Dwele on X-Box Live
One of our favorite R&B singers Dwele will be hanging out on X-Box Live on Oct. 6 from 4-5pm. Fans should keep an eye out for the gamertag
dwelelive. Since his burst onto the music scene in 2003 with his debut album, “Subject,” Dwele has performed around the globe, blending a mixture of Jazz and soulful R&B. The 27-year old Detroit native will look to add to his critical acclaim with his sophomore album, “Some Kinda…,” which hits store shelves on October 4. As the most realistic driving simulator released on Xbox to date, it's all about you and your car in Forza Motorsport™ (www.forzamotorsport.net). Race over 250 of the most intense driving machines available for gamers to customize and tune to their satisfaction as well as the power to take on the world via Xbox Live®.
Ubisoft To Publish Breakdancing Video game For Holiday 2005
SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that it will publish Flow: Urban Dance UprisingTM, the first and only breakdancing and hip hop video game. Developed by Artificial Mind and Movement, Flow: Urban Dance UprisingTM will be available worldwide for holiday 2005, exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.
Flow: Urban Dance UprisingTM features classic breakdancing gameplay and a soundtrack of hip hop artists including the Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, and Eric B & Rakim. Gamers can compete against as many as seven other players and choose from a host of dancers that perform classic breakdance moves in one of 10 different urban settings.
Key Features:
50 urban dance tracks including tracks from famous hip hop artists.
Six modes of play and three difficulty levels to choose from.
100 break-dancing challenges across all modes of play
Up to eight players supported in three different party modes.
10 unique characters and 10 urban-flavored environments to choose from, with more than 100 distinctive dance moves.
EyeToyTM USB Camera (for PlayStation®2) support.
It's like Ebay but for Video Games?
GameSwapZone.com is a new site that's like Ebay for games. You can of course
buy, sell, and trade games. Currently, they Game Swap Zone has over 4,500 items listed for sale. As a special promotion, they are giving you a voucher which entitles you to 1 FREE category featured item upgrade for your auction.
Please enter voucher code: b53e9cd5a393.
FREE Listing Fees
There will be no listing fees until December 31, 2005!
You can even make your own store front. And from marketing surverys about 25% of Americans are supplimenting their income from on-line auctions sites like ebay.
REDMAN -- TO HEADLINE TRUE CRIME®: NEW YORK CITY SOUNDTRACK
Redman Concocts Two Original Tracks for True Crime Soundtrack
and Appears as Secret Character in the Game
Santa Monica, CA—September 27, 2005— The “Funk Doc,” Redman, headlines an eclectic NYC inspired soundtrack for Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) upcoming True CrimeÒ: New York City video game with two all-new original songs and the debut of “Rush The Security” from his upcoming album Red Gone Wild, scheduled for release on November 8. Redman will also appear as an unlockable character in the gritty drama, which is slated for release this fall.
In addition to Redman’s tracks, the soundtrack perfectly defines the diverse sounds of the city and the high caliber action of the game with more than 80 licensed songs from NYC raised, or transplanted, punk, hardcore, hip hop and rock royalty who helped define the city’s music scene including Jay-Z, Fat Joe, A Tribe Called Quest, The Ramones, The Velvet Underground, My Chemical Romance, The Bravery and Bob Dylan, among others, making this soundtrack the ultimate New York experience.
According to Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, President and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, “This soundtrack is New York City.”
“As an East Coast artist who paid his dues performing in the clubs of New York City, Redman’s inspired rhymes bring the gritty realism of the city to life in our game,” said Tim Riley, worldwide executive of music at Activision. “His bold lyrics and hard-edged funk beats capture the vibes of the city from Washington Heights to Harlem and all the way down to Battery Park.”
True Crime: New York City is being developed by Luxoflux for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube™. The game has been rated “M” (“Mature” – Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs) by the ESRB and will release this fall.
The game will be showcased on Thursday, September 29 at the 8th annual The Power Summit, (http://www.thepowersummit.info/), an influential music convention which brings together tastemakers ranging from DJs to recording industry titans and major brands.
About Redman
This Newark, New Jersey native has been rapping for almost 10 straight years, delivering hits each time out. His five solo albums (Whut? Thee Album, Dare Iz A Darkside, Muddy Waters, Doc’s Da Name 2000, Malpractice) and two collaborations (Blackout w/ Method Man and El Nino w/Def Squad) have placed the rapper in a hip-hop hall of fame. While some rappers just make songs, Redman’s history proves that he is an all-around multi-talented hip-hop artist. He has also co-starred in the major motion picture, “How High” alongside Method Man.
Check out Verizon Games on Demand
http://verizon.exent.com/gamesondemand/unlimited.html200 PC games...no disk required
More Colleges Video Games Courses
By MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press Writer Fri Sep 23, 8:06 AM ET
TROY, N.Y. - More and more, video game-related courses are being offered in colleges around the country in response to the digital media industry's appetite for skilled workers and the tastes of a new generation of students raised on Game Boy and
Xbox.
Animation I, Cognition & Gaming and Computer Music are being offered as part of the year-old minor in game studies at RPI, one of dozens of schools that have added courses or degree programs related to video gaming in recent years.
RPI, which plans to offer a major in the field next year, graduated 27 gaming minors in its first year and expects a jump this year.
"The concept of designing good video games, or designing good human-computer interactions — that's what I'm interested in," said Chelsea Hash, a senior with a video game minor and a major in electronic arts.
From Brooklyn's Pratt Institute to the University of Colorado, at least 50 schools around the country now offer courses in video game study, development or design, according to industry groups.
Some of the schools offer full-blown academic programs. The University of Washington offers a certificate in game design; the Art Institute of Phoenix gives a bachelor of arts in game art and design; and the University of Pennsylvania has a master's in computer graphics and game technology.
Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association, said the high number of schools adding programs in the past few years shows how the game industry is maturing.
Della Rocca said that in the early "Space Invader" days of game development, one developer could mentor a handful of workers. Now, games can cost $10 million to develop and require 200 workers, making the industry hungrier for specialized skills.
RPI humanities dean John Harrington said the idea of teaching about video games in college "brings out the Puritan in some people," but he said the technology-oriented school can't afford to ignore the booming field of digital media.
Administrators at RPI say they developed a serious academic program that marries technology and creativity.
Marc Destefano, who teaches the psychology of play, system dynamics and game theory in his introductory course, wants students to appreciate the interplay of mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics that he says makes a video game work — be it Pac-Man or Resident Evil.
It's not all about design, however: Katherine Isbister teaches students about the social and emotional aspects of gaming. Her research lab looks more like a teen's dream living room with sectional sofa, plasma-screen TV and a shelf full of video games. Less obvious are the cameras that can focus on players' faces.
Many of the academic programs at RPI and elsewhere are still new and are just starting to become a feeder system for the $10 billion-a-year video game industry.
Della Rocca compares it to the emergence of film studies programs decades ago. Dismissed at first, they now produce big-name directors in a field now considered by many to be a serious art form.
"Just like when rock and roll came of age everybody wanted to be a rock star, as video games have come of age, everyone wants to be a developer," said Carolyn Rauch, senior vice president of the Entertainment Software Association.
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On the Net:
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/hss/igsm/IGame/gamestudies.htm
http://www.igda.org/
http://www.theesa.com/