video games – News Stories About video games - Page 18

Feb 9, 2008 5:38 PM CST

UK Plans Gamer Crackdown

Brits want to keep violent games out of the hands of children

(Newser) - Big Brother is looking to land hard on the video game industry in the UK, the Guardian reports, as the government plans to rate games for violence and make it illegal to sell them to children. Government ministers are also considering measures to block kids' Internet access to unsuitable games,...

Activision Earnings Rocket 90%

Feb 8, 2008 11:18 AM CST

Activision Earnings Rocket 90%

Video games 'Guitar Hero' and 'Call of Duty 4' drive company's growth

(Newser) - Gamers who love Activision for Call of Duty and Guitar Hero have some company on Wall Street today after the company reported a 90% earnings surge and an 80% bump in sales for the quarter ending Dec. 31, reports MarketWatch. The company reported net income of $272.2 million, up...

Profits Burnout at Electronic Arts

Feb 1, 2008 1:08 AM CST

Profits Burnout at Electronic Arts

Game maker loses money despite soaring game sales

(Newser) - Video game sales are at an all-time high but the world's largest independent publisher of them has reported a third-quarter loss, reports the AP. Electronic Arts says the loss is down to restructuring and accounting changes. Revenue was up 17%, but the company saw its share of the market slip...

Green Groups
Push TV Tax
to Get Kids
Off the Couch

Jan 22, 2008 5:20 PM CST

Green Groups Push TV Tax to Get Kids Off the Couch

NM plan would fund outdoor programs

(Newser) - A New Mexico environmental coalition is calling for a 1% sales tax on TVs and video games to fund outdoor programs for kids, and the idea is gaining steam, writes Carl Pope for the Huffington Post. Proponents of the "Leave No Child Inside” plan say the tax would raise...

Video Game Sales Shatter Annual Record

Jan 18, 2008 10:23 AM CST

Video Game Sales Shatter Annual Record

Despite softening economy, $18B total in US marks 43% jump

(Newser) - More video games were sold in 2007 than ever before, with a total of $17.94 billion marking a 43% increase over 2006, reports the AP. Much of the growth came from sales of Nintendo's chronically undersupplied Wii and Microsoft's Halo 3, market researcher NPD Group said. Nintendo dominated gaming...

Video Game Industry Reaches Boss Level

Jan 14, 2008 10:14 PM CST

Video Game Industry Reaches Boss Level

Industry chiefs aim to get more of a say in Washington

(Newser) - The video game industry has grown up and is going to start putting some quarters into Washington, the New York Times reports. Game makers have formed their first political action committee and will soon start making campaign donations to candidates, in hopes of steering more of them to the industry's...

Disgruntled Xbox Players Will Get Free Game

Jan 4, 2008 3:19 PM CST

Disgruntled Xbox Players Will Get Free Game

Microsoft apologizes for swamped system over holidays

(Newser) - Microsoft apologized to Xbox players who weren’t able to access its online gaming system over Christmas and promised them a free game to make up for it. The software company said the system got swamped by too many users trying to play at once. Members of the service will...

Slash Can't
Outplay His
Virtual Self in
'Guitar Hero'

Jan 3, 2008 10:49 AM CST

Slash Can't Outplay His Virtual Self in 'Guitar Hero'

Guns 'N' Roses legend admits defeat

(Newser) - In order to beat the video game "Guitar Hero III," you have to outplay a virtual version of legendary guitarist Slash. If you can't quite cut it, don't feel so bad—the real Slash can't, either. "I just actually played it for the first time last night,...

Selling the Video Game Pitch

Dec 22, 2007 7:50 PM CST

Selling the Video Game Pitch

Gamespot explores the evolution of the game concept sale

(Newser) - Picture the video game pitch: You sit down in front of a group software publisher execs with nothing more than a Powerpoint presentation and somehow try to communicate what your hypothetical digital world will be like and why it will be successful. Gamespot explores the evolution of pitching, from its...

Teens Kill 7-Year-Old With Mortal Kombat Moves

Dec 20, 2007 3:40 PM CST

Teens Kill 7-Year-Old With Mortal Kombat Moves

Charged with as adults with felony child abuse

(Newser) - A 16-year-old girl and her boyfriend beat to death her little sister while imitating moves from the Mortal Kombat video game, Colorado police say. Heather Trujillo and Lamar Roberts, 17, kicked, punched, and body-slammed 7-year-old Zoe Garcia until she was unconscious, CNN reports. They have been charged as adults with...

