Got Mad Game: 2005-08-14

Friday, August 19, 2005

A big nappy happy b-day to sneaker15. Wit his old ass.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Microsoft Announces Xbox 360 Pricing

You been waiting for a long time for this. You heard the rumors and everything like that. We know the truth and here it is.

#1. They will be two verisons on the 360 for launch, set at two different prices. One will be for the "ultimate gamer". Set at $399.99, the Xbox 360 pack will be the Xbox 360 Console itself, a 20 GB detachable Hard Drive (which will be preloaded with some undisclosed high definition content), a single Wireless Controller, a removable Faceplate, a wireless Headset, a Component HD AV Cable, an Ethernet cable, an Xbox Live Silver membership, and, for a limited time, the Xbox 360 Media Remote.

The second verison is the Xbox 360 core system. For 299.99, this includes the system, a controller which will not be wireless, a removable Faceplate, an Xbox Live Silver membership, and the Xbox 360 Standard AV Cable.

#2. The company also released an initial list of some of the accessories that will be available at launch. It's interesting to note that gamers who purchase the Xbox 360 (as opposed to the Core System) will be saving a chunk of change over their friends who purchase the accessories separately. Here's what you'll be able to pick up on launch day

-Xbox 360 Faceplate (Suggested Retail Price: $19.99)
-Xbox 360 Hard Drive (20 GB) (SRP: $99.99)
-Xbox 360 Memory Unit (64 MB) (SRP: $39.99)
-Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter (SRP: $99.99)
-Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (SRP: $49.99)
-Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit (SRP: $19.99)
-Xbox 360 Rechargeable Battery Pack (SRP: $11.99)
-Xbox 360 Controller (SRP: $39.99)
-Xbox 360 Headset (SRP: $19.99)
-Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote (SRP: $29.99)
-Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable (SRP $39.99)
-Xbox 360 S-Video AV Cable (US only) (SRP: $29.99)
-Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable (SRP: $39.99)

Marc Ecko Speaks

OPEN LETTER TO THE CITY OF NEW YORK

August 17, 2005

In recent days, certain members of New York’s City Hall have raised significant concern over an outdoor art exhibition scheduled to be held on Wednesday, August 24, on West 22nd Street between 10th and 11th Avenues. The City has gone so far as to revoke an event permit we have had in hand since July 18, 2005.

Unfortunately the spirit of the event, as it was originally conceived and as it has been presented to the appropriate civic groups and government officials since November 2004, seems to have been lost in the haste to stereotype all graffiti-style artists as “vandals” and to brand this event as a “promotion of crime.”

At its core, this is an event designed to celebrate an art form born from the streets of New York over two decades ago as a means of creative self expression, allowing the public a unique chance to experience the workmanship and skill that go into creating a piece of art fine enough to hang on the walls of any traditional gallery or museum. Upon completion, a 48 foot mural will be donated to The Point, a Bronx-based nonprofit youth development organization, while the remaining nine will be placed throughout the city for public display.

This is my tribute to the 20 participating artists whose works now command top dollar across the globe, as well as to an art form powerful enough to permeate virtually every moment in our lives, from the ads and music videos we watch on TV to the products we wear and consume.

I am not, for the record, here as a graffiti artist. My style pales in comparison to people like Pink, Cope2, and T-Kid. I am, however, here as a by-product of their sense of style and their truly unique aesthetic language, drawing influence from their work in every one of my business ventures and surrounding myself at night with their canvas, photographs, and sculptures.

I am well aware that drawing graffiti in public places is a crime, and I do not condone or encourage it. At the same time, however, graffiti is a legitimate and historical part of the great art history of our city. The visual dialect is alive and well, and contrary to the opinion of certain elected officials, just because you draw on paper that way doesn't mean that you are writing on walls. That is the dialect that these artists and others like them dream through, that informed their creative energy so early on and helped them to go on to become a muralist, a film maker, a story teller, and even a clothing designer.

We are, as we have for nearly 10 months, continuing our dialogue with the proper authorities to reach a mutually agreed upon means of hosting this event on August 24 as planned. I have retained legal counsel who will vigorously and zealously represent my First Amendment interests, and those of my fellow artists and the community at large. In the meantime, I will continue to focus on what promises to be an enjoyable day of free art and music for the city that is home to my operations and that so generously embraced our “Save the Rhinos” benefit concert in Central Park less than two months ago.

- Marc Ecko

Atari Speak out on the "Getting Up" game controversy

Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure provides fun, innovative and challenging game-play set in the fictional city of "New Radius". The game environment and narrative present a unique setting and look based on the lifestyle and legend of graffiti artists and their chosen art form. The look and feel of the game reflect many aspects of this culture, including its music, fashion, and language, giving the player the ability to "experience" the graffiti art form in a safe and legal setting. The focus of the game is on expression through art; the hero is typically equipped with only paint, and never guns.

