To most of us, the Spaced Invaders game will always be a figment of our past. It has addicted a lot of us mature citizens today and incidentally, it would be glad to note that this game which turns 30 years old today is still up and about.

Space Invaders, for the one or two of you who haven’t had the pleasure, is a two-dimensional shoot-em-up in which the player controls the left and right movement of a laser cannon across the bottom of the screen. The player’s cannon is partially protected by several stationary defence bunkers which can be shot away gradually by both the player and the advancing ‘invaders’.

Space Invaders spawned a number of sequels, remakes and remixes on several formats. In 1980 a Space Invaders release on the Atari 2600 console proved to be one of the first ‘killer apps’ and quadrupled sales of the hardware. Some other ports and copycats received a far less enthusiastic reaction however.

Space Invaders is as synonymous with electronic gaming as the guitar is to rock music. It opened the doors for what is now a bigger industry than film or music. The pixilated imagery of the invaders is known across the globe by consumers spanning three generations.

It’s an icon of a time where games were designed to make you want to insert another coin, then another until your pocket money had vanished down that slot at which point you’d stand there and enviously watch the next kid do the same.

(Source) Stuff

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime isn’t unique in his penchant for throwing down the gauntlet in interviews. Its a common practice amongst gaming executives and Reggie is joining the ranks of executives who have criticized the used game sales model. Unfortunately his arguments against the used games model are pretty thin.

“Describe another form of entertainment that has a vibrant used goods market,” says Fils-Aime. “Used books have never taken off. You don’t see businesses selling used music CDs or used DVDs. Why? The consumer likes having a brand-new experience and reliving it over and over again.” From a logical perspective the used games market ultimately hurts gamers since money that could go into hiring more staff and ultimately make for better games goes into lining the pockets of the retailers.

Ultimately though the used games industry thrives because games are very different than films, music or books. Used book stores often fail because of an unimpressive collection, especially if you live in an area with a good library system. Used music isn’t as common because the cheapest way to get an album in modern times is to download it or borrow a friend’s CD and put it on your computer. Rental chains like Blockbuster sell the excess copies of DVDs but Netflix makes having a wide range of films at home unnecessary.

Goal or No Goal (Gong), the free-to-play, multiplayer, online soccer game and community, is now available at Target. GONG!, available for Windows PC, is already being played online in nearly 20 countries, including the United States, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt and Mexico.

This three vs. three multiplayer online soccer game has established itself as the one of the hottest online soccer game communities on the Web. The exclusive retail product features a premium subscription that provides faster leveling-up and increased rate of earning stars, access to VIP events, as well as 800 starter coins that can be used for in-game transactions.

“GONG! Goal or No Goal is a family-friendly game whose distinctive fusion of social interaction, casual sports MMO and online community experience have already made it a global success,” said Wim Stocks, vice president of Sales and Strategic Partnerships for THQ.

For a suggested retail price of $19.99, consumers who purchase the game at Target will receive a VIP package totaling more than $60 of retail exclusive content. Developed by Sleepy Giant, GONG! Goal or No Goal is rated E for everyone.

(Source) Press

Okay so one day after I blogged that there is finally supply to satisfy the demand for people looking for Nintendo’s Wii console, news comes out that the price will be raised in England. Why? It is simple economics. To balance the demand, prices will be raised to help control the supply.

On a business aspect, this sounds logical. But for consumers, it may draw varied criticism such as possibly looking for other game consoles that fit their budget. When the Wii ran out, you can bet a lot of people have been saving up until the game console would be available. But now, they raise the price?

Also, add the aspect of economic problems playing a part in this. The price tag needs to be adjusted to justify the cost in producing them hence another excuse for the Wii to become more expensive than before. You can just look at the depreciating economy as an accomplice to these developments.

Nintendo doesn’t expect the people to understand. It’s a business move. With the risk of possibly slowing down on sales from demand certain to occur, you may see people shying away or perhaps waiting for such time when the price is lowered once again. The only question is when.

(Source) JustPressPlay