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Now We Are All Sons of Bitches
Now We Are All Sons of Bitches MICHAEL BONTATIBUS “Wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes,” the enigmat- ic G-Man murmurs as he leers into the camera, finishing an eerie opening monologue—and so begins Half-Life 2, Valve Corporation’s flagship game. The last time we saw Gordon Freeman, the protagonist, the same rigid and mysterious (though more poorly animated, since the prequel was released six years earlier) G-Man was handing him a job offer after witnessing the former scientist transform into a warrior, bent on escaping from the besieged Black Mesa Research Facility alive. Now, suddenly, Freeman finds himself on a train. No context.1 Is it a prison train? The three other individuals on it wear uniforms like those the inmates wore in Cool Hand Luke. The train soon stops at its destination, and we realize that it is a prison train, in a way—Freeman has arrived at the Orwellian “City 17,” where the ironically named Civil Protection abuses and oppresses, where antagonist Dr. Breen preaches poet- ic propaganda from large monitors hung high above the town. In the years since scientists at the facility accidentally opened a gateway between dimen- sions and allowed a bevy of grotesque creatures to spill into our universe, Earth has been taken over by the Combine, an alien multiplanetary empire. Breen is merely Earth’s administrator—and we realize that the ashes the G- Man spoke of were the ashes of the prelapsarian world. It’s classic dystopia, complete with a Resistance, of which Freeman soon finds himself the “mes- sianic” leader (HL2). -
EA Opens up the Orange Box for PLAYSTATION 3
EA Opens up The Orange Box for PLAYSTATION 3 Critically-Acclaimed PC and Xbox 360 Game is Now Available for PLAYSTATION 3 in North America and Europe REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 2007--2007's best reviewed PC and Xbox 360™ game is now available for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Praised by many publications as the best value in the history of the video game industry, The Orange Box was originally developed by Valve and gives players five innovative action games for the price of one. Now Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) brings this amazing collection to the PLAYSTATION 3 in North America and most of Europe, with French and German versions expected in early 2008. The Orange Box was released earlier this year on the Xbox 360 and PC to wide critical acclaim - both versions have averaged a 96 based on Metacritic.com and are tied for the highest rated games on each respective platforms, including 17 perfect scores. The five-games-in-one-package includes the highest-rated first person shooter of all time Half-Life® 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, and three all-new games: -- Half Life 2: Episode Two - Episode 2 is the latest chapter in the best-selling, highest-rated action game franchise of all time, taking gamers outside the walls of City 17 for the first time as Gordon and Alyx race across the White Forest in race to save mankind from the Combine. -- Portal™ - A groundbreaking new kind of action game that will forever change the way gamers interact with their environment, Portal gives players mastery over 3D space with the mind-bending new Portal gun. -
Gabe Newell Announced As Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’ Hall of Fame Inductee and Keynote
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GABE NEWELL ANNOUNCED AS ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS & SCIENCES’ HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE AND KEYNOTE Valve President Headlines Thursday D.I.C.E. Summit Conference Calabasas, Calif. – Nov. 15, 2012 – The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce that Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve Corporation, will be the 17th inductee into the AIAS Hall of Fame, and will be taking the 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit stage as its Thursday conference keynote. Gabe’s leadership in founding and managing Valve, creator of SourceTM game engine, Steam, and award- winning game franchises like Half-Life®, Counter StrikeTM, Left 4 DeadTM, PortalTM, and Team FortressTM have done much to push the interactive entertainment industry forward. The AIAS Hall of Fame honor is bestowed on game creators who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games and moving a particular genre forward. These individuals demonstrate the highest level of creativity and innovation, resulting in significant product influence on a scale that expands the scope of the industry. The 2013 Hall of Fame Award will be presented to Gabe by Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps, who serves on the AIAS board of directors and the AIAS awards committee, at the 16th D.I.C.E. Awards on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas. Past AIAS Hall of Fame recipients include: Tim Sweeney (2012), Dr. Greg Zeschuk (2011), Dr. Ray Muzyka (2011), Mark Cerny (2010), and Bruce Shelley (2009). “Gabe is one of the most cherished and respected figures in the industry not only for his technological innovations in advancing many of today’s highly successful video games, but also for his unique stance towards leadership and management,” said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. -
