Exploring Further: 10 Additional Websites from the Interactive Realm

In continuation of my previous post in which I explored various gaming-related websites, I will further develop the linkroll by citing ten additional resources. First off is Giant Bomb, a game reviews and news blog with essential information and an excellent, simple design to deliver it. While the feature set is particularly rich, with videos, podcasts and RSS feeds to keep the reader in the know, the back-catalog is rather limited with the site having just launched a few months prior. Next is G4's X-Play, a site that takes the news and features approach of similar blogs, yet focuses more on building a community around the most recent topics with the use of forums, polls, and live TV chat to encourage interaction among gamers. Unfortunately, with so many options to explore, the site layout can feel quite overwhelming at times. GameDaily takes one of the core aspects of games, cheat codes, and makes it very easy for the player to secure the desired information right from the home page. Unfortunately, the site sometimes features rather immature headlines, such as "Babe of the Day" for some of the popular female game characters. Taking a step in the other direction, Ars Technica is an exceptional source for more mature readers, featuring insightful and analytical reviews of the latest games. While the reviews are some of the best-written in gaming journalism, the writers choose not to use a simple scoring system when rating games, instead requiring readers to trudge through lengthy articles to get to the bottom line. IGN uses an effective design layout to highlight the most popular games and topics of the day, giving the site a dynamic feel from day to day. The most frustrating aspect of the structure of the site is the overwhelming amount of advertisements. GamesRadar is designed with the young adult male as its target audience with edgy articles and features aimed for the hardcore gamer. Unfortunately, the busy homepage bears resemblance to crowded Myspace pages of teenagers. Playstation.Blog is a corporate-sponsored blog that delivers first-hand news from Sony Computer Entertainment on the entire line-up of their Playstation family of hardware and software. Because the blog is designed and operated by Sony, they have a strong control over the content, resulting in a rather narrow viewpoint. Gametrailers is the one-stop site for video-related media for games. Owned by MTV, Gametrailers often receives exclusive media to promote the industry's most anticipated games. However, everything is driven by video, requiring people to have speakers/headphones and a speedy internet connection to receive content. The gaming section of Digg is an excellent resource to find the most popular issues in gaming, seeing as users submit and rate each topic. The topics that receive the most attention find a home on the front page, but each feature is only a link to an interesting article found elsewhere on the web, with no original content to be found. Finally, VGChartz is a vital resource to find sales numbers of both hardware and software, with an extensive library of games. The rating system is governed by users, and due to the lack of credibility, game reviews are entirely subjective on this site.

Preparing for the Storm: Grand Theft Auto IV Preview

With over 40 million units sold worldwide, the Grand Theft Auto series ranks among the most successful franchises in the history of gaming. The GTA series is also well-known for its ability to spark controversy among critics and politicians for its graphic violence and sexual themes. Earlier this week on April 29, the fourth proper installment in the series released to the sheer excitement of gamers and utter dismay of opposing legislators. With the next generation of hardware, the developers at Rockstar North have available the technology to push gameplay to new levels of innovation, and spurring even greater controversy in the process.

Grand Theft Auto IV tells the story of Niko Bellic, a Russian immigrant trying to make it to the top of Liberty City from the bottom of the streets. Liberty City is a realistic rendition of modern-day New York City, from the Statue of Liberty to the Coney Island Cyclone. The team of artists took a trip to the city to take over 10,000 photos worth of reference shots for the team to construct a digital version of New York City and New Jersey. This architecture lays the canvas for the player to create pure chaos in more ways than one can imagine. As Associated Press editor Derrik Lang writes, players are free to choose between "blowing stuff up, driving drunk, meeting someone online, going on a date, hailing a cab, listening to the radio, killing innocent bystanders, patronizing strip clubs, flying helicopters, earning cash for criminal activities, running from the police and, of course, hijacking lots of cars." This is a small list of the opportunities available to the player while engaging with Grand Theft Auto IV. Due to the vast possibilities of interaction in this simulation-based game, GTA IV will receive a M rating for "Mature" by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, making it suitable for people 17 and over. According to the ESRB's description, M-rated games contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. However, this rating that is clearly placed on the front of the box is not enough for anti-gaming legislators who fight to place a ban on sales.

