ScottishGames.biz

Monday Newsround Up

Good morning readers.  I'm a picture of Chick Young, famed Scottish sports pundit and your bank holiday newsreader. 

There are several news stories coming through from various Scottish games types this morning, so let's push straight on...

• PC Zone posts a complete and utter history of open-world games.  With GTA featuring (in part 2 anyway) [C&VG]
• Dynamo's Crystal Maze launch reaches the new media press [NewMediaAge]
• The mainstream Scottish press is stunned to discover a digital entertainment sector has appeared while their backs were turned [EveningTimes]
• New media, digital content and a promise of a videogames and violence debate.  Sounds like a fun night out [Pecha Kucha]
• Industry creates Games Up group to campaign for tax breaks [MCV]
• Apple may save the mobile games industry - despite hating games [MCV]
• WTF: PAC-MAN Movie coming to cinemas at some point soon? [Ars Technica]
• Mobile gaming site launches new business and trade section [PocketGamer]

I'm off to enjoy the sunshine now.  See you sometime, readers...

Wednewsday: Headline Roundup

Good morning reader, it is I, the picture of John Craven.  Your favourite newsreader, games pundit and rural affairs correspondent.

There's a lot of significant news coming from the games sector at the moment, from the will-they-won't-they drama of EA/Take2, the proximity of this year's E3, the ongoing saga of tax breaks for developers and the realisation that Scotland is shangri-la for gaming types.  There are even rumours that the interactive festival will announce the venue and dates of this year's event before it actually takes place.  All in all, it's very exciting.

Here are your headlines:

• Nintendo's WiiWare service launches [Ars Technica]
• Things are looking pretty bad for SG's favourite comedy lawyer, Jack Thomson [Ars Technica]
• The floorplan for the 2008 E3 expo is leaked online [The-Minusworld]
• The Times supports the call for developer tax breaks in the UK [The Times]
• New digital entertainment report outlines success and potential of market in Scotland [Scotsman]
• There's a Scottish digital entertainment conference taking place in Glasgow tomorrow by the way.  SG editor and loudmouth taking part [Young Company Finance]
• Microsoft's XNA creator's community launches.  Indie games a go go [Joystiq]
• Ubisoft reveals the importance of casual games to the company and the need to market them heavily [CasualGames.biz]
• Research points to Solitaire as the world's most popular PC game.  Kotaku nearly - very nearly - realises the importance of casual games too [Kotaku]
• GTA The Board Game in ridiculously unfunny advert/parody/thing.  Still it shows penetration into popular culture and so forth, right? [Kotaku]
• Penny Arcade's first game released on XBLA tomorrow.  1600 points?! [Spong]
• Scotsman finally covers gaming and takes the piss [Scotsman]

That should keep you busy for this morning. 

Monday Newsround Up

Good afternoon.  An toir thu dhomh pòg?   

It's Monday, it's May and it's officially a slow news day games-wise.  After the hysteria and hype of GTA IV and the genuinely exciting news about Bioshock being made into a movie, we're reduced to the stories which didn't make the cut last week.

However, let's kick off with a good one.  A really good one...

• Sam Houser, the Rockstar boss who normally makes Sam Fisher look like a sumo wrestler made out of dustbin lids, has broken cover and given an interview to the Wall St Journal.   You have to spare five minutes for this one.  You do. [WSJ]
• Lax retail law enforcement may be damaging to children says Tory MP [MCV]
• Wii Fit not eating into GTA sales.  Industry safe - for now [GI.biz]
• Seriously, it's the weirdest article we've seen in a while, kids [SG.biz]
• Dail Mail journalist/mother buys ONE Nintendo DS for her FOUR kids and writes scathing article on arguments this causes (clue: it's Nintendo's fault) [Daily Mail]
• WiiWare launches in North America.  To be fair, this IS important [GI.biz]
• EDGE reviews GTA IV. 10/10 [Edge]
• Scotland's Sunday Mail spotlights Outerlight's Ailsa Bates.  Plus interviews with 'big game hunters' Anderson, Baglow & Rennie on working in games.  Verdict: better than having a real job [Sunday Mail]
• Dare to be Digital partners with DX Studio for development kit and Nokia for mobile games prize (£5K) - if only we'd known! [Dare]
• Dates and venue for 2008 Edinburgh Interactive Festival rumoured to be confirmed [Idle Speculation]

Today's GTA IV Headlines

The whole world is awaiting the imminent release of GTA IV (none more so than Anne Diamond we understand), so how better to ease into a Wednesday morning than with a quick roundup of GTA IV news headlines from an eager gaming press?

While SG.biz hasn't indulged in the speculation and panting anticipation - yet - we can't ignore what's likely to be the biggest videogame ever created in Scotland.  So in anticipation of the 29th of April, we'll be ramping up our coverage and making sure you don't miss any of the important bits.

