Remember the "Video killed the Radio Star" song? Well, video – as in the MTV video brand – also killed the computer game industry back in 1984 that was previously riding high with success following success. But today is not 1984. In addition to the sudden rise in music video popularity, market leader of the time Atari shot itself in the foot by only selling seven million Pac-man cartridges instead of the projected 20 million. This was quickly followed by only selling one million of their horrible ET game, when they thought they would sell 25 million. Rumor is that … Continue reading This Is Not 1984 →

As I pack my bags and head off to the Comdex computer show in Las Vegas, I wonder if the game industry will have a large presence at this largely computer-hardware type show. You see, last year was interesting because the tech industry (read non-game related technologies) were in a huge slump. Now we know this slump was just the beginning of what has become a long financial nightmare. The game industry by contrast was doing quite well, with three consoles to choose from and a healthy PC market. Even the old Macintosh game market looked like it might make … Continue reading Comdex Is About Games Too →

No, this isn't going to be an editorial about having to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways and how you kids don't appreciate anything, as my grandfather used to always say, again and again. But I did notice that there seems to be a change in the industry. And unlike the downward spiral of the GiNDex, this one is actually pretty cool. We normally try to mix up reviews from different genera's, but over the last few weeks the reviewers have been churning out a plethora of reviews of new games in a specific category. The category: … Continue reading RPGs Come Back Strong →

In the United States, this is a holiday weekend. At least as long as you were smart enough or at least able to take the Friday following the July 4th holiday off, which occurred on a Thursday this year. July 4th is the time when we celebrate our independence from England. Sorry Chella, we like England and all, but if we never broke away we would all be speaking, well, English? Ok, but if we never became independent then we would be drinking tea. Well, ok, I do drink a lot of tea. But, we would all love soccer! And … Continue reading Happy July 4th Old Man! →

California congressman introduces legislation to restrict access to video games. Last month's federal district court decision denying First Amendment protection to video games already is bearing fruit. Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) has introduced legislation that would restrict access by children to violent or sexually explicit games. The "Protect Children from Video Game Sex and Violence Act of 2002," introduced May 2, would prohibit the sale or rental or proscribed games to those under 18 years of age. It provides fines and possible jail time for violators. Baca blamed violent role-playing games for such incidents as school shootings by students in … Continue reading First Amendment Attack →

Denial of First Amendment protection leaves IDSA down, but not out. A federal judge's refusal to grant First Amendment protection to violent video games has foiled the Interactive Digital Software Association's first effort to block a St. Louis ordinance restricting access to the games, but has not stopped the fight. "The matter is still in litigation and we're considering our options for moving forward," said IDSA president Douglas Lowenstein. Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh on April 19 denied IDSA's motion for a summary judgment that the ordinance is an unconstitutional infringement of First Amendment freedom of expression. The judge, of the … Continue reading IDSA Takes A Hit →

Las Vegas — Creativity was the byword this week as Microsoft Game Studios announced its newest games with a flourish to match the glitziest city in the world at the Microsoft International Games Festival. This being my first time to get visually assaulted by ‘Lucky Las Vegas,’ I thought I would be too taxed by the tacky to appreciate the new games that Microsoft was announcing. But no! I was so enthralled by the graphics and storylines of these games that I forgot I could walk outside the building and see any one of hundreds of elaborate Vegas shows. At … Continue reading Games Festival Shows Microsoft’s Creative Side →

[[Note: The following pages were forcibly ripped from the diary of senior writer Jevon Jenkins.]] It’s Friday afternoon on Nov 16th at 3:30 p.m. It’s cube time. Payday…well…more importantly though, my wife’s payday. For myself, getting paid every two weeks sucks and isn’t it just my luck that this launch happens to fall on a week I don’t get paid? Never the less, I always have a plan B. Now I’ve been putting a little money back for the Cube for some time now, but recently I’ve had to dig into the console piggy bank for…entertainment expenses. So as one … Continue reading Diary Of A Cubite →

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates opened the Comdex Computer Show in Las Vegas this week by proclaiming the new name of the show "Comde-xp" in support of his company's new operating system and office suite. However, fully a third of his speech was devoted not to high-end networking tools or productivity software, but to the Xbox launch this week. If the 15,000-person capacity crowd was any indication of the pending popularity of the Xbox system, then Microsoft is going to have a huge hit on their hands. Gates even brought out an Xbox to demonstrate the capabilities of the system to … Continue reading Games Invade Comdex →

I normally do not do editorials for GiN, but I thought I would take a moment to share my thoughts on preordering a Microsoft Xbox gaming system. I did find a way to customize getting screwed, which at least made me less irritated by the end of this process. But I am jumping ahead of myself and will come to that in a few moments. Every time a new system appears on the radar of the gaming world, I think to myself that I will wait and buy it later on, even though there is one right there in the … Continue reading Pre-Order Works →