Esports High Impact and Investable
Needham Insights: Thought Leader Series Laura A. Martin, CFA & CMT – [email protected] / (917) 373-3066 September 5, 2019 Dan Medina – [email protected] / (626) 893-2925 eSports High Impact and Investable For the past decade, eSports has been growing on the main stage in Asia and in stealth mode in the US. This report addresses questions we get most often from investors about eSports: ➢ What is eSports? Definitions differ. Our definition of eSports is “players competing at a video game in front of a live audience while being live-streamed.” By implication, viewing, attendance, and playing time are linked, and each creates revenue streams for eSports. ➢ How big is eSports? Globally, one out of every three (ie, 33%) 18-25 year olds spent more than an hour a day playing video games, 395mm people watched eSports, and 250mm people played Fortnite in 2018. eSports revenue will be $1.1B in 2019, up 26% y/y. ➢ Should investors care about eSports? We would argue “yes”, owing to: a) global scale; b) time spent playing and viewing; c) compelling demographics; d) eSports vs traditional sports trends; e) revenue growth; and, f) sports betting should supercharge US eSports. ➢ Is eSports a fad? We would argue “no”, owing to: a) many US Universities now offer Varsity eSports scholarships; b) new special purpose eSports stadiums are proliferating; c) billionaires are investing to make eSports successful; d) audience growth; and, e) Olympics potential. ➢ Why have you never heard of eSports? Because zero of the top 30 earning players in the world were from the US in 2018. -
Portal Prima Official Mini Eguide.Pdf 2008-05-31 12:20 3.1 MB
PRIMA OFFICIAL GAME GUIDE DAVID SJ HODGSON STEPHEN STRATTON MIGUEL LOPEZ Prima Games David SJ Hodgson A Division of Random House, Inc. Originally hailing from the United Kingdom, David left his role as a writer of numerous 3000 Lava Ridge Court, Suite 100 British video game magazines (including Mean Machines, Computer & Video Games, Roseville, CA 95661 and the Offi cial Nintendo and Sega Saturn magazines) and a bohemian lifestyle on a dry-docked German fi shing trawler to work on the infamous GameFan magazine in www.primagames.com 1996. David helped to launch the fl edgling GameFan Books and helped form Gamers’ The Prima Games logo is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., Republic in 1998, authoring many strategy guides for Millennium Publications, registered in the United States and other countries. Primagames.com is including The Offi cial Metal Gear Solid Mission Handbook. After launching the wildly a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., registered in the United unsuccessful incite Video Gaming and Gamers.com, David found his calling, and States. began authoring guides for Prima Games. He has written over 30 Prima strategy guides, including The Godfather: The Game, Knights of the Old Republic, Perfect Dark © 2007 by Prima Games. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be Zero, Half-Life 2, and Burnout Revenge. He lives in the Pacifi c Northwest with his reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, wife, Melanie, and an eight-foot statue of Great Cthulhu. including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission from Prima Games. -
Designing Organizations for Dynamic Capabilities
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Oxford University, Saïd Business School: Eureka Designing Organizations for Dynamic Capabilities Teppo Felin University of Oxford Park End Street Oxford, UK [email protected] +44 1865 288912 Thomas C. Powell University of Oxford Park End Street Oxford, UK [email protected] Manuscript for California Management Review Special Issue on Dynamic Capabilities Editors David Teece and Sunyoung Leih Designing Organizations for Dynamic Capabilities Abstract How can organizations put dynamic capabilities into practice? We focus on the power of organizational design, showing how managers can harness new organizational forms to build a capacity for sensing, shaping and seizing opportunities. Fast-moving environments favor open organization and self- organizing processes that quickly convert individual capabilities into actionable collective intellect. We argue that self-organizing processes do not organize themselves but require managers to design and execute them. We examine new design principles – such as polyarchy, social proofs, and new forms of open organization – that allow organizations to build dynamic capabilities for sustained innovation in dynamic environments. Key words: organizational design, dynamic capabilities, sensing, seizing, crowds 2 Introduction Valve Corporation was founded in 1996 by Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington, former Microsoft employees. Valve began as a video game company, producing best sellers such as Half Life and Portal. Later the company evolved into a digital distribution platform, known for products such as Steam and SourceForge. Their self-reported revenues per employee and profit per employee exceed those of Facebook and Google. -
