As Xbox LIVE Turns Five, Microsoft Announces Next Wave Of Social Fun

Xbox LIVE Membership Soars Past Eight Million Mark, Microsoft Unveils New Download Service for Full Xbox Games Direct to Your Living Room

On 15th November, Microsoft Corp. will celebrate the fifth anniversary of Xbox LIVE. In addition, the company notes that the latest membership figures show more than eight-million members are now actively engaged in the largest social entertainment network on TV. Xbox LIVE has grown from a small community of gamers in two countries, playing a handful of games online with their friends, to a worldwide social entertainment network offering online access to gaming, music and video entertainment. As friends across 26 countries and nine languages have connected on Xbox LIVE, it is their feedback and active participation that has guided the service to become what Wired magazine recently called “The king of the online arena.” As a gesture of thanks to the community, all eight-million members will have the opportunity to download a free Xbox LIVE Arcade game, between 08:01 a.m. on 15th November 15 and 7:59 a.m. on 17th November. In addition to this, every active Gold member who joined the service at launch will receive 500 MS Points for free.

Starting on 4th December, all Xbox LIVE members will receive a free system update with a host of new features and enhancements. Included in this update will be the launch of the “Xbox Originals,” which, for the first time ever, will enable consumers to download and own full Xbox games such as Halo®, Psychonauts™, Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™ and Fable® among others directly to their Xbox 360. This new service will launch with an array of blockbuster titles spanning the most popular genres from action-adventure to classic role-playing games.

With no disc necessary, and at just 1200 Microsoft Points per game, Xbox LIVE members can easily rediscover these hit titles, or check out a game they missed the first time around. This launch line-up is only the beginning as Xbox 360 owners can expect to see a growing catalogue of Xbox games for download to own over the coming year.

“In just five short years Xbox LIVE has revolutionised the way friends and family have fun in the living room across the world,” said Mike Newey, EMEA Group Product Marketing Manager, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division. “Xbox LIVE truly is the place for hanging out with friends and now they can enjoy full downloadable Xbox games on demand.”

For more information about the downloadable games available on Xbox LIVE, the evolution of Xbox LIVE or the “Xbox LIVE is 5IVE” member rewards, visit www.Xbox.com.

Game Design Expo 2008 Announces Keynote Speakers

Makers of Hit Game Halo 3 Headlining 2008 Event
Game Design Expo is thrilled to name its keynote speakers for 2008: Jay Weinland and CJ Cowan, two of the team leads behind Bungie Studios' blockbuster Halo 3, the fastest selling video game of all time.

The keynote will headline Game Design Expo 2008, which runs January 19th and 20th, 2008, in Vancouver, BC. The event is hosted by Vancouver Film School (VFS) in association with Event Partners G4TechTV, EA, CAEAA, Annex Pro, Crystal Dynamics, Radical Entertainment, Big Fish Games, Metropolitan Hotel, and The Province.

The two-day event will also feature lectures and panels by the designers, producers, and CEOs from top companies like Activision, BioWare, Eidos, EA, and Stormfront Studios, presenting topics ranging from the Console Wars to Digital Acting & Interactive Narrative to Game Audio. In conjunction with Game Design Expo 2008, the Game Design program at VFS will hold a free day-long Open House on January 20th, with workshop classes and hands-on game demos.

In their keynote address, Bungie's Weinland (Audio Lead) and Cowan (Director of Cinematics) will discuss the tools and processes that helped create the sound and visuals for Halo 3, which was released in September to rave reviews and first-day sales in the U.S. that reached a record-breaking $170 million.

General ticket sales for Game Design Expo 2008 begin on November 21st, 2007. Check gamedesignexpo.com for detailed information, schedules, and up-to-the-minute news.

Game Design Industry Expo VFS Game
Design Open House

Saturday, January 19th, 9:00am - 7:30pm Sunday, January
20th, 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St. Vancouver
Film School, 390 West Hastings St.

Sunday, January 20th, 10:30am - 4:00pm

Vancouver Film School, 420 Homer St.

Vancouver Film School, founded in 1987, offers a proven education for everything in the entertainment industry. With 14 production-oriented programs and a unique one-year educational model, VFS prepares students to join the creative economy. Under the guidance of industry professionals, students in the Game Design, Animation & Visual Effects, Digital Design, and Sound Design for Visual Media programs develop the knowledge, experience, and portfolios and reels that enable them to step right into the video game industry.

