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Tetris is now a daily game show with cash prizes
N3TWORK's mobile 'Tetris' app gets a game show mode and more.
Sony plans to make everyone with a PS4 a competitive gamer
Sony is hoping it can rally its PlayStation fans around esports. Today, the company announced seasonal PS4 tournaments. It's inviting users of all levels to participate in competitive online gaming through their PS4 consoles, and it's even offering cash prizes.
Amazon simplifies gaming competitions and prizes with 'GameOn'
Much as it has with every other retail sector, Amazon has steadily expanded its gaming presence, especially since it purchased Twitch in 2014. Now, it's unveiled a service that will allow it to break into another gaming arena. Built on Amazon's massive AWS cloud infrastructure, GameOn will let developers integrate competitions natively into PC, mobile and console games. Furthermore, it'll allow companies to offer in-game and even real-world prizes that are fulfilled by (wait for it) Amazon.
Australian carrier lets customers win prizes with unused data
Unless you roll it over, the unused mobile data you paid so dearly for is lost in time, like tears in ... rain. For a limited time, however, Virgin Mobile customers in Australia can transform those dead digits into phones, drones and other swag. To be sure, the "data auction" is a publicity stunt that mostly benefits Virgin, since there's but a single prize each day over the month-long promo. In addition, you have to bid all your remaining data, so you can only win once.
BlizzCon costume contest sign-ups open
It's official, BlizzCon 2014's costume contest has opened up its sign-ups. Just like the earlier opening of sign-ups for the Art and Movie contests, there are some interesting prizes here - the top prize is $3500, or $2500 and a 'tribute' in an upcoming Blizzard product. What does that mean? A tribute could include taking the form of having an NPC, weapon, etc. named after the first place winner. In addition to that there's $2250 for second place finish, $1500 for third place, $1000 for fourth, and a $250 for secondary winners. Considering how much time and effort people put into their costumes, it's nice to see the possibility of a few people at least getting a little compensation for that. If you're interested in entering this year, head to the official site now.
Officers' Quarters: 8 gift ideas that won't break the gbank
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. The holiday season is all about giving. It's the perfect time of year to hold contests and giveaways. Doing so can be a great way to build morale in your community or attract new players. Giving gifts to your officers as a guild leader is also a heartfelt way to show appreciation for their hard work throughout the year. However, many of the most desired items can cost a fortune in gold. For officers, manpower is often much easier to come by than raw currency. Here are eight items that make great gifts or prizes without bankrupting your gbank. 8. Discombobulator Ray Where to get it: An engineer can learn the schematic in Gnomeregan. Wowpedia has a walkthrough. It also has a small chance (0.5%) to drop from Mekgineer Thermaplugg, the last boss of the dungeon. What it costs: A small amount of gold for materials: bronze bars, silk and wool cloth, and jade. Why it's a good gift: Many players don't even know this vanilla-era item exists. It has a unique and hilarious effect, and you don't have to be an engineer to use it. It's also a devastating item for low level players to unleash in PvP.
EVE Evolved: Should CCP interfere in the sandbox?
When it comes to player outrage, EVE Online seems to make the headlines more than any other MMO. The game has endured several high-profile scandals in its 10-year history, from the T20 developer corruption incident in 2007 to 2011's famous Monoclegate scandal. As EVE is a true sandbox game with a focus on PvP and player competition, developers have historically limited their direct influence on the universe. The importance of limiting interference became abundantly clear during the T20 incident when it was discovered that a developer had given tech 2 blueprints and preferential treatment to the Band of Brothers alliance. This interference in the sandbox had a profound and lasting impact on EVE's political endgame and undermined the legitimate accomplishments of other alliances. Some of the same issues that were raised in the wake of that scandal have now resurfaced amidst controversy over CCP's community team and its involvement with third-party fansites. Gambling website SOMER Blink was selected to host a huge giveaway event with rare prizes provided by CCP, and the contest organisers were then given rare battleships worth billions of ISK to keep as thank-you presents. In this week's EVE Evolved, I run down the details of the latest EVE Online controversy and ask whether CCP should directly interfere in the sandbox at all.
Star Trek Online's latest lockbox brings unexpected visitors
You can be forgiven for not expecting the Elachi to show up in Star Trek Online no matter how dedicated you are to the franchise. They were a one-off race in an episode of Enterprise that never even got referred to by name, after all. But as it turns out, this mysterious opponent is working with the Tal Shiar, and as often happens that means the Elachi are the centerpiece of the game's latest lockbox. Players can uncover a variety of prizes within the new lockboxes, including new ships belonging to the race. If you don't want a new ship, you can still utilize some Elachi consoles that allow you to fog the sensors of nearby ships. There are also new crescent weapon systems based off of Elachi technology and some special mirror universe ships to spice things up a bit more. Players eager for more details on what can be scavenged from these silent enemies can take a glance at the full rundown of lockbox prizes.
