YouOverThere - Slashdot User

Submission + - Jack Thompson rushed to judgement

Submitted by

Jamil Karim

on Tuesday April 24, 2007 @11:29AM

Jamil Karim writes: "MSNBC has an interesting article criticizing Jack Thompson not only for blaming video games for the Virginia Tech massacre when "police hadn't even identified the gunman", but also attacking his argument:

"And for all of Thompson's claims that violent video games are the cause of school shootings, Sternheimer points out that before this week's Virginia Tech massacre, the most deadly school shooting in history took place at the University of Texas in Austin... in 1966. Not even "Pong" had been invented at that time.""

Publishers Scrambling for Wii Titles 328

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday April 10, 2007 @02:41PM from the that's-a-recipe-for-shovelware-kids dept.

Bloomberg is reporting on the publisher scramble for Wii titles, prompted by the console's explosive popularity since its launch late last year. Though the article focuses on EA's initial coolness on the console, they certainly weren't the only company that initially missed the bus. "Electronic Arts wasn't the only publisher slow to see Wii's appeal. New York-based Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., maker of Grand Theft Auto games, had no Wii titles when the player was released and now plans to have three this year, said spokesman Jim Ankner. Activision Inc., based in Santa Monica, California, plans to release six Wii games this year, giving the second-largest publisher a total of 11, said spokeswoman Maryanne Lataif." Though that's great news for Wii gamers, the question is: how many of these titles are going to be 'shovelware'?

Submission + - Blizzard to sell gold and items direct in Warcraft

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 10, 2007 @01:33PM

An anonymous reader writes: http://www.dailygaming.net/index.php?name=News&fil e=article&sid=208

The streets of Azeroth are going to be paved with gold in time for the next patch. In an effort to combat the rising number of gold farmers plaguing their servers as well as suck every last penny from their loyal subscribers, Blizzard will soon be offering gold and high powered epic items for direct sale in game. Items purchased will then be billed directly to the player's credit card on file.

The first news of this was leaked in a blue posting on a topic that was quickly deleted, likely because of the sensitive nature of the information. Subsequent leaks from several Gms and other Blizzard employees have confirmed that the blue post was true, but that the poster wasn't authorized to give out that information. Disciplinary action has reportedly taken place, upsetting several Blizzard employees who were then willing to come forward and discuss the new patch at length.

Submission + - Canada Rejects Anti-Terror Laws

Submitted by

Coryoth

on Wednesday February 28, 2007 @01:04PM

Coryoth writes: "The Canadian parliament has voted against renewing anti-terror laws that had been introduced after September 11, 2001. The rejected laws included provisins to hold terror suspects indefinitely, and to compel witnesses to testify, and were in some sense Canada's version fo the PATRIOT Act. The laws were voted down in the face of claims from the minority Conservative government that the Liberal Party was soft on terror, and despite the fact that Canada has faced active terrorist cells in their own country. The anti-terror laws have never been used, and it was viewed that they are neither relevant, nor needed, in dealing with terrorist plots. Hopefully more countries will come to the same conclusion."

Submission + - Where are the co-operative Wii games?

Submitted by Chuck Chunder on Tuesday February 27, 2007 @06:47PM

Chuck Chunder writes: I have bought a Wii (having previously owned an XBox and a Playstation) and am really enjoying it. It is a load of fun and I get a real kick out of seeing non gamers pick up a controller and enjoy themselves. However the fact remains that someone with general gaming experience will get to grips with a game a lot faster than someone without experience. This fact makes most of the "newbie friendliness" of the Wii moot when playing competative multiplayer games.

If my girlfriend and I play such a game (eg Sports, Rayman or Monkeyball) then it isn't much fun for either of us if I win all the time. The most fun we have had together with the Wii so far has been working through the single player part of Rayman, taking it in turns to face a challenge.

By doing that we both have some success and take part in the progression. Given that the Wii is reaching out to a broad range of people and multiple users on the same console I am thinking there should be plenty of collaborative (non FPS) games which players of varying skill levels can all play at once and have some success in. Am I missing some titles or is this a hole in the current Wii lineup?

Christian Group Prepares To Mark Wii as 'Porn Portal' 565

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday February 27, 2007 @04:59PM from the overstating-things-a-bit dept.

Citing the Wii's ability to browse the internet via the Opera browser, a Christian group based out of California is planning on targeting the console with a smear campaign, Kotaku reports. The site has gotten ahold of a leaked press release from the upcoming 'Porn Talk' media event. From the release: "Like many new gaming technologies, the Wii's wireless internet capabilities make it a portal to porno. 'Parents think the computer is the only way for their kids to get porn on the internet. Unfortunately, they are dead wrong,' says Mike Foster, founder of ThePornTalk.com. 'Gaming devices like the Wii and the PSP aren't just for fun games anymore. You're able to surf the net, chat with friends, email, and view porn because of its internet access. Kids know this but parents don't!'"

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