Nowadays, there are plenty of global conflicts, but they’re largely commercial ventures fostered by business interests and relatively speaking, they don’t employ all that many young men —-

—- or young women, as is increasingly the case.

And that may be one of the reasons you can’t keep a good video game with “blood, drug reference, intense violence and language” from becoming a raging success.

Ask Rockstar, purveyor of the Grand Theft Auto series.

Nonetheless, “Modern Warfare 2 is no longer available in Russia for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners, it seems, despite the game hitting store shelves as scheduled early last week,” says PC World, continuing:

“Noticed by fan site Hellforge on Friday, Russian game site GotPS3 claims Russian officials had threatened to ban the game, prompting retailers to yank copies from store shelves and distributors to shut down the outflow of new stock.

“Apparently the thematic content of the controversial “No Russian” level in which players must choose whether to fire on innocent civilians in a Moscow airport managed to escape broad public notice before launch.”

However, “First-week sales of Activision and Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in the United Kingdom are ringing in at £67.4 million ($111.8 million),” says Gamasutra.

“That’s 1.78 million units, according to ELSPA/GfK-ChartTrack data. The title, which launched on November 10, sold 1.23 million units on its first day in the UK, and Activision said combined day-one sales for the U.S. and the UK reached 4.7 million.”

Modern Warfare was one of the games listed in a Craigslist ‘For Sale’ ad by an Xbox owner, pissed off by Microsoft’s decision to  cut off gamers  from Xbox Live for modding their consoles.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Gamasutra – UK Call Of Duty Sales Hit $111.8 Million, November 16, 2009
PC World – Russia Threatens Modern Warfare 2 Ban, Game Yanked From Shelves, November 16, 2009
modding their consoles – Banned/Modded Xbox 360, loaded- $140, November 12, 2009

“Or as Spong puts it, ‘Xbox Live Gamer Culling Season Starts’.”

Now, “I’m selling my flashed Xbox 360 and all the things I’ve collected for it over the years since it was banned last week,” says a Craigslist post cited by CNet News, continuing »»»

Sorry, folks, but I’m not interested in any trades or straight-up swaps. I want to move EVERYTHING for this price, so I’m also not willing to sell you bits and pieces. It’s $140 for everything.

Remember, since the console is banned, you will not be able to connect to the Xbox Live service. Therefore, this posting is for those of you who don’t care if you can play online or not.

Nor is this pissed-off gamer alone.

“Thanks to a recent decision by Microsoft to ban as many as a million players from Xbox Live for illegally modifying their consoles to run pirated games, there is now an absolute glut of ‘modded’ Xboxes for sale on Craigslist,” says the story.

“And while a brand-new Xbox Arcade — the lowest-price version of the console — sells for $200 with no free games, it is now possible to spend as little as $100 for a used, modded Xbox that comes with a slew of hit titles. You just have to be willing to give up using Xbox Live and be OK with your new game collection including mainly pirated titles.”

The Craigslist XBox-for-saledeal mentioned above goes like this »»»

360 Arcade Console w/ HDMI capability
20 GB HDD + 256 MB memory card
Black Xbox 360 controller w/ USB recharge cord
Xbox 360 DVD Remote

Games
Borderlands; Brutal Legend; Dirt 2; Forza 3; Grand Theft Auto 4 (with Lost and the Damned and Ballad of Gay Tony on HDD); Madden 2010; Modern Warfare 2; NBA 2K10; NHL 2010; Prototype; Red Faction Guerilla; WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010; and, Tekken 6

HD DVD movies
300; American Gangster; Batman Begins; Children of Men; Goodfellas; Happy Gilmore; Hot Fuzz; I Am Legend; Jarhead; King Kong; Knocked Up; Meet the Parents; Meet the Fockers; Ray; Superman Returns; Talk to Me;

“Everything works perfectly,” says the ad.

“The 360 was treated better than I treat most people. Pictures can be made available upon request. I work in East Midtown Manhattan. For the extra paranoid/apprehensive — no concerns: we will meet at a very public place in New York City, during the day.”

Stay tuned.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

p2pnet – Microsoft ‘Xbox Live banning spree’, November 11, 2009
CNet News – Craigslist brimming with banned, ‘modded’ Xboxes, November 11, 2009

Or as Spong puts it, “Xbox Live Gamer Culling Season Starts”.

“All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live,” say Steve and the Boyz in a statement, according to the BBC.

“The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them.”

Says Pinoy Cosplay »»»

A conversation with a friend who works for a call center that handles an Xbox 360 account has yielded a disturbing truth: Microsoft has started its annual Xbox Live banning spree and it has disabled 600,000 accounts so far in the US and Canada.

