Los Angeles libraries offer video games to kids - Yes, they play Guitar Hero in the library these days. Over half of the LA public libraries are offering video game nights to encourage kids to visit libraries. Also, this Friday is 'gaming @ the library day', part of the effort to get children more comfortable at the library.
posted on Apr 17, 2008 - View this thread

Trigger Happier "Trigger Happy is a book about the aesthetics of videogames — what they share with cinema, the history of painting, or literature; and what makes them different, in terms of form, psychology and semiotics. It’s offered under a CC license, for a limited time only. I’m not sure how limited that time will be, so grab it while it’s hot." [drm-free pdf]
posted on Nov 22, 2007 - View this thread

Most video game walkthroughs on the web are in text form- GameFAQs is perhaps the best-known host for them. Sometimes text just isn't enough, though, and that's when Visual Walkthroughs comes into play, offering screenshot-based walkthroughs for a number of games like Ghost Master, Deus Ex, and Half-Life 2.
posted on Nov 4, 2007 - View this thread

According to the ESA, the average gamer is "33 years old and has been playing for twelve years" and the average buyer of video games is 38. So then, why do members of the mainstream media, as well as politicians (more here and here) continue to reference gaming as something akin to a child's toy? In the wake of the British Board of Film Classification again banning the controversial Manhunt 2, despite edits to tone down the game from its publisher, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal takes a look at "The Problem (and the Danger) of the continued Infantilization of Videogames".
posted on Oct 10, 2007 - View this thread

M.U.G.E.N [wikipedia] is a 2D fighting game engine, originally developed by Elecbyte and released in 1999. The engine is highly customizable; characters, backgrounds, and sound files -- whether from existing games or original works -- can be easily integrated. Some examples of the engine in action [youtube]: Homer Simpson vs. Peter Griffin, Ryu vs Popeye, Green Power Ranger vs Osama Bin Laden, Fat Albert vs Juggernaut, Marvin the Martian vs. Duck Dodgers. Also, game crossovers: Homer in NES Land, Thunder Force III vs. Duck Hunt. [mi] WARNING: some of the videos are very loud.
posted on Jun 17, 2007 - View this thread

What does the Wii's success mean for traditional hard-core gamers? The brother of the Gears of War designer has a few thoughts about the Wii's potential dominance in the coming years. Personally, I agree with his analysis but I think it's a good thing, whereas he's a little concerned.
posted on Jun 10, 2007 - View this thread

Uptick in Cold War-like rhetoric making you a little nostalgic for the era of parachute pants and Members Only jackets?
A cabal of Russki comrades at some pinko university have been going around collecting and resurrecting disused Soviet-era arcade games, which became instantly obsolete with the collapse of communism. Sea Wolf, Duck Hunt, Pole Position, Dogfight!
We begin bombing in five minutes.
posted on Jun 7, 2007 - View this thread

The Accidental Video Game Porn Archive
posted on Jan 21, 2007 - View this thread

Andre's NES Emulator — play the classics online
posted on Jun 30, 2006 - View this thread

Not your older brother's Burger Time. Burger King is developing three XBox videogames starring its eponymous mascot. And not just any games: they'll be modeled after such titles as Halo, Mortal Kombat and Need for Speed. But, you know, with fast food. Confirmation of the plans came in the form of a lawsuit threatened against Kotaku, the blog that broke the story.
posted on Apr 17, 2006 - View this thread

Takeshi no Chousenjou may be the hardest videogame ever written. With a title screen warning that it was "created by somebody who hates videogames" (actually writer/actor/director/comedian Takeshi "Beat" Kitano) "Takeshi's Challenge" forces gamers to endure such tasks as singing karaoke for an uninterrupted hour and holding a single button for four straight hours. Players who endure to the end are rewarded by having to hit the final boss 20,000 times. If you don't speak the language, you might be able to enjoy the game as a Japanese precursor to Grand Theft Auto, but those who understand it more fully see it as "a videogame that riffs on human disappointment for as many hours as the player is willing to search for redemption." Warning: last link contains possible spoilers for Mother 2 and some of the Metal Gear Solid games.
posted on Feb 21, 2006 - View this thread

