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Dealing with app-noxious app-oholics
The other day I had the fortune of hanging out with TUAW's own Mike Rose and our old colleague David Chartier in Chicago, and my main fear going into the meeting was that, given what a bunch of iPhone geeks we were, we'd just spend the whole time showing off apps on our iPhones. Not that seeing cool apps isn't awesome, but if you've ever had anyone excitedly show you what an app can do, I think it gets to be a little much. And I'm not alone -- though yes, the iPhone does a lot of things that we have never been able to do before, it is possible to get "app-noxious," a term coined by MSNBC to describe people who are way too excited about what their iPhone can do. Yes, we know already, there is an app for that. Give it a break.This isn't the first time this phenomenon has popped up, and if you own an iPhone, you probably already know about it anyway -- I was definitely looking for made-up ways to use SnapTell Explorer when I first installed it. So next time you feel the urge to break into someone else's conversation to let them know about this app you bought last night that does exactly what they're talking about, hold your tongue, at least until you're not interrupting.And of course that doesn't mean that app nerds can't still be nerds about it -- yes, though Rose and Chartier and I didn't spend the whole time showing off apps to each other, we each did bring out phones at least once to show off just how great this new app we just got was.[via MacDailyNews]
All DISH customers with 5 new national HD channels step forward -- not so fast Turbo HD subs
No sooner did DISH Network light up HD feeds for Speed, FX, Fashion TV, Logo and MavTV (as promised) than we started receiving complaints from left-out feeling Turbo HD package subscribers. It appears that being all-high definition with your channel choices means no Speed or FX for you, while the others are on the $10 extra Platinum package. Still, for those on the Classic Silver 200 package and above there's plenty of NASCAR practices, widescreen F1 and Rescue Me enjoyment to be had. DISH is still holding itself out as the HD leader with a claimed 140+ national channels (MSNBC HD confirmed launching in June) but with a price hike failing to gain access to the latest channel lineup additions we're sure there's at least a few customers with differing opinions.[Thanks, J David]
MSNBC sets a date for HDTV broadcasts: June 29
Already delayed beyond its planned pre-election launch, and following CNBC's first dabble into real HD, MSNBC has chosen Monday, June 29 as the day it becomes self aw....begins broadcasting in high definition. No word specifically which programs will be in HD, but with the network already broadcasting from two HD ready studios since 2007, there should be plenty to go around for Olbermann, Maddow and Scarborough. No word on carriage, but we're thinking it's no coincidence this news came out of the Cable Show, so expect to hear more in the next few months.
The Daily Grind: Machinima news interviews?
Yesterday we were treated to an interview on MSNBC that was held within Lord of the Rings Online. Aside from the fact that it's refreshing to see news coverage where games aren't being blamed for the world's ills, it was interesting to see them using game footage in this fashion. That said, people have been doing interviews in virtual worlds like Second Life for quite some time, and using machinima for everything from PR to corporate training. Still, we wondered - is this something you'd like to see more often on mainstream TV - machinimated interviews from different MMOs? Would you, for example, tune in to watch an interview with Vin Diesel if he were on his (rumored) Resto Shaman in World of Warcraft? Would you be more or less likely to watch interviews with game developers or PR people if they were held in their respective games? Or is that a bit too geeky for you, and you'd prefer to stick with in-person interviews?
MSNBC wants mature sex (and more penis!) in games
Let's be honest: The mainstream press aren't exactly known for handling sexuality in video games with any amount of couth. But hey, neither are we! And if Winda Benedetti of MSNBC gets her way, we'll all be seeing a lot more loose skin. We're finding it hard to disagree with her when she says, "Adults in movies have sex. So why shouldn't adult characters in video games get it on or, you know, appear in their computer-generated birthday suits?" Bringing up the serially sensationalized Mass Effect sex scene, Benedetti calls it, "a sexual encounter between two adults that actually furthered the story and was tastefully depicted," while pointing out, "still, it was vilified by some in the media." Though we'd argue that the sex minigame found in the original God of War is clearly the most tasteful depiction of sexuality in a video game yet, Benedetti makes a good point. Couldn't we all stand for a little more context in our video game sexuality? Benedetti surmises that the entire industry could use some maturing to help handle this kind of content going forward -- and we're inclined to agree.
