diversity
Latest
DS Daily: Overabundance and dearth
The number of DS games given stateside release is now probably beyond 500 (we'd count up all the entries here but we're too lazy), but as in college campuses around the country, diversity can be a tricky beast. We've seen some great titles across the board, of course, but haven't you felt that the DS was a bit lacking in some areas, while watered down in others?The most obvious absentees are the general JRPG and fighting genres. RPG experiences themselves aren't too difficult to come by, but standard fare (outside of remakes) is a bit harder to find. By and large the best fighting game for the DS, Jump Superstars, has never even been localized. When it comes to puzzle and racing genres, however, we're flooded with low-polish trash. Which genres do you feel are over- or under-represented, and of which would you like to see more?
Joseph Saulter: 'Why should I have to be a white man?'
Joseph Saulter, chairman of game design and development at American Intercontinental University, has been a vocal advocate about the role of minorities within the industry.Speaking about Microsoft's Blacks in Gaming gathering last night he says, "It's great to see that things are happening and we are getting toward the vision, but it's still not the reality." He says the potential influence that diversity would bring to the industry isn't being recognized. Explaining he's spent his life as a black man, he half-jokingly says when he looks around the game industry he feels himself asking the question, "Why should I have to be a white man? ... Meaning I bring a unique characteristic in my African-American culture. It would be nice to bring my cultural expertice into an arena. We go into this white business -- and it's not that the business is white. It's that the culture in the business is white. I'd like to see people create what I am in games and be accepted for what I do."Saulter says the industry is like a "horse with blinders" on when it comes to issues of diversity. It's not that they are outright ignoring minorities, it's just that the focus is so straight ahead and narrow, companies don't take the time to reach out. He says there are programs like the Urban Video Game Academy based in Atlanta, Maryland and Washington D.C., which attempt to get kids into game design and should be looked at as an opportunity by developers to find potential talent. He compared getting a job in the industry like riding a horse. He believes that minorities don't care if they get knocked off the horse, that's only fair -- but they'd still like a chance to ride.
Elgato releases new EyeTV Diversity DTT tuner
Looks like Miglia isn't the only kid on the block with a picture-in-picture TV tuner for the Mac anymore, as Elgato has released the EyeTV Diversity, offering powerful DTT reception, picture-in-picture viewing and the ability to record one channel while you watch another. DTT, for those who might be scratching their heads, stands for Digital Terrestrial Television, a new digital broadcasting standard adopted mostly by European and Asian countries, allowing for more better channels and content to be served over traditional broadcasting systems (i.e. - from what little I know about DTT from the Wikipedia entry and Elgato's product page, this product doesn't really have North Americans in its demographic, for now). Nevertheless, judging from its size and feature list, the EyeTV Diversity is packing quite a punch, and it's available now from Elgato for 149,95 Euros.Thanks Todd
Question for gaymers: Is the 360 lacking diversity?
GayGamer.net's list of the "Top 20 Gayest Video Game Characters" has created a firestorm of interest around the web -- enough to crash their server several times throughout the day. Looking over the list, you'll notice that there are no characters from an Xbox 360 game. Cloning Clyde doesn't even get an honorable mention, despite conquering single sex reproduction. I ask this only to atone for past slurs and innuendos: Is the 360 lacking diversity? Note: Before the post police get on my...uh..ass, "gaymers" seems to be an accepted self-identifying term in the homosexual video game community. Deal with it.