Level editor for Super Mario World.
You'll need a SNES emulator and a Super Mario World ROM.
(Ctrl+right-click to insert objects.)
posted on Oct 20, 2005 - View this thread

SMW - The complete soundtrack to Super Mario World, covered by one man using dozens of instruments. Roughly in game order, faithful to the originals, with some bizarre artistic license thrown around. A private hobby made public. Dedicated to Koji Kondo.
posted on Aug 13, 2005 - View this thread

A Gamers' Manifesto
posted on May 23, 2005 - View this thread

Illusion of Gaia and my cousin David
posted on Mar 29, 2005 - View this thread

The Maoist International Movement reviews videogames
posted on Feb 19, 2005 - View this thread

BOG LEECH! Game sprite horrors! Lovecraftian nightmares!
posted on Jan 13, 2005 - View this thread

Princess Maker 2 - Stressed out from current events? I doubt the game is as much fun to play as it is to be bewildered by, but either might help. "...is basically a perverse sports management simulation where your entire team consists of a single ten year old girl that you have to raise to adulthood. Much like any decent sports manager game you have to keep track of a nearly overwhelming number of statistics that fluctuate based on training. In Princess Maker 2 these run the gamut from the mundane like "strength" and "charisma", to the droll like "cooking" and "conversation", to the bizarre like "sin" and "temper". "
posted on Oct 28, 2004 - View this thread

Retro Remakes is devoted to fan made remakes of classic video games.
posted on Oct 27, 2004 - View this thread

Videogames are falling into the uncanny valley. (Previous mefi discussion: 1 2 -- aw, hell).
posted on Jun 12, 2004 - View this thread

Video Gaming: it's a Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb Industry.
posted on Jun 13, 2003 - View this thread

How To Destroy Possibilities. How much interaction is too much? Immersive world or guided tour? The fine folks at Grand Text Auto explore the narrative structure of video games.
posted on May 16, 2003 - View this thread

A 100-ton mech is the ultimate fishing machine. With upcoming titles like Steelhead Battalion and Cthulhu Karts, it's possible that Schadenfreude Interactive might be the next game industry juggernaut. Or they may be an April Fool's prank spotted in the pages of the April issue of Computer Games.
posted on Mar 13, 2003 - View this thread

"After weeks of reviewing hard hits that have resulted in a bevy of fines, the NFL has decided to review the video game industry." When all else fails, blame video games. [from ESPN.com]
posted on Dec 5, 2002 - View this thread

A New Milestone for Video Games? "Three of the nation's top retailers, including Wal Mart, on Monday said they had refused to carry a new video game billed as the first major release to feature full-action nudity and with prostitutes and pimps as major characters." I enjoyed their "banned ads" myself.
posted on Oct 14, 2002 - View this thread

The Accidental Video Game Porn Archive.
I don't really need to say anything else, do I? Didn't think so.
posted on Jun 6, 2002 - View this thread

Relive all your favorites from the demoscene. This project, headed up by nearly all of the team that maintained the old hornet.org demoscene archive, is committed to bringing those old classic demos ... to a DVD player near you. Now you no longer have to fret because you gave up your Gravis Ultrasound and DOS! Can I get a w00t from ya? I knew I could.
posted on May 14, 2002 - View this thread

Future Development for Sony and the PSX2 and PSX3. Now that the Game Developers Conference is over what do you think of the plans for the PSX3? It may even have an IBM architecture underneath.
posted on Mar 24, 2002 - View this thread

Columbine family loses their scapegoat. Now what can be blamed? Apparently Doom didn't hypnotize those kids into thinking they were in hell after all.
posted on Mar 5, 2002 - View this thread

Ethnic Cleansing: Wired Chimes In "We want people to recognize we're average people," Hale said. "If we can influence video games and entertainment, it will make people understand we are their friends and neighbors.... As long as it doesn't denigrate white people or have pornography in it, it's OK with us."
posted on Feb 21, 2002 - View this thread