Academic research into EverQuest II already proving fruitful
Massively recently mentioned that Sony Online Entertainment and academia are teaming up to plumb the depths of EverQuest II's server logs, with benefits for both the researchers and SOE. (For the record, private subscriber info hasn't been made available to the academic community, according to an SOE statement on the matter.) The data logs and opt-in survey results are already proving fruitful, according to a piece run today on MSNBC by Games editor Kristin Kalning. Her piece raises the point that EverQuest II's gamers, despite being a global community, spend far more time socializing with friends, family, and acquaintances than with the wider playerbase. This isn't to say that EQII players are insular, but it does emphasize the fact that games aren't simply a hobby or an escape for those surveyed, and are very much a way to keep in touch with family and friends. In other words, they tend to take their offline relationships online, Kalning writes.
Red5 sends recruitment messages that won't self-destruct
The adage usually goes "it's hard to find good help these days." And it's all too true in the gaming industry. While other industries may shun players of MMORPGs, game development companies are actively looking to recruit top-notch talent. Competition is tough to get the best developers, especially when the projects they might be working on cannot be revealed. So to break the monotony of typical recruiter phone calls, Red 5 came up with a unique way to get potential employees interested.Their Golden Ticket system sent 100 developers an unmarked FedEx box. Inside was another box, labeled 1, that featured art from the game under development and looked vaguely like it might have come from a Mission: Impossible set. Then, in a sort of modern Russian nesting doll manner, the potential employee uncovered the full group of five boxes. Within the fifth box was an iPod, personally engraved for that recipient, along with a code to enter on the Red5 website. The iPod, once hooked up with the site, played a personalized message inviting the developer to the Red5 offices to check out the facility and interview. Quite a unique, if paranoia-inducing, way to get new applicants.
Poll: Which election night broadcast impressed you most?
Election Night 2008 brought about an unprecedented amount of HD coverage, and while we're all in absolute agreement that CNN's "holographic" interviews were the comedy for the evening, we're interested on your take on how networks as a whole did with their high-def presentation. Was CBS' polished graphics set enough to overcome those embarrassing audio gaffes? Did ABC / FOX have the edge? Where did you find yourself tuned to most of the night? Drop your vote (hey, there's a concept!) below. %Poll-21926%
MSNBC to go HD in the spring
Evidently as much as MSNBC wanted to go HD in time for the big election push, it just didn't get done. We'd like to think that the fact that MSNBC isn't presented in HD is the reasons why it's behind both CNN and Fox News in ratings -- which have both been HD for some time -- but it's probably the content. Either way though, in the spring MSNBC will finally make the big upgrade. But what's more interesting is how important MSNBC's president, Phil Griffin, thinks HD is. In fact he said that "you better be in HD in the next year or so, because you have to be in that tier." Obviously we've been saying this for some time now, but it's refreshing to know that even network big wigs are on board with the rest of us HD snobs now.
Can WoW make your child a better citizen?
What's this? An article on a mainstream news site proclaiming that gaming will not turn our children into mini Charles Mansons? It's true! According to a story published at MSNBC, the Pew Internet & American Life Project is discovering that online games are positively affecting our children's civic experiences. The research doesn't simply track how much time kids are spending in social games, but it's delving into what the children are doing with that time."Video games can provide hands-on learning opportunities for kids that can be much more meaningful than reading a textbook," this article states. It goes on to make an interesting analysis of social interaction in our favorite online games, "Helping a newbie get his sea legs in a game simulates the real-world experience of volunteering. And playing games online can expose kids to people with worldviews that differ from their own - in positive and negative ways."
