Ever Wonder What The Bottom of an Empty Con Idea Well Looks Like?

Otakon has come and gone. As has San Diego Comic Con, but let’s ignore that for a second because I was actually at Otakon and can report on it. You see, Otakon is usually the con of a given con season that restores my faith in the world of nerd culture: crazy costumes get busted out, people gather, new ideas abound. This year, not so much.

Also, sorry I haven't been around enough to make updates as frequently as I'd like. Preparing for Otakon takes preference and priority over writing about nothing.

You can usually gauge what the new “it thing” is from Otakon, at least in my experience. This Otakon seems to be the exception; didn’t see much of any new vidya related costuming (the same is generally true of Anime costumes and the like… hell, we didn’t even have the usual overabundance of Naruto, Bleach and Kingdom Hearts and the latter even has a new game coming out).

Since there isn’t a whole lot of exceptional stuff to promote in the world of gaming at this time (what else is new?), it’s easiest to just continue my trail of gloom and doom: THERE IS NO ORIGINAL CONTENT OUT THAT IS DRIVING MAJOR INTEREST. GAMING INDUSTRY, DO SOMETHING PLOX.

Maybe you guys noticed something else out there, maybe you have some zany super wacky awesome pics showing how I’m an idiot and blind and didn’t see the 600 BlazBlu costumes paraded around con or some awesome Final Fantasy group that shows where the fan interest is drawn to. I didn’t see much, though… and only a smattering of No More Heroes costumes (I was the only NMH2 Travis, gantstare.gif).

It’s all been done, a woo woo woo.

Video Games Live Brings Tracks to Concert Halls

The music of gaming has been listened to in and out of games, remixed, parodied, and used to create entirely original music.

Traditionally, though, when you think "Battle at the Base" from the Metal Gear Solid 3 soundtrack, your first thoughts probably aren't "CONCERT VENUE!"

Well, despite ignoring my attempts at an interview, I'm reporting that the concert series "Video Games Live" is bringing video games composers Tommy Tellarico and Jack Wall's creation of a concert of entirely orchestral video gaming music to stage in Virginia TONIGHT.

Popular series like Myst, Metal Gear Solid, Zelda, Mario and others will be represented through music, video, lasers and live gaming on-stage.

On the show's website, the tour continues through the US and Asia with stops in other locals around the world, as well as making an appearance at the San Diego Comic Con (so glad this is a timely story, ya herd)

Check it out if you're located near any of the venues, ticket prices vary by location (highest priced NYC tickets break $80 after surcharges and tax, while the lowest are around $40).

Oh, and it's not just no-games

According to analysts, video game sales aren't on the decline due to a lack of new "AWESOME CONTENT, PLEASE REPLICATE," but a combination of the lack of blockbuster titles and the game resale and rentals market.

Game makers aren't making as much money due to recycling of games through resale chains like GameStop and rental services such as GameFly (let's try and be more redundant between paragraphs, shall we?). So the next time you see that high-pitched voiced rabbit on TV or get a request to sign up for low introductory rates on GameFly, remember you're actually helping to kill the games industry.

That and stealing games.

That and game makers aren't making new good content (you know, doing their jobs).

Pac Man ate all my monies.

If you're like me and you don't have a gambling addiction, but the prospect of gaining money while purchasing nick-nacks bearing the visage of familiar characters, games and other niceties turns you right on, this post is for you.

Well, that and if you live in New Jersey.

The New Jersey State Lotto has introduced Pac Man scratch offs (apparently this has happened in Texas, too, as there's Kotaku article on it) celebrating the 30th anniversary of the lovable yellow pie-minus-a-slice.

I didn't win anything and the game is not as interesting as many other match-up games (but then is the preset "you win only if you get one of these two" game ever really that great?), but it was $2 and I could have had a return on my money or greater! Also, I found it while buying a slurpee at a 7-11, so I don't know what else you really want from me.

Don't buy it if you have a gambling problem because gambling more doesn't help resolve such issues!

Downloadable Content and Piracy in Games

You like Steam. Admit it. The Valve game-downloading platform elates you and cuts out the middle-man in game purchasing. You can't get enough of it.

While nothing new (BUT WHAT IS NOWADAYS IN THE VIDEO GAME WORLD?), an examiner article cites that analysts predict that downloadable content will be the next wave in gaming.

Downloadable content has added value to many games, such as map packs for first person shooters, additional sections and areas of sandbox games and new hats for your custom fighter. Downloadable content as a stand-alone has also generated revenue for console makers, allowing them to rerelease old games for play on new systems, bringing updated versions of Street Fighter 2 or even entirely new games, like Megaman 9, to current-gen consoles.

However, one thing downloadable content adds is for publishers - protection from piracy. While many game manufacturers and console makers have continued in an escalating digital rights management (DRM) arms race with pirates who then work to crack whatever codes and encryption is put on discs and other games, companies like Valve have used the downloadable content model to protect or minimize damage from piracy.

An argument that frequently comes up in /v/ "piracy" threads is what would make it so that a pirate would stop "stealing" games. The answer to this is make the process neutral, enjoyable and simple. Going to a game store, like GameStop, involves a middle-man who frequently resells games from a business model that shortchanges both creator and buyer. Modding a system or cracking a CD allows a user to play a game for free. By forcing users to download content from the company, manufacturers create a loophole in the way games are purchased and consumed, one that forces a user to connect with the creators for validate and obtain new content as well as play games such as TF2 without the aid of "standalone" servers (as is popular... or rather, the only option for the pirating community).

DRM has been routinely considered a blow to the gaming community; it punishes only those who legally obtain copies of games by bogging down the title with extraneous software bordering on malware. However, if Steam is any indication, DRM can be more than just another speedbump for pirates to roll over.