These headlines are cribbed from around the world of the Internet and include opinions from Rockstar boss Sam Houser and Rockstar North's very own Aaron Garbut.

• GTA IV development very 'organic' says Rockstar North developer [Eurogamer]
• A Q&A with Rockstar's Sam Houser [1Up]
• Kotaku reckons the online suscription model for GTAIV is the important thing [Kotaku]
• Stock of GTAIV already running low as Sony & MS battle for sales [MCV]
• Real GTAIV packaging!  In the shops! [Joystiq]
• GTAIV Multiplayer.  On Xbox anyway [IGN]
• More Aaron.  More info.  Much more Liberty City [IGN]
• Units shipped.  Will retailers behave? [Guardian]

...And finally, following last week's news that Ricky Gervais appears in GTAIV, another celeb has thrown her hat into the ring with an offer to appear in a GTA title.  Adult actress Sasha Grey (we're not providing a direct link, sensitive people read this site) has said she'd be keen to appear in a future GTA title.

Fridays Are Fun At SG.biz

Good morning everybody.  Well, it's Friday.  You've nearly made it through another week.  I hope you've been doing all of your follow-up from GDC.  I know I have.  It's a mixed bag of newslike factoids and information nuggets this morning.  We're instituting a new policy of only reporting actual information, not speculation or rumour (though we have heard that one developer in Scotland is actually undergoing gender realignment), so here's your newsround up of cold hard FACTS:

• Rockstar still bloody cool.  Official [Kotaku]
• Dropping PEGI ratings would be disastrous for industry, says PEGI boss [MCV]
• 2008 GDC = Biggest ever.  18,000 delegates, 400 sessions, 300 exhibitors. Yay [Gama]
• Gadget Lust: Gamers unlikely to ever be taken seriously by other areas of the arts [Ars Technica]
• It's the intangibles too.  Rat out your boss with the GamaSutra developer's salary survey [GameSetWatch]
• Obligatory independent games mention: Free XNA game creators talk to Keith [Guardian]
• Oops!  Sorry Mark [Eurogamer]
• Spong grudgingly admits GTA IV is 'ok' [Spong]
• SCi cuts projects/jobs. Hints they'll accept a tenner.  Anyone?  Hello?? [Play.tm]
• Goodbye Apple. The future of mobile has now arrived [MobileGamesBlog]
• FabFunFriday: FPS/Rogue mashup - DoomRL is twisted genius [SG.biz]

Independent, impartial, unerring accuracy.  Go about your day.

Thursday Newsround

Hi, I'm a picture of John Craven. Yes, thought you'd seen the last of me, didn't you?  But I'm still here, still anchoring this whole section of the SG site.  Despite the lovely Kate and Kirsty winning our poll, I'm still the man with the plan and - more importantly - a screen behind me which is easily photoshopped (well, GIMP'd).

So moving swiftly on, here are your headlines for Thursday.

• Games are reviwed - not critiqued.  Should they be and does anyone really care?  Costikyan cares [PlayThisThing]
• New research shows violent games do not desensitize players [GameCritics]
• Wii outselling PS3 by four to one in Japan [GamesIndustry.biz]
• Video store and new unnamed services to help XBLA capture family audience [MCV]
• Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach providing track for new EA game.  Could it be a new Road Rash? World holds it's breath [Gamespot]
• T2: Stop being so damn COY about it. Just do it and smile [Ars Technica]
• A third of mobile game downloads just don't work [Packetgamer]
• Mobile at GDC. Could Nokia be the knight in shining armour? [Zedge]

Wednesday - Conjecture, Speculation & Rumour

Hello world!  It's me, a brand new picture of Kirsty Young, your (equal) favourite newsreader in the SG.biz poll.

It's time for your daily newsround up.  Though today you'll notice that there's no actual NEWS.  Instead we have links to multiple instances of speculation, fear-mongering, guesswork and general FUD.  Will the T2/EA deal go ahead?  Will it mean an end to GTA?  Could it mean the franchise is diluted to produce something like GTA Bowling (Mobile) or Sim Liberty City?  Will the government crackdown (pun) on games? Will the industry get tax breaks? Will ELSPA stand up and fight like the effective organisation we know and love?

Let's find out...

• T2 CEO in line for skiploads of shares should EA deal come to pass [GI.biz]
• The deal is inevitable anyway says analyst [MCV]
• But 2K Boston's Ken Levine isn't fussed [GI.biz]
• Though Ubisoft might be [Gamespot]
• And could/would EA take GTA elsewhere [Next Gen/GI.biz]
• Games retailers are really happy with the way 2007 sales went [GI.biz]
• Oh NO! Could racing games be a dying genre?? [Next Gen]
• Along with PC Gaming itself!! [GamaSutra]
• UK Government shows staggering lack of grasp on gaming issues [GI.biz]
• But they *may* give developers the fabled tax breaks [MCV]
• ELSPA welcomes their commitment to the industry [GamaSutra]

Let's remember though readers that this is *informed* speculation.  From EXPERTS.  So it's all true. Apart from the bits which aren't. 