The target of the banning spree are mainly people who have modified their consoles to play pirated games. My trusty source says that they have been given instructions to push for a million banned accounts by the time the holidays are over.

“Our office has gone to hell,” says the source. “People have been calling in around the clock and most of them are screaming teen-agers who don’t understand the terms of use that comes with the console they bought.”

Stay tuned.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Spong- Xbox Live Gamer Culling Season Starts, November 11, 2009
BBC – Microsoft disconnects Xbox gamers, November 11, 2009
Pinoy Cosplay – Microsoft bans 600K Xbox Live Accounts, More to Follow, November 11, 2009

The two are currently washing their dirty linen in public. And it’s all over a game.

But not just any game.

“The firefight broke out after GAPP decided Monday night to suspend its approval of the World of WarCraft online game,” says China Daily, from whence came the pic.

WoW  has more than a million players on the Chinese mainland, says the story, going on, “In effect, the GAPP decision ran against a State Council circular issued last July that declared the MOC was in charge of regulating the multi-billion dollar online gaming industry.”

GAPP  used to be in charge, but the MOC insists online games are within its portfolio.

Now the former has ordered NetEase.com, which holds with World of WarCraft license in China, not to charge users, says he story, continuing:

“GAPP has also told the company to power off its servers and refuse to accept new account registratio  license to run ns.”

Emergency press briefing

GAPP is responsible for reviewing and approving “publications” and the department contends that online games are a form of “online publication,” says China Daily, stating »»»

The MOC called an emergency press briefing yesterday afternoon in Beijing to respond to GAPP’s decision to suspend approval on the popular online game.

Li Xiong, head of the MOC’s department of cultural markets, insisted the ministry had the sole right to regulate online games.

GAPP allowed NetEase to begin testing World of WarCraft on July 30 on the condition that it didn’t charge gamers and didn’t allow the registration of new accounts, says the story, “But NetEase allegedly began to break those conditions on Sept 19.”

GAPP responded oby saying it’d pulled approval of the game.

‘WoW fans vented their anger … ‘

WoW was released in 2005.

Chinese online games operator NetEase.com won the battle waged against the former cntroller, The9, for possession of Blizzard’s WoW, p2pnet reported.

It was subsequently suspended while the companies and government departments finished re-registration, and while it, “received new official approvals from the Ministry of Culture and GAPP,” said Peoples’ Daily.

Anxious gamers who’d been missing WoW  were expected to gather the opening of Chinajoy, an online game carnival in Shanghai, “to demand the game be made available again,” it said, adding:

“WoW fans vented their anger by logging on to servers belonging to Netease on July 11. After 5,000 signed on at the same time, they succeeded in paralyzing seven servers.”

Players also left nearly 3,000 complaints on the official website of China Consumers’ Association, and some players said they planned to sue.

WoW is serious.

Stay tuned.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

China Daily – Battle breaks out over online game WoW, November 4, 2009
p2pnet – NetEase triumphs in WoW battle, April 18, 2009
Peoples’ Daily – Battle set to end for WoW fans, July, 2009

If that’s the case, World of Warcraft is the, “cocaine of the computer games world”, said a report from the foundation.

Does the Swedish research represent a genuine effort to find ways to deal with what’s definitely a very serious problem, if not a hardcore addiction? Or is it little more than a way to generate interest in the organisation?

Either way, there’s no question kids and on- and offline video games can be a bad mix.

A little under a year ago, Brandon Crisp, 15, went missing from his home in Barrie, Ontario, on Thanksgiving after arguing with his parents over a Microsoft XBox game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

His body was found close to his home after an three-week search.

It was the video game that led to Brandon running away, said the Toronto Star, going on:

“Because the game was affecting his school work and social life, the parents confiscated his Xbox console. When Brandon threatened to run away that day, his father helped him pack his knapsack and let him leave.

“The father said he assumed his son would be back hours later or, at worst, the next day.”

But the boy vanished.

“I play WoW for hours a day, but am not addicted,” says Eric in our story. “I am simply having fun. No need to put a spin on this.”

And if anyone tries to take Eric’s fun away, “they had better replace it with something MORE FUN!” – he says.

“Interesting findings here,” emails p2pnet reader Marc, pointing to a report slugged, Online Gaming: Child’s Play or Obsession?.

From KidsHelpPhone, it says an, “overwhelming majority of kids indicated that they believed that online gaming could be addictive,”

Many youngsters in rural and urban communities across the country, “spend hours playing games online and there is a growing concern in light of high-profile, gaming related tragedies that have involved youth,” says the organisation.

