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Addiction experts say video games not an addiction

Doctors backed away on Sunday from a controversial proposal to designate video game addiction as a mental disorder akin to alcoholism, saying psychiatrists should study the issue more.

“There is nothing here to suggest that this is a complex physiological disease state akin to alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders, and it doesn’t get to have the word addiction attached to it,” said Dr. Stuart Gitlow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Congress set to issue virtual goods taxation report

News.com has the word that congress is set to re-visit taxing virtual goods, a concept they shelved a while back in order to consider the matter more fully. That’s given the Congress’ Joint Economic Committee time to come to a decision about what exactly the value of virtual goods means for players and game-makers. An economist with the group told CNet to expect their report sometime next month.

What that report will say is unknown, as the committee has kept entirely quiet about its thoughts. However, it’s clear that something will happen. ‘Given growth rates of 10 to 15 percent a month, the question is when, not if, Congress and IRS start paying attention to these issues,’ [senior economist Dan] Miller, who is a fan of virtual worlds and economies, told CNET News.com in December. ‘So it is incumbent on us to set the terms and the debate so we have a shaped tax policy toward virtual worlds and virtual economies in a favorable way.’

ESRB Now Enforcing Game Trailer Ratings

Gamasutra has the news that the ESRB is beginning to enforce rating-related audience restrictions on game trailers. D3 Publisher’s trailer for Dark Sector was judged AO by the ESRB, and demanded in correspondence to the company that it be removed from the internet. Take-Two, meanwhile, has been handed a letter saying their trailer for The Darkness needs to be ‘age-gated’ if it is to be seen online.

Game publishers that do not comply with the age gate requirement are subject to enforcement actions by the ESRB,’ the statement warns, though it makes no mention of precisely what penalties exist for non-compliant sites. Curiously, there seems to be some mixed messages regarding age gating, as the Dark Sector notice specifically mentions that the videos are to be pulled regardless of age gating. A Take-Two representative told Gamasutra that The Darkness footage has been rated separately to the game by the ESRB, implying that official game trailers are now being rated by the organization.

Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire Trailer and Info

The power of the dragon is in your hands as D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, today announced that Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire™ will be available exclusively for the Wii™ system this fall. Designed specifically for the Wii system, Dragon Blade is a 3rd person action-adventure game where players unleash the magical powers of a fierce dragon, creating a unique and visually stunning weapon through their sword and arms. Players will utilize an intuitively designed, two-handed Wii control scheme and use both arms simultaneously to emulate the dragon’s arms, wings, tail, fire and more as they embark on an epic fantasy adventure in more than 20 unique environments in 6 visually stunning worlds.

“Dragon Blade is one the few hack ‘n slash games that will be available on the Wii this fall and the development team, Land Ho, has done a great job to fully utilize the Wii controls so players will experience parallel movement between themselves and the game avatar like never before,” said Yoji Takenaka, executive vice president and chief operations officer, D3PA. “With its arcade style pick-up and play gameplay, we expect Dragon Blade to appeal to gamers of all ages.”

Featuring an original story by Richard A. Knaak, one of the best-selling authors behind the immensely popular DragonLance series as well as other popular series based on Warcraft, Diablo, and the Age of Conan, Dragon Blade immerses players in a compelling storyline and richly detailed fantasy worlds. Players will use their dragon powers and hundreds of combat options to battle colossal enemies and embark on quests to upgrade their weapons and make them even more powerful over time.

DESCRIPTION:
In a fantasy world devastated and scorched by powerful dragons, you will rise from the ashes a hero. But to fight fire with fire, you must find the pieces of the Dragon Blade—a sword that contains the soul and abilities of a dragon—and unleash a power unlike any seen before! Created specifically for the Nintendo Wii™, Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire™ is a 3rd person action-adventure game where players unleash the supernatural powers of a magical dragon, creating a unique and visually stunning weapon through their sword and arms. Players are immersed in the action as they experience parallel movement between themselves and their in-game character by using their dragon powers and hundreds of combat options to battle colossal enemies and embark on quests to upgrade their weapons and make them even more powerful. Offering an original storyline from best-selling fantasy author Richard A. Knaak, Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire immerses players in an epic action-packed, arcade-style adventure through multiple unique fantasy worlds.

KEY FEATURES:

• Brand New Weapon System – Dragon Blade’s weapon system is unlike anything seen before as players unleash the dragon’s supernatural powers in the form of a flaming sword, dragon wings, claws, tail, fire-breathing head and more.