Raptr hosts Neverwinter dev Q&A, prizes offered
Raptr, a gaming community that touts it rewards people for playing, is turning its rewarding eye toward Neverwinter players. The site is hosting a Q&A session with Lead Designer Zeke Sparkes, Foundry Producer Rob Overmeyer, and Community Manager Som Pourfarzaneh tomorrow, July 26th, from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m. EDT. Fans wishing to lob questions at these devs about the upcoming Fury of the Feywild module or the Foundry can leave their queries in the Q&A thread starting now. The community can also "like" others' questions, and the ones with the most likes will be answered first. But wait, what about the reward mentioned? That would be three Feywild starter packs, one for each of the top three questions submitted; these top questions, however, will be determined by the Raptr staff, not the likes. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: Do you like time-limited goodies?
Star Wars: The Old Republic offered a little goodie for players who wanted to commemorate the anniversary of Knights of the Old Republic in the form of a title. If you didn't buy it yesterday... well, it's gone. It was incredibly cheap and freely available for everyone for that day, but that was the only window of opportunity you had. This brings to mind a very different set of questions than time-limited content. A time-limited title or vanity item doesn't actually affect the game when it shows up or leaves since it's just for fun. At the same time, a promotional item that players can't get immediately becomes intensely desirable, and it means that new players are forced out by necessity. So do you like time-limited goodies that have no effect on the game as a whole? Or would you much prefer that vanity items be limited through some other means? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Path of Exile Season Two starts April 19th, adds solo challenge
Although still in open beta, Path of Exile has already wrapped up one round of its popular race events, where players joined short-term leagues on brand-new characters in a race to complete objectives and rack up points. And now Grinding Gear Games is all set for the next round: Season Two begins on April 19th and runs through June 1st in North America. Season Two differs from its predecessor with a few new offerings, including a larger variety of unique prizes. Players can achieve prizes more easily and in new ways; participants who complete at least one goal within the race can be awarded random spot prizes. Also added are new "Signature Events" -- solo events of a consistent-length that are run multiple times during the season. When the season concludes, the best performing characters of each class will receive a prize similar to the top 20 overall for the entire season. For a complete listing of events, check out the full schedule. [Source: Grinding Gear Games press release]
Celebrate World of Tanks' second anniversary with livestream event, prizes, and discounts
Today marks the second anniversary of World of Tanks in the US, and Wargaming is inviting players to join the festivities. To celebrate, the studio is hosting a 12-hour livestreaming marathon from 10:00 a.m. EDT through 10:00 p.m. EDT today, April 12th. Throughout the livestream, various prizes will be awarded to viewers, from WoT apparel to GUNNER eye-wear to assorted Logitech, NVIDIA, and Mad Catz gaming paraphernalia. Check out the official stream schedule for a look at what's happening which hour. The birthday bash also includes an extravaganza of special deals. Throughout the weekend, players will enjoy 50% discounts, five times the XP earned on every first victory of the day in each vehicle, and various credit increases. But those who want to take advantage of these anniversary deals will need to be quick -- they end at 7:00 a.m. EDT on April 15th. [Source: Wargaming press release]
TERA invites new players to power level
Have you been waiting for a good reason to check TERA out for the first time? If free-to-play isn't enough incentive, En Masse has created a "No Sleep 'Til 60!" promotion that rewards brand-new players who log in and power-level to the endgame. The promotion begins tomorrow and is open only to players who do not have a TERA account. By hitting certain milestones, players will accumulate rewards that increase the higher they get. The first tier of prizes begins at level 30 with the best being reserved for those who get to level 60 by March 26th. The prizes include strongbox keys, XP boosts, reputation boosts, mirrored shades, mounts, and an extra character slot.
Path of Exile's season one race events start February 23rd
Path of Exile is bringing back the popular race events from beta and organizing them into seasons. Race events are limited-duration challenges that put players into a new character and a fresh economy to compete against each other for various prizes. The first season of these events will begin on February 23rd and continue through April 7th. It will be made up of 109 events that take place solely on the weekends, and it will feature different start times so that players across the globe won't be at a significant disadvantage based on location. There are several ways to win prizes through these races. Players accumulate reward points that contribute to both season and lifetime prize tiers, and they can win additional goodies if they place in the top ranks for multiple events and the season as a whole. [Thanks to Josh for the tip!]