It says it asked  almost 2,800 young people from across Canada about their gaming habits and according to survey results »»»

• 11% of respondents – said they didn’t think they would be able to stop online gaming on their own – a sign of online gaming addiction;
• 59% of respondents – said that online gaming gets in the way of their school work;
• 56% said – online gaming gets in the way of getting adequate physical exercise;
• 44% of survey respondents – said their parents do not limit their gaming time, but that they limit their own time; 35% said they can play online games as often as they want.

What should parents do?

Suggests KidsHelpPhone »»»

• Keep your family’s computer in a common area of your home so that you can monitor your kids’ online activities
• Make homework a priority and encourage regular outdoor activities
• Be supportive of a child/teen’s online gaming, but negotiate reasonable rules and time limits that are age-appropriate
• Model this behaviour yourself by not spending excessive amounts of time online
• Watch for any negative changes in a child’s behaviour (including an increase in online gaming).
  

And, “Pay particular attention to a child if they appear introverted, lonely, isolated, or if they are dealing with family or other external problems.”

(Cheers, Marc)

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

p2pnet – ‘I play WoW for hours, but am not addicted’,  September 17, 2009
went missing – Hope revives for missing XBox boy, November 4, 2008
arguing with his parents – XBox boy Brandon Crisp found dead,  November 5, 2008
Toronto Star – Brandon Crisp found dead,  November 5, 2008

If it that’s the case, World of Warcraft is the, “cocaine of the computer games world”, it says.

The Local, which broke the story, also has the foundation’s Sven Rollenhagen saying he’s, “working to create a Centre of Computer Game Addiction, an international network of professionals and organizations devoted to bringing attention to what he believes is a major public health issue”.

So how much of the shock-horror news can be attributed to his desire to promote his new centre, and how much of it is down to a genuine gaming addiction problem, with WoW as the current focal point?

Says Jaybarti in a Reader’s Write »»»

I am a player and a gamer (have been all my life), I think that this is more about the rise of geek gaming culture then any set addiction. How about that for a scant $15 a month (the cost of going out to a movie) you get more then 2 hours of maybe entertainment.

People who have problems, sometimes have addictions, that doesn’t mean that everyone who plays WoW has an addiction to it. It is a game and a huge social phenomenon thus attracts a larger then average audience, and while some might be addicted to it, I would imagine that the majority are not.

“These are smart guys, highly intelligent, capable of being anything — doctors, engineers, whatever. But they find themselves tempted by computer games and end up just wasting time in front of a screen,” — as opposed to what, all that time we used to spend in front of the TV or the Radio. People will always seek out forms of entertainment, I know I like to be entertained.

That article smells like fear mongering to me, but then again I obviously cannot see past my own addiction.

Says Yellowbeard »»»

Only the one who tasted life knows what he looses. I was addicted too and am addicted in certain ways right now. Problem is, that we have to change the outside world to truly live the lives we wanna live. But hell yeah, I wont watch my life go down the road away from me, lets catch up and stand up for ourselves!

Comments Manimac »»»

That article smells like fear mongering to me…

Well my future son in law…lets see…he goes to work…(after waking up with plenty of time to play wow)
Comes home from work…..right to the pc and wow…..don’t matter if my daughter wants to do anything or not…!
He tells me…man I wanna see this and that movie…so I get them…. Wanna know how many he has watched out of about 50 movies….maybe 2!

And thats just my future son in law….

Everyone else I know that plays it…same thing…they don’t know when to stop and smell real life.

Have I ever played it…no….don’t intend to…

Am I a gamer…not really …every now and then I like to play house of the dead.

Been about 6 months since I have launched it.

Do I watch a lot of TV…yep..but then I am disabled and sit at home most of the time…but….on good days…stay in and watch. nope outside…living !

Son in law is young and healthy….at least for now…lets see how he is in about 5 years sitting at the wow game all day and half the night…disabled or not…I am almost in better shape than he is now.

Is it addicting…to quite a few..yes…to all no….!

Eric figures »»»

It’s ridiculous, what people will say about the behavior of others to try to change them.

I play WoW for hours a day, but am not addicted.

I am simply having fun.

No need to put a spin on this.

If anyone tries to take my fun away, they had better replace it with something MORE FUN!

In response to Eric, An Arse says it’s a ”puritan world”. You are to »»»

… work, and not enjoy things that are fun. You are a slave and nothing but a slave!

Although, I don’t play WoW. What annoys me is that the older generation which would spend as much time watching TV a week as the younger generation would spend playing video games, but the older generation claims they are not addicted to the TV, and claims that youth are addicted to video games.

People for some sad pathetic reason feel a need to force others to be like them.

But what’s all this about WoW? – wonders Tom Koltai.

