Slow News Cycle

So its the end of the year. Its usually pretty quiet around this time. Everyone's enjoying the period after Christmas, in which, no one does anything, nothing important happens and we all wait for the cluster fuck that will be, the New Year. But there are a few stories of varying scale and scope that deserve our attention, even if its only peripherally.

THQ Goes Bankrupt

This sounds like a much bigger story than it is. All that really happened was that the company defaulted on a loan and filed for some protections so it wouldn't have to close down. Right now THQ is being propped up by the Clearlake Capital Group, who bought the company for a song, in the interim while it gets back on its feet. Amid fears of cutbacks in the wake of their filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy a press release from THQ had this to say:

“THQ does not intend to reduce its workforce as a result of the filing, and employees will continue to work their usual schedules and receive normal compensation and benefits, pending customary Court approval.”
So basically the bankruptcy doesn't affect consumers, besides a few titles being set back a few months to reduce costs and it doesn't affect employees at the company because they will keep their jobs and salaries. Its really just a few numbers being moved from one ledger to another.

No Code Heroes(?)

The good folks over at Kickstarter have had a phenomenal year. Since the unprecedented success of Double FineAdventure in March. New indie projects have been getting crowd-funding monies out the yin yang ever since.

One game in particular has been raising eyebrows though. I personally think its a much less sinister than it would seem but there is no question, that the Kickstarter campaign for Code Hero (a programming game/teaching tool) has been behaving rather oddly. 

The developer, having promised many features and regular updates about his project, suddenly became very quiet once the project was fully funded. Now, to me, this seems like just another case of an overly ambitious project leader, making promises,out of enthusiasm, that they cant realistically deliver on. I truly hope, however, that this game is completed because I, for one, am VERY interested in seeing the end result.

Games Of The Year: From What I've Heard

There has been a few picks from various sites and sources across the interwebs but no real answer about what the definitive game of the year was. Halo 4 Tops Amazons list of Best Sellers of 2012 but the subjective, best of the year, is never decided based on sales. 

There have been picks bandied about from TheWalking Dead, to Mass Effect 3. Farcry 3 has been a major contender in the running. And i'm sure someone is saying that CodBlops2 counts as some kind of interactive experience that. I believe those people are typically considered 'barely cognisant' so I'm not sure they count as people, but I digress. 

Since I have not played any of these games and have no money to do so in any kind of a timely fashion I will be picking one based entirely on what I've heard about it, what I'm interested in seeing about it and really, simply, how much the thought of playing it excites me. 

My Game Of The Year: From What I've Heard 2012 is Farcry 3. Having played Far Cry 2 rather extensively i feel that i know what to expect from Far Cry 3, but while FC2 was a hugely satisfying experience I could see that there was so much more unrealised potential in the title and its direction. It truly thrills me that, from  what I've heard, its really lived up to that potential.

*wonders when the next end of the world is happening*

Sources: Escapist, Kotaku, Kickstarter, VentureBeat, Softpedia

CrayZ(?)

So i figured this deserved a little investigation. A rumour has been spreading about The War Z again. This time it has been claimed that a month prior to their release of the game they had been notified that their trademark is invalid due to a prior registration of a trademark. The rumour claims that the prior trade mark was the movie World War Z.

Executive Producer Sergey Titov's reaction to the news, as usual, was a massive confidence in the tiny patch of extremely thin ice he stood on. “It basically says that this application is suspended because there's another application with regards to this trademark.”

Since you can actually look this kind of thing up through publicly available patent application records on the internet I thought I'd take a look into it.

As you can see, Sergey; to his credit, included a handy little guide to looking this kind of thing up. The link he provided didn't actually lead anywhere because the search session expires after a few minutes. One can only speculate as to why he didn't just give a direct link to all of the details about his patent application. but the guide is actually quite useful. So lets start there.

1) Go to uspto.gov: Done

2) Go to TESS - trademark search: Its in one of the tabs up top, but OK, not too hard to find

3) Search for War Z: Also not too complicated.

4) Enjoy LIVE trademark!: Yay, all above board and completed and... Oh wait... What's this?