And finally, thanks to the anonymous e-mail correspendent who wrote in yesterday with suggestions for future newsrounds including myself and the picture of Kate Silverton.  Unfortunately our photoshop skill don't extend that far, plus we suspect many of our readers would be offended.   But do keep in touch. 

Tuesday Newsround. News PLUS!

Good morning everyone, I'm a picture of award-winning news reader, Kate Silverton.  OK, joint award-winner if you must.  Kirsty did quite well too.

Here are your daily headlines...

• Nintendo to charge for online play in specific titles [Spong]
• EA praises T2 management [GI.biz]
• XNA Community games beta extended (a little) [Ars Technica]
• Leipzig Game Convention to be replaced by Cologne event in 2009 [GI.biz]
• Rein: Unreal 3 > Halo 3 [Spong]
• Take 2's share value jumps following news of EA acquisition interest [MCV]
• Phile Harrison quits Sony [GamaSutra]
• Glasgow indie film GAMERZ receives extended run (OK, it's LARP and D&D, but we know our readers...) [AllMediaScotland]
• BBC Journalist given exclusive behind the scenes access to at unnannounced PS3 game.  Reveals nowt [BBC]

Games +Things x Stuff = Newsround

Gruth Dhu!  I'm a picture of Anna-Marie Ashe, the newsreader Scotland forgot. Boy, if I was relying on you good people for votes, I would really be unhappy.  As it is, I hide my pain and throw myself into a lot of good work for charity.  Lots of news for you this morning.  You've already heard about Realtime picking up a new trophy I dare say.  Well a lot more than that happened overnight, while you were off voting for blonde floozies.  Here are your headlines...

• Scotland's Andy Murray has hit the tennis big time.  He's set to appear in the Take 2's next Top Spin title [GamesIndustry.biz]
• Strategy king Sid Meier thinks we're in a golden age of gaming [GI.biz]
• Crayon Physics Deluxe picked up the grand prize in the Independent Game Festival Awards [Rock Paper Shotgun]
• The Zune will soon be able to play games developed using XNA [Ars Technica]
• The number of Advergames is set to rise [GameSpot]
• An expert GDC panel debates Interactive storytelling [GamaSutra]
• Creators of the SAW movies are treating the forthcoming game as seriously as they would a new movie [MCV]
• The PC Gaming Alliance is formally announced [GI.biz]
• ELSPA breaks cover.  Says the UK government's latest crime report is good.  Games not blamed [MCV]
• European WiiFitness release date confirmed [Spong]
• Discovery still a problem for mobile gaming [GamaSutra]

I hope you enjoy your day. 

Tuesday - Newsday - Newsround - Round Up

Good morning, I'm a picture of Tony Currie.  Despite none of you voting for me and instead going for the more obvious 'charms' of the Kate Silvertons and Kirsty Youngs in our current poll, I'm here to deliver your news headlines.  I mean, I'm professional, reliable, dependable and all in all a damn good news man.  However, who am I to judge?  Obviously the things I've heard about chaps who make games are all true.  Anyway...

• Yahoo rejects Microsoft bid.  Microsoft considers buying Canada instead [GamesIndustry]
• The wave of DNA nostalgia continues in the games press, with Rock Paper Shotgun reconsidering the chrams of Wild Metal Country [RockPaperShotgun]
• Disney launches it's own mobile games portal in the UK offering casual titles - many of which will be ad-funded and free [GI.biz]
• Kotaku takes a long look at GTA IV [Kotaku]
• The official GTA IV site is live by the way [Rockstar]
• 80's inflatable Bros heart-throb Luke Goss will appear in the new Tekken film [Eurogamer]
• Mobile casual games are underserved by the market according to someone at Oberon who is not David Gosen [GamesPress]
• Opera Mini, the java-based web client for mobiles is being downloaded 100,000 times per day [AllAboutSymbian]
• UK consumer games site Eurogamer reaches 1.8 million users per month (and appoints new MMO editor) [GI.biz]
• Edinburgh University planning Buzz style interface for students [Scotsman]
• Nominating in the 2008 MCV Excellence awards ends this Friday (15th).  The awrads cover retail as well as marketing and PR.  If you have a favourite independent retailer, a much loved distribution partneror, perhaps, a SUPERSTAR PR COMPANY you're fond of, you owe it to them to nominate them and vote.  Again and again [MCV]
• New EA division will work with smaller developers on casual games for social networks [GI.biz]

There you go.  I doubt the ladies could have been half so concise or informative, but it's all in your hands I suppose.