I just thought I would update my blog here so that everyone is in the know. I’ve been very privileged to be able to join the editorial team over at The ECA’s publication site - Game Culture dot com which means I’ll be mostly posting my blogs and thoughts on their website from now on. I’ll continue to blog here on the off chance that I’m not posting there but you might see less of me here and more of me there (hint hint).
So thank-you to everyone who supported me here at Game Culture especially Casper from Steel Series who was nice enough to send me products to review (I know I still owe you a review Casper!) and to all my gaming buds – thanks for reading and not commenting LOL! Maybe you guys can check out my work over at Game Culture dot com 
I won’t be leaving permanently, just spending a little less time here is all 
I’ve just posted a new article over at GC dot com so check it out!
Xenith out (for now!)
I was reading this thread over at the ECA forums which got me thinking about how fascinated some gamers become with their own characters or even with other characters in the games they play. Game developers are now at the point where they can create characters and animations that become more and more realistic with every game. What is it about the characters in a video game that we seem to find so appealing?
I found this video clip online and thought I would blog about it here. It’s a documentary that attempts to answer the questions surrounding the controversial topic of the level of violence in video games. With input from various valuable members of the video games industry and community including Trip Hawkins (founder of EA), American McGee (Game designer), Jason Della Rocca (IGDA) to name a few, it’s well presented with some interesting points of view from the people that create, sell, play write about and buy video games.
I doubt it’s a topic that can ever have a right or wrong argument, but it’s interesting to view some very candid opinions on the topic from such an esteemed group of people. Every games journalist and gamer should check it out. It’s enlightening and educational.
The website is here and the video clip is below.
I was reading an excellent article over at The Psychology of Games blog about achievements and loss aversion and it got me thinking about gamers and their (almost unhealthy) attachment to video game achievements and gamerscore. I can’t boast about possessing a large gamerscore on either my Xbox 360 or my PS3.
Last week I talked about aspects of being a games journalist such as passion vs. skill and what to do if you want to become a games journalist. I also talked about why games journalist’s aren’t always thought of as ‘real’ journalists. This week I’ll discuss the finer points of working towards becoming a games journalist.
I’ll never forget my first experience of discussing the finer points of team strategy in a Gears of War lobby with a six year old. Ah yes, the initial shock was followed soon after by ‘wtf?’ I decided to ask this kid how he could possibly be playing an R16 game when he was only six and then proceeded to ask him what his parents thought of the idea. He said his parents didn’t care and that his uncle bought the game for him so he could play it.
Yesterday I mentioned the growth of video games as big business, possibly surpassing that of the movie industry worldwide. Today the ISANZ (Interactive Software Association of New Zealand) released statistics regarding exactly how much growth the industry has had in New Zealand. Despite the gloomy economic slump our economy seems to be in, things don’t look to be slowing down for the gaming industry and in fact, the ISANZ reported a growth of 12% since 2008 in the industry last year.
I felt like being a little dramatic with the title of this post because Dante’s Inferno brings out the poet in me… and as it should. The game is based on ‘The Divine Comedy’ and is riddled with excerpts from the poem written by Dante Alighieri in the 14th century. If you haven’t the faintest idea what The Divine Comedy is, that’s OK too, you won’t need to know to be able to enjoy Dante’s Inferno but it helps if you want the full experience.
As a gamer, I’d like to entertain the notion that we’ve evolved as a demographic of society. But every now and then I hear things or experience things online that make me think a little more about that concept.
Cheat: –verb (definition on Dictionary.com)
To practice fraud or deceit or to violate rules or regulations
I dunno about you but when it comes to game cheats, I’m not a fan. I’ve never understood the term ‘game cheat’ because I was brought up to believe that the word ‘cheat’ had only one meaning. That was before they invented the ‘cheat code’ or game cheat as it’s commonly referred to.