The game includes feature-film-level contributions from world-renowned multi-media artists such as Sean “P Diddy” Combs and the RZA, and the voices of actors such as Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson and Giovanni Ribisi. Just as popular films and television shows present fictionalized entertainment depicting stories, cultures, characters and actions that may be exaggerated versions of "real-life" people or events, video games such as Getting Up provide amusement and escape in a fantasy world where players can vicariously experience different lifestyles and mock activities.

Atari, Inc. prides itself on providing innovative entertainment experiences like Getting Up. Atari, Inc. does not condone or encourage the commission of any criminal act, or the wrongful suppression of the freedom of artistic expression."

Sincerely,

Ryan Barr
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Atari, Inc.

AllHipHop.com Madden 2006 Tournament

Want to get some pratice in before the big national Madden 2006 Tournament?

Sun, Aug 21st: AllHipHop Madden 2006 Tournament. Check out the local competition at this event, and win prizes such as NFL controllers, Atari/Marc Ecko T-shirts, and other great prizes!

Location: Game Time Nation, Time: 2pm-5pm
Address: 111 E. 12th Str, (btw 3rd & 4th Ave)
Directions: 4, 5, L, N, R to 14th Street
RSVP: GAMERSVP@swirlpr.com
Cost: $5 to get in, $20 for the tournament

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Marc Ecko comes under attack from nonprofit organizations.

Keep America Beautiful, and the National Council to Prevent Delinquency, are warning mayors, city council members, and police officers to look for "increased property crime by juveniles" when the game is released. The PlayStation 2 version of Getting Up is due in mid-September. In other words they are saying that more blacks will be out and about on the streets trying to tag the city up. What kind of bullshit is that! In an age where Grand Theft Auto: San Andres and a slew of other urban based games are all focused on gun play, stick ups, and murders. Marc Ecko finally comes out with a game featureing an African-American in a fantasy world. Trane uses his artistic abilites to spread a message through the city and expose the corruption in the system.

The two groups are asking the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) to give the game "the most restrictive rating possible" and have also asked that the ESRB's Advertising Review Council "sanction Atari for its advertising practices on the grounds that the game violates the ARC principle that 'all advertisements should be created with a sense of responsibility toward the public.'"
I could see if Trane was blowing peoples heads off with a mechine gun or ripping someones guts out. But these people sitting behind a desk who odviously haven't read about the details of the game are just shooting off at the mouth.

And as much as we like to think that people understand hip-hop and want to try and "be down" with our culture, they still don't get it or understand. And I don't be surprised of we see 50 Cent Bulletproff come under the same attack. I don't see these guys out there protesting war simulation games, or proesting animal abuse from the usage of unfeed Nintendogs.

Both of the groups needs to get a fucking grip and shut the fuck up. It's a game! It's entertainment!

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Aagamer.com

http://www.aagamer.com

Just happened to stumble across this site which is about African-American's and video games. IT's a cool site but could use some more frequent updates to the site and maybe a lil sexier site design. But check it out...there are some good articles on there.

Joystiq!

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000997054665

Aww Sookie Sookie now...we got mentioned on Joystiq.com. We love that site.

Drawing minorities into gaming

Push for more black, Hispanic heroes in video games

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- In the popular video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," players assume the lead character of Carl Johnson, a down-on-his-luck criminal who roams city streets, stealing cars and helping gang members knock off rivals in drive-by shootings.

"CJ," as he's known by his pals, is black -- and to some in the video game industry, that's a problem.

A growing number of people in the booming industry believe there should be more black and Hispanic heroes and heroines instead of hoods and hoodlums.

"Not everybody goes outside with bling-bling and listens to rap music all day," says Amil Tomlin, a black 15-year-old from Baltimore who plays hours of video games each day.

Among those trying to paint a different racial picture is Mario Armstrong, who hosts a weekly National Public Radio program on technology. He and two fellow black colleagues have started the Urban Video Game Academy, a virtual programming boot camp for minorities.

"It's been said that a bunch of nerdy white guys are creating these games," Armstrong said. "The problem with a bunch of white guys creating the games is that the story isn't being created with balance."

Roughly 80 percent of video game programmers are white, according to preliminary results of an International Game Developers Association survey. About four percent of designers are Hispanic, and less than three percent are black.

The academy is holding summer workshops in Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington to give minority students like Tomlin an opportunity to learn the basics of making video games. Organizers hope this early exposure will inspire a new generation to make minority video game characters that go beyond typecast racial roles.