It turns out that trademarks aren't simply either live or dead. If you look a little deeper into the trademark information by clicking into the TSDR you can see its prosecution history. This is basically just a list of notices of actions taken by the office against the claim. If you've ever dealt with any large american bureaucracy you'll be familiar with this as their standard form of transparency. Given the size and scope of these departments its really to their credit that these facilities function as well as they do.

Under prosecution history you can see that the War Z application is suspended. Just like our good buddy Sergey said it had been, and it has been suspended since the first day the examiner looked at it on the 15th of November 2012. But is it a big deal? What's the reasoning behind the suspension? Well, its right there under documents, you can read the suspension letter. “... a mark(s) in a prior-filed pending application(s) may present a bar to registration of applicant’s mark.“

In short this just means that a previous application exists (read: not granted yet) for a trademark of a similar name  that may conflict with their application (World War Z perhaps?).

Where Sergey is wrong is that he seems to think that, when the application for World War Z goes through, his application will still be approved. This is not the case. When the application for World War Z gets approved (which it recently hasbeen) his application will be declined shortly afterwards and he'll be left with his dick in his hand... again.

I cannot imagine the lengths that Sergey Titov must go through to maintain this fantasy world where everything he touches turns to gold and anyone who says otherwise is part of the greatest feat of gang stalking in all of human history. He clearly wasn't prepared to be in the limelight as much as he has been. But he's been so consistently wrong about the facts surrounding his game that one starts to wonder if he is, in fact, either a paranoid delusional or a pathological liar.

*sometimes wonders if everyone is secretly trolling him*

Sources: USPTO, The War Z Forums

X–Rebirth: Expected To Be Overdue

The long awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed X series of space simulator games has been set back until 2013. X-Rebirth was initially expected to be released at the end of this year but the developers have decided to delay launch saying

“...it turns out that you don't simply reinvent space games overnight! ;)”

Maybe I'm strange, but I always get a little spark of happiness, to accompany whatever disappointment I feel, whenever I hear that a release date has been set back. Unless its “for the foreseeable future” or “for an indeterminate amount of time”, there is a little flare of excitement there, because, it says to me that, the developers don't want to rush out an incomplete product, as has become such common practice lately.

It would seem that the the folks over at Egosoft have been taking great time and care with their project which has been in the works for over 5 years. And while not all of it has been voluntary, it has all been necessary, to keep the project on the table at all.

Player involvement has been such a focus for the developers that they even have a poll on their Facebook page in which fans vote on which model they would like to see used, in game, for the "Plasma Pumps Production Unit".

This is just one example of how Egosoft have used player feedback to inform their decision making. The forums are constantly alive with discussions about new developments and directions that the fans want the game to go in. And it would seem that there is always a keen ear willing to listen whenever anyone has an intriguing new idea.

To my recollection I don't think I've seen collaboration on this level between players and developers. And while I'm sure its partly to blame for the long development time, I think it is to be commended and I hope that in the future the process can be streamlined.

All in all I'm very much looking forward to see what they end up with as a final product. I'm just glad that with all their setbacks and issues they still haven't been tempted to release an incomplete product. It would have been a huge let down if all this time spent and effort invested had been for a shoddy product. And while I'm sure expectations are ridiculously high, i'm equally sure that the folks over at Egosoft are going to do their best to reach them.

*played every X game, has never finished a story mode*

Sources: Egosoft Email

It Begins...

Well, its that time of year again, Santa's out in full force with his ho's, the reindeer are so sloshed their noses glow red, the elves are using extra fairy dust to get all the toys ready (this is in no way an allegory for child slaves and methamphetamine) and the good folks over at Steam have begun their Christmas salegasm.

Its been a year since the last one (obviously) and I am still feeling the pain from all the moneys I spent on bundles and DLC's and yes, even individual games.

With many of your favourite franchises releasing new DLC and sequels this year its the perfect opportunity to pick up the games you most wish you'd been able to afford during the year. Most notably in my opinion is Batman: Arkham City - Game of the Year Edition which is on "flash sale" for the low low price of just $7.49 discounted by 75%.