Ethnic Cleansing - The Video Game? I don't know what can be said about this. It pushes several hot buttons - violence in video games, "hate speech" and (in the US) the First Amendment, and race relations in a post 9-11 world. Yes, it's reprehensible - but can you play Voltaire and defend the author's right to create it? (Warning: Pro-Aryan website; link contains explicit depictions of race-based violence.) Discuss.
posted on Feb 16, 2002 - View this thread

Hand-arm vibration syndrome may be associated with prolonged use of vibrating computer games. Prolonged in this case means seven hours per day, which seems to be "excessive and exceeds the manufacturer's recommendation." Methinks this is the least of his problems.
posted on Feb 1, 2002 - View this thread

Girls and Gaming Yes, there are women involved in the gaming industry but always behind the scenes. Does more social interaction through online games mean that more women will become leading game designers?
posted on Jan 29, 2002 - View this thread

Do you miss the music from your old NES games? Well if you do, be sure to check out the minibosses. They're a band that only plays the songs to classic video games from the Nintendo Entertainment System. Great stuff. I particularly enjoyed the Wizards & Warriors track amusing, since I was addicted to that game when I was younger. Also, am I the only one who thinks there should be a new console system DEDICATED to only 2D games? 3D games are neat 'n all, but I don't think enough good 2D games are being made anymore. The Gameboy Advance is probably the only system doing that sort of thing right now, but it's just a portable.
posted on Oct 3, 2001 - View this thread

Microsoft Delays X-Box Release Sure it's only by a week, but the article also hints at anticipated availability problems. Why does this seem so familiar?
posted on Sep 22, 2001 - View this thread

Nintendo delays U.S. launch of GameCube Nintendo has pushed back the U.S. arrival of its new GameCube video game console by nearly two weeks, with executives saying they intend to avoid the shortages and frustrated consumers that marked the debut of Sony's PlayStation 2 last fall.
posted on Aug 23, 2001 - View this thread

Playing computer games makes kids smarter? Although it reads like a headline from The Onion, a British study funded by the ESRC has come to that conclusion. "They seemed able to focus on what they were doing much better than other people and also had better general co-ordination. Overall there was a huge similarity with top-level athletes."

Gotta go and show this to my boss...
posted on Jul 22, 2001 - View this thread

Get your Atari 2600 fix on the go! With six models, it beats the Game Boy Advance by a mile! Unfortunately, they're handmade and the backlog is fifty units long, so more impatient retro-gamers might want to stick with a Sega Nomad.
posted on Jul 9, 2001 - View this thread

Diablo II Goes Gold! The official release date is now next week, 6/29/01. Diablo was addictive, Hellfire was even worse. I spent a six months playing Diablo II non stop and now this. I hope my wife doesn't kick me and my Assassin out the door.
posted on Jun 24, 2001 - View this thread

electronics boutique does gaming download ebworld would like you to fork up for 72 hours of gameplay...
posted on Jun 8, 2001 - View this thread

For the well-shod video game aficionado.
posted on May 18, 2001 - View this thread

The Daily Radar is dead. This leaves only Gamespot and IGN left as the primary mega-gaming news sites. With IGN's stock everything but worthless, what is the future state of online journalism in these specialized areas? Sure, there's Blue's News and Stomped. But with the online business model unprofitable for everyone from the small-timers to the big-timers, is the hobbyist nature of personal sites an effective way of carrying the torch of dedicated reporting? Is something being lost as whole staffs are decimated? Discuss.
posted on Apr 30, 2001 - View this thread

This is an amazing quicktime movie about 80's games. Just watching it makes me want to go play some pong. I just love the matrix part.
(Warning: This is a 7mb quicktime movie)
posted on Apr 29, 2001 - View this thread

Playstation 3 chip to be designed by IBM. The three companies (Sony, IBM, and Toshiba) aim to design a "super-computer on a chip" with a wide variety of consumer applications, they said in a joint statement.

