iGame Radio will be stalking the hallways of Moscone West this year at Macworld|iWorld 2012 as we seek out new and interesting games and check in with our old favorites appearing at the show. We’ll also be hosting the 2nd Annual iGame Radio Gamers Meetup at the show as well.
We’ve already been checking out who is going to attend the show and who isn’t, and the shift over the years is pretty surprising. Years ago, Macworld was known for its gaming pavilion, at which most major Mac gaming publishers and developers would attend. Times have changed, and now what we are seeing is iOS game developers in small booths, showing off their latest creations. Since Apple’s decision to leave Macworld, the annual convention has been struggling to survive and find a new niche to cater to. What you find this year might be characterized as more like SXSW for the Mac elite.
Head Editor Omaha Sternberg will be there, grabbing interviews, posting about new games, and getting images to us for the site. She’ll also be hosting the Gamers’ Meetup that will be held on Thursday, January 26th, starting at 5:30pm. If you’ll be at Macworld you can join us in the 2nd Floor lobby of Moscone West.
There’s going to be tons to do at Macworld, so make sure to check out the 2012 Hess Memorial Macworld-iWorld Events List as well so you don’t miss out.
Today saw the passing of a legend. Steve Jobs, co-founder, chairman of the board, and (until just recently) CEO of Apple, passed away today with family by his side.
Steve revolutionized the personal computer industry, he revolutionized the music industry, and he invented the first true smartphone. But he also revolutionized the gaming industry and made way for the creation of an entirely new gaming scene — iOS gaming.
The release of the first iPhone and iPod Touch in 2007 had an immense impact on mobile gaming. Fully half of the prototype apps showcased at the SDK launch in 2007 were games. The iPhone and iPod Touch were perceived from the very beginning as a mobile console device, a multimedia device that one could purchase at a higher price-point than mobile gaming devices such as the PSP or DS but included a large amount of functionality beyond game-playing.
Games were available on day one, and the revolution took off. Soon, Sony and Nintendo had something to be worried about as more and more developers began to realize the attractiveness of developing games that they could own on a platform that didn’t smother their creativity.
The mobile gaming industry saw a huge shift in game price point, as more and more games available on iTunes were being priced at lower and lower values. And whether you happen to believe that the “drive to the bottom” price point is right or wrong, it has caused developers and publishers to rethink the pricing of games in the mobile space and beyond.
Steve made an impact on Mac gaming as well. With his return to Apple in 1997, the company began to turn around from its dark days as the joke of the computer world. But, sadly enough, that turnaround did not happen in the same way for Mac games…at least in the beginning.
During the latter part of the 90′s, Mac gaming saw a resurgence as games were a part of the Steve Jobs keynote, and each Macworld included a gaming pavilion. But after the turn of the Millennium, this began to fade, until the “pavilion” was a joke, and few Mac game developers even had a booth at the event.
Strangely enough, at that same time, sales of Macs began to take off. With the introduction of OS X, the Mac Intel line, and finally Macbook Air, more and more everyday consumers were buying Macs. And more of them were wondering where the games were.
They were coming onto forums and asking…and finding ridicule. But developers and publishers saw this and heard this, and realized that the market had opened up. First it was Telltale Games, then Valve with Steam.
Now more and more companies work to bring out Mac versions of their games. When we ask developers and publishers now if there will be a Mac version, we don’t get laughter or scorn. We get eager responses, or excuses for why it hasn’t happened yet. In fact, many will say that they all own Macs themselves, “We want to play the game on our Macs, so yes we are trying to publish it for the Mac.”
Today we see the influence of Steve Jobs everywhere in Mac and iOS gaming. They would not, in fact, exist the way they do without him. And his legacy will live on…every time you play a game on your Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.
…you can create a site like Pwndbygirls, where gaming meets sex head-on. Alana “superpinkninja” Evans and Misti “meowmistidawn” Dawn are gamer girls that just happen to be porn stars as well. They want to share their gaming passion with other gamers.
But according to The Escapist, they want to also share their passion for porn by including topless playthroughs. The site will have streaming gaming parties where the gamer girls will play games and jiggle their bits. Seems a bit distracting to us. The last thing we want to catch our eye when we’re trying to snipe someone is a bouncing boob.
The site will also include reviews, profiles, and other gaming coverage. We’ve looked over the reviews posted so far (all by Evans) and can’t really tell exactly what kind of reviewer she is. The review of LA Noire is a fairly competent review covering the basics and doing a decent job of giving impressions and feedback. The second review, of Bulletstorm, is a mishmash of LOLs and HaHas, bad grammar, and even worse formatting for a difficult read and an even more difficult understanding of the game itself. In fact, it almost seemed as though the two reviews were written by two different people.
You can even become a Gamer Girl on the site. There are a list of requirements, including the fact that you can’t participate in any of the live streaming if you don’t live in the LA area. There is also no mention of financial recompense, so we don’t know if this is a paid or volunteer position.
Gamers will be able to watch and chat with Evans and Dawn over Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. The site launched today to celebrate the release of Gears of War 3, which Evans said was her favorite game series.
*Note: yeah, we know it doesn’t have to do with Mac gaming, but we couldn’t resist.
The Razer Blade, Razer’s entrance into the world of hardware systems, was announced last weekend. Not content to produce peripherals, Razer has created what they call the “World’s First True Gaming Laptop”. Measuring at 0.88 inches thick and less than 7 lbs, the Razer Blade is intended to be a light weight machine despite the 17 inch wide screen. And it may just be Apple’s lesson in high-end gaming for laptops. Read more
PAX Prime is starting in 0 minus 1 day, 17 hours, 51 minutes, and whoknowshowmanyseconds and counting. And that means iGame Radio will be there, covering your favorite Mac and iOS games here and to come!
We’ve already got a slew of meetings and interviews scheduled, so you can look forward to a bunch of great podcasts not just about specific games and hardware, but daily podcast summaries as well.
To give you some ideas of what is to come:
EVE Online: interviews with developers and why EVE is so hard to get into (OR is that a myth?)
Topware Interactive: updates about Two Worlds II, and the upcoming games Scivelation and Raven’s Cry (YUM!)
Runic Games: Torchlight 2…need we say more?
Red 5 Studios: Covering their game Firefall. (Gosh, I wonder why we’re meeting with them? ;)
And many more, both Mac and iOS.
Will you be at PAX Prime? If so, let us know so we can hook up. We’d love to know what your thoughts are on the Mac gaming scene in general and the PAX scene in particular. You can post a comment here, on our Facebook page, or email us to connect.
If you love gaming, then you know that every gamer, and every game developer is human. And sometimes that means that they run into problems that they need help with. As a community, it’s our right, privilege, and roll to stand up and help where we can.
The Hope for Jena Leukemia Auction is just one such event. Hosted by Rebel Games and supported by companies like PopCap Games, Paradox Industries, Gunnar Optiks, and Sony, this two-day event will include live gaming lobbies through Justin.tv and Ebay auctions of cool stuff donated by PopCap Games and Gunnar Optiks.
Jena Aird-Spach, sister of Rebal Games’ Stephanie Vivian, has been diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. After an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant, her doctors informed her that chemo would be deadly and possibly another transplant at this time. They are looking into alternative treatment and truly need the support and help of the community.
As someone with a family member with Leukemia (not the same kind) this hits close to home. So I ask you all to do what you can, in any small or large way, to help out. That’s what community is for.
For more info and to check out some great gaming opportunities and auction choices, read the details at the Hope for Jena site, and like the Facebook awareness page.
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