Variety reports today that the Project Runway game will likely feature the likenesses and “involvement” of co-hosts Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum. In addition to fulfilling our dream of a low-polygon count Klum barking at us in a video game, the Wii version is reported to feature Wii Remote and Balance Board support, the latter for walking one’s chosen model down the runway.

‘Runway’ poised for videogame makeover [Variety]

Former MTV boss Peter Einstein is behind the show, and he thinks he knows why video game shows “have failed in the past.”

From what we’ve seen in the past a lot of the focus has been more outside of the games, with presenter reviews, stats, interviews with creators and only a bit about the games themselves – as one assumed that you only ‘play’ games you can’t ‘watch’ them.

So, wait a sec. This means we’re going to be watching people play games? Casual games? Sounds like it.

By taking the rich production values of many games today, using the story line or game objective, [production company] Ginx creates a TV production from a TV viewers point of view. We feel this concept provides a fun, entertaining TV event which is appealing mostly to the casual gamer.

Has anyone gotten a look at this yet? Is this really what’s going on? Like, a documentary of one man’s struggle to master Boom Blox?

Ex-MTV Boss Targets Games TV [MVC via Joystiq]

I swear, if there’s a Retail Packagers’ Association, its mission statement must be: “Forcing You to Use Something Other than Your Bare Hands, Preferably a Steak Knife, to Open the Shit You Just Bought.”

It’s like this for everything from video games to video tape to this brand of potato chips, which come in a bag I swear was sealed with a motherfucking hot melt glue gun. But Sony, in a gesture that I could never cover with enough praise, has said enough is enough: Death to clamshell packaging.

About a month ago, Sony said it was teaming up with Best Buy and Walmart to offer more convenient packaging that still provided enough anti-shoplifting security. Now, in a post on its electronics blog last week, it has said definitively the clamshell is finished.

I know consumers, including myself, get annoyed about how difficult they are to open. In fact, they typically can’t be opened without the use of a sharp device of some kind. Sony is working on the matter and I expect we will have a new alternative to announce soon.

Amazon announced a “frustration-free” packaging initiative for certain products back in November. Even then, a DualShock controller (not in the program) arrived in its standard plastic fortress that I still had to ginsu open. Sony throwing its weight behind this consumer-friendly initiative is very commendable and should motivate others in the industry to join up as well.

Here’s a silly video Sony put together announcing the, uh, announcement. Warning, there’s blood.

Bravo, Sony. Now, not to sound ungrateful, but when you get a moment can you take a look at those hermetically sealed DVDs and games …

Sony Declares Death to the Clamshell! [Sony Electronics Blog via Joystiq]