Morgan Webb on Girls in Gaming | Morgan Webb Talks about How She Ended up Where She Is

There’s an interesting post over on MTV Multiplayer about Morgan Webb and her take on girls and their role in the video game industry.

She gets into how it is being one of the most noticeable faces of female gamers. (Many times during the interview, she states that she’s not the only female who plays games, she’s just one of the most visible because she has a TV show.)

Mostly, this interview focuses on the microcosm of female video game players, both inside and outside of the industry. This interview provides an interesting insight into one of the women who is at the forefront of the charge into a male-dominated profession. Though, as she tells it, it’s more happenstance than cunning, guile and scheming (I could easily imagine industry vets thinking that the way that women get in) that got her where she is today.

In fact, where she got her start, at the now defunct TechTV (I loved that station), she describes how she got her position, “I needed a job and so I go a job at TechTV.” As they like to say at Staples, “That was easy.”

It’s definitely a fun read and worth your time if you have it. Read the post.

Video Game Deals from Amazon Day 3: Xbox 360 with Beautiful Katamari and Viva Piñata Party Animals Free

Amazon’s 10 Days, 10 Deals sale is progressing smoothly, with this, their third offering.

In case you missed the first two deals, they were:

Day 2: Buy GameCube console, get Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door free.
Day 1: Buy PS3 40GB console, get PS3 Blu-ray remote and Stranglehold Collector’s Edition free.

Today’s deal:

Day 3: When you buy an Xbox 360 Arcade console, you get Beautiful Katamari and Viva Piñata Party Animals free.

Both of these games are fun, new games. They’re not typical, “run, jump, shoot, kill” type games, so they should certainly help you in collecting some games that true gamers would be proud to own.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s deals from Amazon.

Assassin’s Creed: Amazingly Different or Amazingly Boring?

Assassin’s Creed. Now here’s a game that many, many people were looking forward to getting. Now that it has arrived, many people, including the gaming media, seem to love it. You know what? I’m not gonna disagree with those people who love this game, it’s a fantastic little game.

For the first three hours.

After that, well, let’s just say the variety leaves a little something to be desired. Let’s get the praise out of the way first.

Assassin’s Creed’s Story

Yes, the game is certainly unique. It’s cool, it’s fun and it even exposes us to a period in history that developers haven’t explored too often. While taking us to the Crusades, Ubisoft Montreal also made this game relevant in today’s political climate. Read the rest…

Street Fighter 4 | New Screens and Details about Street Fighter 4

The perennial fighting masterpiece, Street Fighter, is set to explode into the gaming world again with Street Fighter 4. Undoubtedly, as soon as Capcom delivers this new fighter it will rekindle the flame of fighter fans everywhere.

To whet our appetites, Capcom has released some new screens and a teaser trailer. These screens are purported to come from the actual gameplay itself, which is simply astonishing. Catch all of the screens, some game info and the teaser trailer after the break.

Read the rest…

Wireless Wii Nunchuck | No Longer Bruce Lee Approved

For all of you out there who have a Wii, now you need the best accessory there is: a wireless nunchuck.

You’re damn right.

Now not only is the Wii the coolest kid on the block, but you can finally disconnect the wire from your nunchuck too. Seriously, what with all of the systems these days going wireless for their controllers, what kind of oversight was it that Nintendo gave their mean machine a wireless controller, but then a wired nunchuck?

Now you can flail your arms about wildly independent of each other. Much like a white guy trying to dance.

Nyko is gonna drop this little love bomb on us next month at CES. Pricing and release details? Well, we’ll have to wait for those from Nyko, but suffice it to say that you’ll probably be able to get your hands on one of this little sexy extras long before you’ll be able to casually saunter into you local game store, plop down $250 and sashay your way out with a Wii.

Green Living Through Gaming

I stumbled across coda.coza while wandering the wild reaches of the net and read his post on green living. He is currently collecting 100 tips (he’s at 78 right now) on how to help conserve for the planet. After he collects all 100, then he’s going to distribute them in user-friendly formats for distribution across the web: PDFs, wallpapers, screen savers, etc.

This got me thinking…this whole green thing isn’t a phase that’s gonna disappear like so many other trends. Right now, countries are working to create a new Kyoto Protocol so that they’ll be able to do their part in helping the environment, but what about gamers?

Seriously.

