Borderlands has some giant "Goliaths" called "Loot Goliaths" with Slot Machines tied to their backs. Kill the Goliath and you can play the slot machine affixed to his back. Moxxi's bar also has slot machines in it. As long as Borderlands is a Mature rated game I think its ok.
On August 30 2019 00:46 Simberto wrote: And mainly, the whole thing is weird. I find games which constantly want me to give them money disgusting and don't play them. I think a lot of core gamers think like that. But there is a large group of people who don't see themselves as gamers, but still buy games and play them, and they don't really seem to care.
The entire industry has come full circle. At the start of the industry you paid $0.25 per play of a game. When your characters died you paid another $0.25 to play another game. You were constantly paying to play. In this revenue model the more skilled players got more playing time and so were paying less per hour of entertainment.
On August 30 2019 01:45 JimmyJRaynor wrote: Borderlands has some giant "Goliaths" called "Loot Goliaths" with Slot Machines tied to their backs. Kill the Goliath and you can play the slot machine affixed to his back. Moxxi's bar also has slot machines in it. As long as Borderlands is a Mature rated game I think its ok.
Borderlands is different though. You sure have slot machines in Moxxi's bar but you're not using real currency to use them. Mature rating also helps.
It looks like slot machines and roulette are integral part of NBA2K core gameplay as opposed to some minor gimmick.
$1 goal? Giving out shares? Nice. But I read "Homeworld Mobile" and lost all interest.
Also, the 2K casino controversy continues as PEGI responds to concerned people who notified them about it and asked about ratings.
We have seen the announcement trailer of NBA 2K20 and noticed the controversy it has caused. We feel it is important to carefully explain when certain content is triggering the gambling descriptor in the PEGI system, but also to show when it does not at this moment.
A video game gets the gambling content descriptor if it contains moving images that encourage and/or teach the use of games of chance that are played/carried out as a traditional means of gambling.
We use a help text to clarify this in more detail: This refers to types of betting or gambling for money that is normally played/carried out in casinos, gambling halls, racetracks. This does not cover games where betting or gambling is simply part of the general storyline. The game must actually teach the player how to gamble or bet and/or encourage the player to want to gamble or bet for money in real life.
For example, this will include games that teach the player how to play card games that are usually played for money or how to play the odds in horse racing.
It is important to stress that the controversial imagery played a central role in the trailer, but it may not necessarily do so in the game, which has not yet been released.
At this point in time, PEGI can only comment on the trailer that has been made publicly available.
The trailer includes imagery that is generally known from casinos (wheel of fortune, slot machines). Using this sort of mechanic to select an item, or character, or action by chance is not the same as teaching how to gamble for money in a casino. These differences currently prevent us from applying the gambling descriptor. But we are very aware that it may get too close for comfort for some people, and that is part of an internal discussion that PEGI is having for the moment. The games industry is evolving constantly (and rapidly in recent years). As a rating organisation, we need to ensure that these developments are reflected in our classification criteria. We do not base our decisions on the content of a single trailer, but we will properly assess how the rating system (and the video games industry in general) should address these concerns.
Kind regards,
PEGI Consumer Affairs
Basically, PEGI is defending the 3+ rating for NBA 2K20 but while doing so it not only indirectly admits that it gave out the rating without knowing the full extent of the game but also says that it doesn't see similarities with stuff presented in the trailer to real-life gambling machines (unlike Pokemon Red/Blue which it thinks is not only accurate representation but it's also vital enough to the story that 12+ rating is warranted).
For reference, Pokemon:
NBA 2K20:
The audacity on them is unbelievable. I really have no idea how can they get away with it. And they're so arrogant about it too...
$1 goal? Giving out shares? Nice. But I read "Homeworld Mobile" and lost all interest.
The $1 goal guarantees the campaign moves forward beyond September 29. If the goal amount were higher and then not met the entire campaign is called off.
Multiple games have been financed through fig before. For a normal gamer treating it as pre-order there isn't much difference to a kick-starter. Don't have to offer as many random rewards for higher tiers though.
How so? Its a niche game with a cult following gauging interest and raising money through a kickstarter. Seems pretty normal this day, the $1 goal is because they are already mostly financed (if not entirely) so its just like a glorified pre-order where you allow people who actually buy the game to offer input.
How so? Its a niche game with a cult following gauging interest and raising money through a kickstarter. Seems pretty normal this day, the $1 goal is because they are already mostly financed (if not entirely) so its just like a glorified pre-order where you allow people who actually buy the game to offer input.
No, its not a kickstarter clone. The Securities offered are qualified by the SEC.