"I'd love to hear what other stories exist in the world besides the stereotypical ones. There are good people in the ghetto. There are role models," said academy co-founder John Saulter, who runs Entertainment Arts Research, one of the industry's few black-owned video gaming companies.

So far, interest in the workshops has been high, which doesn't surprise organizers.

A March study by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that black youths between 8 and 18 years old played video and computer games roughly 90 minutes a day -- almost 30 minutes more than white youths. And Hispanics play about 10 minutes more per day than whites.

"If you've got kids who can sit in front of a game for eight hours, then they have the cognitive thought process to learn how to build the game," Saulter said.

Some in the industry believe race in games is a serious issue that has been ignored for too long.

"For a long time, we've talked in the game industry about gender diversity as the one problem on the radar, but the racial split is worse," said Ian Bogost, a Georgia Tech game design professor who recently published a book on video game criticism.

Jason Della Rocca, IGDA's executive director, said the industry must confront a cycle that threatens its creativity: Educated, young white males create games for other educated, young white males.

"Games are an expressive medium. They are an art form, just like movies, theater and literature," Della Rocca said. "We're seeing, to a large extent, that the games that are being designed unconsciously include the biases, opinions and reflections of their creators."

In a way, he said, stubbornness to diversify runs counter to the industry's tolerant roots.

"We like to think that game design is a higher calling and that no one really cares what your skin color is or your sexual orientation," Della Rocca said. "But that doesn't seem to manifest itself in terms of a more diversified workplace."

Puppets, Kung-Fu, and Hip-Hop oh my...

A new game that combines Kung Fu moves with hip hop beats and, string puppetry will soon be available via Steam. Rag Doll Kung Fu has been developed by industry veteran Mark Healy in his spare time and went on show at the Game Developers Conference earlier this year, where it caused quite a stir. It involves making puppets perform super-sharp kung fu moves, and looks like being more fun than it sounds. Judge for yourself by checking out the trailer via the Steam website.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Marc Ecko's Getting Up Block Party

Marc Ecko, designer and "Navigator of Youth Culture," is set to recruit the legends of Hip-Hop culture for the upcoming Marc Ecko's Getting Up Block Party. The first-of-it-kind street festival, free to the public and held August 24th on 22nd Street between 10th and 11th Avenues from 12:00PM – 8:00PM, will feature graffiti demonstrations, live DJs and surprise musical performances in celebration of the golden age of Hip-Hop. The event coincides with the anticipated release of Atari's graffiti-based videogame, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.

As a throwback to graffiti's glory days, "Marc Ecko's Getting Up Block Party" will feature ten 48-foot-long by 8-foot-high replicas of the legendary NYC transit blue-bird subway cars Ed Walker, Jr., which will be transformed into contemporary urban works of art by renowned graffiti writers.

A lineup of legendary artists, from the notorious 'Bronx bomber and destroyer' COPE2 to T-KID (Terrible Kid), who first started writing on trains as early as 1974, will spend the day doing full color murals on the vintage trains.

Other participating graf writers include DASH, WEST, CES, SONIC, IZ THE WIZ, MIN, DURO, WANE, WEN, DERO, CYCLE, SMITH, PINK, DOC, KEL 1st, MARE139, CRASH, DAZE, SUB, GHOST, and the famous TATS CREW.

Blue-birds, a high point of nostalgia for historians and artists alike, were often used as an urban canvas by graffiti writers throughout the 1980s before blasting machines and buffers were used to strip them clean, effectively putting an end to the era of graffiti artwork on the sides of trains.

"Graffiti is without question the most powerful art movement in recent history and has been a driving inspiration throughout my career," said Marc Ecko, Executive Creative Director for Getting Up. "I'm honored to be bringing its pioneering creative forces together to look back on its tradition and to celebrate its future."

In addition to reviving an old school graffiti tradition, the block party will offer guests the opportunity to participate in live demos of Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure and experience the first truly authentic video game based on urban culture and graffiti. The videogame, which is being published by Atari and developed by The Collective for a Fall 2005 release, brings together over 65 legendary graffiti writers, six of whom will serve as in-game mentors to its protagonist, Trane.

Event sponsors include GameStop Corp., Truth (www.thetruth.com), Toy Tokyo (www.toytokyo.com), Montana paint and Mass Appeal magazine.

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Sunday, August 14, 2005

PSP USA 2.0 Upgrade moved to Aug. 15th

The guys at Sony missed the mark on the US upgrade of the PSP 2.0 software. So we will have to wait until monday to see the new software on our PSP. I wonder if they are adding anything different from the JP upgrade? But regardless make sure you upgrade to the US version otherwise it voids your mechine.

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