I got the Valve bundle last year and if I remember correctly it was the same price as this years but with 1 noticeable change, DOTA 2 is now a part of the list. From this one pack alone I have had countless hours (I'm sure I could add up steams totals) of fun. Between co-op games of Portal 2 and Left 4 Dead or just letting loose in Team Fortress 2 on-line there's one hell of a lot of fun to be had in this bundle.

Steam aren't the only ones with some amazing offers for Christmas though. For my indie titles I prefer to go straight to the Humble Bundle sales to pick them up for a fraction of their original cost (not because I don't feel they are worth more but because I am financially destitute) and just yesterday they began the Humble Indie Bundle 7. With the critically acclaimed Dungeon Defenders (including DLC) available when you contribute over the average donation. Indie Game: The Movie is also included in the bundle and while not strictly a game is looking like a great insight into how indie games get made.


And finally, in honour of this most auspicious occasion I am unveiling the brand new, fully featured Donate button, care of my good friends at PayPal. And while the funds raised from the donate button may be non-refundable and while they may not be spent entirely on games (though I will make every effort to spend as much as I can on games) it will certainly help me stay alive to play them. So without further adieu I bring you "Help the G" a button designed specifically for your viewing pleasure and for my income convenience.

*is so hungry, so very very hungry*

WarZ, WarZ, Give Me Your Answer Do

So the WarZ scandal continues. But I think its reached its absolute low point so its time for me to step in and sum up what's been going on with this incredible success/terrible failure.

WarZ is a game that's been released in reaction to the increased popularity of zombie based games in recent months and years (despite the claims of the developers). With the rise of franchises like The Walking Dead and the unexpected success of the ARMA II mod DayZ "zombie apocalypse sims" seem to be going from strength to strength.

But the developers of WarZ seem to have made some fundamental errors in the realm of public relations and in the broader area of general human honesty and consideration.

The controversy began pretty much as soon as the game was released. In the description sectoin on the steam page for WarZ there were a few glaring discrepancies between what the description was saying and what was actually included in the game.

It was clear that the listed features were supposed to be a part of the game as there was no mention of the game either being an alpha/beta or that some features would be added at a later date. I'm actually willing to put this down to the developers being overzealous in their approach to their description  Their dreams for the game and intentions for the future being mistaken for the actuality of what they had produced and released.

If you've read any of the reactions from the developers to the outcry about the numerous scandals you can tell that these guys are really very impassioned, if a little (read: a lot) misguided, so I can see how this would happen. That is no excuse mind you, they should be expected to maintain some level of objectivity regarding their game, especially when engaging in actual description of its existent features.

But this wasn't enough for the folks over at Hammerpoint Interactive. Once they had secured the top spot on steams best sellers the proceeded to release a patch which I can only assume was cynically retained for this exact purpose. The patch increased the waiting period for re-spawn from one hour (which i already find ridiculous) to 4 hours with the option of paying the equivalent of ~$0.27 (based on their in their in game currency pricing) for a reduced re-spawn time.

Add to this their Steam forum administrators constant banning of the accounts of critics. According to one user if they ban you from the Steam forums, they also ban your game account, though this is unconfirmed. This quickly becomes more than enough to make your blood boil already.

So how do the developers respond to the questions that have been levelled against them about their shady practices? Well, they blame the customer of course. They haven't released a statement about their censorship or sudden micro-transaction yet but Sergey Titov had this to say on the subject of the wildly misleading and inaccurate description on the steam page.

"I'm sure there'll be people who will look into small details and will say "no I was mislead," where in fact they imagined something to themselves without checking details first. I'm sure that Steam have it's refund policies that should handle those situations."

So there you have it. If you read things that are presented as facts and assume they are facts its your own fault because the person who wrote them can just retroactively say "we meant something else"

*is now worried he will have to retroactively say he meant something else*


***UPDATE***

Steam has pulled WarZ from their service. While people who already purchased the game can still play it, it is no longer available for purchase. Those who wish to continue playing may do so but those who are dissatisfied with their game may create a ticket through steam to get a refund. 
Valve had this to say to Kotaku:

"From time to time a mistake can be made and one was made by prematurely issuing a copy of War Z for sale via Steam. We apologize for this and have temporary removed the sale offering of the title until we have time to work with the developer and have confidence in a new build. Those who purchase the game and wish to continue playing it via Steam may do so. Those who purchased the title via Steam and are unhappy with what they received may seek a refund by creating a ticket at our support site here."