• Uniquely designed, two-handed Wii control scheme – Players will use both arms simultaneously to emulate the flaming sword and dragon powers.

• Original Storyline Exclusively On The Wii – Original story by Richard A. Knaak, one of the best-selling authors behind the immensely popular DragonLance series as well as other popular series based on Warcraft, Diablo, and the Age of Conan.

• Upgradeable Combat Systems – Players will utilize hundreds of combat options and experience the freedom and creativity to use them at any time during their adventure.

• Richly Detailed Fantasy Worlds and Challenging Environments – Embark on epic quests through 20 unique environments and 6 visually stunning worlds.

Video Games Console ‘Chipping’ Criminals BUSTED

Yesterday saw the successful launch of a new multifaceted crime-fighting initiative in which three people from the North East of England were put under investigation for producing and selling modified games chips and ‘chipped’ Nintendo® Wii™ and DS™, Microsoft® 360™ and Xbox®, and Sony® PlayStation®2 and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) consoles.

In a radical new departure for the way anti-piracy operations are handled, Police officers from the Cleveland Police Economic Crime Unit in conjunction with Stockton Police, two Trading Standards authorities and members of ELSPA (the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association) Anti-Piracy Unit, joined forces to hit three premises simultaneously.

The raids: two at separate addresses in the Billingham area and another in Lingdale were carried out at 7:30 yesterday morning, where an Aladdin’s Cave of illegal ‘chipping’ equipment, counterfeit and pirated games plus other infringing items were seized.

I do not have a problem with Mod ‘Chipping’ I like Mod Chips. I have one on my Xbox not for using pirated games, but for using EvolutionX menu system and functions. At the Time my son was 8 when I did this and well, he was not the best for taking care of his game CDs. With the help of the mod chip I was able to make back ups of his games and place them on the hard drive. I can play Homebrew games along with using it as a media player (Scheduled recording, fast forward, rewind, pause Live TV, almost like a TiVo).

It appears that at least two of the three suspects questioned were offering pirated games for sale over the Internet and a significant quantity of advanced electronic devices and chips that allow counterfeit gaming to be played on almost every current console; they were also selling illegal copies of the games themselves.

Prevention and disruption of illegal Internet trading is now the number one priority for all UK economic crime authorities, where traders of counterfeit goods and pirates have been operating with relative anonymity and virtually unchallenged. Criminals operating on the Internet or in the marketplace now face tough and effective counter-measures to deny them opportunities to profit from the sale of counterfeit goods and the theft of Intellectual Property.

Mod ‘Chipping’ should not ever be considered a crime. Its your game system you can drop it off the roof if you want and no one should care. Its only a crime when you use it to pirate games. I know the downfall of all the people busted in the raids, is that they also sold pirated games and that’s a NO NO. The mind set of people is that “Well if it can be used to pirate games then, Oh my that must be what you are doing with it”. That would be like saying “You own a gun you must be robbing people with it”. IT does not work that way folks. A DVR with a DVD recorder in it can be used to copy a movie off HBO. Should they be outlawed as well since you could sell them? IT is the game corps using the “I will Burn the town down to get the 1 person I really want” approach.

Sonic RPG Game For The Nintendo DS! WTF?

SEGA® of America, Inc. and Canada-based developer studio BioWare® Corp. today announced a partnership to create a new video game based on the classic SEGA flagship icon, Sonic The Hedgehog. The exact name of the game is undetermined, but this new title developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS will ship in 2008.

“BioWare is one of the hottest names in RPG development in the world,” said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA of America, Inc. “Everyone at SEGA has huge confidence that Sonic is in the safest of hands, and that BioWare can create the ultimate handheld RPG experience for gamers of all ages.”

BioWare is the award-winning independent developer that has created some of the world’s best-selling titles including the Baldur’s Gateâ„¢ and Neverwinter Nightsâ„¢ series, the 2003 Game of the Year, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republicâ„¢ and the 2005 RPG of the Year, Jade Empire.â„¢ BioWare is currently developing one of the most anticipated next-generation titles of 2007, Mass Effect.â„¢

“We’re thrilled to be working with SEGA on Sonic, one of the industry’s most enduring and compelling icons,” said Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare. “As huge fans of Sonic ourselves, we’re committed to delivering a truly amazing story-driven experience within the Sonic universe, focusing on capturing the character’s broad appeal and placing him in a completely original adventure,” added Ray Muzyka, chief executive officer of BioWare.

