Link Out (18/3/08)

March 17th, 2008

link out aurthur ghosts and gouls

Its funny how even though I had never planned to post up this feature every month, ever since I started I have unknowingly been doing just that. Which would make this a monthly segment. Over the past month I have been considerably busier than normal outside of the blog and as such my list of links aren’t as strong as last time. But as always they make great additional reading if you enjoy reading what I have to say.

Brainy Gamer Podcast #10 – Brainy Gamer

In the past month I have come across Brainy Gamer; a blog dedicated to intelligent discussion on a variety of important issues relating not only the industry but also software and design. The blogger over there; Micheal Abbot, is the most sincere and genuine bloggers that I have come across. He has a real passion and interest in games and it shines through with both his writing but even more so his podcast.

I have selected Podcast #10 for two reasons; firstly it is the latest podcast and has a bunch of interesting observations about GDC and the snark among some bloggers and journos which I find very interesting. Secondly after the main interview there is a 20 second advertisement for this blog (by Matty Jay) followed up by some generously kind words from Micheal. The Brainy Gamer blog comes highly recommended by me and I think that you’ll really enjoy it.

Best Of GDC: ‘Making Games For PlayStation Network – The Facts’ – GameSetWatch

GameSetWatch will be running through some of the best GDC lectures that were perhaps lost amongst the crowd. This time they are looking at a lecture by Chris Eden from Sony talking about some of the more internal Playstation Network information such as what is open to PSN developers, cost and a few interesting statistics. Quite an informative read.

Character Profile: Moblins – Man Bytes Blog

Corvus from Man Bytes Blog shares some thoughts about the Moblin characters in Zelda: Wind Waker. Out of all of the personality in The Wind Waker I find the moblins the most interesting. There is just so much charm in the character design and animation.

You are Lose! Blog

I discovered this blog from a reader comment and have been impressed by the recent slew of content. Much like this blog;You are Lose is an enthusiast gaming blog with a keen eye for notable, game design observations. Korey’s blog is mainly about the game software, so I think that you’ll enjoy this one as well.

1Up Network Director Dan Hsu Explains his Company’s Recent Overhaul – Level Up

N’gai Croal interviews Dan Hsu from the 1Up Network about the recent changes with staff positions and the new alphabetical grading system. Rather insightful.

Pure Pwnage Series Review + Episode 16 – Ed Borden PWNING 9-5

Ed Borden over at PWNING 9-5 has shared his thoughts about episode 16 of the internet show; Pure Pwnage and provided a series run down. If you haven’t already heard of this show then head over, read the summary and see if it sounds like something for you.

Building the Ultimate Gaming TV Channel

January 23rd, 2008

A few weeks ago Gloria from Girls Don’t Game posted up an article titled The Rise and Fall of G4 and Gaming TV where she shared her thoughts on the lack of quality video game coverage on TV. Considering that I’m an Australian gamer and am unfamiliar with shows such as G4 and X-Play I found the article very insightful but it also got me thinking about what would make a great Gaming TV channel.

So I spent a few minutes to ponder this question while I was reading the comments that were left in the article. It wasn’t long before I had compiled a list of popular internet gaming shows and a few other ideas that could make up the TV channel. So I put all of these ideas together in a timetable to form my own program for one day of broadcasting.

So here is a break down of my fictional TV channel:

gamer tv program

Further Clarification

Most of the shows on the list are taken from some of my favourite pre-existing internet gaming shows. You can find links to all of the shows below.

Modification Show

Some of my own ideas such as the modding show and pro gaming competitions have a lot of potential for success on a television network. There is such a variety of options available for a game modification show. Ideally the show would feature a series of DIY modifications. So everything from tweaking your PSP to access more media to ripping apart consoles and putting them into other devices. There are plenty of possibilities. I think that a show like this would work well in a Tekzilla like template with reader questions etc.

Pro Gaming Competitions

Another show with plenty of possibilities infact so much so that the ESPN has recently tapped into pro gaming. With gaming competitions regularly occurring worldwide every week there is never any shortage of content. Also with the rise of gaming commentating and shout casting quality presenters are never too far away.

Late Night Time Advertisements and Trailers

Basically once the majority of viewers go the bed the network could just run game trailers and advertisements in order to real in their income.

Further Possibilities

There are loads of other internet shows and reader videos that could be tapped into for a video game TV station. The timetable that I made up is just an example of shows and ideas that I am familiar with. If you there is anything that I’m missing then please let me know via the comment box.

Internet Shows

1up Show
ScrewAttack
Mega 64
Bonus Round
Zero Punctuation
Game Head
Red Vs Blue
Pure Pwnage