Napalm Riot

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The Web 2.0 “buzz” starts with new technologies such as virtual worlds, cell phones and handheld devices that offer 24/7 web access, tagging, social networks, and blogs and brings together various web capabilities in unique combinations (known as “mashing”—such as maps that also include the latest real estate property assessments). But Web 2.0 is about much more than the technology—it's about a change in focus to participation, user control, sharing, openness, and networking.

Pull . . . Read more

Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, and GameTrailers, the premier provider of video for gamers and a division of Viacom Inc.’s (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) MTV Networks Entertainment Group, announced the creation of a user-generated video contest inspired by the video game HAZE™, the new first-person shooter developed by shooter experts Free Radical, and the sounds of the groundbreaking, multi-platinum hard rock band Korn.

Beginning today and running until May 19 . . . Read more

Online social Flash game site Kongregate launched in late 2006. Created by brother-sister duo Jim and Emily Greer, the site follows a YouTube-like model, allowing users to upload their own games to the service for play.

Another major difference from other Flash gaming hubs is the inclusion of profiles and reward points. In a similar fashion to Xbox Live’s Achievement system, players earn point for completing certain tasks within certain games. Also being distributed as rewards are collectab . . . Read more

Online gaming has become a community on its own. Gaming communities online have the ability to conduct in-game chats as well as invitations so that players could be invited to the new multi-player games. It has gradually developed into a social network that is participated by players from all over that gather on a single and common platform.

This industry has actually become one of the fast growing entertainment sectors. It has even slowly outdone films when you talk about revenue generation. . . . Read more

Sony Online Entertainment has announced the date and location for the sixth of its annual Fan Faire conventions.

Fan Faire 2008 will take place at the Las Vegas Hilton over four days, from August 14th to 17th.

Tickets go on sale later this spring, but the hotel can be booked now at a discount rate. Check the official announcement for details.


(Continual Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/…cle.php?article_id=133789)

Microsoft spends millions of dollars each year developing security products that it gives to law enforcement agencies, knowing that it may not make any money directly in return. The work is part of the company's efforts to be a good corporate citizen, although there are also some business benefits from the work it does.

The decision to make such investments was never a foregone conclusion. Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, remembers a meeting with Canadian police three years ago when t . . . Read more

So, it seems that the decline in sales and rentals of DVD's, up to and including the HD formats, Blockbuster has decided now is the time to start dealing with more video games.

Apparently they're offering some PS3 bundles with incentives to buy there, and rent there. I'm not sure being able to rent movies for a few weeks would sway my purchasing decision, but a lot of people enjoy renting.

Full story and details available here.[/url . . . Read more

As temperatures begin to rise it's time to start planning the ultimate summer vacation to THE must-attend gaming event of the year - QuakeCon 2008. That's right! The world's greatest gaming festival and party will take place July 31 - August 3, 2008 in Dallas, TX at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. As always, this event is FREE to all attendees thanks to the incredible support of the QuakeCon volunteer staff, id Software, and the event sponsors and exhibitors.

QuakeCon will once again host North Ame . . . Read more

Atari founder and Pong co-creator Nolan Bushnell has blamed the increase in violence for gaming becoming a male dominated area and its change from a casual activity to hardcore.

"I like to talk about [how] 1983 was sort of the break point where games went from casual to hardcore," said Bushnell to MTV.

"They got violent. They went long form. The violence lost the women and the long form lost the casual gamer. I actually sort of stuck to my roots, and the console game market moved away."
. . . Read more

You can tell a lot from a gamer’s hardware. And in the gaming world, nobody knows more about the platforms on which PC gamers run their games than the Steam game distribution network. In 2000, Half-Life was one of the best-rated, best-selling games of all time. Created by Valve, it was distributed through traditional retail channels. When it came time to release the sequel, however, Valve went direct. Using the Steam platform — Steam’s desktop software handles game registration, purchasing . . . Read more

A second-generation self-tuning Robot Guitar was recently announced by Gibson Guitar Corp. (Nashville, Tenn.). Two new models are available--a Les Paul Studio Ltd. and an SG Special Ltd.--both offering a new locking input jack. The first-generation Robot Guitar was superseded by the new second-generation models earlier this month. The new instruments, which sport a metallic purple finish, are now sold out, but EE Times has learned that a new metallic green finish will be announced by Gibson soon . . . Read more

Google researchers say they have a software technology intended to do for digital images on the Web what the company’s original PageRank software did for searches of Web pages.

On Thursday at the International World Wide Web Conference in Beijing, two Google scientists presented a paper describing what the researchers call VisualRank, an algorithm for blending image-recognition software methods with techniques for weighting and ranking images that look most similar.

Although image search . . . Read more

On Monday, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced the launch of Blu-ray player’s fourth generation, which is expected to be made available for sale sometime this summer, and Blu-ray home theater’s second generation.

According to Dongsoo Jun, chief of Digital AV Business Division at Samsung Electronics, the overall Blu-ray market should record an average annual increase of at least 80% by the year 2012; this would mean 51 million units sold each year. Whether or not these expectations will . . . Read more

It may be a bit of a mouthful, but one, Michael Chettleburgh, is getting his name in the news at the moment. I expect it's because of GTA IV, but that's not the important aspect.

He doesn't believe that games like GTA, possibly the most contraversial game series in recent history (And quite possibly in the history of gaming to date), cause younger people to join gangs. He actually has some interesting articles floating around, that're worth a read if you find the time.

“If you actuall . . . Read more

Video game publisher Mastiff awarded 16 lucky gamers each a $15 gift certificate for pizza during the first two weeks of its Major League Eating: The Game "Food of the Week" contest. This week Mastiff will be giving away eight more $15 gift certificates-this time for burgers-to gamers who have registered at www.MLEGAME.com. Believe us, you can get a pretty damn good burger for $15.

Full Story: http://www.mcvuk.com/pres…-Pizza-to-Starving-Gamers

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