Students Shun ‘Sexist’ Show
fb.com/warwickboar twitter.com/warwickboar theStudentboar Publication of the Year 2013 Wednesday 4th December, 2013 Est. 1973 | Volume 36 | Issue 5 Without a The perfect Student paddle (or shirt) curry formula theatre deals p. 10 p. 29 p. 30 TV page 27 MONEY page 15 BOOKS page 16 TRAVEL page 24 Doctor Who: an overseas view Writing competition winners The best Christmas reads Where to visit over the holidays Typhoon Haiyan student support Students shun ‘sexist’ show Derin Odueyungbo The University of Warwick has responded to Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on Friday 8 November and then north Vietnam on Monday 11 No- vember. Warwick has said that it will “commit itself to proving a sup- portive and positive environment” for those who have been affected by the disaster. There are a number of ways stu- dents can donate towards support- ing people in the Philippines. Students and staff directly af- fected by the recent disaster are en- couraged to take advantage of the University’s support services. Warwick society Oxfam Out- reach held bucket collections in the Bread Oven and Curiositea last week. Unicef on Campus were at Un- plucked in the Dirty Duck on » Kasbah Nightclub, previously known as the Colly, is a favourite with many students at Warwick University. Photo: Localjapantimes / Flickr Tuesday 26 November, collecting donations for those affected by the undergraduate, member of the made the girls and the boys do was “After receiving complaints, he typhoon. Ann Yip campaign and member of the War- laughable.” has now parted ways with the Kas- Mrin Chatterjee, president of wick Anti-Sexism Society (WASS). -
Investigating Steganography in Source Engine Based Video Games
A NEW VILLAIN: INVESTIGATING STEGANOGRAPHY IN SOURCE ENGINE BASED VIDEO GAMES Christopher Hale Lei Chen Qingzhong Liu Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas Huntsville, Texas Huntsville, Texas [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Abstract—In an ever expanding field such as computer and individuals and security professionals. This paper outlines digital forensics, new threats to data privacy and legality are several of these threats and how they can be used to transmit presented daily. As such, new methods for hiding and securing illegal data and conduct potentially illegal activities. It also data need to be created. Using steganography to hide data within demonstrates how investigators can respond to these threats in video game files presents a solution to this problem. In response order to combat this emerging phenomenon in computer to this new method of data obfuscation, investigators need methods to recover specific data as it may be used to perform crime. illegal activities. This paper demonstrates the widespread impact This paper is organized as follows. In Section II we of this activity and shows how this problem is present in the real introduce the Source Engine, one of the most popular game world. Our research also details methods to perform both of these tasks: hiding and recovery data from video game files that engines, Steam, a powerful game integration and management utilize the Source gaming engine. tool, and Hammer, an excellent tool for creating virtual environment in video games. -
Machinima As Digital Agency and Growing Commercial Incorporation
A Binary Within the Binary: Machinima as Digital Agency and Growing Commercial Incorporation A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Megan R. Brown December 2012 © 2012 Megan R. Brown. All Rights Reserved 2 This thesis titled A Binary Within the Binary: Machinima as Digital Agency and Growing Commercial Incorporation by MEGAN R. BROWN has been approved for the School of Film and the College of Fine Arts by Louis-Georges Schwartz Associate Professor of Film Studies Charles A. McWeeny Dean, College of Fine Arts 3 ABSTRACT BROWN, MEGAN R., M.A., December 2012, Film Studies A Binary Within the Binary: Machinima as Digital Agency and Growing Commercial Incorporation (128 pp.) Director of Thesis: Louis-Georges Schwartz. This thesis traces machinima, films created in real-time from videogame engines, from the exterior toward the interior, focusing on the manner in which the medium functions as a tool for marginalized expression in the face of commercial and corporate inclusion. I contextualize machinima in three distinct contexts: first, machinima as historiography, which allows its minority creators to articulate and distribute their interpretation of national and international events without mass media interference. Second, machinima as a form of fan fiction, in which filmmakers blur the line between consumers and producers, a feature which is slowly being warped as videogame studios begin to incorporate machinima into marketing techniques. Finally, the comparison between psychoanalytic film theory, which explains the psychological motivations behind cinema's appeal, applied to videogames and their resulting machinima, which knowingly disregard established theory and create agency through parody. -