The relationship with BioWare reinforces SEGA’s increased emphasis on Western content development for Western audiences. In the past few years SEGA has announced partnerships with developers Bizarre Creations, Gas Powered Games, Monolith Productions, Obsidian Entertainment, Planet Moon Studios, Pseudo Interactive and Silicon Knights. SEGA has also acquired development studios The Creative Assembly, Secret Level and Sports Interactive.

World In Conflict Video and Screenshots, Trailer and Info

Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced that World in Conflict - the upcoming action-strategy game that blurs the line between traditional strategy gameplay and fast-paced shooters - will be available for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft this fall. The game is being developed for Xbox 360 by Sierra’s own Swordfish Studios, in conjunction with Massive Entertainment, also a Sierra-owned studio, to optimise gameplay for the Xbox 360 controller and implement a new heads-up-display (HUD) that is more functional and appealing for console gamers.

World in Conflict represents the next-generation of strategy games, pitting Cold War-era superpowers against one another with completely destructible 3D battlefields, blistering visuals, and a narrowed gameplay focus that removes traditional resource-gathering and base-building in favor of non-stop combat, tactical decisions and an FPS-like addiction to intense action.

“World in Conflict is the natural fit for Xbox 360, as it effectively blurs the lines between strategy, action and first-person shooter, making controlling units and issuing orders quick and easy on the console controller,” said Al Simone, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, Sierra Entertainment. “With the game coming to Xbox 360, next-generation console gamers will be able to enjoy the next-generation of strategy games. Fans of action games and strategy fanatics alike will find that World in Conflict’s unique gameplay and advanced multiplayer combat will provide a fresh game experience not yet available on consoles.”

World in Conflict presents a chillingly authentic Cold War scenario where the Berlin Wall never fell. Created by Cold War authority and best-selling author Larry Bond, the story begins in 1989 as the Soviets, fearing certain collapse, boldly advance into Europe. NATO responds in force only to be met on a second front - a full-fledged invasion of the American homeland. Players take on the role of field commander, leading the era’s most powerful military machines in the campaign to retake America’s cities and suburbs.

• Super-Powered Warfare: Unleash the arsenals of the great military superpowers in the gripping single-player story created by Larry Bond
• Bleeding-Edge Graphics – The latest version of Massive’s proprietary Masstech engine allows for a full 360° range of camera control and features advanced lighting and physics effects
• Complete Destructibility – As the battle rages, the world environment pays the price -every object in the game will crumble under the force of war, including cars, buildings and forests
• Deep Multiplayer Modes: World in Conflict will support up to 16 players for head-to-head and team-based battles in Domination, Assault and Tug-of-War gameplay styles
• Real World Units: Players will take control of the most devastating arsenal of military weaponry ever created, including Soviet, American and NATO tanks, planes, trucks, troops and helicopters as well as nuclear weapons
• Player Roles – Players will choose to play as Infantry, Armor, Support Forces, or Aerial specialists; multiplayer teams will need to master each role for maximum effectiveness

World in Conflict is expected to be available at retail stores worldwide this fall for the Xbox 360. The game will also be available on personal computer in September.

From the World in Conflict web site.

The World in Conflict closed beta [PC] was a huge success as thousands of gamers got their first play experience with the game and provided tons of invaluable feedback to the development team. With the end of the closed beta we are pleased to announce that a 2nd beta test will be coming in July - with the chance for even more gamers to participate. Further details and sign up information for the July Beta Event will be posted soon at worldinconfliict.com/beta. You can be automatically alerted by signing up for our official newsletter. Pre-order customers with beta access and bonus beta content will be contacted via email with further details by their retailer before the beta begins.

Celebrity Judges For Guitar Hero II Competitions

The World Series of Video Games (WSVG), Presented by Intel, announced today that Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil leads the pack of special guest judges that will evaluate “Guitar Hero II” competitors. Attendees can look forward to seeing the legendary heavy metal icon at the finals of the upcoming Dallas event July 5-8 at the Gaylord Texan Resort.

