Put it on Mute and Turn up the Beat: What to Listen to While Gaming
Games are often designed with a tactful need to utilize every resource to edge out the all-important advantage. For many, this resourcefulness includes the sound or theme track that accompanies games, which at times can alert a player to approaching enemies or a change in character status. But there are just as many gamers out there who throw this notion out the window along with the nausea inducing DK Rap courtesy of Donkey Kong 64.
The gaming industry is always hunting for the next big thing, which often means looking to past trends for inspiration. But gaining such insight into our history usually means analyzing game sales within the context of the traditional marketplace. Today, that isn’t enough. So in an attempt to recreate past hits with applicable data, video game marketers are turning their eyes to the rise and prevalence of eBay.
The gaming world is largely based upon evolutionary movement, due in part to its ability to reinvent itself and adapt to the changing political, cultural, and economical climate at hand. But with this broad and expansive ability to adapt, how is everyone else keeping up?
Have you ever asked yourself where the genre titles to our beloved games come from? Or who’s the high and mighty power that decided on ‘MMORPG’? You might be surprised by the answer: its you!
Today in America, addictions are all too prevalent, ranging from pharmaceutical pill addictions to frightening American Idol obsessions. An often unreported yet steadily growing problem is beginning to garner more attention, though: the growing addiction to fantasy sports.
It’s a longstanding and often losing battle. But somehow, developers continue to push games that educate while entertaining young gamers. Today, the dark horse leading the charge is the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and their release of Immune Attack this past May, with the help of Brown University and the University of Southern California.
As Second Life continues to broaden its domain, industries not normally associated with the virtual world are taking interest. Although Second Life may be old news to you and me, it’s become new territory for many emerging service-oriented companies and industry giants alike, such as Crescendo Design or Cisco Systems.
Dice rolling: where does it belong? Some might say that it’s best suited for the craps table in Las Vegas, immediately followed by a rude and sober awakening in the dumpster behind the Riviera (that’s hopefully more of a one time thing). A place where dice rolling is a relevant and constant issue is in World of Warcraft. In general terms, there are two forms of dice rolling: the looting system and the simple /roll command, both of which are used to generate a random number to designate ranking. The big issue for some is when should the /roll command take precedence over the built-in Need/Greed system while sharing precious loot?