I drew a silly picture.
Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season from the Immersed Gaming team!
Hope you get to enjoy some time off with family, friends and your favorite video games of 2011.
Author Archives:
My Wedding Vows: A Video Game Tribute
I was recently thinking about my wedding and how awesomely perfect the day was for us. I’m also reminded of it every day by this beautiful photograph in our bedroom.
We didn’t have a videographer. It was an expense that we didn’t feel was necessary, however I wish that we had somehow recorded the moment that we shared our wedding vows. Unfortunately, none of our guests recorded it but it’s my own fault for not thinking of it in advance. A bride can only do so much.
While my husband crafted these super sweet vows that brought me to tears (of joy), I went the video game route. And so in lieu of having a recording I am immortalizing my wedding vows here on the internet.
I first want to apologize if this doesn’t make sense to anyone except maybe the men here.
Mark,
Life is like Tetris; sometimes the pieces just fall into place. When we first met you were like Mario to my Peach; Link to my Zelda. You’re my best friend, my first real love. It’s hard to believe sometimes that we’ve been together for seven years. But our time together has shown me a few things. I know I will not be Left 4 Dead if there is some kind of disaster. I hope you can rely on me as much as I know I can rely on you to hear the Call of Duty in whatever life brings us as a new family. I am very much looking forward to growing old with you and hope that we will be together in the next life, whether it’s Heaven or Oblivion. I assure you before the conclusion of today, there will be cake. I love you very much.
My husband didn’t know what to expect, but he had an inclination that my vows would have something to do with video games. Our conversation went like this:
Me: Hey, don’t forget we have to send our vows to the Reverend soon.
Husband: No prob.
Me: By the way, what are your favorite video games? This has nothing to do with our vows.
Husband: Uh huh, sure.
Guess I’ll never get a job with the CIA.
I knew my audience was primarily non-video gamers so I had to reel the crowd in with a familiar game. Only a select few got the Portal reference at the end.
While my vows didn’t bring the audience to tears, it definitely got a laugh and was the talk of the men! Hope you enjoyed them too.
This work by Immersed Gaming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Modern Warfare Indeed: Activision v. EA Trial a Go
Electronic Arts tried to prevent the lawsuit against them and former Infinity Ward executives Jason West and Vince Zampella by Activision from being heard in front of a jury. Their request was denied by a Lost Angeles Superior Court judge and the trial will remain scheduled on its May 7, 2012 date.
According to USA Today,
Judge Elihu Berle denied requests by EA, West and Zampella to rule on Activision’s $400 million contract interference suit against EA. “In the suit Activision alleges that West and Zampella breached their contracts and duty of loyalty to Activision by conduct that was insubordinate and otherwise improper and that West and Zampella’s misconduct was caused, at least in part, by EA’s unlawful tampering,” said Activision in a statement released today.
In addition, West and Zampella have filed their own lawsuit against Activision for $36 million and the rights to all games branded with the Modern Warfare.
The duo now have their own studio called Respawn Entertainment
After dismissed by Activision, West and Zampella started a new studio, Respawn Entertainment. According to the company’s web-site:
Respawn Entertainment is an independent video game development studio focusing on creating state-of-the-art gaming experiences for global audiences. The studio was formed by Jason West and Vince Zampella, former co-founders of Infinity Ward and creators of the multi-billion dollar Call of Duty franchise. Respawn is developing a multi-platform product based on new video game IP and funded through its publishing deal with Electronic Arts, one of the top publishers in the industry.
What kind of impact will this lawsuit have on their new endeavor? Only time will tell.
[Source: USA Today]
This work by Immersed Gaming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Enter a Galaxy Far, Far Away in Star Wars: The Old Republic
Today is the official launch of the massively multiplayer online (MMO) game Star Wars: The Old Republic from BioWare and LucasArts.
The background story is set thousands of years before the original Star Wars saga. Players can choose to fight alongside the Galactic Republic or join the dark side and fight for the Sith Empire. In addition, players have eight choices of player characters: Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent.
Even though the game has been released, it will continue to evolve as time goes on. According to Cinema Blend:
“Players can expect guild banks and additional user interface customization. New content, included a significant update for space missions, is also in development.”
The game sounds intriguing and I might be interested in picking up my own copy. *wink* Santa?
I’d love to play a rogue Smuggler a la Han Solo. After all, hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side.
The downside is that this game is an investment. Each copy includes thirty days of access after which players will have to continue their subscription for a monthly fee of $14.99 or less if you purchase three or six month intervals ($13.99 and $12.99 per month respectively).
[Source: Cinema Blend; Star War: The Old Republic]
This work by Immersed Gaming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Huge Success! Portal 2 Named #1 Game of 2011 by Associated Press
The Associated Press released a list of top ten video games of 2011. Topping the list is my personal favorite, Portal 2. All in the name of science!
Here’s the full list:
1. Portal 2 6. InFamous 2
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 7. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution 8. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
4. Bastion 9. Rayman Origins
5. Batman: Arkham City 10. Dead Space 2
Did you favorite game make the list?
