Hour one and two: It’s our Gamer Tuesday Show with Computer America Correspondent Grayson Hamilton! We’ll be talking about the aftermath of E3 and this Summer’s blockbuster game lineup Don’t miss this show!
Radio Show Topics (7.8.2014)
- After the Dust Has Settled: The Highs and Lows of E3 2014
a. General Consensus: Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony
b. MS GOOD: Smoothest presentation, no major hiccups, spent MOST time showing actual gameplay footage…
c. MS BAD: …but most of it was 3rd party games, not much console exclusive material, only announcements; weighed heavily on Halo collection
d. Nintendo GOOD: Every game is exclusive! Splatoon is most innovative and appealing new game by far, and presentation was short and sweet
e. Nintendo BAD: Another Mario and Zelda show—majority of time spent on Smash Bros.
f. Sony GOOD: Fantastic console exclusives, exclusive attention on Destiny, gave most attention to Indie developers and indie market
g. Sony BAD: WAY too much time on Playstation TV, and left with a teaser on Uncharted with no gameplay; Peter Dinklage voice acting was sorely lacking
h. BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: EA and Star Wars: Battlefront!!!!
2. The New Wild West Showdown: The Rapid Rise of MOBAs and E-Sports
a. Just what the heck is a MOBA anyway?
b. DOTA 2, League of Legends, Hearthstone, how does Counter-Strike fit in?
c. MILLIONS of dollars awarded to winning teams! X games in Austin, Texas showed first ever televised e-tournament showdown, Twitch.tv and Youtube offering live streams of major matches… What is the appeal of watching/playing these kinds of games? What makes them different (and more lucrative) than other group video games?
d. Will there be future video game Athletes?
3. 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back: A Big Month for Gender Equality and Video Games
a. Gearbox leader Cliff Blezinski to keynote Gaymer X2 convention, discussing how they (and other companies) must strive to be more inclusive with games and people of various gender identities: http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/community/articles/1190/gearbox-software-s-gaymerx-spectacular
b. Bioware unveils Dragon Age 3 character Dorian, a fully gay male party member: http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/1/5860204/dragon-age-inquisition-bioware-gay-character
c. A national Hearthstone tournament in Finland has banned female players from their qualifying rounds: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/02/hearthstone-heroes-warcraft-tournament-ban-female-finland
d. As nation crosses majority threshold supporting gay marriage and gender equality (as many other countries already have done), What will it take to see similar representation in major video games?
e. Bioware has taken great steps, but what about other companies stepping up? A lesbian Zelda? A gay Call of Duty marine? Will there ever be a LGBT protagonist?
4. News Round-up!
a. Oculus Rift to host their own developer’s conference in September: http://www.oculusvr.com/blog/announcing-oculus-connect-raknet-open-source-and-e3-2014-awards/
b. Microsoft to sell Xbox Kinect 2.0 for PC for $199, will not be compatible with Xbox One: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msuk/en_GB/pdp/Kinect-for-Windows-v2-Sensor-Commercial/productID.299208700
c. Games Can Be Good for You! 5 Reasons Why: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/07/another-5-reasons-video-games-are-actually-good-for-you
d. League of Legends tournament prize pool is now over $10 million, more than Masters Golf Tournament: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/07/another-5-reasons-video-games-are-actually-good-for-you
e. Oakland, CA Decriminalizing pinball machines after 80 YEARS: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Jackpot-Oakland-decriminalizing-pinball-machines-5565613.php