at the headlines leading up to E3, the only significant news is what will not be at E3. The first glimpses of the future cornerstones of video game culture have been replaced with mini-games and social networking. And you know what? That’s okay.
While the investors and retailers of E3 have no stomach for the red ocean of hardcore gaming, Gaming culture itself has gotten a lot bigger and more powerful. There are two Penny Arcade Expos, one for each coast. They are being followed by a plethora of gaming expos across the continent. If you want to sell a hardcore game in today’s economy, why would you waste your time with investors who don’t get the culture and are looking for alternate revenue streams anyway? If you ask me, the conversations coming out of PAX and its ilk are much more value than the unfocused flailing going on at E3. E3 seems to act like it doesn’t need gamers, but the truth is gamers don’t need E3 either.
According to the EA Canada Job board, they are hiring a lead game designer for an all new AAA action shooter. Details about the project are scant, but they require that the winning candidate have a “proven track record of designing and balancing combat, player controls, and AI for AAA shooters or action games.” If anything this sounds more like a marketing ploy than an actual job posting. They’d probably have a lot more luck just petitioning those kinds of developers directly instead inviting them to force themselves through the sausage tube of HR.
Source: GameSpot.
The quirky new installment of Penny Arcade‘s RPG series On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is due to be released for PC, Mac, and XBLIG on July 10. The game costs $5 dollars on Steam and whatever the equivalent exchange amount is in Xbox live points. Steam’s cross-platform ability will allow you to play the game on your choice of operating system, and details will be forthcoming as to when the game will hit iOS and Android platforms.
Source:Joystiq.
Seattle Costume and Prop Whiz Bill Doran has created some sweet lamps based on the Protoss Power Pylons from Starcraft. Handy for meditation, studying, or powering your kitteh, these babies are welcome addition to any living room ensemble. We need more Pylons! Hit the jump for more Pylons and kittehs.
Source: Punished Props via Facebook
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iFest Independent Games Festival for 2012 is hosting an event in Seattle this year on Saturday June the 2nd. Speakers will include Brian Dawson of Valve Software and Thomas Buscaglia, the Game Attorney. The event will be held at the Seattle Center and best of all, registration is Free!
Source: iFest Independent Game Festival.
Penny Arcade Expo’s passes have already come and gone 4 months before the event even launched. So what’s a gamer to do if he want to get his hot little hands on the latest betas? Gamestop has grudgingly offered to extend its employee only show in San Antonio, Texas to the public… for a full 5 hours. On August 19th 11:00am to 4:00pm, gamers will get the chance to briefly glimpse the offerings of all the top publishers. Man, I know the Penny Arcade formula is in desperate need of duplication, but the Screw Attack Gaming Convention is coming up in July, so let’s send a message that gamers can’t be treated like this and go there instead, okay?
Source: Gamer Revolution
Village Gamer has posted an infographic from app-promo.com on the realities mobile developers face when they bring their apps to market. Only 12% of apps earn $50,000 a year or more, and they each spend an average of $30,000 for marketing. With the current hype over Vancouver’s Mobile Market, how can smaller devs pay their way. Either there needs to be more Venture capital, or we have to put effort into building the local community.
Source: Village Gamer
Gateworld has released an exposé on the fate of another Stargate SG-1 Video game, Alliance. Stargate was licensed to Perception Studios to make a PC and Playstation 2 first person shooter. Unfortunately, the project fell apart in 2006, likely a casualty of the shaky transition between console generations. The game features voice work from the actual cast of the show, including the late Don S. Davis. Between this and the unfortunate Stargate Worlds MMO, it seems like so much money has been left on the table by MGM over Stargate. Then again, this may be an opportunity for the franchise to breath for while until we are ready to step through the gate once again.
Source:GateWorld
Judge David Shaw of the US International Trade Commission has recommended that the Xbox 360 be banned in the US due to a patent dispute with Motorola over its H.264 video compression technology. When questioned about how that would be fair to consumers, Shaw just said that Nintento and Sony could pick up demand. Nintendo and Sony? Wow, I don’t think Mr. Shaw knows that your maxbox platters don’t go playmation slot. If his colleagues agree with him, the matter will go to President Barack Obama for a final say on the matter.
Source: TDW Geeks.
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