Posts by WitchKing

I just quit about a month ago, so change me to Freelance.

You can add this too: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiasbodlund

Quote from Skjalg

Isn't it a bit early for this kind of topic again?I propose we wait another 2~3 months before we argue about it again and end up agreeing to disagree.

Hehe, I second that motion

The interesting thing here though is the adding of code to prevent second-hand trading - you have to agree that's a new one

I agree, we have to make people want to buy the games - not horse around with lame restrictions and blocks on the products we want people to buy with their hard-earned money. Otherwise we are just punishing the paying customers.

Hehe, I was being totally ironic with the suggestion of outlawing second-hand trading

Imagine the effect on current trading in automobiles, comics, clothes, cutlery, furniture, boats, weapons, houses! Then imagine the garbage problems, then imagine the erosion of respect for the law as everyone just blatantly and openly ignores the ban because they see it as absurd...

Chek dis:

http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/vi ... &forum=125

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allows gamers to authenticate their game on three different computers with the purchase of one disc

It seems to me that this protection is more likely to increase piracy than decrease it. So this is probably intended as an attack on the second-hand market for the game.

Now think about this: the games industry probably loses a lot more on second-hand games trading than on piracy. After all, we're talking about people who are actually willing and able to spend money on games, but who spend their money in places where not a single cent goes to the developers.

Second hand is killing our profits more than piracy. I bet EA, being smart, has figured that out a long time ago.

So... how about outlawing second-hand trading altogether?

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":2l15ore1]Quoting a guy from Epic:"...the narrow range of folks who can afford to do high-end, Direct X 10 PC gaming are also the guys who really understand how BitTorrent works."

He's absolutely right in what he implies here.

Quote from Thrik

Product placement is really about penetrating minds with a given product brand, not the context. From what I've seen in film and television, advertisers aren't really too concerned about how the product is used as long as it fits into the film/programme well (eg: car being used by villain is blown up — BMW makes sure it's one of theirs).

Game advertisement is still extremely immature because it's seen in a very immature light: it must show the product in a positive light, it must be on a billboard or something really prominent, etc. Subtlety and context suitability hasn't really evolved much yet, but it will with time and product placement will become completely normal in games.

Absolutely right.

What still amazes me, however, is how slow big parts for the game industry is in catching on to these tricks - considering how much of it is just directly transferable from the movie business.

Game companies should get in more movie people. Or at least look at them and copy more.

Brandon Sheffield had some pretty interesting points in his column in the latest issue of Game Developer Magazine, specifically relating to distribution and game industry profits. It's not directly piracy he was talking about, but it's related.

Recommended reading, because what it's all about is finding new working marketing and distribution models. That's where bigger profits will come from.

It's a crazy world...

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"In order to claim the benefits, customers will have to swear that they bought a copy of the game before July 20, 2005 (the day San Andreas was rated AO for Adults Only by the Entertainment Software Rating Board), and were "offended and upset by the ability of consumers to modify and alter the game's content" with the mod. They also have to swear that they wouldn't have purchased the game if they'd known about the mod, and would have returned the game upon learning of the mod if they thought they could."

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/gta4 ... id=6185242

Personally I felt very offended and upset. I swear.

"Dez, World of Whorecraft pornography producer"

Brilliant!

I'm gonna showing ALL these photos to my girlfriend - she's always whining about cables everywhere and my messy desk. If she sees what Sid Meier's desk looks like maybe she'll calm down

Anyway - pirating games is the easiest thing in the world - and still sales are huge for the really good games out there. So I wouldn't worry too much about our profits.

I guess that a lot of us just like paying for a good product.

I'm not whining about the publishers. I'm just saying that there's no special reason why it's good for the industry to protect their copyright as it is defined now.

I do agree with those advocating reform that current copyright laws usually rest on some pretty arbitrary preconceptions, and that it would be better for the industry to adapt with new business models instead of supporting expensive and intrusive surveillance of private citizens' communications.

The whole issue does make me think of communist regimes, we agree there

I am a professional and I want to be paid (lots) for my work. I just don't think my profits will go up from new and oppressive laws trying to artificially keep an antiquated intellectual property system barely alive. If anything that whole expensive surveillance system will make taxes go up and I will make LESS money

As I said - new business models! I don't see Blizzard whining about WoW piracy.

By the way - this with the copyright/piracy issues is not just about a few progressive modern-day crazy vikings. It's a HUGE and growing discussion worldwide, which is much too complex and extensive to summarize here

Check it out, it's very interesting.

Basically they want to combat the tendencies towards a 1984-style surveillance society, and instead open the way for realising the productive and creative potential of modern information technology.

They argue that non-commercial filesharing stimulates both cultural expression and economic growth, as well as the general well-being of people, whereas artificially restricting the natural distribution of ideas and culture will stifle society - especially considering that in the end it can't be done without effectively allowing the police to come to your home and search your computer and your desk drawers.

It's also about making law catch up with reality. Five hundred years ago it was illegal to say that the world was round.

Besides, I'm a game developer and it's the publisher who's gonna cash in on my hard work, not me. And they are not productive, they have just managed to work a system which requires a old-fashioned physical distribution chain, thereby profiting on other people's (mine!) creative work.

Valve is sort of being more modern with Steam - but the day every developer sells their games on download without letting publishers walk away with over half the profits, that's when this industry will have modernised more.

One question:

If I tell you something interesting from the book I'm reading and you don't pay the publisher for it - is that immoral?

They... eh WE don't make PC games anymore because the consoles are so much less headache for the developers. You know EXACTLY which hardware specs you are making the game for, you don't need to check it for 20 different graphics cards etc.

It's just easier (=cheaper) to make games for consoles. And console games are pirated too, so boo-hoo.

Now PIRATING is an effect of easy access (read: modern technology) and way too high sales prices on games.

For those of you who didn't know, there is a strong movement internationally today to change copyright laws to be in accordance with the realities of the information age. See for example:

http://www2.piratpartiet.se/international/english

This party got a whole 1% of the votes in their debut participation in the national elections in Sweden, effectively forcing the issue to be included in the political agenda of the major parties. Their supporters include members of the games and music industry.

Quote from Mazy

Yeah, I'll take whatever good news I can get

You can stop worrying now - million-seller is good news indeed!

Fuck reviews, cash is king.

That is extremely funny.

Rockstar North. They always deliver better than best.

Well, I think some people commenting here are wrong - the review scores may definitely vary depending on the publisher.

As the makers of the games, we like to think that they are merely rated on their quality, but there is also the business side of things to consider. A publisher spending big advertising money on a site is certainly more likely to receive favourable reviews for their games on that site.