Thanks to the Guardian Gamesblog for its post discussing some of the 'trendiest' concepts currently infusing the world of videogames. The author notes: "Like every other entertainment sector, the videogame industry is prone to sudden fads and fashions that seem to spring out of nowhere, take the scene by storm, and then disappear only to be replaced by more advanced technologies, or better ideas, or something really silly", before pointing out trends such as 'sandbox gameplay' ("Sandbox is the new 'non-linear' - a favourite buzzword for open-ended game design... the dole office is full of unemployed end-of-level bosses") street racing games ("All the big driving genres - arcade, rally, F1 - have been done to death, so developers, already fascinated by crime and edgy urban themes, have turned to street racing"), and 'historical accuracy' ("Once the preserve of sad PC strategy titles, history has become a major videogame theme.")

Thanks to jer0 for pointing to SirBruce's updated MMOG Subscription Growth analysis page, which tries to "chart the trend in active subscriptions" for major MMO titles using public and private data. This "major revision" has the "chart separated into three tiers" dependent on subscription size, and shows Lineage as the worldwide MMO leader at "just under 2.7 million" (though this may be reliant on bulk 'PC Baang' subscriptions in countries such as South Korea, and the game has "only 7,000 [subscribers] in the United States.") Other notable entries include City Of Heroes ("surpassed 180,000 subscribers... proof that a well-executed MMOG can still garner substantial numbers even in the current competitive climate"), and the also recently launched, but less successful Horizons ("After peaking at around 35,000 subscribers, they have since fallen to somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000 subscribers.")

modpod writes "According to Engadget, who reference an MSNBC article, a movie theater in Logan, Utah recently hooked up a few Xbox consoles to theater projectors, and is now regularly hosting Halo tournaments in the movie theater, after they 'took four video projectors and set one up in each of four theaters'." Theater co-owner Calvin Timothy said: "According to the gal at the licensing company, we're the first theater ever to license Xbox with them for a theater... It took an act of Congress and a blessing of God (to get the license)." We've previously discussed IMAX screens being used for gaming.

Thanks to GamePro for its article noting that a newly revised bill "that requires video game retailers to clearly display signs of the game ratings has been passed by the state senate in California." The bill, "now waiting to be signed by Governor Schwarzenegger", was originally paired with a more controversial bill which "called to define 'atrocious or cruel' video games as 'harmful matter to children'", but that pairing failed to advance, despite support from bill sponsor Leland Yee, leading to a straightforward "requirement to have game ratings clearly displayed, and also have information about the ratings system readily available to parents purchasing games."

Thanks to CNN Money for its article discussing the possible further delay of Sony's PSP handheld. According to the piece: "Activision CEO Bobby Kotick told investors yesterday that his company does not expect the PSP to launch in North America until the second quarter [of 2005]." It's explained: "The PSP was originally scheduled to go on sale worldwide this holiday season. In February, Sony pushed back the U.S. launch of the system to the first quarter of 2005, but said it still planned to launch on schedule in Japan." The article also comments on possible PSP battery life issues, suggesting "...those putting games together for the system say Sony has urged them to avoid streaming game levels from the Universal Media Disk, to lengthen the system's battery life."

Thanks to Reuters/CNET for the news that both the Xbox and PlayStation 2 have received price cuts in Europe, as: "Microsoft said it would cut 25 percent off the price of its Xbox in continental Europe, bringing the price to 149.99 euros ($183.70). The software giant also cut the U.K. price to 99.99 pounds ($183.10) from 129.99 pounds ($236.96)." Almost immediately following this: "Market leader Sony cut the price of its top-selling PlayStation 2 console by a quarter to 105 pounds ($191.43) in the United Kingdom and to between 149 euros ($183.74) and 159 euros ($196.05) in the euro zone." Gamesindustry.biz adds: "Retailers will hope to see a significant sales boost for both consoles from the price cuts, much as was experienced by US retail back in June when Microsoft, and then Sony, slashed the price of their consoles within the space of a month of each other."