MediaFLO now serving MSNBC, CNBC and FOX News
Just in time for the run-up to the 2008 Presidential election, MediaFLO has added in a trio of news sources to give you your fix wherever you are. CNBC, MSNBC and FOX News have all been added to the lineup in order to give you varying views on the same topics at hand. Available to Verizon Wireless and AT&T subscribers, the channels will offer simulcast programming in line with what's happening on the tele, though we'd caution you not to watch too much coverage during your morning board meeting.[Via phonescoop]
Smedley talks "MMO Reinvention" with MSNBC
John Smedley and the rest of Sony Online Entertainment want you to focus on reinventing the MMO. With games on their list like The Agency and Free Realms, what else would they want you to think?While sitting down with MSNBC's Kristin Kalning, Smedley talked about the old days of MMOs, when EverQuest was the pinnacle of MMO game design, and how that has changed in recent years with the advent of World of Warcraft. But what is to be taken away from this interview is how SOE wishes to take the genre into a new direction, targeting shooter fans with The Agency and the 12-year-old crowd with Free Realms.Appealing to both genders and creating new objectives that aren't just "kill stuff" are top priorities in how Smedley wishes to see MMOs change. He points out that it's clear that the market can expand, especially when RuneScape has more players than World of Warcraft, and how different methods can be used to capture that market.It's clear that SOE is very interested in taking back their MMO crown, and even more clear that they're going into untouched waters to do it. However, the MSNBC article proves very insightful, and we all know that MMOs can use a little bit of a change up every now and then.
MSNBC readers rate World of Warcraft as most addicting game
Kristen Kalning, the games editor of MSNBC, asked her readers, "What game hooked you and why?" After the flood of e-mails finished cascading through her inbox and she tallied the votes in each one, it wasn't surprising that World of Warcraft came up as the leader.While she does say that other games like City of Heroes, and other non MMO games like Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, and even Guitar Hero came up, her article took the time to mostly focus on the addicting properties of WoW. Readers added their own tales of addiction and the addiction of others, and Kalning relates some of the most woe-worthy stories she received in her inbox.However, the article isn't all doom and gloom. One reader took the time to talk about how Guild Wars helped her with her shyness while another reader explained the proud feeling his Halo 3 accomplishments give him. It's always nice to see that games aren't harming the social habits of every gamer who picks up a controller or keyboard and mouse.If you're fascinated by addiction, or just looking for a story to scare your WoW addicted spouse, be sure to drop by and check out her article, as well as the original. If it's the addicted spouse, however, may we interest you in a detox clinic?
What makes games addictive?
(Hint: It's not the taste!) Video game addiction is a topic that tends to occupy the attention of the mainstream media any time there's a slow news day, and even sometimes (like yesterday, for instance) when it's not. Videogames; how they're making junkies of your kids, news at 11! It's an issue that we here at Massively are quite sensitive to, and we've written about it it again and again and again.So imagine our delight when MSNBC, being the paragons of gaming wisdom that they are, took a crack at the subject, trying to to discern what combination of elven temptresses and subliminal messages will get people hooked on games, and MMOs in particular. Their answer, not surprisingly, is that MMOs offer an extremely gratifying system of toil and reward that keep players coming back for that next achievement. And when people are bereft of strong social ties in their work-a-day lives, they're susceptible to becoming addicted. Excuse us if we don't recoil in shock and surprise.
Ken Levine loves World of Warcraft
MSNBC asked Ken Levine, creator of last year's underwater masterpiece, Bioshock, to list his five favorite games of all-time, and right there on the list, between Civ IV and Heroes of Might and Magic 2, is our favorite MMORPG. Yup, the World of Warcraft makes it into the top five of all-time, according to the guy that created the city that Andrew Ryan created.Of course, instead of saying he enjoyed the game for its endless replayability, its pitch-perfect reward system, or its effective graphics and design style, he compares his love of Blizzard's game to alcoholism, and calls it his "always-reliable secret shame." Next time you talk about World of Warcraft in the media, Mr. Levine, would you kindly try praising the game instead of your addiction to it?[Via Joystiq]
Ken Levine's favorite games of all time
MSNBC asked 2K Boston's Ken Levine, creator of BioShock, what his top five games of all time are. Levine gets double bonus points for picking cult favorite Beyond Good and Evil, which he says "managed to combine whimsy and dystopia in one unforgettable package." Levine's other picks are: Civilization IV World of Warcraft Heroes of Might and Magic 2 Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Beyond Good and Evil The best part of the bite-sized feature is when Levine admits that World of Warcraft is his "always-reliable secret shame." If Ken Levine can admit it, maybe others will find the strength to do it as well.
