Chinese government cracks down on World of Warcraft

Activision Blizzard and top Chinese online gaming company NetEase continue to have problems in China as government regulators put the squeeze on the duo related to World of Warcraft. NetEase announced this week that the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) has returned its application to operate the latest version of Activision World of Warcraft in the region due to “gross violations” of regulations.

The Chinese government run agency emphasized the point by posting a statement on its Web site demanding that NetEase suspend charging users to play the game, and started rejecting new account registrations. This news certainly puts into question World of Warcraft’s future in the lucrative region and also didn’t help both companies’ stock prices, which took slight hits.

Analysts familiar with the region believe that this is tantamount to a turf war, after Blizzard walked away from a contract with another Chinese online games provider The9, which the Chinse government apparently favors. While that is certainly a factor, the Chinese government has been cracking down on game content that it sees as undesirable. It especially enjoys cracking down on companies that have foreign investment; in Oct. the government banned many forms of foreign investment into the country’s online games industry.

And the news certainly isn’t hurting NetEase’s competitors; Shanda Games saw a bump of 3.1 percent, while The9 closed at 4.3 percent yesterday on the news. But it does hurt Western companies like Activision and EA, who want to crack the market and take some of the profits being generated there; the Chinese gaming market is projected to grow by 30 - 50 percent this year to $4 billion.

Philly postal worker pleads to Gamefly theft charges

An ex-Philadelphia postal service worker stole 2,200 video games addressed to Philadelphia-area residents who rented them from the video game rental service, GameFly, according to a report in Philadelphia Daily News. Reginald Johnson, a 34 year old who worked as a mail-processing clerk used to unloaded mail from tractor-trailers at the Postal Service distribution center in Philadelphia.. used to. Apparently, while unloading some of those trucks, he loaded up on envelopes containing video games.

You may recall that GameFly complained about the postal service not delivering its game to customers. Well in some large metropolitan areas.. like Philadelphia, the inspector general began conducting investigation to see just what the hell was going on.

One such investigation that took place on Sept. 5 of this year - a surveillance operation of the Philadelphia center using test mailings caught Johnson in the act. According to the paper, federal agents tried to arrest Johnson later that day as he entered his SUV, but Johnson sped off and later crashed his vehicle. After apprehending Johnson, they agents found a bunch of incriminating evidence: 81 GameFly mailings in a duffel bag, an additional 79 GameFly mailings in a back pack, five copies of Wii Sports, 3 copies of Wii Fit, a PlayStation console (we assume the report refers to a PS3), game controllers and - most interesting of all - receipts from GameStop, where Johnson had apparently made a few sales. According to federal prosecutors, Johnson stole $86,000 worth of merchandise between April and September 2008.

Johnson plead guilty in federal district court yesterday and faces 12 to 18 months in prison - and some form of restitution for what he stole, no doubt. He’ll be sentenced on Jan. 13. No word on whether the GameStop that bought Johnson’s purloined packages returned any of them to GameFly.

To today’s parents video games are the new Rock ‘n Roll

That’s how Stamford, CT., psychologist Eric Schleifer described them in a discussion with 50 parents about video games recently. This forum, called “Using Video Games to Your Advantage: A Parent’s Guide,” was co-sponsored by Wilton Parent Connection, the Wilton PTA Council, the Wilton Youth Council, and the Wilton Library.

The forum proved what kids already know and what kids our generation and every other generation before it endured: parents don’t always understand the culture kids are immersed in and its importance. In this generation parents don’t understand their kids’ fascination with games and, because of the media’s portrayal of them as being violent and catalyst for laziness and unhealthy behavior, often feel like video games are dangerous or at the very least, an unnecessary distraction. Schleifer compared gaming to rock music and comic books, both thought to be somehow evil or a waste of time by our parents and the parents of our parents.

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ECA launches Gamers for Digital Rights

The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) has formed a new work group called Gamers for Digital Rights. This new group’s online presence is already now live and offering information for consumers who want to learn more about their legal rights and understand more about digital content distribution, license agreements, virtual property, and piracy. Gamers for Digital Rights is free to join and provided the tools and resources that the ECA says will help protect the rights of video game consumers today.

