Category Archives: Gamasutra

Opinion: Nintendo ‘Future-Proofing’ The 3DS With Media Capabilities?

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[In a Friday opinion piece, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at Satoru Iwata’s musings on possible video recording for Nintendo’s 3DS to look at the stealth non-gaming elements of the 3DS and how they might truly ‘future-proof’ the handheld.]

While it has had to endure its fair share of navel gazing and questions from the media over the 3DS — including from me — Nintendo is starting to show once again why it’s always foolish to bet against the company.

There’s no doubt the 3DS will be a hot seller when it hits shelves. Most new game technologies from major players in the industry usually are. The question that has always loomed over the 3DS’s head, though, was is it enough to lure people who are spending more and more time with their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

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Analysis: Behind The ESA’s New E3 Media Rules

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[Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris examines recent changes to E3 2011’s media registration policy, intended to “prevent some of the problems we’ve had with fake badges,” according to a rep with event co-organizer ESA.]

Getting into E3 in Los Angeles in June is going to be a different experience for journalists this year.

For the first time, the Entertainment Software Association, which organizes the convention, has decided not to pre-mail badges to media attendees.

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Analysis: How Gaming Seeps Into CES 2011

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[Reporting from Las Vegas’ CES, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at video games’ presence at the major electronics show, examining how the show hints at the blossoming of a post-console future for games.]

For a trade show that’s not about video games, there sure are a lot of people talking about and playing them here at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.

OnLive, Kinect and Playstation are being discussed nearly as much as tablets, 3D TVs and cameras. It’s some of the clearest proof yet showing that as video games evolve and grow, the industry is moving closer and closer to the world of mainstream entertainment.

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Opinion: Why So Much Mass Media Hysteria Over 3DS Vision Warnings?

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[In this opinion piece, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at the reports about the ‘dangers’ of the Nintendo 3DS for the young that surfaced over the holidays, and why lack of context and media sensationalism is rife in reporting this particular story.]

I’ve been a member of the so-called mass media for over 20 years. I logged over nine of those with CNN; have worked for Forbes; and spent more than half a dozen years in Atlanta radio, reporting on subjects including the 1996 Olympics and the ramifications of disastrous plane crashes.

I am, in short, a proud member of the Fourth Estate. But sometimes, the idiocy and sensationalism of certain members of my chosen profession drives me up a wall.

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Gamasutra’s Best Of 2010: Top 5 Unexpected Gaming Events

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[In a light-hearted post-Christmas countdown, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris examines the unexpected moments of 2010 in gaming, from Justice Kagan on Mortal Kombat to Panasonic’s Jungle.]

Talk about a topsy-turvy year. The video game industry has weathered its share of good and bad in 2010, but what made things really interesting were the completely unexpected moments – things we could never have predicted, no matter how many clues we were given.

From THQ’s decision to launch an experimental pricing strategythat could lob $20 off the price of games if it’s successful, to the return of a circus-like E3 environment (topped by Activision’s Lollapalooza-like concert), there were plenty of shocking moments in 2010.

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The Year In Review: Game Biz Analysts On The Worst Happenings Of 2010

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Having picked the brains of Wall Street analysts on the best things to happen in the video game industry in 2010, there was no way we were going to let them go without talking about the worst as well.

This year, after all, might end in positive territory when all is said and done, but it’s going to be tough to look at it as a winner from several perspectives. Retail sales continue to spiral and developer-publisher relations took another blow to the chin. Meanwhile, stock prices of publicly traded game companies continued to lag.

Here’s what the analysts thought went wrong in 2010.

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The Year In Review: Game Biz Analysts On The Best Happenings Of 2010

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[Gamasutra asked a half-dozen of the most notable game industry analysts about the best and worst things to happen to the game industry this year — with some intriguing and unexpected responses.]

Wall Street analysts spend most of their time looking forward – trying to predict future trends and events in the video game industry. Rather than having them pull out crystal balls as we inch towards 2011, we thought it would be interesting to ask them to look in their rear view mirrors and give their thoughts on the year that was.

We start on a positive note – looking at the best changes of the year. (The group’s thoughts on what went wrong will run next week.)

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Analysis: Are Spike TV’s VGAs Good For Gaming?

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[Analyzing the weekend’s Spike TV Video Game Awards, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris reveals this year’s dwindling ratings for the show — despite “minimal signs of improvement” in quality and diversity.]

It wouldn’t be the holidays if the gaming world wasn’t in an uproar about U.S. cable channel Spike TV’s Video Game Awards. For the eighth consecutive year, the network has raised the ire of industry gadflys and gamers, who feel the show does more to set back video games than celebrate them.

Ratings for the VGAs are never spectacular. This year’s installment, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, attracted 627,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. That’s 20,000 fewer than last year and marks the fourth consecutive year of declines. Since 2007, ratings for the show have fallen 32 percent.

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Analysis: EA Expands Pogo.com, Looking For A Chance To Digitally Shine

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Gamasutra’s Chris Morris speaks to Michael Marchetti, senior vice president of EA’s casual gaming site Pogo.com about how he intends to “build the base of new players” to add to its 1.5 million active subscribers.

To the outside world, Pogo.com has always seemed like the redheaded stepchild of Electronic Arts. Bought nine years ago, there’s nothing flashy about the site and its core audience isn’t likely to buy a lot of other EA games – well, until the next Simsexpansion pack comes around, anyway.

It’s a consistent moneymaker, however; one that has generally been left to fend for itself. And it’s done quite well. As recently as 2007, in fact, it was handily beating Facebook in terms of time spent by users, according to Compete.com. But the industry is changing fast – and now Pogo.com is being asked to step up its game.

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Interview: Blizzard Co-Founder Pearce On World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm’s Reboot

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[As Cataclysm reboots many areas in World Of Warcraft‘s universe, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris talks to Blizzard co-founder and EVP Frank Pearce about why the early grind in WoW “doesn’t have the best content”, and how the expansion is fixing that.]

Blizzard has always been a collection of perfectionists. But it wasn’t until the impending release of its MMO expansion World of Warcraft: Cataclysm that we saw just how exacting they can be when it come to quality.

The rise of Deathwing the Destroyer in Azeroth, as you surely know by now, isn’t confined to the expansion pack. His eruption from Deepholm has ripped the entire game world asunder – even impacting what new players of the game see and experience.

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