Category Archive: gaming

Digital Media News, February 6-19

Posted on February 22, 2010 in: Digital Media, Social Networking, dmec, gaming, hardware, mobile, music, software, television, web 2.0|Post Comment

by DMEC Careers Della Huff and Chris Finegold

Internet and Social Networks

  • Google acquired social search engine Aardvark for approximately $50 million. The service, started by several former Google employees, enables users to ping its community by asking questions and receiving immediate answers from friends and contacts connected to them. Link
  • Google has won approval to enter the speculative energy trading business. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order giving the company the authority to buy and sell wholesale electricity just like a utility. Link
  • Zynga is opening an office in India, in the hopes of capitalizing on the rapidly growing market. Zynga says that India has 81 million internet users, and is projected to become the third biggest online market by 2013 (behind the United States and China). Link
  • The decision to leave Flash off the iPad is exasperating a feud between Apple and Adobe and putting the spotlight on the up-and-coming HTML5 standard for video and interactive graphics. Link

    • Content and Distribution

  • Some (as yet unnamed) TV networks, including CBS, have reportedly agreed to allow Apple to cut the price of their TV episodes from $1.99 to $1 on the iTunes Store in connection with the launch of the company’s iPad. Link
  • HBO is preparing to launch an online streaming service for cable, satellite and telco TV service subscribers to its pay-TV channels, The New York Times reported. The HBO GO service has launched in beta for Comcast and Verizon FiOS TV subscribers; HBO counts about 35 million subscribers overall. Link
  • After getting Netflix to agree to wait 28 days before renting any new release Warner Bros. DVDs, kiosk rental chain RedBox has agreed with the studio to honor the same window, ending a testy feud between the two companies. Link
  • NBC Universal’s NBCOlympics.com website drew 13.6 million visitors in the first four days of the games, an increase of 250% from the traffic seen during the opening weekend of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Link
  • Online video start-up Veoh is finally shutting down operations, laying off remaining employees and planning a chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. The company has burned through more than $70 million in funding from a long list of prominent investors. Link

    • Mobile

  • Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced that the company was adopting a “mobile first” strategy in his Mobile World Congress keynote, creating software and applications with mobile as a top priority. He said Google is now shipping 60,000 Android-based handsets a day worldwide. Link
  • Verizon Wireless announced a landmark deal with Skype to allow Verizon smartphone users to make international calls at bargain basement “Skype Out” rates. Future plans include integrating Skype into FiOS TV or Verizon’s 4G LTE service. Link
  • AT&T has reversed its stance and will allow live TV streaming over its 3G network to iPhones using Sling Media’s streaming service. Link
  • T-Mobile’s new 3G-powered HTC HD2 handset, launching on the Windows mobile platform March 24, will include premium content services including Blockbuster On Demand movies, Paramount Pictures films and Barnes & Noble eReader titles. Link

    • Hardware

  • Sony’s answer to the iPad is the $199 Dash Personal Internet Viewer due out in April, a Wi-Fi capable tablet device with a 7″ touch screen. Sony is leveraging existing content partnerships struck through its Bravia line of TVs to bring lots of popular services including Netflix movies, eHow videos and Pandora music stations. A partnership with Chumby will also deliver over 1,000 internet apps. Link
  • Sony introduced its first standalone 3D-ready Blu-ray player. It will be available this month and will retail for around $200. Link
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    Gaming at the >play Conference

    Posted on October 23, 2007 in: >play, gaming|Post Comment

    Hi, I’m Roderick Alemania and I’ll be moderating the gaming panel at the >play conference on Saturday. Casual gaming and console/pc video gaming have traditionally addressed different audiences (casual gaming – females, console/pc gaming – males). Recent trends show that console/pc gaming companies are shifting resources and investing in casual gaming. How will this affect the gaming marketplace and in what timeframe? I’m looking forward to a great discussion with the panelists.

    A little bit about me: as VP Business Development at IGN Entertainment/Fox Interactive Media, I am responsible for creating original content/IP that lives across multiple platforms: online, TV, live events, etc. A few projects include founding and incubating News Corp’s video game league Championship Gaming Series and Executive Producing content for ATT Blue Room Gaming.

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    Global Warming comes to SimCity

    Posted on October 15, 2007 in: Digital Media, gaming|Post Comment

    Sometime back I wrote about the Sustainability game. Now gaming site Kotaku reports that Electronic Arts has teamed up with BP to add global warming and sustainability to SimCity. In a more realistic way that the simple game from NPR, this time you will see the effects of powering your city with CO2 producing sources. The partner for EA in this effort? BP.

    “We really were interested in entertainment with a bit of education, rather than education with a bit of entertainment,” explained Carol Battershell, vice president of BP Alternative Energy, an initiative that has committed $8 billion over the next 10 years to making plants that generate cleaner electricity via solar, wind, natural gas and hydrogen power. BP wanted to help shape the interactive power grid of “Sim City Societies.”

    I did say in my previous post how nice it would be to have a SecondLife based game for sustainability and global warming. I ill take SimCity. Since my wishes are coming true, I now wish that EA, BP, Comcast, PG&E all team up to come up with a game that als senses what power source you are using to run your computer while building the city. S in addition to what you use to power the cities if you are using a “non-green” source you will see the effects. You also will get dinged for spending too much time online as you waste power by using youur computer, the network and the server farms at EA.

    This sure will be another fun question to ask John Riccitiello at >play on October 27th at Haas School of Business.

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    Casual gaming bowls a strike in retirement homes

    Posted on October 3, 2007 in: gaming|1 Comment

    A great video that chronicles how Wii Bowling has affected lives of residents of 4 retirement homes.

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzp8S_7yspM

    This may be a little over the top, but nonetheless very intriguing to see how pervasive the Wii has become- even amongst a generation that some people consider quite removed from technology.

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    Finally, the Wii Lightsaber game is announced!

    Posted on September 19, 2007 in: gaming|Post Comment

    This is it! At last.. we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi.

    Here’s an article from Crave.

    ” Ever since Nintendo unveiled the Wii and its funky remote, gamers have been dreaming of Wiimote-controlled lightsaber battles. It’s been a long time coming, but LucasArts finally revealed its Wii lightsaber game: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

    We’ve known about Force Unleashed for a few months now; the game has been scheduled to hit virtually every major platform for some time, and its absence on the Wii’s upcoming titles list didn’t go unnoticed. Now it’s finally been announced for the Wii, and a few new details have come out about the game. The Wii version of Force Unleashed will be more focused on lightsaber combat than the other consoles’ versions, and include a two-player duel mode so two Wiimote-wielding warriors can get their Jedi combat on.

    Geeks flailing about with Wiimotes as if they were lightsabers. I sense a disturbance in the Force, as if a million flat-screen TVs cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.”

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