Its the first time Gearbox Publishing has ever done anything like this. Given the long meandering road their last RTS game went through this is an interesting move by Gearbox. I have no damn clue how that land based Homeworld game even made $1 of profit.
Randy is a magician... is he a financial magician too?
Back in 2018, Guardian editor Keza MacDonald wrote that “the video games industry isn’t yet ready for its #MeToo moment.” But whether or not that’s still true, people are attempting to hold abusers and their enablers accountable. Over the past day, multiple high-profile men in the video game industry have been accused of sexual assault. Many of the accusations are years old — in some cases, more than a decade — and they all point to a toxic environment where developers not only have to live with a constant fear of abuse, but also the significant professional and personal repercussions of outing their abusers.
Things started with a lengthy blog post from artist and game designer Nathalie Lawhead, bluntly titled “calling out my rapist.” In it, she accuses Jeremy Soule, a longtime game composer behind series like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and The Elder Scrolls, of rape while the two were working together at an unnamed games studio in Vancouver in 2008. The post also points to a severely degraded work environment following the assault, in which Lawhead was disrespected at work, had to fight for pay, and was ultimately let go from her job. These claims are backed up by extensive documentation in the form of dozens of emails.
“I share not expecting to be able to get through the backlash, the lying, the excuses, the gaslighting happening all over again, the fanbase that might come after me because that’s just what happens in games, or hearing more of ‘his side of the story,’” Lawhead’s post reads. “My side of the story was never given a chance. I’m willing to try. I’m sharing this hoping that there will be information about him out there so other women can be informed.”
Following Lawhead’s post, others started speaking up. Zoe Quinn — developer of games like Depression Quest, author of Crash Override, and a focal point of the misogynistic Gamergate movement — posted a harrowing account on Twitter, recounting alleged abuse from indie developer Alec Holowka, best known for his work on Aquaria and Night in the Woods. “I’ve been silent about this for almost my entire career and I can’t do it anymore,” Quinn wrote. The post includes disturbing accounts that include Quinn hiding in a bathroom to avoid an attack. It also notes that Quinn was inspired to come forward in part because of Lawhead’s post, which Quinn says “shook me to my core.”
In a statement on Twitter, Scott Benson, who worked with Holowka on Night in the Woods, wrote that “we believe Zoe’s account of Alec’s actions, we’re very sad and very angry.”
A third incident came to light when indie developer Adelaide Gardner wrote a lengthy Twitter thread accusing Luc Shelton, a programmer at British studio Splash Damage, of sustained psychological and physical abuse two years ago. “It’s been two years and every once in a while, like now, I realize I’m still terrified of him,” Gardner wrote. “He’s a country away and I will never see him again and he has no way of contacting me, and I’m just as scared of him as the day I left his flat for the last time.”
Women and non-binary people in the industry, including Insomniac Games writer Mary Kenney, have similarly come out since with their own stories of abuse and harassment. At the same time, others, like Mina Vanir, have brought up older accusations that previously received comparatively little attention.
This isn’t the first time men in the video game industry have been accused of sexual abuse or assault. But the sheer number of stories — which only seems to be growing — coupled with the prominence of those being accused makes this moment feel particularly significant, and hopefully something that will actually lead to notable change for an industry where sexism, abuse, and toxic behavior are both widespread and systemic.
We’ve reached out to Splash Damage and Elder Scrolls publisher Bethesda Softworks, employers of two of the accused, and will update this story if we receive a response.
I wonder how many more times Zoe Quinn will be insta-believed? Her track record indicates a low level of personal integrity. Most adults are liars. I wouldn't believe anything she says without evidence accompanying her claims. Why a bunch of people went and ran with what she said... I'll never know.
Brendan Sinclair's original GamesIndustry.Biz article outlining Zoe Quinn's accusations against Holowka has magically disappeared. What a coward.
Her "Winnipeg to TOronto" story is nonsensical. It is probably mostly a BS story. You can take a bus from Winnipeg to Toronto for $100 CDN. You don't have to fly. The bus sucks, but it'll get you back to TO.
looks like no interactive Q&A to me. i guess they will search through note cards and pick out suitable questions. if it isn't open and interactive you can't really have a "Red Shirt Guy" moment. This happened during a live and interactive Q&A Session. + Show Spoiler +
It was pretty cool and spontaneous.
I don't get why they just don't delay the LiveStream of the Q&A session by 10 minutes and edit out anything that goes badly wrong. Hell they could even delay the Live Interactive Q&A parts by 2 hours while keeping all other aspects of Blizzcon 100% live.