[Source: AP]
This work by Immersed Gaming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
UPDATE: Everyone Reading This Has Committed War Crimes, According to Huffington Post
UPDATE (12/10/2011):
You can all breathe a sigh of relief.
According to an updated article by the Huffington Post on Thursday, December 8:
“The Swiss-based humanitarian group assured gamers Thursday that “serious violations of the laws of war can only be committed in real-life situations.”
“The ICRC says it is nevertheless interested in working with video game makers to promote a better understanding of international humanitarian law because some companies also develop war simulations for armed forces.”
Now get back to playing Call of Duty and Battlefield.
ORIGINAL (12/6/2011):
I’m sitting here sipping my morning coffee and reading the Huffington Post. Occasionally there’s an article about video games on the front page. Typically it’s about a scientific study that analyzed the effects of video game use on the brain or something like that.
Other times it’s an article about violence in video games like this one. Read it and weep.
In sum, the International Committee of the Red Cross believes that violent video games (e.g. the Call of Duty franchise) should be subject to the Geneva Convention. In other words, you’re committing human rights violations on victims of war. Even though your victims are virtual.
“According to reports, the committee also discussed whether war crimes standards should apply to the virtual victims of war video games.
Taken to its most extreme conclusion, that could theoretically mean applying the same standards for virtual victims of war – pixels and sprites – as human combatants and civilians.
“While the Movement works vigorously to promote international humanitarian law worldwide, there is also an audience of approximately 600 million gamers who may be virtually violating international humanitarian law (IHL),” the Red Cross’s description of the event read.”
The article goes on to say that the ICRC is not ready to share its views with the public, but we can look forward to reading more about it on their web-site in the coming weeks.
Source: [Huffington Post UK Edition]
This work by Immersed Gaming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
2011 VGAs Are Here!
The Video Game Awards (VGAs) are live on Spike tonight Saturday, December 10 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT hosted by “Chuck” star Zachary Levi who is also a video game voice actor you may have heard in Halo: Reach and Fallout: New Vegas. You can tune in for the pre-show beginning at 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PT.
For those of you without cable, like myself, the entire show is being simulcasted on-line at vga.spike.com in the U.S. and Canada.
This year’s show gives you, the viewers at home, the opportunity to vote live for the winner in two categories: the NFL Blitz Cover Vote and Character of the Year. Voting isn’t open yet, but you can click on the links to check out the nominees at Spike.
I really enjoy watching video game trailers and am interested in seeing which wins Best Trailer. The cinematography and creativity displayed are amazing and characters seem to become more real in each passing year. The LA Times has an article out today showing some of the video game trailers that we’ve seen this year. Dead Island and Modern Warfare 3 are among my favorites.
So, will you be tuning in tonight?
[Source: Spike; LA Times]
This work by Immersed Gaming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
UPDATE: Xbox 360 – Not Just for Video Games Anymore
UPDATE: The Xbox Dashboard update planned for release earlier today has been delayed.
Xbox Live’s Major Nelson has been keeping fans posted on his twitter feed today about the status of the update. According to his last update some users should have access to the new dashboard this evening:
“Sorry for the dash launch delay. Good news: first set of customers will be getting the Xbox LIVE update within the next few hours.”
If you’re one of those lucky users, let us know your thoughts!
[Via Twitter]
This work by Immersed Gaming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Xbox 360 – Not Just for Video Games Anymore
Microsoft is coming out swinging this week with a host of updates to the Xbox Live dashboard going live tomorrow, December 6.
Here’s the rundown:
There will be TV, movie, music, sports, and news hubs added. Hubs for UFC, VEVO, TMZ and YouTube will be available this month and MLB.TV, HBO Go, CinemaNow and Xfinity On Demand will be available sometime in 2012.
You’ll see an integration with Netflix, Hulu Plus, ESPN and MSNBC for additional viewing pleasure.
A free app called Xbox Companion for Windows Phone will be released allowing users to control their Xbox 360s from their handheld devices. Users will also be able to search the Xbox Live catalog from their phones and using it like a remote, launch TV shows, movies, music, games and apps to their Xbox. Users will also be able to connect with your friends and compare game play and achievements.
If that doesn’t peek your interest, Kinect owners will be able to do all of these things with their voice.
Welcome to the future.
[Source: Wired]
This work by Immersed Gaming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
MW3 Avatar Sales to Support U.S. Military Veteran Charity
Yesterday, Activision made an announcement on their web-site stating that…
“Proceeds from the sale of all Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 avatars on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace between December 2 and December 16 will be donated to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit, public benefit corporation that helps Armed Forces veterans transition back to civilian life, find work and establish careers.”
There are already more than 30 items available in the Marketplace and in honor of their partnership with the Endowment, Activision has created two new avatars – American Special Forces and Special Ops Juggernaut.
I commend Activision for their commitment in supporting veterans. You can read more about the Endowment on their official web-site.
I also want to bring your attention to another charity called Operation Supply Drop which sends video game care packages to troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They accept donations of used video games or cash. As a registered 501c3, your donations are tax-deductible. Please consider making a donation to this cause during the holiday season!
[Source: Activision]
This work by Immersed Gaming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
