iGame Radio

Editor’s Note: This editorial was written by Omaha Sternberg, Editor-in-Chief here at iGame Radio. She attends Casual Connect every year, since its inception, and is a gamer of all kinds of games, including traditional “core games”.

UPDATE: Jessica Tams, Managing Director for Casual Connect, responded to this article, stating that the separation was about “denoting demographics when creating & marketing content.” She said, “Statistically, girls play some types of games more frequently and boys play some games more frequently. If a game designer does not keep this in mind, their product will suffer.”

In my reply I stated that though I understood those issues, the problem I had was that this term was one of only two that actually specified a focus on gaming and games specifically (as opposed to how games are created, published, distributed, or marketed)…the other term being iPhone/Mobile. So separating this phrase out in this way really can only come across in a very limited fashion…that Games for Gamers are games for boys, and girls are left out. And that offends me.

About a week ago, I received an email from one of my favorite gaming conventions, Casual Connect, reminding me to register. I’ve been attending Casual Connect every year since it started in 2006 and was called Casuality, a name few could pronounce correctly. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed not just attending the events, interviewing developers and publishers, and going to the parties, but also watching this great convention of casual games grow over time into something that really understands the game industry as a whole, and the casual game connection within it.

So I was pretty surprised during the registration process to see amongst the choices for “Primary Business” was: Games for Gamers (Boy Games).

Games for Gamers are only games for boys? That didn’t seem right. I knew I had to be interpreting that wrong. The other choices were Development, Destination (retail & portals), Publishing, Tools & Services, Social & Community, and iPhone/Mobile. All pretty generic, with no indication that you had to be a specific gender to participate in that segment.

I contacted Casual Connect about this, asking why “Boy Games” was listed next to “Games for Gamers”, and this is the response I received from Tennille Forsberg, Content Manager of Casual Connect:

“Games for Gamers is the term we’ve always used for casual games that incorporate game mechanics found in core games–games boys play. ;) So, it’s just a clarifier [sic].”

Core games are games boys play. Not girls. This is a paradigm that I and many in the industry have been trying to dispel for a long time, and yet here it has once again raised it’s ugly head…in the casual gaming industry. There are so many paradigms that this statement generates it’s hard to keep track.

Core Games – games boys play: This paradigm states outright that core games, the traditional, triple AAA titles, are a men’s only club. No women allowed. Or if women do come in, expect to be singled out, stared at, even ridiculed. These games are not for you, and you shouldn’t expect anyone here to want to play with you, talk to you about the games, or sell them to you. And we expect that you aren’t interested in playing them. Whether you are or not is irrelevant.

Casual games that incorporate game mechanics found in games boys play: This men’s-only club is now extending to casual games. Once again, these casual games are for boys only…no girls allowed.

Games for Gamers is the term we’ve always used for games boys play: Apparently Casual Connect, and by extension the Casual Gaming industry, has always considered that any games for gamers are only for boys. If you’re a gamer, you’re a boy. If you’re a girl, you’re not a gamer.

So, let’s revisit this in it’s entirety. Games for Gamers are games for boys. Girls are not gamers. They don’t play these games. The casual games that incorporate mechanics from these games, only for gamers, also will be for boys. Because girls aren’t casual gamers either.

And the folks at Casual Connect are happy to cater to and continue this paradigm.

Penny Arcade has announced that David Jaffe of God of War fame will be keynoting PAX Prime 2011. The keynote will kick off three days of demos, speakers, competitions and concerts by some of the biggest names in gaming.

PAX Prime will include some of the hottest new games in the gaming industry including 2K Games, Activision, Bioware, Capcom, NCsoft and Turbine as well as table top/CCG power houses such as Wizards of the Coast and Privateer Press. Microsoft is hosting Halo Fest – the largest and most expansive live Halo experience anyone has ever seen – at the third floor annex of the Washington State Conference Center.

Attendees will also get their fill of nightly nerd concerts, including the return of favorites Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot, Metroid Metal, Minibosses, and Paul and Storm, as well as newcomers Supercommuter and The Video Game Orchestra.

PAX Prime is scheduled at the Seattle Convention Center on August 26 – 28. Passes are sold out, but you might still find one by searching the forums.

Here’s a game we thought would never make it to the Mac. Aspyr announced today that they are bringing Duke Nukem Forever to the Mac this August.

The alien hordes are invading and only Duke can save the world. Pig cops, alien shrink rays and enormous alien bosses can’t stop this epic hero from accomplishing his goal: to save the world, save the babes and to be a bad-ass while doing it. The game features Duke’s trademark one-liners and a wide amount of genre play. Not just FPS play, but DNF includes driving, puzzle solving, and sports game play. And you’ll get the opportunity to shrink, squash, freeze, shatter, and frag your friends in Duke’s multiplayer.

We’re equally fascinated about whether Duke deserves the criticism that he’s received so far in the media, so we’ll be paying close attention to his moves, his play, and his words.

Duke Nukem Forever for Mac is available right now as a pre-order, and Aspyr is offering a 10% discount on all pre-orders, plus FREE shipping (USPS) for those who want the retail box for posterity (and low download rates). They’ll be posting more about the game in the coming weeks on their GameAgent NonBlog.

 

What’s inside this episode:

• A review of Avadon: The Black Fortress, by Spiderweb Software. Easily the best old-school RPG on the market today. Necessary tweaks in gameplay balance aside, the new skill tree, story, and world to explore means years of RPG enjoyment for all.
  
• Also, a review of Hector: Badge of Carnage, published by Telltale Games. Not for the faint of heart. A down and dirty point-and-click adventure game, you’ll get more out of the game from the variety of characters you meet and exploring how disgusting the game can get than anything else.
  