“Sorry guys,” he says, “have to disagree. 150,000 players globaly (weekly) versus 30,000,000 for just one Facebook game?” going on »»»

I think it’s someone at WoW trying to get their numbers up by saying – omg, we are addictive……

Farmville has over 15 million daily users and over 32 million monthly players.

Of course, non adventure/realm type gamers seem to have a short finite lifespan – about 5 months maximum.

Now you (don’t ) know.

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“pandemic” proportions – WoW, the ‘cocaine of computer games’, September 16, 2009
The Local – Gaming addiction poses ‘pandemic’ threat: expert, September 16, 2009

PEB 4197 — the Nintendo Wii Performance class.

It’s, “converted a racquetball court into a video arcade of sorts, with 10 Wii stations,” says the story. “Students will earn one credit hour for playing Wii for 20 to 30 minutes twice a week.”

Says Asylum, “PEB 4197 is listed simply as ‘online aerobics activities.’ Which sounds oxymoronic … ”

“Lamely,” Charles Layne, chairman of the department of health and human performance at the university, “said the emphasis is on fitness activities like yoga, as opposed to the sports like tennis and bowling,” adds the post.

Layne says he and program director Randi Weintraub, “came up with the idea nine months ago, soon after the release of Wii Fit. Layne’s department is devoted to providing physical activity opportunities to students,” says NPR.

“With Wii, he says, the department could try to capture more students.”

And why not?

Apple, Microsoft and whole slew of other corporations whose only interest is in keeping shareholders happy have managed to weasel ‘product’ into classrooms, disguised as teaching aids.

And Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music’s RIAA is actually giving ‘advice’ to teachers on the best way to ‘teach’ intellectual property and copyright law to little kids.

At least waving a Wii at school has potential health benefits.

(Cheers, Sarah)

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NPR News – Students Get In Shape And Get Credit For Wii Class, September 10, 2009
Asylum – Wii Makes the Curriculum at University, September 14, 2009
little kids – RIAA back-to-school steaming pile of poo, September 14, 2009

The crackdown comes, “ahead of National Day on October 1,” says the Shanghai Daily.

According to the country’s General Administration of Press and Publication, the overseas games contained, “pornography, violence and gambling,” and the domestic games had, “added illegal content or gambling functions after obtaining approval”.

“The GAPP also ordered 27 Internet companies to stop providing online platforms for illegal games, and urged online game designers to install anti-addiction systems in their products,” says the story.

“Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Culture said 5.48 million illegal publications had been confiscated during the first six months of the year …”

More than 21.72 million, “illegal video and audio products and 21,681 electronic games machines had been seized,” it adds.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Shanghai Daily – Illegal games sales stopped, September 1, 2009

And that can have dire consequences.

An illegal net “rehabilitation camp” was shut down and 13 workers, including its president, were arrested after a 15-year-old Deng Senshan (right) died, said China Daily recently.

“In photographs shown to China Daily, Deng’s body is pictured with bruises and his face is covered in blood,” says the story, continuing:

“Those photos are in shocking contrast to ones taken just 48 hours before, showing Deng smiling with his father and sister on the beach.”

Deng’s uncle, Li Jian,  is quoted as saying his nephew’s addiction wasn’t severe and the teenager, “only surfed the Internet on weekends”.

A similar clinic, “gave electric shocks to teenagers whose parents had admitted them against their will,” says the Shanghai Daily, stating:

“People who spend more than 40 hours online each week will be considered Internet addicts under China’s new treatment standards for an affliction that’s estimated to be affecting the lives of millions of the country’s teenagers.

“The draft definition of online addiction was based on research into the standards used by foreign countries and has also been influenced by China’s experience with the problem, Gao Xueping, a member of the expert panel working on the new treatment standard, told China’s media.”

The Ministry of Health panel is , “working on guidelines designed to treat people who are addicted to online games, the biggest group of Internet addicts,” the story has Gao saying, adding:

“The standards are expected to be released by the end of this year.”

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Shanghai Daily – 40 hours a week eyed as Internet addict threshold, August 26, 2009
China Daily – Camp closed, 13 detained over death of teenage Net addict, August 10, 2009

Says Colonel Korn in a Slashdot post, “The Seattle PI Blog is reporting that a soon to be published Game Informer survey finally shows the failure rate of XBOX 360s: 54%! The survey also shows the rates of failure for the PS3 (11%) and Wii (7%).”

But nonetheless and notwithstanding, “only 4% of respondents said they wouldn’t buy a new 360 because of hardware failures.”

