Posts by Tori Floyd
The Intern Has Left The Building
9:00AM Tori Floyd | I’m not one for long goodbyes, so I’ll try and make this quick. Today, ladies and gents, is the last day you’ll see me fetching sandwiches and scrubbing the dirty floors of Kotaku Tower. My internship with Kotaku is up, and it’s been a pretty sweet ride. Everyone has been really great, from the editors to the readers, and everyone else I’ve met while here, and I can come away knowing that even I spent 95% of my time in pink flannel pajamas, I’ve had a truly rewarding and educational internship. The stories I’ve had a chance to write while here have also had a big impact on me. If you’ll indulge me in a trip down memory lane for a second…
Casual Gamers Worth Billions
7:52AM Tori Floyd | The appeal of casual games is a no-brainer at this point. Everyone can enjoy a quick game of Solitare, or while away some workplace boredom with Diner Dash. But as someone who’s never really paid for any of my casual gaming fun, I was impressed by statistic from the Casual Gaming Association that consumers paid $US 2.25 billion for casual gaming last year. 75% of those who bought casual games were women, and 72% were over the age of 35. With Fahey’s mom a future Wii Bowling champion, and my mother a devout Scrabolous addict, I’m not surprised that women over 35 make up the biggest part of the paid casual-market pie, I was just impressed by how high the number was. All this leaves me with just one thought: there’s actually a Casual Gaming Association? Games Girls Play [Forbes] More »
New Kiddy MMO Gets $US 3.2 Mil In Funding
6:00AM Tori Floyd | As if MMOs for teens and adults aren’t bad enough, Fluid Entertainment (Disney Princess Castle Party, Disney Mix, Pokémon Play It!) has decided that children need a Warcrack of their own. They’ve secured $US 3.2 million in backing for the development of a new MMO aimed at children. With only a few entries in this genre so far, Fluid is going after a relatively untapped market. The game will have an environmental theme, and according to the press release, boast “unprecedented levels of engaging gameplay for children’s MMOs, while infusing the compelling narrative with a meaningful purpose”. The MMO will be an original title, meaning it’s not likely to be based off any of Fluid’s previous partnerships with Hasbro, Disney, or Mattel. We can all rest easy that it won’t be World of Hannah Montana. Thank goodness. More »
News
Holocaust Survivor Criticises WWII Game
3:20AM Tori Floyd | British game developer Luc Bernard is under fire from a Holocaust survivor for his newest game in the works, Imagination is the Only Escape. Survivor Jack Kagan of Belarus said that he was outraged at the idea of the game, that the Holocaust is a very serious subject for all of humanity, and no one should make a game like this one. Bernard responded that the game was meant to educate people, particularly children, about the events of the Holocaust. Kagan wouldn’t buy it, though, and said that people should be educated about the Holocaust by watching and reading things instead. After all of this back and forth, there isn’t even confirmation yet that Imagination is the Only Escape will actually be released anywhere. Nintendo so far has said there are no plans to release the game in North America, and Nintendo Europe says it is “not yet been contacted by developer Luc Bernard regarding the release”. More »
Xbox 360 Remains Blu-ray-less
3:00AM Tori Floyd | While there was some speculation of the Xbox 360 supporting the Blu-ray HD format, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg has put that idea to rest. He says that Microsoft is not currently in talks with Sony about integrating Blu-ray into the system. Nor are there any SKUs for Xbox 360s with Blu-ray in the works. So there you have it. From Greenberg’s mouth to our ears, there’s no Blu-ray in the future of the Xbox 360. Microsoft says no Blu-ray for Xbox 360 [Reuters, via Game Pro] More »
