thoughthead

…and how everyone is a criminal according to the DMCA.

We interrupt this weeks regularly scheduled discussion to take a moment and reflect on the recent events in the modding community. Read this article on Xbox-Scene.

          

As a child, I was taught that “biting the hand that feeds you” was a rather foolish approach to life. It is often marked by a self-serving attitude or action whereby an individual causes damage to an existing relationship with a person whose normal duty it is to provide an essential good, service, or benefit to the aforementioned individual. Knowing this, I have to ask myself why Jeff Bell–whose title of “Corporate Vice President of Global Marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business” ostensibly requires him to retain good ties with those in the gaming community–would opt to commit such an egregious act against a consumer of the very products and services that Mr. Bell has been hired to promote. After careful consideration, I have come to a few conclusions–but my goal is not to answer the question for you. My hope is that more people will begin asking their own questions–in the hopes that a dialogue can be crafted between the fans of gaming and the executives that seek to popularize gaming in our culture.
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I had an article nearing completion and ready to go and then Microsoft dropped a bomb on us all; they finally owned up to the 3 Red Lights of Death issues happening across a large percentage of the Xbox 360 Consoles. so what brought it to this point? (more…)

          

So the format war still rages on, it seemed like the news concerning the two formats had died down for quite a while, though recent announcements by Blockbuster concerning their support have brought it back into the forefront again. Now is as good a time as any to re-evaluate where these two formats stand, read on to find out for yourself. (more…)

          

A discussion has started on the International Game Developers Association forums that poses the question about whether Achievements add to the gaming experience or detract from it. The Core Argument is that Achievements and gamerscore change the way people approach games; changing even artful plot driven games into a just another high-score grind-fest. (more…)