Pokémon GO has been available in the United States for only one day, and already memes are abound about how players will likely be led into unfamiliar urban spaces (read: “ghetto”) in the pursuit of Pokémon and Pokémon gyms.
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Violating Consumer Trust: How Apple, Electronic Arts, 2K Games and Capcom are Undermining Digital Distribution
The lack of consumer ownership of digital content has long been a precarious condition that gamers have had to accept if they wished to purchase and play their favorite software titles. Be it an unfavorable end-user license agreement (EULA) or digital rights management (DRM), corporate entities have endeavored to convey that consumers do not own digital content, but rather license the content for an indeterminate period of time, during which the rights holder can terminate said license with impunity. Don’t believe me? Here is a snippet of Rockstar Games’ lengthy EULA.
One of the most anticipated games this year for mobile, and mainly all video game platforms, was Mortal Kombat X. While the game was supposed to be released around the same time as the iOS version, the Android version ended up being weeks late over every other platform the game was released on. We may never know the real reason this happened but now that the game has been out for roughly a week or so globally, everyone has had a chance to play it. What could have ended up as a barrier breaking fantastic game actually ended up being a decent game when you need to kill some time.
After ten years in development hell the world was graced with Duke Nukem Forever. It was a misogynistic, racist, and pedantic sub-par shooter that made critics wonder what the wait was for. The criticism of Duke Nukem Forever is a fantastic reflection of how much our culture has matured over the years. Violence against women is no longer a taboo subject relegated only to feminists and those brave enough to speak out against it. We’ve come a long way baby!
So I’ve had this on my chest for a long time, and I think it’s time I unload. I’m not convinced everyone will agree with me, but hear me out. I think Android gaming has problem with the number of games that are offered for free with IAPs, though I *suspect* iOS does as well (See here). And I want to say this at the outset: I don’t hate all IAPs. Paying a set amount once to unlock full content (gaming or otherwise) is just fine me with, as is a running subscription (Netflix, MLB At Bat, etc). My objection comes from how many games are attempting to monetize by applying scammy IAPs, and it’s out of control.
Young readers might wonder why the internet is filled with so much lament over the fallen blue hero. Sonic The Hedgehog has become the mascot equivalent of Val Kilmer, depressing us with his bloated antics. Dozens of failed games, countless reboots, and now the Sonic Boom atrocity have all but killed this once great franchise. Sega has even announced they’ll no longer be making console games and be focusing only on mobile and PC markets.
This is a conversation that must be had. It is time to talk about the harassment of women in gaming and our role as men in perpetuating this problem. It is time to address the ever present need for equitable treatment within the video game community. It is time for us here at Droid Gamers to join the discourse on GamerGate.
With the OUYA console just months away from consumers and it finally landing in the hands of developers, the “hands-on” impressions are starting to roll in. As it turns out, DroidGamers has yet to get their hands on a console to officially review. Also, as we get closer and closer to the OUYA release more of the promises or intentions of this platform are beginning to fall flat.
I find the news of High Voltage’s award-winning Wii shooter, The Conduit, coming to the Tegra Zone to be concerning. For a few reasons, actually. Porting Wii games to mobile devices isn’t anything new, but it’s a little worrying in the Conduit’s case.
Discussions on freemium-related topics always draw the most attention, mostly because the freemium model has been greedily explored by many developers at the expense of the end users. For those wondering though why exactly more developers are going down this route by the day, just have a look at the Top Grossing charts on Google Play.