Video Games market to peak at $35 billion

According to a report on the Video Game Market from Research and Markets,

In spite of the global economic depression, the popularity of video games continues to soar. Since 1995, when the top-selling Sony PlayStation first hit the market, nearly three billion video game and leisure software units have been sold globally. In the year 2002, 30 million Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCubes were sold worldwide. The global market for video games is expected to reach a peak of $35.8 billion in 2003. However, the cyclical nature of the market is expected to drive sales downward to about $28.3 billion in 2006, at an average annual growth rate (Aagr) of -0.4% from 2001.

Interesting that they expect it to drop in a cyclical pattern. Pity I can’t afford the full report which costs EUR 480.

DigiPlay: Experience and Consequence of Technologies of Leisure

DigiPlay is a UK network around technologies of leisure like computer games that has been running seminars.

CRIC has recently been awarded funding by the ESRC to organise a series of six seminars on technologies of leisure and create a virtual network of UK and international researchers in his area.

The seminar model they are using to bring people together has some interesting themes like “Leisure Constraints, Entitlement and Access to Technologies of Leisure.”

XML Scripting of World of Warcraft Interface

Kids are now modding the interface of WOW (World of Warcarft by Blizzard). Blizzard doesn’t support such mods, but has made it possible. See their tutorial, Tutorials – The Unofficial WoW UI Site. According to the tutorial, “The interface of World of Warcraft is built from XML files which describe the look and layout, and lua files which contain scripting functionality.”
My son tells me that it is hard to draw the line between a mod that makes it easier to play, and a hack that gives you information or an advantage you shouldn’t have.

Truth in World of Warcraft

Allied Weapons Of Truth
Aura of Truth
Avatars of Truth
Champions of Truth
Chaotic Truth
Citadel of Truth
Dawn of Truth
Defenders of Truth
DemiGodsOfTruth
Followers of Truth
Forgotten Truth
Glaive of Truth
Heros of Truth And Might
Illusion of Truth
Keepers of Truth
Perversion Of Truth
Prevailing Truth
Prophets of Truth
Rangers of Truth
Savage Truth
SavageTruth
Saviors of Truth
Seekers of Truth
Sentinels of Truth
Sovereignty of Truth
The Brutal Truth
The Convictors of Truth
The Guardians of Truth
The Savage Truth
The Seekers Of Truth
TornTruth
Truth Divine
Truth and Justice
Truth and Law
Truth or Consequences

So who says gamers are not interested in the truth? This list from Thottbot World of Warcraft (a Google for WOW) is of guilds with “truth” in their name. I rather like “Truth or Consequences”.

Pac-Manhattan: City Games

Wired News: Manhattan Gets Pac-Man Fever describes a game Pac Manhattan where people run through Manhattan wearing coloured ponchos playing Pac-Man characters. They get instructions from generals over cell-phone who have some sort of control panel. Now this is an idea for a wired city! This urban game was an experiment by New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications graduate program. Pac-Manhattan is the NYU site on the game.
For some reason I thought I had blogged this before … obviously I am having a blog identity crisis.