"The result will be consumer devices that are more powerful than IBM's Deep Blue super-computer, operate at low power and access the broadband internet at ultra-high speeds," the statement added

Wowzers!
posted on Mar 12, 2001 - View this thread

All you ever wanted to know about Pong, but were afraid to ask. Okay, I had no idea - none - that Pong has such a long, involved history. I'd always seen it encapsulated as a two- or three- generation buildup to the Atari 2600 home machine. David Winter has exhaustively researched the life & times of Pong (Internationally) for those interested.
posted on Mar 12, 2001 - View this thread

Boon-Ga Boon-Ga! [via fark] - a video game played by spanking. Even worse is the person dressed up like the game controller at a trade show, even more disturbing next to the person in the turd (?) costume. Brought to you by Taff System (link not functional at time of posting)
posted on Jan 5, 2001 - View this thread

As one whose gaming never advanced beyond PONG, I know this must mean something. What that something is, I'm not sure.
posted on Dec 27, 2000 - View this thread

Hey gamers! Do you still harbor a fondness for the '80s cult classic Discs of Tron, but you're unwilling to give up your favorite first-person shooter? Welcome to Discs of Quake.
posted on Dec 7, 2000 - View this thread

"That wasn't me, that was the guy before me!" This is like "A bear walked in the door and ate it" from a little kid... What scares me is that people are stupid enough to fax him pictures of their credit cards. Wait until they see their next bills!
posted on Dec 3, 2000 - View this thread

Alice demo (Download, 78MB) has been released. Even if you're not big on video games you might want to give this one a try. *Requires a PC with 3D graphics accelerator and fast connection to download in sane amount of time.
posted on Dec 2, 2000 - View this thread

And now for something completely pointless... Why on earth would anyone care enough about something this to invest all the time it took to pull this off? Just to break the record high score on a video game which only appears in museums now?
posted on Nov 27, 2000 - View this thread

Everquest guide suicides. Or maybe not. No one's really sure. Is this why they call it "Ever-Crack"? [ From Salon via Flutterby. ]
posted on Nov 27, 2000 - View this thread

Now while these guys are not exactly the most unbiased source for an evaluation of the PlayStation 2, they have nonetheless backed up their evaluation with a lot of convincing hard information on the performance and in particular about the financing. If these guys have got it right, Sony's going to take a bath on this; they'll never come close to recouping their costs of production, let alone all the research they did. If these guys have it right, Sony will lose money on the PS2 as long as they sell it. This Is Not Good. (Unless you hate Rambus, like I do, because this means both of their markets will collapse.)
posted on Oct 30, 2000 - View this thread

Ninga? Nintendo and Sega to form joint company. With Sony and M$ to contend with, it doesn't come as much of a surprise.
posted on Oct 30, 2000 - View this thread

THE AMIGA IS BACK! Why, oh why, did i throw out all my Amiga games. And it wasn't that long ago, that i did that either. Aaaaarrgh.
posted on Oct 25, 2000 - View this thread

Indianapolis minors can't play violent videogames anymore.
posted on Oct 13, 2000 - View this thread

Bummer.
posted on Oct 11, 2000 - View this thread

And you thought the 2600 was dead... no way, baby. It's alive and kicking and oh-so-groovy. (Warning: link leads to big ass movie. Slow connections beware.)
posted on Sep 26, 2000 - View this thread

More Stupidity.
Now when little Billy goes to get that violent video game he can check out the latest issue of Juggs Magazine too!
posted on Jul 13, 2000 - View this thread

Tired of Doom clones? Send this to your favorite game designer.
posted on Jul 7, 2000 - View this thread

Along the same lines as Meg's post about the Panty Raider game, the governor or Illinois is trying, and succeeding, to get retailers to pull "M" rated games off the shelves. Makes you wonder when people are gonna wake up and stop blaming societal problems on all of our various forms of entertainment.
posted on May 9, 2000 - View this thread

The war continues over people against the ever-dreaded video game! It's a long article, but definitely worth a read (later on they talk about people giving noiseblasts to other people just to see them squirm, teehee).
posted on Apr 24, 2000 - View this thread

My dreams have been crushed... The Diablo II beta selection is over and the results have been posted. A couple people were from towns near mine, but nope, no luck with me...
posted on Mar 22, 2000 - View this thread

Did you ever play console games for hours on end? I bet you can recall the annoying MIDI music that went with them. Relive the good old days at the Video Game Music Archive.
posted on Nov 3, 1999 - View this thread