Ragnarok Online 2 schedules closed beta events
Starting today, Gravity's Ragnarok Online 2 is throwing several closed beta events as the studio tests this fantasy-themed sequel. The events take place from December 7th through the 12th, opening up the game during a good chunk of each day. To encourage players to test the title, Gravity has plenty of activities and rewards in store for loyal participants. Testers can reserve their open beta names, win costumes and titles, snag real-life prizes, and meet GMs in-game. If you're in the closed beta, definitely sound off below and let us know what you think about Ragnarok Online 2! [Thanks to Ivan for the tip!]
Officers' Quarters: 10 tips for successful guild events
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook. Guild events outside of the usual raiding and PvP activities can help break up the monotony and get people excited about their guild. This week's email comes from an "event officer" who wants to know, how do you get people to show up? I am an officer in my guild, and we have been re-evaluating our roles. I am considering becoming the Social Event Coordinator, and I am looking for some advice to get things started. ... My ideas include scheduling nights to do scenarios/dungeons for achievements, old school raids, and probably a pet battle league once people aren't as focused on gearing up for raids. My questions are: Do you have any suggestions on how to communicate to guildies that aren't around much that these events are being planned? Do you have suggestions on how to determine interest before scheduling? Do you have suggestions on how to encourage participation? Do you have other event ideas that have worked for you?
Celebrate Luvinia Online's first anniversary with events
If age were determined by expansions, Luvinia Online would be four. In years, the free-to-play fantasy MMORPG is celebrating its first birthday. And from now through October 3rd, players can join in special in-game events and earn prizes during the celebration. Events include a scavenger hunt, slicing up a giant pastry, and new PvP guild wars; prizes include mounts, fashions, and gems. All players can also take advantage of a daily XP buff and new players will get a free fast-travel teleportation book for joining the game. To download and play Luvinia Online for free, visit the official site. [Source: Outspark press release]
Dream Build Play finalists for Xbox 360 and Windows Phone announced, winners soon
Microsoft has announced the 40 finalists in its latest Dream Build Play competition, featuring standout titles developed with the Windows Phone Software Development Kit for the Xbox 360 or Windows Phone operating system.The games entered were judged on qualities like innovation, the production quality, and the fun factor, and all of the entries were narrowed down to these 40, with 20 on each system. The final prize-winning games will be announced in a few weeks from now in early September.The finalists come from developers all over the world, and include games like the zombie fighter RPG Dead Pixels, "fantasy flight game" Windhaven, and the electricity-powered puzzler, Super Volt. The final prizes in the competition include cash prizes and possible publishing agreements, but odds are that we'll see more than one of these titles make it out to public release after the competition, with or without Microsoft's involvement.
Pangya Tomahawk players can win in-game rewards in Treasure Hunt event
Pirates are cropping up everywhere, even on golf courses. Players of the free-to-play golfing game Pangya Tomahawk have the opportunity to win rare in-game rewards like a pirate costume by participating in a special crossover event called Treasure Hunt. For a limited time, players can take part in this online board game that could net prizes such as rare costumes, premium golf clubs, and in-game currency. Joan Kim, Pangya producer, stated that SG Interactive wanted to treat players to something a little different. The result? A board game powered by the golfing gameplay in Pangya. Players can earn chances for Treasure Hunt dice just by playing either nine or 18 rounds of golf on any of the game's courses, then use the dice rolls to move the caddy around the online game board. Every space on the board has a chance at winning in-game rewards, but there is also a chance of losing progress if defeated in the mini-games lurking on some spaces. Check out the gallery below for a look at the prize outfits. [Source: SG Interactive press release]%Gallery-162625%
It came from the Blog: Join us for another scavenger hunt
The It came from the Blog family of guilds is having another scavenger hunt this Friday night. There will be the normal amount of the running around and acquiring mostly useless items -- and fun, lots of fun. We'll also be throwing a pre-event party with some WoW Insider staff available to chat. When: Friday, July 27 at 10:30 p.m. EDT (7:30 p.m. PDT, 8:30 p.m. server time) for the pre-event party and 11 p.m. EDT (8 p.m. PDT, 9 p.m. server time) for the Scavenger Hunt Where: The fountain at the Court of the Sun in Silvermoon City on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) Who: Any level Horde character is invited to join us, but in order to complete the hunt, you should be mounted. There will be no flying, but those who are mounted and can defeat the wildlife easily will have a distinct advantage. How: Just whisper Roblinator or any online It came from the Blog member for an invite. The winners of the scavenger hunt will have prizes to choose from as usual, including loot codes from Cryptozoic. The rest of the prizes will be announced the day of the event, along with how much gold and bag space you'll need. Gold will be provided as necessary. So join us for fun and fabulous prizes this Friday night! Please join us on Zangarmarsh (US-PvE-H) in It came from the Blog. All guild ranks can invite, so /whisper Roblinator or any online member. You are all welcome as long as you play by our simple rules -- basically, don't be a funsucker! Visit the guild FAQ for more details.