When the survey results were revealed in the September  Game Informer, gamers, ” didn’t think 54.2 percent was a high rate – they thought it was low,” says the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, going on:

” ‘We’re not sure what future techno-utopia this poll was conducted in,” wrote Griffin McElroy of Joystiq,’ but a 54.2 percent Xbox 360 failure rate sounds awfully low. Had the survey’s participants been comprised entirely of Joystiq staffers, it would have been a bone-chilling 100 percent.’

“Furthermore, 41.2 percent of Xbox 360 owners suffered a second hardware failure after sending their console back to Microsoft for repair, according to the survey. PS3’s second-failure rate was 14.7 percent, while the Wii’s was 11 percent.”

Microsoft has flogged more than 30 million Xbox 360s and, “this all means about 16.3 million consoles failed,” says the story. And, “of those 16.3 million Xboxes, 6.7 million failed again.”

Given that Xbox owners don’t seem to mind there’s a better than 50-50 chance of consules failure, it isn’t surprising that Stevaroo and the Boyz don’t seem overly concerned.

“Microsoft stands behind the Xbox 360 as a superior entertainment console with one of the best warranties in the industry,” the Seattle PI has a company spokesman saying.

Last year, “Microsoft also was hit by a lawsuit that alleged the Redmond-based company covered up the Xbox 360’s ‘excessive failure rate’,” says the story, adding:

“Regardless of everything above, people still love their Xbox 360s.”

No wonder Bill Gates is filthy rich.

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Slashdot – Xbox 360 Failure Rate Is 54.2%, August 20, 2009
Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Survey: Xbox 360 failure rate is 54.2%, August 19, 2009

Further proof comes from Germany where government plans to ban violent videogames, “will have to be put on hold, after a successful internet petition by German gamers,” says The Guardian.

When we went for a look at 9:46 am Pacific, it’d clocked up 67,979 signatures, going well beyond the 50,000 needed to, “force a government review,” says the story, continuing »»»

Last month the country’s 16 interior ministers asked the Bundestag to ban the creation and distribution of games involving violent acts against human or human-like characters. Government criticism of videogames had been growing since a school shooting in March was linked to online-shooter Counter-Strike.

One of the games in question was Ubisoft’s Far Cry2.

In March, Tim Kretschmer, 17, shot and killed 15 people at his former high school in Winnenden, Germany.

The night before the murders, Kretschmer had been playing Far Cry2, “a game in which the player takes on the role of the killer,” said The Australian, going on »»»

But the ban may still go ahead, says The Guardian, adding, “Last month a petition against internet censorship reached 130,000 signatures, but the law still passed in a modified form. If the videogame ban shares a similar fate it could force German-based developers such as Crytek, creators of Far Cry and Crysis, to leave the country.”

Stay tuned.

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The Guardian -

shot and killed – Was German school killer Far Cry2 fan?, March 16, 2009
The Australian -  German killings linked to video game, March 16, 2009

July, 2009

Developer Blizzard Entertainment is, “currently working on changes requested by the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP),” says Peoples’ Daily.

“A GAPP official told [state news agency] Xinhua a review of the game was completed on July 19 and it now has preliminary approval.”

Netease, Blizzard’s mainland operator, is allowed to start testing the game on July 30 while Blizzard continues working on the revisions, which will still need final approval from GAPP, says the story, adding:

Once the ‘upgraded’ game gets approval from GAPP, Netease will chose a launch date and the game will be fully accessible once again, says the story.

But, only previously registered players will be allowed to participate in the testing of the amended game, and Netease won’t be allowed to charge or provide registration of new accounts.

WoW was released in 2005 though Blizzard’s mainland partner at the time, The9, says the story, continuing, “The game became hugely popular in China and made $300 million for The9.

Then, Chinese online games operator NetEase.com won the battle waged against The9 for possession of Blizzard’s WoW, p2pnet reported.

WOW was subsequently suspended while the companies and government departments finished re-registration, and while it, “received new official approvals from the Ministry of Culture and GAPP,” says Peoples’Daily.

Anxious gamers who’ve been missing WOW are expected to gather at today’s opening of Chinajoy, an online game carnival in Shanghai, “to demand the game be made available again,” says the story.

“WoW fans vented their anger by logging on to servers belonging to Netease on July 11. After 5,000 signed on at the same time, they succeeded in paralyzing seven servers.”

Players also left nearly 3,000 complaints on the official website of China Consumers’ Association and some players said they planned to sue, it adds.

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Peoples’ Daily – Battle set to end for WoW fans, July, 2009
p2pnet – NetEase triumphs in WoW battle, April 18, 2009

A famous British actor, writer, comedian, author, television presenter and film director, Fry recently, and not at all shamefacedly, admitted he was a file sharer.