Back in the early ’90s there was Captain Planet and he was trying to teach kids the importance of helping out the world. This isn’t a half-bad idea. Why don’t game designers come up with a creative way to help save the planet? It doesn’t have to be under the guise of educational programming, it can be an honest-to-goodness real, good, quality game.

I mean, if Al Gore can make money off giving a slideshow for a movie (and anyone who’s seen An Incontinent Truth knows exactly what I’m talking about), then clearly there’s a market for this type of genre. All that we need the developers to do is to think about this project in a new and unique way. Think about how to make a game that is engaging, environmental and fun and the buyers will come.

What will the controversy be then? Too many parents want to buy the game for their kids because it’s actually good? Heaven forbid.

Xbox 360 Update Lets You Change Email | Loses Forums Posts

As I was perusing the Internets today, I noticed this post over at Hamzeh’s Xbox 360 Den on a warning regarding the Xbox 360 update.

Truth to tell, I hadn’t paid too much attention to the 360 up to this point, because these updates are usually incremental at best. However, Hamzeh points out, if you update your 360 you can now have the ability to change the email associated with your Xbox Live gamertag.

Right on.

However, if you do change the email address associated with your gamertag, then you will lose all of your forums posts, reputation and icons earned.

So, if you’re one of those people who likes having those badges of honor, don’t change your email quite yet. A fix for this will eventually come out, I’m sure.

Meet South African Game Developer Leslie Young

Leslie Young is a talented game developer in South Africa. He founded his company, Sentient Dreams, in early 2003. He did this after being involved with the South African game development community for around five years. It’s this level of dedication that it takes to make it in videogame development. Sentient Dreams is an independent game developer and uses the Internet as a marketing and distribution medium. Not only that, but they work on learning and training software, promotional software and websites for their clients and partners.

Young has been interested in game development since he bought his first PC and has written a few small 2D and 3D games over the years. His first public release was MultiMayhem, which he released in 2003. However, since then he hasn’t had the chance to finish anything else, but he is working on Kialinra Battle Masters, which he promises he will release…when it’s done. Like any person who is developing for the pure pleasure of it, putting a timeframe on something doesn’t always work.

Since Young knows the importance of networking and helping develop the bourgeoning game development community in South Africa, it states loudly and proudly on Sentient Dreams’ website that they are “proud to be a part of the initiative to grow Game Development in South Africa.”

You can get more of an insight into the inner workings of this South African game developer by reading his blog. In his current post, he has some screen shots of a new game that he is developing.

It takes dedication and perseverance like Young has to make it as an independent game developer, especially in South Africa!

South African Jobs | Network with Other Videogames Enthusiasts at South African Game Development

Networking is always the best way to get your name out these in any specific industry, especially the gaming one. The fine gents over at South African Game Development are there as “The hub for the promotion and advancement of African game development in South Africa and Africa.”

South African Job Resources: South African Game Development

If you’re looking for a South African job in game development, there’s no better place than this to start your searches.

They have great resources game design, graphics and programming. Seriously, if you want to learn how to texture and skin something, check out their Texturing and Skinning article, it’s a solid resource that will prove invaluable to people who are looking to improve their 3D modeling skills.

Use the Forums to Meet People for a Job in South Africa

Not only that, but check out their thriving forums. There you’ll be able to discover everything from DirectX to General Programming to Game Programming. The coolest thing of all? These are people who want to help out those who are interested in jobs in South Africa!

So, if you’re interested in a South African job for game development, head over to South African Game Development and meet some fellow videogame workers and enthusiasts!

South African Jobs | Design Videogames With Mann Made Games

Currently, there are some South Africa jobs open. Right now, Mann Made Games is looking for new passionate artists, 3D animators and game developers. They want to fill their job in South Africa, so if you’re up to the challenge, they want to hear from you! All you need to do is to fill out their online form and they will contact you for an interview. What more could you ask for? Designing video games in South Africa? Sign me up.

South African Jobs: Mann Made Games

Never heard of Mann Made Games? Well, listen up, because these up-and-comers are going to make it large…and soon. They are a division of Mann Made Media and was formed in January 2007. Mann Made Media noticed that there was a great need for gaming in South Africa so they took the initiative to start up Mann Made Games with the help of overseas video-game industry veterans.

Their goal is simple: To create a gaming environment in South Africa that can hold its own in the international marketplace and have locally produced content that they can call ‘eMazanai.’

What You’d Work on If You Got This South African Job

You can try out their opening salvo in the videogame world, Sally Williams. Read the rest…