Attorney Jack Thompson is the most outspoken activist in opposition of violent video games. His aim is legitimate: to keep Mature-rated games out of the hands of children. However, Thompson has attempted to achieve this goal with rather ineffective strategies. For example, in every school shooting since the Columbine case, Thompson has made appearances on news media blaming video games as the cause. In the recent Virginia Tech shooting, Thompson claimed that the suspect trained on a murder simulator, more commonly known as the popular PC game "Counter-Strike." Thompson made these claims without knowing any information on the shooter whatsoever besides his name, and it was revealed after authorities completed a search of the suspect's room that no video games were found. Over time, Thompson has accrued a reputation of an "ambulance-chaser" among the gaming community, someone who cries foul at every attempt to point the finger at gaming. His numerous fruitless lawsuits against Rockstar Games for the violent and sexual themes in its GTA series have resulted in the court threatening to disbar Jack Thompson.

Controversy is already brewing around one feature in particular: the drunk-driving mini-game. After the main character consumes too much alcohol, a mini-game plays out in which the player must attempt to drive (or walk) home safely with a shaking blurry camera to simulate the effect of drunkenness. It might sound like a fun activity to try out in a video game, but by no means is it acceptable in the real world. I feel that the game could do without this small aspect. Plenty of critics feel the same way, fearing the consequences of a child playing the game and forming dangerous ideas. Then again, shooting civilians and stealing cars aren't exactly respected activities, so maybe this goes along quite well with the philosophy behind Grand Theft Auto.

Sam Houser, the President of Rockstar Games, is accustomed to the publicity that the GTA series has garnered over the years. In a Yahoo Entertainment article, Houser comments, "'I wish people would treat video games the same as other media. They seem to not want to do that for reasons that I don't understand. It's a convenient enemy for people.'" Video games are a new medium, and since many questions remain unanswered, it is simply easier to lay the blame on them for society's issues. As games undergo further testing for their effects on human behavior, one thing remains unquestionable: parents must exercise proper judgment in allowing what games their children play. The blame should not fall on developers for the products they create. Grand Theft Auto IV has achieved the most remarkable critical acclaim any game has ever received in the history of the medium. But it is also sure to be one of 2008's most controversial video games, so in the coming months we will see how the general public responds to GTA IV.

Interactive Realm: 10 Websites to Keep You Connected

The purpose of this post is to introduce a collection of websites important to the constantly evolving gaming industry. I will use the guidelines laid down by the Webby Awards and IMSA criteria to examine these sites and point out specific strengths and weaknesses. To the right in the linkroll you will find these sites alphabetically listed. Continue reading to gain an understanding of what each site has to offer on the subject of interactive entertainment.

Kotaku is a prominent blog that ranks among the most-visited gaming-related websites, popular for its breadth of coverage, from major press releases to reviews of quirky Japanese games. However, the material is often drawn from other gaming sites and thus can become repetitive. Similar in design and content to Kotaku, Joystiq is a competing blog with a much better categorization of material to make navigation easier for readers depending upon their preferred console. Unfortunately, the editors' writing styles are highly opinionated and sure to offend certain gaming enthusiasts. The Wired online editorial features a gaming section that provides excellent reviews of recently-released games, including small independent games that are often overlooked by the more mainstream blogs. Sadly, GameLife receives infrequent updates with considerably less new content to be found than other sites. GameSpot is primarily a review and preview site for games of all types. Its catalog of games is staggering in size, and each review carefully examines the game and clearly points out the games strengths and weaknesses. However, the site is driven by ads and recently was involved in a controversy over one of the editors firing after having written a negative review for a game that was heavily advertised on the site. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal has a blog entitled Level Up that features articles of in-depth analysis of contemporary games as well as exclusive interviews with prominent industry leaders. The only downside to the Level Up blog is the rather lengthy articles that prevent busy readers from getting important information on the go. Going in a slightly different direction, Penny Arcade is a popular site that features comics of the latest videogames and announcements in the industry. The comic artists offer humorous yet insightful satire on contemporary issues, requiring that the reader is already well-informed. GamePolitics, as the name suggests, revolves around politically-charged topics in the gaming world. Unlike news media, this site accurately represents important issues with sufficient evidence. In addition to user comments, the site also features a forum for visitors to engage in healthy debate. Posts are written under the title of Entertainment Consumers Association, with no credit given to specific authors. Moving into the business aspect of gaming-focused blogs, Next Generation is host to the most recent sales figures of companies in the games industry, from weekly console numbers to leading retailer revenues. Gamasutra focuses on press releases from major companies in the industry, and even has a job board with available positions at these companies. Unfortunately, the site's visual design feels cluttered and uninspired. GameCareerGuide is an excellent resource for current students interested in getting a start in the games industry with featured game design schools and articles on how to get started. A sister-site of Gamasutra, this blog also bears an overwhelming amount of information making it difficult to navigate. Each one of these sites is an excellent resource with plenty of interesting information.