Zarrar says he’s the, “company driver, morning cleaner, dish washer and occasionally the best salesperson in the world” for t-enterprise, a “leading software development company in Scotland”.

Sadia says she’s the boss.

Now T-Enterprise is using Fry in a company promo.

“Search engine optimisation brings the missing element to your website; users,” it says . “You must be seen as an authority website but first of all you must be seen. Rise to the top of Google and be seen every time a user searches for you.”

Enter Stephen Fry, driving a London black cab in a flash game called Quantum Of Torrents.

It features the, “”highly intelligent but loosed lipped pirate, aka Stephen Fry, under attack from the police as he tries to pick up illegal copies of the hit US show House,” says the T-Enterprise press release. “Driving Fry’s iconic black cab, you have to avoid the law at all costs. You can shoot them to get them off your trail… with dictionaries!

“The game keeps dropping copies of the show on the ground in front of you and it is your responsibility to make sure that you pick up all the evidence of your crime or face the wrath of the long arm of the law. Use your dictionaries to keep them at bay because letting them get too close may end your pirating ways for good.”

Yes. Well ….

Sadia says she was, “very pleasantly surprised to hear about Fry’s illegal activity,” going on »»»

When I heard about Stephen Fry’s admission of guilt about downloading illegally at the iTunes Festival I could not believe it! Especially not given the fact he was supposed to be speaking out about piracy in the industry!”

So he had downloaded the rest of the series legally but it seems that there is always the temptation to take the easy route. At least he has admitted it and not gone down the hypocritical one. What a refreshing change …

When the news broke that Fry had admitted to sharing online, he updated his Twitter status to read “Hope I’m not misunderstood. Such a pity if I get misrepresented as a ‘help yourself and be a pirate’ advocate …”

So, “Ironically, within 24 hours of reading that story, with our tongues firmly in cheek, that is just what we did,” says Sadia.

Does Fry know he’ s been used as (in? ) a promotional vehicle?

Whether he does or not, and whether or not he minds, T-Enterprise is scoring free media hits.

Stay tuned.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

file sharer – Stephen Fry admits he’s a file sharer, July 13, 2009

“And that’s why the news China has decided pretend money can no longer be exchanged for real goods and services is significant.”

Now, “An Australian video gamer has stolen thousands of dollars from a bank inside an online game and converted them into real-world money,” says the CBC, going on:

“The bank heist happened in Eve Online, where players mine in-game resources to build colonies and space ships in a futuristic space-themed online world. The game has hundreds of thousands of players who pay for access to the world. An in-game economy, complete with its own currency known as interstellar kredits, has emerged to enable trading transactions within the game. Numerous banks have even sprung up.”

Not only but also, piracy and racketeering are all part of the game.

And where there are banks, there are bank robbers, as John Herbert Dillinger (June 22 1903 – July 22, 1934) would probably testify, if he wasn’t dead.

“Using the online name of ‘Ricdic’, the married father of two built a reputation as one of EVE’s few trusted players – a rare commodity in a game where repeatedly blowing up a violator’s spaceship was the only way to enforce some contracts,” says news.com.au.

“More than 300,000 EVE subscribers pay $US15 ($19) a month to play and gain wealth by hard work, manipulating the market, or killing rivals in a distant future where humans have colonised the stars,” it says.

Reuters has Richard, aka Ricdic, saying,  “It was a very on the spot decision” — that a, “spam email for a black market website that traded online money for real cash popped up on his screen, prompting him to exchange the virtual cash for real money to cover a deposit on his house and expenses related to his son’s medical problems”.

“I saw that as an avenue that could be taken, and I decided to skim off the top, you could say, to overcome real life (difficulties),” he says in the story, which goes on:

“Word of the theft spread quickly within EVE. Panicked customers started a run on the bank, worried that they would lose the money they had amassed by hunting space pirates or mining asteroids.

“Ironically, if Ricdic had merely stolen the online money he could have stayed in the game. But exchanging the virtual cash for real dollars broke the rules and CCP banned Richard’s EBank accounts.”

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p2pnet – China bans virtual cash, June 30, 2009
CBC – Gamer robs virtual bank to get real-world cash, July 3, 2009
news.com.au -  EVE banker that stole kredits a real Ricdic, July 3, 2009
Reuters – Gamer steals from virtual world to pay real debts, July 2, 2009

That must have sent the company into fits, right?

Nope.

In fact, “this kind of leak for Sims 3 essentially served as a ‘demo program,’ the story has EA CEO John Riccitiello saying, going on »»»

Although Riccitiello was being facetious, and EA says it did not deliberately leak the code, he noted that the result was basically an inadvertent demo program, encouraging illegal downloaders to make a purchase to play the full game.