Bruckheimer Inks Vid Game Deal With MTV

Dec 19, 2007 9:07 AM CST

Bruckheimer Inks Vid Game Deal With MTV

Action maestro will make games the way he makes movies

(Newser) - When MTV heard that Jerry Bruckheimer wanted to make video games, the company jumped to sign him. Sure, Bruckheimer’s never made a video game before, but he doesn’t think it’ll be too different from making Pirates of the Caribbean or "CSI." “Get creative talent...

Guaranteed Wii ... Come January

Dec 14, 2007 6:25 PM CST

Guaranteed Wii ... Come January

Nintendo, GameStop to offer rain check on video-game console

(Newser) - Kids hoping to score a Nintendo Wii this Christmas might have to settle for a skimpy rain check instead, the Los Angeles Times reports. Nintendo has completely sold out of its popular video-game console and won't be shipping any new units until January. Instead, buyers can reserve systems with full-price...

Wii Remains
Hottest Seller
for Holidays

Dec 14, 2007 9:59 AM CST

Wii Remains Hottest Seller for Holidays

1 million units gone in a flash last month as shoppers get creative

(Newser) - Nintendo’s Wii remained the hottest-selling—and hardest to find—game console in the US in November as shoppers snapped up nearly 1 million units, Reuters reports. Shoppers desperate for holiday presents have been standing in line at stores more than 14 hours to get a crack at one, and...

Video Games May Replace DVDs In Stores

OPINION

Dec 10, 2007 1:09 PM CST

Video Games May Replace DVDs In Stores

Ars Technica sees big game sales driving shelf space decisions

(Newser) - DVD sales are slipping while video games and their tie-ins are seeing record consumption, reports Ars Technica, leading Ben Kuchera to suggest that video games will replace DVDs on many retail shelves. With even grandmothers now going Wii wild, video games are no longer just the realm of teens and...

Shakespeare Game Much Ado About Nothing

Dec 5, 2007 2:03 PM CST

Shakespeare Game Much Ado About Nothing

MMO game hoped to be social experiment - instead it's 'no fun'

(Newser) - Edward Castronova’s Arden: The World of Shakespeare was supposed to be a revolutionary academic experiment, a massive multiplayer online world where players learned about Shakespeare while Castronova tested economic theories on them. There’s just one problem, Technology Review reports: “It’s no fun,” says Castronova. Focused...

Vivendi to Buy Activision

Dec 2, 2007 2:49 PM CST

Vivendi to Buy Activision

Get ready for World of Tony Hawk's Pro Guitar Warcraft

(Newser) - Vivendi, producer of mega-hit World of Warcraft, today announced plans to merge operations with Activision, forming an independent video game behemoth to rival EA. Vivendi will buy 52% of Activision for $1.7 billion and $27.50 per share, the Times reports, a premium on Friday’s $22.15 closing...

Writer Fired for Negative Review?

Nov 30, 2007 2:40 PM CST

Writer Fired for Negative Review?

Game site editor dumped shortly after he slams a major advertiser's product

(Newser) - The editorial director of a video game review site was fired after giving a negative review to a game from a major advertiser. The writer called Kane & Lynch: Dead Men "probably not worth the purchase" before GameSpot terminated him, reports DailyTech. This when the review site's homepage...

'Guitar Hero' Amps Metal Sales

Nov 28, 2007 12:07 PM CST

'Guitar Hero' Amps Metal Sales

Rock star wannabes turning to real bands

(Newser) - Red-hot video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is helping lift heavy metal sales, the Boston Herald reports. Massachusetts metallers Killswitch Engage have seen CD sales top half a million since being featured in the game—pretty good going in the age of illegal downloads. The guitar simulator game...

Computer Game Lets Players Try Virtual Peace

Nov 25, 2007 4:12 PM CST

Computer Game Lets Players Try Virtual Peace

Peace center will distribute games to Israelis, Palestinians during US talks

(Newser) - A computer game that promotes peace in the Middle East will be distributed to Palestinians and Israelis this week while their leaders meet in the US to negotiate, the Associated Press reports. “PeaceMaker” players choose roles as Israeli or Palestinian leaders and respond to attacks from the opposing side....

Ten Christmas Wishes From Wired

Nov 23, 2007 12:34 PM CST

Ten Christmas Wishes From Wired

Number one is a slinky, and that's awesome

(Newser) - Wired editors have picked out their gadget wish list for the holidays this year, and while the list includes some high-tech toys like TVs and palmtops, it starts out with a standby: a slinky.

Slinky (everyone knows it's slinky)
Nokia N810 (open source palmtop)
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean (invincible wristwatch)

...