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What’s this? Another Bitmob Spotlight? That’s right. Bitmobbers have been writing so much that we decided to run two spotlights each weekend.
Enjoy a cup of coffee, and maybe even some good ol’ biscuits and gravy, as you read this Sunday editor of the Bitmob Spotlight: the pricing of the HD Generation, defining what games are, the reasons why we play games, and an homage to the “Real Geniuses” of gaming.
Read on for more!
Video Game, Video Gimmick, or Video Art?
By Christopher Quach
This generation, more than any other, poses the question “What is a game?” Christopher’s asking this question as well. Are games basic escapism? Are they a set of experiences that elicit emotion and thought? He examines the question through such games as Call of Duty, Football Manager, and Flower.
Why Do You Game?
Louie Castro
Louie knows that he shouldn’t stay up until a quarter of 3 a.m. playing Persona 4, Professor Layton, and Monster Hunter. Yet he does, mostly because he finds the challenge and interaction with other gamers far more fulfilling than building sandwiches for unappreciative bureaucrats. I don’t blame him.
Pricing the Issue
By Nicholas Michetti
It’s no secret that this generation of gaming is more expensive than the pervious. The NES sold for $199 in 1985, which according to the inflation calculator at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was equal to $361.20 in 2005, less than $40 short of the Xbox 360’s debut price. But this generation’s pricing strategies are a little different – in addition to high prices for consoles and games, we’re paying for downloadable content and indie games as well. Throw in the worst recession in decades and Nicholas thinks that prices are reaching a point where consumers are ready to say “No!”
A Casual World of WarCraft player’s Thoughts on Cataclysm
By Mike Minotti
Mike sets aside his usual comic take on games to analyze the new Cataclysm expansion for World of WarCraft. Previous expansions have been geared toward hardcore players, the folk who engage in raids and end-game content. Cataclysm, Mike argues, is well suited to casual players like him, especially when it comes to the making some of the engaging new content accessible to low-level players.
Bitmob Presents: Real Men of Genius
By Jay Henningsen
I’ve always hated Bud Light’s “Real Men of Genius” commercials; if you need to sell your beer with jokes instead of quality, I don’t want to drink it. But these videogame parodies of the commercials, featuring lazy art directors, angry ravings over your headset, and makers of mediocre first-person shooters, make me smile. I hope they make you smile, too.
This Situation Is Quite Complex
By Matt McMillan
Shadow Complex has been one of the most popular topics in gaming this week. Many agree that this kiss to the Metroid series is serious fun. But it’s also provoking some serious thought because of who’s associated with it, conservative science-fiction author Orson Scott Card. Matt writes about the issues surrounding the NeoGAF thread “Should we boycott Shadow Complex,” Gamasutra Features Director Christian Nutt’s editorial about the game, and what he thinks about the boycott.
The NES Spectrum
By Luke McKinney
Luke made this chart about NES games. The way I read this chart, Metroid is the center of the NES universe. Or Metroid incorporates all of the games on the chart. What do you think it means?