But, “on a serious note,” in the game that was pirated, “there’s [only] one city [out of two]… and Sims 3 has a massive amount of content, and a lot of it is downloaded once you register with EA… and join the online community,” he says in the story, continuing:

“So you get that content in addition to the second city [which is downloadable for people who register], and that’s a major component… A huge amount of the gameplay is an overlay for the community, where you are sampling assets created by other people. So for the pirate consumer, they don’t get the second town, they don’t get all the extra content, and they don’t get the community. It was only concentrated on Poland and China, but I think of it as not being that different than a demo.”

Ultimately, “Riccitiello believes that games like Sims 3 are moving in the direction of services, not packaged goods” and this, he noted, “is the best way to combat piracy”.

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IndustryGamers -  EA Views Sims 3 Leak as ‘Demo Program’, June 22, 2009

“P2P file sharers aren’t the music industry’s deadliest enemies.

“Instead, the distinction goes to Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, “and a zillion games publishers”.

Says Irate Guy, “I do download TV shows but only because it’s a lot easier than maintaining timers on the PVR and the quality is usually better (especially when it’s HD),” continuing »»»

With movies it’s either rent or borrow and only if it’s Bluray (obviously I’ve become a huge HD nut heh). Ever since the movie and music industries have shown their true colors, I’ve done my best to boycott them. I don’t buy music at all anymore for example.

I don’t go to the theater anymore either (and the list is pretty damn long as to why). Even so, I still need my regular entertainment fix like everyone else. So where has my spending shifted to? Just like the article points out, video games!

Sure, games can cost more than a Bluray disc or music CD, but dollar for dollar the game will almost always win. One movie is worth anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours of entertainment. A music CD is worth one hour at most. Compare that with the 10 to 100+ hours of enjoyment you can get out of a good video game! More if the game has good replay value or you like getting missed achievements (aka nerd cred lol). I used to be a PC gamer, but not so much anymore ever since buying an Xbox 360.

Wireless controller + 52″ HDTV + 7.1 Digital Surround Sound + comfy cushy recliner = nerd heaven!

Now take into account that most games don’t take very long at all to hit the bargain bin, the fact that they’re not just for children anymore (haven’t been for some years now) and the fact that they’ve also become more and more co-op centric over the last few years in addition to the usual multiplayer aspects and it’s not at all hard to see why folks are choosing to spend what little spare income they have each month in this fashion.

Entertainment is all about escaping the weariness of our daily lives and it’s hard to beat the high immersion factor of a good video game when it comes to escaping reality. Instead of being a passive observer like with movies, you’re an active participant in the story being told which in turn can make you feel much more connected to the characters. Mind you, gaming consoles aren’t completely perfect either. Everything is laden with DRM nowadays, especially on the Xbox 360. When my first machine died out of warranty, I had to buy a new one. Since the Live Arcade titles you purchase via the Marketplace are tied to the unique hardware ID of the machine, changing to a new machine presents a bit of a problem. On the originating machine, anybody could login using any ID and play all the Arcade titles.

On the new machine, the account that was used to purchase those Arcade titles must be logged in or they won’t work. All were bought with my ID but about half actually belong to my wife. She can’t play any of her games unless I log in and run the game.

“Hopefully the movie and music industries will eventually catch on to what seems so obvious to everyone else,” says Irate Guy, adding:

“It’s doubtful they ever will though. If they ever do manage to change, it will be in the 11th hour and only because they had no other choice left to them. It’s either that or die, both of which are perfectly fine with me. There is simply no room for outdated 20th century thinking and business models in the 21st century. I look forward to seeing what rises from the ashes.”

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p2pnet – Music industry blame game, June 11, 2009

“Moreover, the ministers hope to see this accomplished before Germany’s new elections take place on September 27th,” says Game Politics.

“The move comes during a scheduled conference of interior ministers,” says the post, going on »»»

School shootings, in particular the March 11th rampage committed by a 17-year-old in Winnenden, were prominently mentioned in relation to the group’s demand for a ban on violent games.

In the tragedy, Tim Kretschmer, 17, killed 15 people.

The night before the murders, “Kretschmer had been playing Far Cry2, a game in which the player takes on the role of the killer,’ said The Australian, going on »»»

Remarkable parallels emerged between the video game and the 17-year-old’s actions, when he killed 15 people and then himself.

In the game it is essential to hijack cars to move around. Kretschmer did the same, holding a pistol to the terrified driver’s head and asking: “Should I have fun and pick off some more drivers?”

Characters in the game, which is made by the French company Ubisoft and has sold 2.9 million copies worldwide, wear black camouflage uniforms, the clothing Kretschmer wore on Wednesday.