For the record, here is a LIVE Q&A with SC2 last year. + Show Spoiler +
yes, they totally cancelled the Q&A because of something that happened 9! years ago.
So much fake outrage these days. Atleast be 'original' and fantasize how this means WoW is coming to mobile and they want to avoid an incident like last years 'don't you have phones'.
On October 24 2019 08:53 Gorsameth wrote: yes, they totally cancelled the Q&A because of something that happened 9! years ago. So much fake outrage these days. Atleast be 'original' and fantasize how this means WoW is coming to mobile and they want to avoid an incident like last years 'don't you have phones'.
They had several live Q&As last year. I showed 1 of them in my post. There were more. As far as "fake outrage" its part of fandom in many forms. meh, it comes with the territory. I'm not really swept up in that stuff in either the "outrage" direction or the blow back against the "outrage".
I try to keep myself informed so the money I spend on video games is wisely spent. Hopefully, you do the same.
WoW Classic stopped the bleeding at Blizzard. This is the first time MAUs have gone up for Blizzard since Q2 of 2017. Blizzard reports 33 Million MAUs in the 3rd quarter of 2019. This is up from 32 Million MAUs in the previous quarter.
On November 08 2019 06:21 JimmyJRaynor wrote: WoW Classic stopped the bleeding at Blizzard. This is the first time MAUs have gone up for Blizzard since Q2 of 2017. Blizzard reports 33 Million MAUs in the 3rd quarter of 2019. This is up from 32 Million MAUs in the previous quarter.
No new game release is several years, the only continued and updated game, so far, is a pay to play model which itself is shrinking as there is nothing to win etc. When suits takes over this tends to be the result.
Activision Blizzard has again reported shrinking numbers and performance in its third fiscal quarter, surprising everyone. This is an unexpected result because the news was strikingly similar at the end of the second fiscal quarter, only at that point the company stated that it had a plan to invest into its key franchises that would pay off, but apparently failed to do so.
According to Games Industry, the net revenues for Activision Blizzard dropped a massive 15% to $1.28 billion for the period that ended September 30, and net bookings were down 27% to 1.21 billion. While the numbers may not be what the company expected to see, there will still be a profit made with an earnings per share of $0.26, roughly 24% less than the year-ago quarter.
It is entirely possible that the plan has simply taken longer to materialize and that the gains expected at the end of Q3 will appear for Q4. Activision Blizzard made a point of pointing out other areas where product performance has been positive but not apparent until after the closing of the quarter. The Call of Duty Mobile game for instance has seen over 100 million downloads in the first months since its formal release, and Modern Warfare is seeing better initial sales than Black Ops 4 from last year.
On the other hand, the failure to meet projected expectations may be symptomatic of larger problems within the organization. In December of 2018 fans of Heroes of the Storm were shocked to discover that with no warning Blizzard decided to gut the esports scene and all but dismantle the development of the title to a fraction of what it once was. Players were left without tournaments to play, and casters were left without employment.
This was one of many examples in the past years that one could point to and see a certain number of consumers simply saying that enough is enough. The StarCraft II esports scene and overall development of Diablo 3 can be considered to have been mishandled and ultimately abandoned compared to what consumers expected to see, and that too could contribute to Blizzard seeing fewer return spenders. In today’s saturated market of well-made games, Blizzard has no room to be sloppy, and resting on the brands of their most well-known games will only work for so long.
In October Blizzard faced significant controversy for the harsh ban of Blitzchung, the competitive Hearthstone player who made a pro-Hong Kong statement during a streamed event and had since faced a steady stream of questions over its behavior. While this happened after the Q3 close, it is merely yet another example of Blizzard acting in ways that from an outside view can be seen as destructive to the brand. Blizzard may be coming off of the high of BlizzCon, but past the pompous self-celebratory event, we might be seeing the first real signs of decline for an organization that has deviated far from its roots.
On November 11 2019 01:15 {CC}StealthBlue wrote: No new game release is several years, the only continued and updated game, so far, is a pay to play model which itself is shrinking as there is nothing to win etc. When suits takes over this tends to be the result.
I see it another way. When incompetent suits take over there are hard dates for releases. For example, what EA did with Westwood's RTS team. This has not happened with Blizzard. D3 and SC2 came out many years ago with no sequels in sight. As you said, they are releasing nothing and are willing to let their revenue fall. At this point ATVI is still protecting the Blizzard brand.
The suits that are in charge are looking long term unlike the EA suits who look short term.
EPT![[image loading]](https://www.serebii.net/rb/slots.png)
![[image loading]](https://static3.gamerantimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/NBA-2K20-trailer-gambling-controversy.jpg)