Buy Bioshock, Get The Darkness Free

Here's a pretty good deal from Amazon. Buy Bioshock for $50 and get The Darkness for free. "But the shipping," you say. "But the tax," you say. "I cannot afford such things," you say. "I'm saving for a new KitchenAid mixer to make game cakes," you say.

Amazon gives free shipping on orders over $25, and there's no tax in most states. For those interested, hit the link and scroll down to the "Best Value" option. That's where the hot savings are.

Atari restructure

Atari, Inc. to Realign Cost Structure - - Atari, Inc. to Grant the Test Drive License to Infogrames for Future Development
Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), an interactive entertainment company, today announced the company will re-focus its operations on publishing and distribution in North America, completing its withdrawal from the production business. Atari also announced that it has licensed its Test Drive franchise to Infogrames Entertainment, S.A. ("IESA") under an agreement which includes a $5 million advance royalty.

Restructuring Initiative

Atari has determined to focus its resources on the publishing and distribution segments of the rapidly growing video game business. The Company's operations will involve title acquisition, sales and marketing, and physical distribution of products from IESA, its 51% shareholder, and other selected partners.

In line with that goal, Atari has agreed in principle with IESA to terminate its Production Services Agreement in the near future. As a result, Atari will no longer provide production and quality assurances services to IESA. Rather, Atari plans to transfer certain employees and contract other staff on a project basis for a limited period of time.

As part of the company restructuring, Atari, Inc. will reduce its current workforce in order to re-align the Company's cost structure with its on-going business base.

Atari Announces Departure of Chief Executive Officer
Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), an interactive entertainment company, today announced that David Pierce has resigned his position as Atari's Chief Executive Officer under the terms of his employment agreement. Curtis G. Solsvig III, Chief Restructuring Officer, will assume Mr. Pierce's responsibilities on an interim basis. An executive search has been initiated to find Mr. Pierce's successor.

"We appreciate David's support and commitment through a difficult period in the Company's history and wish him well in his future endeavors." said Gene Davis, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

High Velocity Bowling

FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA)
Studio: SCEA San Diego Studio
Platform: Exclusively on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) via PLAYSTATION Network
Players: 1-4 Players
Genre: Sports
Rating: E10+

OVERVIEW

Meet the High Velocity Bowlers, each with a unique personality, skill-set, and comedic attributes. Using the SIXAXIS™ wireless controller to simulate a real bowling swing with lifelike lane environments, High Velocity Bowling™ provides a social and interactive bowling game for all ages and skill levels. In challenge mode, players will compete to unlock ten distinctive characters and progress through ten themed alleys on their way to collecting trophies, awards and most importantly, bowling domination. Up to four players can bowl in multiplayer mode. Complete with leaderboards and stats,
High Velocity Bowling is all the fun and comedy of bowling . . . . minus the rental shoes.

KEY FEATURES

• High Velocity Bowling supports 1-4 players at a time. Play alone or with friends/enemies
• 8 unique characters available, each with their own themed alley to unlock through successful game play.
• SIXAXIS™ Wireless Controller - Fully controlled by the SIXAXIS motion sensors to simulate a real bowling swing. Fun to pick up and play!
• Challenge Mode - Progress through a series of tournaments, matches, and trick shot showmanship to unlock hidden characters and lanes.
• Trophy Room – View all the trophies, rings, and patches you have accumulated through successful bowling.

The Most Expensive Video Games...

We've linked to rare game auction crazies Gamesniped.com before, but a recent feature from them rounds up 'The World's Most Expensive Video Games' in relatively reasonable, accurate form - and is therefore well worth checking out.

As is explained in the intro: "Keep in mind however, that there are more rare items than what is on this list. Prototypes and Betas are by nature, one of a kind. However, the demand aren’t there for them like the games on this list. This list is a combination of rarity, price and demand." So they've tried to keep to actual production copies of games - which is a good way to do it.

Mind you, some of the production numbers are stupidly tiny - the top game listed, '1990 Nintendo World Championships: Gold Edition', has a known run of just 26 copies, and it's revealed that "...there’s at least six of these in collectors hands that I can confirm." Personally, I like 'Ultima: Escape from Mt. Drash' on the VIC-20, because it's on cassette tape, which is adorably old school - and it has an interesting history, being published in obscurity without Richard Garriott's permission back in 1983 or so.