The ECA also announced that it recently hired Robert L. Hunter, IV as its Digital Rights Consultant. In his new role, Mr. Hunter will head up the ECA’s efforts on related outreach and educational programs for the Government Affairs team. Mr. Hunter also currently serves as the President of Global Intellectual Property Securities, a consulting firm dedicated to helping multinational clients develop IP education and enforcement programs. Previously, he was the Director of Strategic Operations and Development for IPSA International, as well as Manager for IP Enforcement with the Entertainment Software Association.

To learn more about digital rights and how to join the Gamers for Digital Rights group, visit www.theeca.com.

Al Qaeda Wars pushes the envelope

A new social game gets a bit too gung-ho for my taste in an attempt to make Al Qaeda, America and some of America’s most recognized celebrities look like a bunch of douche bags. The game in question is called Al Qaeda Wars, and it lets you play as the terrorists or American counter-terrorists in the war on terrorism. A social game, Al Qaeda Wars uses Facebook and Google maps to zero in on targets throughout the world.

Playing as the terrorists, the game lets players target celebrities not-so-cleverly hidden under fake names like “Ronal Frump,” “Pest Hilton,” and “Simon Scowl.” The game is a lot like Mafia Wars; you use your Facebook friends to help attack your targets, buying different kinds of weapons, launching “Google Map attacks,” and more. These attacks are games of skill based on actual player locations set on Google maps. Success results in a flash animated destruction of the target.

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Game development a regular vocation at many American colleges

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) wants you to know that colleges are now heavily supporting curriculum that is directly or indirectly related to the vocation of video game development. According to the ESA, a record number of colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning – 254 in 37 states and the District of Columbia – now offer courses and degrees in computer and video game design, programming, and art. These include certificate programs in 3D Animation & Interactive Media to master’s degrees in Computer Graphics and Game Technology. The ESA sees the uptick of institutions offering these programs as a reflecting of the growing importance of video games on the economy and culture of the United States.

Research conducted by the ESA found that California has 46 institutions of higher learning – the most of any state – offering such courses or degrees. Other states in the top 10 are New York (21); Texas (20); Florida (19); Illinois (16); Pennsylvania (12); Massachusetts (11); Washington (9); Georgia (8); Arizona, Michigan, and Colorado (7).

“Today, video games are not only the fastest growing entertainment medium, they are also increasingly used in education and business for professional training and e-learning,” Rich Taylor, senior vice president. “These new college programs underscore the importance of the video games industry, which is well-poised to create additional employment and professional opportunities in the coming years.”

While it certainly heartening to see more schools offer these kinds of educational opportunities, it would be interesting to see some statistics from schools that have offered a game development curriculum; do graduates find jobs after college - not just intern work, but real honest-to-goodness jobs at companies of all shapes and sizes? These are the questions I want answered as a parent.

You can check out the full list of schools by visiting The ESA.

University of Queensland lecture: are shooters to blame?

Video game enthusiasts - particularly in the general vicinity of St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia - may want to take note of an interesting public lecture from the University of Queensland’s School of Political Science and International Studies on first-person shooter games. The lecture will ask, and one would assume, attempt to answer the question: do these kinds of games by their very nature desensitize young adult males and teens to violence, conflict and war and ignore conflict resolution?

On Oct. 5. Academic Peter Mantello will head deliver the lecture (Are violent computer games to blame?), which aims to discern if FPS games teach youngsters that military warfare is the most effective foreign policy tool. By the way this public lecture is being framed at QU, one would think that Mantello (a self professed gamer) thinks it is a foregone conclusion, but it is an interesting topic that deserves more attention and thoughtful discussion.

It’s an interesting question but the answer will probably get lost on gamers who will find the way the question has been framed as slightly offensive. Does a person that plays a first-person shooter like Call of Duty or Counter-Strike truly believe that military action in tense global and political situations is always the first option, or better still, for the youth of the world - do they even care - are they even paying attention to the things going on in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Dufar, etc.?

First-Person Shooters are by their very nature about conflict, obviously - if they were not they’d be called Flower; but it is probably fair to say that they seldom offer any option but to kill, blow up and destroy. But to say they teach a certain behavior is a bit of an insult to the intelligence of most players who can separate game from reality.

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