Most sinister of all, Far Cry2’s killer uses a Beretta 92 handgun – the same weapon fired 112 times by Kretschmer.

The game includes sequences in which the aiming, firing and reloading of a Beretta are portrayed in vivid detail. It rewards players who shoot their victims in the head, the style of killing chosen by Kretschmer.

Germany is now second only to the US in terms of the number of deaths resulting from school killings, and is “top of the league in Europe,” said The Independent.

If the German ministers are successful in their pleas, German gamers and game developers would both be affected, says Game Politics, adding:

“Under the proposed law, Crytek would apparently need to outsource development of violent games or even relocate its operations to another country.”

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Game Politics – Germany’s Interior Ministers Ask Bundestag For Total Ban on Violent Games, June 5, 2009
killed 15 people – Was German school killer Far Cry2 fan?,  March 16, 2009
The Australian -  German killings linked to video game, March 16, 2009
The Independent –  In Europe’s league of school shootings, Germany comes top, March 15, 2009

A Scottish firm is turning the George W. Bush prison on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into a game!

“Guantanamo will be closed,” said The Guardian in January, going on, “The secret CIA prisons will be shut down. And torture and other ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ will be prohibited.”

Maybe not.

But while the Obama administration ponders, Glasgow developer T-Enterprise has sprung into action with Rendition: Guantanamo, an Xbox 360 video game based on life in the US detention camp.

Life in the US detention camp, eh?

That’ll be fun, waterboarding and all. And it stars former detainee Moazzam Begg.

He’s, “captured behind enemy lines and sold to Guantanamo for illegal scientific experiments,” says the video trailer,

The prison mercenaries who buy him call themselves the, “very Bushian-sounding ‘Freedom Corp’,” says Prison Planet, going on »»»

The Freedom people then brought in scientists to experiment on the inmates. The main character, who does not bear Begg’s likeness, is captured and brutally tortured, then shipped off to Guantanamo.

Begg, whose wife gave birth to a son six months after he was imprisoned, did not meet his progeny until the boy was three years old.

Similarly, in Rendition, the main character’s driving pathos appears to be news that he’s got a son on the outside.

So it’s, “time to fight back,” says the trailer.

They’re probaby green with envy over at RockStar, home of GTA.

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The Guardian – The end of Guantánamo, January 22, 2009
Prison Planet – Guantanamo Bay: Coming to an Xbox near you, June 1, 2009

No controller required, it says. All users need to be able to do is move their hands, shake their hips or speak.

By way of a 3D art demo, a Microsoft rep uses full body motion and his voice to do a painting.

It’s  all part of Microsoft’s, “ongoing efforts to win over so-called ‘casual’ gamers, who have, until now, favoured the Nintendo Wii console, which uses motion sensing controllers,” says the Telegraph, going on:

Video game fans will also be able to update their Facebook status directly from their Xbox 360 console, and listen to streamed music on the device via Last.fm …”

Meanwhile, Sony is,  “widely expected to launch their own motion-sensing control system for the PlayStation 3, as well as a new PSP handheld games console,” says the story.

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facial recognition – When your car stares back …, June 2, 2009
Telegraph – Microsoft launches Project Natal Xbox 360 controller-free games system, June 1, 2009

This, then, is for you.

European trials of an interactive game platform, “resembling a vintage video game table,” specifically designed for vintage people, have completed their first phase, says e-Health Europe.

“The new video game table looks like a small dining table with an embedded flat panel display, around which players sit and play a series of games with one another,” says the story.

No doubt, there’ll be special stands for IV drips.

“The suite of games and the prototype game table have been successfully trialled at centres in Spain, Norway and the UK,” says the story, going on »»»

The European Union funded ElderGames project, based in Spain, has developed video games designed to be fun to play and enable older people improve their cognitive, functional and social skills.

The project was set up three years ago under the European Union’s Information Society and Technology’s (IST) sixth framework research programme.

As part of the project, the ElderGames team identified and developed games that older people would find interesting, would help maintain socialisation and use important cognitive skills.

heh

The team, “created a suite of 20 games for senior citizens and caregivers and developed software that tracks the progress each player over time. The aim is to provide caregivers with early warning of cognitive changes.”

According to Amparo Ruiz, an occupational therapist in Galicia, Spain who helped supervise some of the trials, “The elderly people like it when they play and feel integrated into the new technologies.

“It’s also very important that I can get information about their attention, memory and other functions while they are playing, and then choose games that emphasis the areas where they have problems.”

Commercial games companies in Europe, North America and India are now said to be showing an interest in the system.

I’ll bet.

Jon

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e-Health Europe - ElderGames targets silver surfers, May 27, 2009