MSNBC: video games an 'easy scapegoat'
In the wake of the NIU shooting and various pundits finding ways to link violent video games to the tragedy, MSNBC has decided to defend video games, specifically calling out infamous attorney Jack Thompson for his self promotion during school shootings. (They have done this once before during the Virginia Tech massacre.)In a piece entitled "Playing the blame game: Why search our souls when video games make such an easy scapegoat?" MSNBC's Winda Benedetti writes, "Faster than you can say wild speculation and reckless sensationalism, [Thompson] leapt in front of Fox News cameras and suggested that video games were to blame." Later, Benedetti adds, "The fact is, one would be hard pressed to find a young man of Kazmierczak's age who has not played video games." Thompson is, unsurprisingly, a bit put out. In an email to MSNBC legal department forwarded to us by Thompson, the Miami attorney asserted his intention to "bring a civil action in state court in Flordia for libel." Thompson further called the two articles "hit pieces" and "crazed and libelous screed" and mentions that NBC did not mind having him on the Today Show / NBC Nightly news about ten times. "But once my criticism began to inconvenience Bill Gates' NBC partner, Microsoft, (MSNBC.com is a 50/50 partnership) then all of a sudden I'm the Anti-Christ," said Thompson.
NCsoft: has the focus shifted?
NCsoft -- known for such stunningly beautiful games as Guild Wars and Lineage/Lineage II -- is slowly expanding its focus in Korea into the non-game sector. Working with in-house studio Openmaru, the company is building a series of online services to aid in comforting investors. Admittedly, the South Korean Won (KRW) is trading in a slightly stronger position against the United States Dollar (USD) now than it was in October, but that doesn't stop their concern over seeing NCsoft's stock slowly spiral downward from 86,4000 KRW in October (approximately $94.43/share) to 45,000 KRW ($48.27/share) as of Friday's market close. As a result of this move, CEO Kim Taek-jin has promised that the company will increase its investment in online applications, including data and schedule management programs and social-networking services.
NBC celebrates opening of new world headquarters
We already knew that CBS was giving its New York studios a major overhaul, but for those clocking in at NBC, you can look forward to a freshened workplace right now. After six months of work, NBC News and MSNBC will finally be under one roof when it opens the doors to its new world headquarters on October 22nd. The facility itself has 8,500-square feet of space and packs such niceties as "280 high-definition monitors and 6 HD projectors," which reminds us -- we should really see when Engadget HQ is due for an upgrade of its own.[Via BroadcastingCable]
Catch the headlines with Newsbreaker advergame
Tired of wasting time reading the news when you could be playing games? Wait, don't leave! OK, fine, go. We understand we can't compete with the games we cover. But at least promise us you'll go play a game like Newsbreaker so you can keep up with the headlines as you get your game on.At first glance, Newsbreaker seems to be just the latest in a line of extremely generic Breakout clones, this time in the form of an MSNBC advergame. What's makes the game special is what is quite possibly the first recorded use of live news headlines as powerups. That's right, headlines pulled from MSNBC feeds slowly fall from some busted bricks, and catching 25 of them gets you an extra life. What's more, each caught headline is saved so you can read the full story once you're done playing.We feel this combination of games and news is a good first step to combating the growing media illiteracy epidemic, but why stop there? How about giving Achievement Points for reading the newspaper every morning? Hiding secret codes for today's hottest games in the nightly news broadcast? Offering Gamestop gift certificates for listening to NPR? The game industry could single-handedly save the news business!