Super Mario Galaxy

Mario, who was created by Japanese Nintendo game-designer Shigeru Miyamoto, is more than just a video game character; he is a cultural phenomenon.

Even if you've never played a video game, have no clue what a joystick is, and the term "duck hunt" means little more to you than men in cammo, you know who Mario is. And whether you'll admit it or not, you probably even know his theme song.

For more than 25 years, this little overall-clad Italian plumber and his brother, Luigi, have graced the screens of arcade machines, living room televisions and portable hand-held game sets throughout the world, bounding through sewer systems, jungles, and now, with this week's release of the newest version for the Nintendo Wii -- Super Mario Galaxy -- outer space.
Mario, who was created by Japanese Nintendo game-designer Shigeru Miyamoto, is more than just a video game character; he is a cultural phenomenon.

In 1981, when Mario first hopped on to the screen at your local arcade, he was known as Jumpman because, well, that's how he got around. The game centered on an enormous angry ape called Donkey Kong, with whom Jumpman shared the video game's storyline.

His mission was to rescue a girl who was taken hostage by Donkey Kong. The game went on to become the third most popular game of the decade and is regarded as the most difficult video game in history. Popular as Donkey Kong was, bigger things were on the horizon for Mario.

In 1982, Jumpman was renamed Mario and appeared in the sequel to Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. And in 1983, Mario was given his own game, "Mario Brothers."

Initially, the game met with little fanfare. By the mid 1980s, the once indestructible arcade revolution that had generated billions of dollars had reached its peak, and looked as if it was headed toward an inevitable "Game Over," taking Mario along with it.

But that all changed in 1985, when the first Nintendo Entertainment System was released. This new magic box brought the power and graphics of upright arcade games into living rooms and bedrooms across the world. And the game that came with every Nintendo was "Super Mario Brothers." While its "hero saves damsel" storyline was nothing new, "Super Mario Brothers" single-handedly revolutionized video games, breaking all sales records with more than 40 million copies. "Super Mario Brothers" was so popular that it still holds the title of the top-selling game of all time.

Parents Avoid Video Games With Kids

Jesse Lackman says his son spends a dozen hours a week waging medieval combat across the dreary dreamscapes of computer games. Just don't expect to find Lackman sitting beside him battling ogres and dragons.

"It's just such a waste of tim2e," said Lackman, 47, a power plant operator from Center, N.D. "I tell him, 'Do something that has some lasting value.'"

Lackman's avoidance of the digital diversions that captivate his 15-year-old son, Tyrus, is shared by many parents. More than four in 10, or 43 percent, of those whose young children play video or computer games never play along with them, according to an Associated Press-AOL Games poll released Monday.

While experts debate whether electronic gaming is bad news or a blessing for children and their families, many parents are voicing their preference by never — or seldom — joining their kids when it's time to slay cyber scoundrels.

Besides those who simply don't play the games with their children, another 30 percent say they spend less than an hour a week doing so. All told, about three in four parents of young gamers never or hardly ever touch the stuff.

"I don't think it's good for them, the violence, the obsession," said Karen Kimball, 55, of Hale, Minn., another nonplayer who estimates her 17-year-old son plays 25 hours weekly. "No longer is it, 'Let's go out and throw a football.'"

Those who game with their children are likelier to be younger, single and part-time workers than those who don't, the poll showed.

Among them is stay-at-home dad Marvin Paup, 33, of Golden Valley, Ariz., who says he plays 30 hours a week with his son and dozens more on his own.

Their current favorite is "Halo 3," a shooter game played online by thousands of players at a time. His state-of-the-art equipment includes an Xbox 360 console, surround-sound turned up "really, really loud" and a 65-inch wide-screen television, he said.

"That game has bonded me with him," he said of his 10-year-old son Allen. "It's like a whole new reality with me and him."
Overall, the survey highlighted how pervasive — yet age-related — interest in electronic gaming is today.

According to the poll, in which only adults were questioned, 81 percent of children age four to 17 play computer or video games at least occasionally, compared with 38 percent of adults. Typically, both adult and child gamers play two hours weekly — half play more and half less — including about three in 10 who play five hours or more each week.