Thanks to Yahoo for reprinting a Majesco press release announcing a videogame version of Universal Pictures' and Steven Spielberg's Jaws, apparently "scheduled for release in 2005 for the PlayStation 2... Xbox [and PC]." The title, in which "players assume the role of a... shark driven to a predacious frenzy by the sonic emanations of underwater oil drilling equipment", is being "developed by Appaloosa", the developers of the Ecco The Dolphin series for Genesis and, latterly, for Dreamcast/PS2. Elsewhere, QT3 messageboard readers point out Sole Predator, likely the pre-Jaws licensed version of the game, in which "players assume the role of the most feared predator on earth, the Great White Shark."

Sean O'Neill writes "Over at GCAdvanced.com, we've got a large feature interviewing handheld developers and gaming press about the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. Marc Nix of IGN says: 'I think a lot of system fans and game reporters are gearing up for a big Portable System War of 2005, but the problem is, gamers traditionally haven't cared all that much about handhelds.' However, it's also pointed out that 'incredible features for the new handhelds... will undoubtedly elevate their appeal' - the article then gets responses from more than 20 developers/press on their views of the conflict to come."

Thanks to GameSpy for its editorial discussing whether America is ready for more TV coverage of competitive gaming, following on from last week's QuakeCon, of which it's claimed: "Television coverage of the event was almost non-existent... although many media outlets did a story on QuakeCon, and taped a few interviews with competitors at the event, none covered the finals in a play-by-play fashion." One editor suggests gaming just isn't appealing enough: ("Deathmatch as we know it just isn't it yet. Visually it isn't too sexy if you're not, yourself, a hardcore player"), whereas a contrasting view is presented by another editor ("The competitive FPS scene in America is also ripe for television. All we'd need to do to get that up and running in the US is copy what the Starleague has done [using StarCraft] in Korea.")

Thanks to Reuters for its article discussing game publishers' and analysts' lust for console hardware price cuts. According to the IDG-authored survey: "2003 proved disappointing to industry players because of a dearth of both blockbuster titles and significant hardware price cuts to stimulate demand", and Activision's Bobby Kotick expands on these wished-for price reductions: "Fifty percent of all hardware units on the (original) PlayStation were sold at $99... For some reason, this is one of those industries where that $99 is such a magic price point, and it's such a catalyst for that mass-market consumer." Mike McGarvey of Eidos also commented on the rise of the mega-publisher through continued mergers: "It's not far off, I think... six or seven (publishers) sounds about right."

Thanks to GameSpot for its interview with the creators of the 'Decisive Battles' TV show, as they discuss the "new History Channel series [that] re-creates some of the most pivotal battles of the ancient world, including Cannae, Thermopylae, and Marathon.. [using the engine from] upcoming real-time strategy game Rome: Total War." We've previously discussed this endeavor, but the interview explains specifics ("We'd... build the battles in the same way as we do for all the 'historical battles' in the game - but then use a few cheat codes when we play them out in order to be able to choreograph the exact movements of the troops for that particular battle"), as well as plans ("Future episodes will include the battles of Thermopylae, Adrianople, Chalon, Carrhae, Pharsalus, Spartacus and the Slave Revolt of 73 BC, Cynoscephalae, Kadesh, Teutoberg Forest, and Watling Street.")

theodp writes "Depending on your perspective, the National Scrabble Championship is a major sporting event, an unrivalled intellectual competition, or the world's biggest dork-fest. So says Slate's Dan Wachtell, who turned to an anagram-drilling Unix program to gain an edge on the 850+ competitors. While hardly mainstream, competitive Scrabble is getting newfound attention thanks to the publication of Word Freak and release of Word Wars."

Thanks to GamesIndustry.biz for its report on last week's Edinburgh International Games Festival, as the author suggests: "Nowhere.. has the maturing of the games industry into a fully fledged member of the media family been more obvious... as interactive entertainment returned to the Scottish capital's world renowned festival for a second year." The article continues: "If we were to pick one element of the EIGF to single out for special praise, it would be the Game Screenings programme... a chance for the public to see the people behind the biggest upcoming games and to put a friendly, human face on the developers who create the entertainment they're so passionate about." LoadedInc also has significant coverage from EIGF, also recently mentioned on Slashdot, "detailing the best of this year's discussions... along with audio recordings of the sessions."

