san francisco

Game Over – Art of the Gamer Generation

7:00AM AJ Glasser | Giant Robot specialises in “Asian American Pop Culture & Beyond,” which means that this is the store to go to to score obscure figurines, bizarre stationary and the ultimate Hello Kitty accessories. This month, Giant Robot is also the place to go for video game art. Starting on October 11 and running all the way through October 29, the Game Over art show will be on display at Giant Robot in San Francisco – featuring such artists as Brian Ralph, Ben King, Ako Castuera and Aiyana Udesen. If you don’t know who any of those people are, don’t feel bad. Just trust me when I say they’re artists and that they love video games. Don’t believe me? Check out some of the pieces after the jump. (Scans courtesy of Luke Martinez, Giant Robot Manager and champion of Game Over’s success.) More »

Peacemongers Protest Ubisoft HQ Over War Games Claims

11:00AM Michael McWhertor | San Franciscans who had an open afternoon took to the streets today to protest the work of Ubisoft and the United States Army, claiming that the America’s Army line of video games “has been developed by the United States Army to recruit children under the age of 17 in violation of the U.N. Optional Protocol and international law”. Fortunately, Wired’s Game|Life was on hand to capture the action, beat by beat. In short, the protest group Bay Area Direct Action feels that, due to the ‘Teen’ rating of the America’s Army series, Ubisoft is in violation of “international law” by making joining the Army seem totally rad — just like sitting on your arse playing video games all day, instead of focusing on how you could be maimed or killed or mentally scarred for life. Wired points out how wrong this is in between bouts of dissecting how ill-prepared the group was with clever signs, pun-laden chants and logic. Since it went down in San Francisco, so a genuinely crazy guy shows up. It’s worth a read. Activists Protest America’s Army Game With Songs and Stickers [Game|Life] [Image] More »

Launch Parties From Coast to Coast

4:00AM Flynn De Marco | Tomorrow (Wed.) will see the Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword launch party at the Nintendo World Store in New York City from 2pm – 6pm. The game’s producer and director Yosuke Hayashi will be on hand to sign autographs and met and greet the crowd. If you purchase the game there you will be granted one of those nifty Dragon Sword Ninja styli. There will also be demo stations set up around the store so you can try before you buy. More »

Australia Represents At GDC 2008, San Fran’s Like Adelaide

3:45PM Logan Booker | Pandemic PS3 coder Tony Albrecht has made one of what we hope will be many posts on this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. According to Albrecht, San Fran’s a bit like Adelaide. I actually found it more like Melbourne, or a colder Sydney (which would be Melbourne anyway). Mind you, I’ve never been to South Australia, so I can’t really judge the comparison. The programmer also mentioned that Oz is doing a fine job of making its presence known, and it doesn’t involve guns, naked women or Bach: Overall I’ve been impressed with the Aussie contingent – the number of companies that have representatives here and the talent of those individuals and their companies speaks highly of the Australian games industry and its future. While the mothership is doing a good job of covering the event, there’s nothing like a local perspective, especially that of a developer. Hope you have fun in San Fran Tony, be sure to keep us in the loop if time allows. If you’re wondering about the choice of photo, it’s a happy snap I took of the amusingly-named Coit Tower during my stay. It’s okay to laugh, really. GDC part 0 [Seven Degrees of Freedom] More »