Have you ever wanted to write for a gaming site? Do you look to see if a game has been released for the Mac before you look at the description? Do you tap on the screen of your iPhone while gaming till your fingers bleed (ewww, hopefully not all over your screen!). Do you drool every time a new iPad game has been released? iGame Radio may have the gig for you!

We’re looking for a Writing Assistant to help increase the content on the website and expand the site’s social connections. This position will start as part-time, but may become full-time in the future.

iGame Radio is a video game blog and podcast based on Mac and iOS games. We post news/editorial articles and several weekly podcasts that include industry commentary, game reviews, and interviews with game industry figures.

This will be a great position to get into video game journalism and get your name out onto the internet in a location that is seen by thousands every week.

Requirements:

• The ability to write quality articles about the Mac and iOS game industry and stories related to such.
• Be able to work with social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, using it to expand the fan base.
• Be able to keep to deadlines.
• Can work remotely, keeping in contact via email, chat tools, and Skype (both audibly and visually).
• Be able to work a variable schedule (though the majority of the schedule will be a standard one).

The position will start unpaid but it is intended to become a paying position over time. Contact us for more information.

The last episode in the Back to the Future: The Game series has been released by Telltale Games. Back to the Future – Episode 5: Outatime finishes the saga of Marty McFly as he tries to resolve the problems in the past to secure his future with Doc Brown in tow.

Back To The Future: The Game is based on the original movie trilogy by award-winning filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis. The game itself takes place about 6 months after the third movie, and deals with Marty McFly as he handles his new life with changed parents, then discovers that Doc Brown has vanished. The story ends with Marty rectifying the complications of his time-jumping, leading to a promised stunning conclusion.

There’s even a special guest appearance by movie legend and original “Marty McFly” actor Michael J. Fox, who joins the cast playing two characters. Can you figure out which ones?

The five game series is available for Windows and Mac for $24.99, and the first installment is available on the iPad for free for a limited time.

Riding the wave of free to play fever, Valve has decided they are not done yet. They announced that Team Fortress 2 has gone F2P…part of the “Über Update” released yesterday.

After 200 updates, this team co-op shooter released in 2007 will now sport a hybrid membership model. Anyone who downloads the game will be able to play for free. This includes access to every map in the game, but a limited amount of items, slots, trading rights, etc. Those who have or will spend any money at all on the game, whether it be having purchased the game (download or retail) or purchasing anything in the Mann Co store, are considered premium members. Premiums get access to the whole shebang.

In addition, current players who are converted to Premium members automatically will also get special Proof of Purchase hats to wear that will only be available those who purchase the retail version. Valve has also already implemented some measures to prevent F2Pers from using this method to cheat the game by creating multiple accounts. You can get more information in the TF2 FAQ.

Also included in the Über Update is the new Medic. Valve has released an animated short, “Meet the Medic,” to help the community become more familiar with this cleric-gone-fighter character.

TF2 is F2P for Windows and Mac players via Steam. For more information, visit the Team Fortress free to play site.

 

What’s inside this episode:

• Host Omaha Sternberg goes it alone to talk about the week’s news in Mac and iOS gaming. First up, Omaha talks about the rumored PopCap Games purchase, and whether it makes sense for EA Games to be the buyer.
• Paragon Studios announced that City of Heroes is going to a hybrid payment model called City of Heroes Freedom that includes a free to play membership. She’ll talk about the different memberships and what this means for City of Heroes.
• Tim Langdell, the trademark troll, got soundly sued in the UK court. Omaha talks about the depth of his fraud and why corporations have a responsibility to not enable this behavior.
• LEGO Universe also announced a hybrid membership model with a F2P membership, but this one’s a bit different from CoH. Omaha talks about what this means for LEBO Universe.
• Omaha briefly details EVE Online’s Incarna release.
• Phil Harrison thinks Apple will BE the game industry in the future. Omaha gives a brief view of what that might look like.
• Omaha mentions her sponsorship of this year’s uDevGames Contest and reveals the poll results from last week.

Music Notes:

• Digital Droo produced our theme music here at iGame Radio.
• Matt Jarvis for featuring music from Osmos.
• Bobby “Glorian” Slavov and Victor Stoyanov for featuring music from Eschalon: Book 1.

 

What’s inside this episode:

• A review of Bubble Troll, by Broken Switch Studios. The idea of a physics-based platformer using tapping to guide your character down a stream is a great idea. Unfortunately, the lack of precision within levels requiring it makes Bubble Trolls less fun overall.
  
• Also, a review of Catch the Candy, published by BulkyPix. Catch the Candy is a fun puzzler with great strategic aspects and cute graphics that makes you come back for one more taste.
  
• Plus, a review of Inotia 3, published by Com2uS. Inotia 3 has the best storyline of the series with great character interaction and music, but suffers from substandard graphics and annoying movement methods in the game.
  

• Bubble Trolls
• Catch The Candy
• Inotia 3: Children of Carnia

CCP has announced the launch of Incarna 1.0, providing pilots of EVE Online their first opportunity to step outside of their spaceships with the introduction of the Captain’s Quarters.

The Captain’s Quarters brings with it a ton of features, including Strategic Data and News Feeds, a walkway balcony that allows you to view in its entirety your ship, and panels for managing your planetary structures and selecting agents for missions. You’ll also be able to do a ton of more customization with a mirror specially developed for creating new wardrobes and changing your appearance.

In addition, Incarna 1.0 has added updates to ships and turrets, improved performance and balanced gameplay more, and added the Noble Exchange, where luxury items, rarities and articles of distinction can be purchased.

Looking at the patch notes, we were interested to note that on Macs, depth effects had been disabled but only if you have an ATI card. We have a question regarding this into CCP, and will report back when we get a response.

Check out more details at the Incarna section of the EVE Online site, or view the video introduction.