Video game industry experts at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville this weekend will be MTV Style VJ Coltrane Curtis, legendary video game composer Tommy Tallarico, and Becky “Aktrez” Young, Leading Lady of the Girl Gaming Network. In Dallas, video game journalist and host Geoff Keighley and PC GameSpy.com’s editor-in-chief Sal “Sluggo” Accardo will assist Vince Neil with the judging. Additional judges for later events will be announced at a later date.

“It was clear from the beginning that we would need to call in the experts to separate the rookies from the rock stars,” said Matthew Ringel, president and commissioner of the World Series of Video Games. “We are committed to creating a video game tournament that is as fun for spectators as it is for participants. Our new judging format will help deliver the same immediacy and fun to Guitar Hero II competition as some of the most highly-watched music shows on television.”

At each event, the judges will score competitors based on accuracy, difficulty and in an interesting twist, showmanship! All areas of performances will be evaluated; from the ability to work the crowd, put together a unique and thought-out set and the precision of strumming and ripping.

More than $60,000 in cash prizing will be up for grabs in “Guitar Hero II” competition and a total of $750,000 will be awarded in cash and travel at this year’s World Series of Video Games, Presented by Intel circuit. Highlights from the competitions will air nationally on CBS Sports as part of four hour-long WSVG specials. Each episode will include segments on the competitors, as well as extensive competition footage for the featured titles, which include Activision’s “Guitar Hero IIT,” Blizzard Entertainment®’s “World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade®”, and “EA SPORTST Fight Night Round 3.”

Summer Release dates from Nintendo

As we move into summer Nintendo is launching a range of games which will keep everyone from hardcore gamers to complete newcomers entertained. The unprecedented success of the Nintendo DS has helped to expand the gaming audience more than ever before and is the fastest selling console to reach the 10 million mark in European history, now with sales of almost 12 million, while the newly released Wii has already sold approximately 2 million in Europe since launch. Now Nintendo’s already strong software line-up is being bolstered even further by a selection of new titles launching in the third quarter of 2007.
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AVENCAST: Rise of the Mage RPG Preview and Screenshots

AVENCAST: Rise of the Mage, a upcoming Action/RPG game for PC.

GAME SUMMARY

What’s unique about AVENCAST: Rise of the Mage? It effectively balances both combat and non-combat interactions for a perfect combination of both brains and brawn. By drawing from player-skilled action games like shooters and beat-em-ups, and combining those elements with the game mechanics of an RPG, Avencast offers players the excitement of crafting a powerful character, but also requires them to bring their own skills to unleash their hero’s potential. The game will bring a refreshing new approach to the present action RPG genre given its combat system that favors skillful gameplay over dull mouse clicking. But, Avencast is not only about combat. There are strong adventure elements involving numerous perilous quests, scouring vast environments for powerful items, solving riddles, and engaging with various NPC’s to advance the compelling story.

The player begins their journey as an adept attending the renowned magic academy – Avencast – a place of learning in a world of wizardry, wonder and untold mystery. As an apprentice, the player is expected to complete a number of diverse quests to hone their skills in potions, spell casting, weaponry, and melee combat. As the story unravels, your character’s purpose becomes clear –
things at the academy are not as they appear and when Avencast is descended upon by demonic hordes the very survival of his world is at stake. Armed with over 60 different combat moves and spells, and over one hundred different equipment items plus variations, the player must fight various nightmarish creatures and transcend dimensions into the past. The intriguing plot thickens revealing treachery, deceit, the tragic destiny of a forgotten people, and an astonishing truth that will forever change the battle scarred Wizard.

FEATURES

• Many hours of exciting gameplay set in diverse worldsOver 30 Fantasy Based Monsters with Advanced A.I.– Each with their own combat strategies, attacks, and defensive moves, their reactions are dependant upon the player’s behavior, attack strategy, and even health
• Strong Player Personification – In third person view, the character’s appearance changes as they acquire new equipment, armor, and weapons
• State-of-the-art 3D Engine not only allows for a fluid combat system but also generates special lighting and shadowing effects for a fully engaging experience. Players are immersed into ominous settings like dark dungeons with looming pillars and large corridors; creatures are more imposing with their highly detailed silhouettes
• Learn Special Moves from Different Skill Trees – Blood Magic (elementally charged blows with varying speeds, ranges, and damage properties) and Soul Magic (covers all kinds of ranged magic spells allowing better area control) – both allow players to summon reinforcements during combat
• An RPG by mechanics, but also a game that can be enjoyed by a broad range of players – RPG, Action, and Adventure