Our old buddy Sergey also weighed in saying:

"We're making sure that our Store page is 100% correct this is why."
"Bottom line—our end goal is to have satisfied and not angry customers, so this is more important for us than everything else."

It seems to me like he's trying to make it sound like they only took the page down to make changes to the page itself, while steam are saying they took the page down to make changes to the game. I'm starting to believe that Hammerpoint really didn't intend for any of this to happen and Sergey is just a completely useless communicator.

Sources: Gamespy, Escapist Magazine, Kotaku, Reddit

Feminist Overreach in the Media

Women's issues in gaming is something I probably give an unreasonable amount of thought to. Primarily because i see (and statistics seem to back me up) women as potentially 51% of the market for gaming. As such that makes women absolutely crucial to the success of the industry.

The real problem with sexism isn't the aesthetic standards put on women, its mostly to do with the perception that the woman has nothing to offer BUT her looks. It also has a lot to do with context.

With games like Lollipop Chainsaw, characters are perhaps a complete sexist stereotype but its intentional and part of the ridiculousness that is the rest of the game. In a similar way Duke Nukem Forever conveying an unbelievable masculine stereotype. Its intentional, sometimes funny, sometimes even thought provoking but mostly just good for a laugh.

But there is no comparison between female and male objectification in popular culture. I think men would have a similarly disproportionate problem with these things if every guy in movies for like (oh lets just say) 60-80 years was nothing more than a pretty face with nothing to add to the conversation other than "silly little ideas".

Its still taught in progressive, modern, liberal, tolerant, universities, in screen play classes, that its bad to have 2 women talking to each other on screen about anything other than men (hence the existence of the bechdel test). And this is because apparently men are the only people in movies that are, at all, interesting.

Think about that, if it was just assumed for a really really long time that you had nothing of value to say because you were born a certain way. Its as arbitrary as being short or black or ginger (cry). These things may inform your identity but they do not speak to the validity of your opinion or your depth of thought on an issue.

But while its much scapegoated it isn't the aesthetic appreciation that is the problem. That's where the overreach happens. There is nothing inherently wrong with aesthetic appreciation of anything Its the fact that for a long time it was the only thing that anyone cared about that a woman had to offer and really the only acknowledgement of their existence in media. And that's an attitude that very much still exists in various forms across various media.

Equality and balance is a difficult ideal to achieve so this isn't really surprising. But I believe that its an ideal worth striving for and that we're moving in the right direction. But progress in these areas is frequently hobbled by feminist overreaction to objectification.

I don't however think that media is actually responsible for any of this. The media is really just a reflection of culture as it exists in its time. If it wasn't then it wouldn't be in the shape that it is (see codblops2's 1 billion dollar revenue).

We as gamers have a responsibility to stand up against things in the media that we believe don't represent us in order to change that shape to better reflect us.

Things like racism and xenophobia, sexism and hate, in all its insidious forms, are important issues for shaping cultures when they crop up. Its through these issues that we decide if we're going to be a culture of inclusion and compassion or division and repression. Whichever side of that fence you live on, it will probably shock you to find that there are people who truly believe you should be on the other.

Lolipop Chainsaw makes fun of sexism, not women, whereas Resident Evil 6 really was casually racist (unintentional as it was) and its up to us to stand up TO these attitudes as much as we stand FOR Lolipop Chainsaw's true underlying meaning.

They both have an equal right to exist, absolutely, such is the nature of speech, but opinions that hold no traction with culture are quickly marginalised and ignored, and in many cases, rightly so. 

Its up to us as a community to be the deciders about what that is though.

(Sorry for using Lollipop Chainsaw like a fucking battle standard for women's lib. I know its really nothing even close to as profound as I'm making it out to be. its just an OTT example.)


*is worried about feminists taking away his toys*

Sources: His own brain