What’s better: Reality or fantasy? 
A growing movement argues that the correct answer is “both.”
The concept is called “gamification,” a fairly dorky term that basically means using gameplay techniques to make everyday activities more fun — which, in turn, boosts people’s motivation for getting things done.
While Nintendo had a lot to brag about in 
March, the overall video game industry wasn’t so fortunate.
Initial sales of the 3DS handheld gaming device beat those of its predecessor, and the powerful Pokemon franchise set new sales records for the company. Despite these achievements, overall retail software sales fell 16 percent last month and revenues on the whole were down 4 percent, according to The NPD Group, which gathers sales data for the industry.
The good news is Nintendo has a hit 
with the 3DS. The bad news is … well, pretty much everything else.
Despite a strong launch for the handheld device, retail software sales were off 16 percent in March, according to The NPD Group, which gathers sales data for the industry. That’s a lot more than analysts were expecting to see. (The general consensus on Wall Street was a decline of between 8-10 percent.)
Amazon is doing some 
fence mending with its music partners.
The retail giant will reportedly meet with executives at the major labels Thursday to discuss deal terms for its recently launched Cloud Drive, as the music industry continues to dispute the service’s legality.
Despite the release of several high profile games, including
a new entry from one of the largest franchises in the industry, video game retail sales for March are expected to tumble once again.
The NPD Group will release March brick and mortar sales figures Thursday after the market closes. Analysts expect software sales to fall between 8 and 10 percent. One of the major factors they’re citing is the shift of this year’s Easter holiday into April.
The latest version of Electronic Arts’ annual 
Tiger Woods franchise downplays the golf superstar in a big way. As it turns out, those changes might have earned the publisher a hole in one.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters has proven to be the fastest moving in the series’ history. EA says the game — the 14th installment in the long-running golf sim — sold 225,000 copies in its first week.
Nintendo is pulling out a couple of big 
guns in the second quarter to boost its bottom line.
After months of hedging, the company has at last firmed up a launch date for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The eagerly anticipated 3DS remake of the classic title — still considered among the best of all time — will hit store shelves on June 19.
Sony is leveraging Warner Bros.’s online 
distribution arm to build the audience for some of its unheralded classics.
Starting today, the Warner Archive Collection will add 150 on-demand titles from the Sony catalog, including “Genghis Khan,” “A Song To Remember” and “A Study In Terror”.
Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris talks to 
Sifteo co-founders David Merrill and Jeevan Kalanithi about their new gaming system that plays games via small electronic blocks communicating wirelessly with a PC.
Long before people take a side in the Sony vs. Nintendo vs. Microsoft vs. Apple snipefests that so often dominate forum and comment chatter, they start with much simpler gaming interests.
Blocks… Sticks… Rocks… In many cases, board game pieces… Love of gaming often begins with some sort of tactile sensation. That physical connection sometimes fades once players get exposed to video games, but David Merrill and Jeevan Kalanithi are hoping to bring it back, by fusing the best parts of traditional and video gaming.
There’s really not a lot that’s new with PAC’N-JUMP, 
but that doesn’t stop it from being an eminently enjoyable diversion. Stealing the successful Doodle Jump formula, the game puts Pac-Man on a vertical quest, rather than a maze-based one. And while he still gobbles up dots and power pellets, he also has a series of platforms to help him get higher — and boost the player’s score. The controls are very responsive and rather than being a one-trick pony, players can unlock additional maps that pit Pac-Man against enemies from other classic arcade games, such as Dig-Dug, Rally-X, and Galaga. It’s a retro twist on what is already an iDevice gaming classic.
Chris Morris: Journalist 