Socrates writes "GamerDad has an article up called 'The Media War', a feature discussing videogames in the context of violent media and the well-meaning groups who try to censor it. 'The war against violent media is not new. Learn the history of media controversy, and take a sobering look at what's in store for gamers down the road.' The piece includes quotes from Douglas Lowenstein of the ESA and IGDA spokesman Jason Della Rocca."

Thanks to Gotfrag for its extremely comprehensive review of Valve's Counter-Strike: Source PC team-based FPS, following its recent debut for select cybercafes, and, as of Wednesday, "extended to owners of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero; and ATI Fulfillment Coupon holders." GotFrag points to physics improvements as a particular highlight ("If your teammates are dead, finding their [physics-affected limb] positions may help you understand how they died"), before concluding: "While many changes are worthless eye candy to those who play seriously, the improved graphics and game play presentation will assist Counter-Strike in becoming more spectator friendly." Eurogamer also has hands-on comments on the "subtle and generally benign" gameplay alterations.

Dragon45 writes "Some interesting developments have just occurred on the hobbyist RTS game engine scene. The Swedish Yankspankers, long known within the Total Annihilation community for their professional-caliber modifications and add-ons, have released the first screenshots and videos of Spring, a 3D RTS engine under development (and under wraps) for quite some time. It works. Apparently, real-time terrain deformation (Before|After) and network play are already working. Spring HQ has more information, and needless to say, this one is definitely worth a look." The official FAQ explains: "We aim to get an early test release out quite soon (within a month or so)", and the 'About' page explains that, as an initial starting point: "TA Spring reads the [Total Annihilation data] formats directly without conversions needed."

Thanks to Scott Miller's Game Matters weblog for its article discussing how to design a game from the start with a 'winning concept'. Miller argues: "Too many games are sunk from day one because they lack a compelling concept. And even though these games may get made with the highest production values and polish, they will find only a small audience." He goes on to identify specific factors to follow, including uniqueness ("You should be able to say:'"Wow, why has anyone else thought of this?!'"), an easily conveyed premise ("e.g. Tomb Raider = female Indiana Jones"), and lack of obvious ancestry ("The concept is so distinctive that if anyone else does it after you, it'll be obvious where they got the idea from.")

Thanks to Business Wire/TMCNet for its press release summarizing the details of a new NPD survey about online gaming. It's noted that "the overwhelming majority of today's 13-to-44-year-old gamers have the ability to play games online and a good portion are taking advantage of it, but it's dominated by one platform - the PC." Other statistics include online console demographics ("PlayStation 2 and Xbox skew heavily male, with approximately 88 percent being male and 12 percent being female") and the mobile gaming market ("Roughly 10 percent of those who said they play online are strictly mobile-based gamers and do not use any of the three online-capable systems.")

Ryan writes "Is the idea of 'convergence' (the notion that a single digital appliance will handle multiple tasks) in gaming consoles even worth it? CNET News has an article discussing the issues of convergence related to gaming - it seems like a lot of consumers aren't worried about the bells and whistles, yet they keep throwing them at us." The article mentions the "underwhelming" response to Sony's PSX console/DVR combo, whose "arrival in North America--originally slated to happen in time for the 2004 holiday shopping season--is now set for an unspecified date in 2005."

Teppy writes "Yesterday afternoon, A Tale in the Desert II launched its open beta. Sometimes called 'a strange psychology experiment', ATITD is a competitive, independently developed PC MMO game, previously covered on Slashdot, based on socialization. Windows and Linux clients are available for download from the official website. If Slashdot readers use the special code 'farmertaco' and visit a school of Art and Music, special goodies await." We've previously covered the first iteration of this unique, combat-free MMO.