Reflecting the technology's relatively recent introduction, 59 percent of those age 18 to 29 play at least sometimes, double the rate for people age 50 to 64. There is little difference among users by race or region, with middle-income earners likeliest to indulge.

"It's something to take your mind off business and everything else," said Todd Williams, 33, a salesman from Lexington, Ky., who estimates he plays 10 hours weekly, especially interactive adventure games. "I guess it's the time, which is seldom, that I spend alone."

Sales of games and gaming hardware are rising steadily, said David Riley, marketing director of the NPD Group, a market research firm. He estimates that video and computer game sales this year will total $19 billion in the U.S., up from $13.5 billion last year.

Even so — and despite the publicity given to newer game consoles like the Nintendo Wii, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 — the proportion of adults saying they play electronic games was virtually unchanged from April 2006, when an AP-AOL poll asked the same question.

Casual games like card or board games were the favorite of 31 percent of gamers, about twice the number who like action games, the next most popular alternative. About half of women cited casual games as their favorites, triple the number of men who did so, while twice as many males than females preferred action games.

Adventure, strategy and sports games were also among the most popular.

The poll also found that among gamers:
_44 percent said they play over the Internet;
_26 percent said they spent nothing on the pastime last year, another 46 percent spent up to $200 and 12 percent spent $500 or more, with men usually the bigger spenders;
_Price is the chief factor for people purchasing a gaming console, followed by the availability of games.

The poll involved telephone interviews with 2,016 adults conducted Oct. 9-11 and 16-18, and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points. Included were 770 people who said they play computer or video games, for whom the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.5 points.

Video game educates diabetics

Pricking his finger to check blood glucose levels used to be a pain, but these days Luca Cusmano is too busy fighting baddies to worry about it.
The young Sydney boy is one of the first diabetics in the world to get his hands on a new video game pre-programmed to reward him for checking his glucose levels regularly.

"It's cool fun," said Luca, nine, who was first diagnosed with type one diabetes in April, joining about 8,000 other young Australians.

"I didn't like all the tests, but now I just get to play games and get points, so I don't think about it really."

The US invention, designed by the father of a diabetic, is being launched for the first time in the world in Australia to mark World Diabetes Day.

The NSW branch of Diabetes Australia is heralding the new toy as an innovative way to get children to comply with their glucose checks, carried out up to six times a day.

The device, which costs $299, works by slotting into a portable video game.

Kids who test regularly for healthy levels of blood glucose are awarded extra points to unlock new characters and secret game levels.

Characters in the five specially-designed games include a galaxy-hopping maverick who fights his way through a planet of aliens to rescue the admiral's daughter, and a regular boy called Hunter who takes on Carnie Cal and his evil clowns.

"It's a good idea, just brilliant, particularly for boys who are not so good at doing their blood glucose testing," said Dr Neville Howard, president of Diabetes Australia-NSW.

"Now they've got an incentive.

"The parents might not be so happy because the kids play with it all the time, but from what we've seen it really works.

"The kids love it and they don't feel so strange having to test anymore."

The device was invented by an American businessman Paul Wessel, funded by an Australian investment bank and jointly marketed by Diabetes Australia-NSW.

"I stumbled across the idea really," said Mr Wessel, an entrepreneur from Minnesota.

"My son Luke is diabetic and he kept deliberately losing his blood glucose meter because he hated testing, so this was a solution."

Professor Paul Zimmet, director of the International Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, said the device could improve diabetes management considerably in families that could afford to purchase it.

"Anything that encourages young people to stick to the strict regimen of testing that diabetes demands has to be welcomed," Prof Zimmet said.

Ford Dealers Tap Into Video Game Advertising

FORD'S NORTHERN CALIFORNIA DEALERS ADVERTISING Association is pitching male consumers with an online video game advertising campaign. The program was developed by Engage In-Game Advertising, and touts the Fusion Sport Model with new Sync voice-activated in-vehicle communication system.
The effort, launching Thursday, offers a lease incentive of $269 a month for 36 months with no security deposit, no first month's payment and no cash due at signing.

The campaign will place 15-second Fusion ads in a raft of action, driving, sports and card games. The effort includes Ford Fusion "billboards" on game information pages and banners inside game session windows.

The campaign elements link to the Ford Fusion promotional offer.