Historiographie Von Computerspielen
Historiographie von Computerspielen 1. Medienhistoriographie Die Medienhistoriographie umfasst alle Texte, welche die Geschichte der Medien zum Gegenstand haben, ver- gleichbar mit Medientheorien (Leschke 2007) lassen sich dabei verschiedene Stufen der Abstraktion, Professio- nalisierung und Schwerpunktsetzung unterscheiden. Da ist zunächst das dokumentierte Erfahrungswissen von Zeitzeugen, das meist in Form von Erinnerungen und Anekdoten vorliegt. Autobiografien von Medienschaffenden, Künstlern und Mitarbeitern von Medienanstalten, Erinnerungsbände an berühmte Medienformate, Institutionen und Ereignisse, wichtige Meilensteine der Medien- geschichte – sie beleuchten einzelne Aspekte mit bisweilen großer Aufmerksamkeit für Details, können dabei aber nicht auf übergeordnete Zusammenhänge eingehen, sobald diese mit der Biographie des Autors nicht in direkter Verbindung stehen. Insbesondere bei neueren Medien kann hier der Versuch einer Selbsthistorisierung festgestellt werden, wenn Akteure mit ihren Schriften das Ziel verfolgen, ihren Beitrag zur Mediengeschichte sowohl zu dokumentieren als auch historisch einzuordnen. Diese Texte sind eine Fundgrube für Historiker ohne selbst historiographisch sein zu wollen, weil die gute Geschichte stets vor der sorgfältigen Quellenarbeit steht. Ähnlich selektiv aber stärker auf Vollständigkeit der Recherche bedacht sind Technikgeschichten, die von zent- ralen Techniken der Eingabe (Füllfederhalter, Kameraobjektive, Tastaturen), der Speicherung (Papier, Verstär- kerröhren, Lochkarten) und der Ausgabe (Bildröhren, -
Case Study: Dota 2'S Game Design and Player Experience
CROSS-CULTURE IMPACT ON VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY Case study: Dota 2’s game design and player experience. Tran An Lapland University of Applied Sciences Innovative Business Services Bachelor’s Degree 2017 Abstract of Thesis School of Business and Culture Innovative Business Services Bachelor Degree Author An Tran Year 2017 Supervisor Eija Turunen Title of Thesis Cross-cultures impact on video game industry. Case study: Dota 2’s game design and customer experience. Number of pages + App. 58 + 19 The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the culture’s impact on online game designs, how the game could attract players internationally with culturally adaptive design and last but not least create its own digital culture among its players. The main finding of the thesis was the importance of culture in the current online game industry. Since the players were from all around the world, their cultural impacts on the game’s design could be greater than ever. Companies who are aiming for the international market should take different cross-cultural factors under consideration while having the game developed. By studying Dota 2’s design from basic cross-cultural viewpoints of Hofstede’s theory, it was able to explain partly the success of this phenomenon in e-sports, bring out the reasons how an MMORPG can build up its own borderless empire and digital culture. On the other hand, the thesis also suggested solutions to deal with a few current problems the case game’s in-game features and its item designs. Key words cross-culture, online game, video game, game design, customer experience, multiplayer online battle arena CONTENTS 1. -
Online Media Piracy: Convergence, Culture, and the Problem of Media
Online Media Piracy: Convergence, Culture, and the Problem of Media Change Sean Fuller Department of Gender and Cultural Studies The University of Sydney A thesis submitted to fulfil requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney i DECLARATION I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or any other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. Sean Fuller April 7, 2018 ii Abstract This thesis proposes that there is a symbiotic relationship between the emergence of online media piracy and the industrial, economic and legal changes that have shaped contemporary popular media in the early 21st century. The Internet is at the heart of most recent transformations of the popular media environment, such as the emergence of video- on-demand formats for film and television consumption and the impact this has had on the nature of those media forms. This thesis discusses the powerful role played by online media piracy in shaping these developments, both through changing the expectations of consumers, and the options that are available for distributors of media content. As well as exploring the diverse forms and practices of online media piracy today, this thesis also explores theories of media change, considering how we might understand such piracy as a force underpinning media change, and how the changes it has helped shape might be placed in a broader historical context.