Russ McCutcheon

The latest success story for cloud gaming is Gaikai, the service that powered the FIFA 12 demo on Youtube, as its poised to launch on Facebook. The news was revealed yesterday at the Cloud Gaming Europe conference in London by Gaikai founder David Perry – who also demonstrated World of Warcraft running on the social networking site without download.

Cloud gaming is a recent trend, where providers like Gaikai, Zynga and OnLive essentially hire out their high-end servers, allowing gamers to play console-grade games on PC, Mac or tablet over the internet without downloads, installs, or updates. The appeal is obvious. Because the games consumers are playing is running on cloud providers servers, even the most aggressively machine-killing games (Crysis comes to mind first) can be played on any platform, regardless of its spec.

Traditional PC gaming has definitely suffered and will continue to because of the onset of cloud gaming. Yesterday it was revealed that Ubisoft (the developer behind the clambering action series Prince of Persia and Assassins Creed) had been placing limits on the number of hardware changes made to the rigs their games are installed on. Almost all developers place restrictions on the number of machines you can install one copy of a game onto, but tech-review site Guru3D discovered that if you upgrade just one component of your PC three times, any Ubisoft games installed on that machine would become effectively worthless.

Companies like Gaikai are offering not only complete freedom from such restrictions, but a much more accessible gaming experience. When showing off World of Warcraft on Facebook, Perry was eager to ephasise it took just one click to get started, once youve set up your Gaikai account. Compared to Steam, with its forty plus clicks, and waves of terms of service agreements and waivers.

What effect cloud gaming is going to have on the industry is still unsure, some developers have made the jump, others are resolutely sticking to what they know. But Perry is confident in a complete conversion: Some of the traditional publishers who have ignored all of this are falling off a cliff. Look at their stock prices, its not good.

(Photo: VizWorld.com)

Although President Obama has silenced the SOPA hearing, at least for a month, there are over 7,000 blackouts scheduled across the Internet for January 18^th. From Wikipedia to Major League Gaming (MLG), Internet companies are taking a stand against legislation that could hamper the freedom gamers and Internet users currently enjoy online. With PIPA (the Enforcing and Protecting American Rights Against Sites Intent on Theft and Exploitation Act) scheduled for a January 25^th Senate hearing, there’s now a growing concern from the same people who stood up against SOPA.

Sundance DiGiovanni, co-founder and CEO of MLG, took some time to talk about why the leading eSports game organization is taking a stand and blacking out its sites in this exclusive interview.

What are your thoughts on the SOPA/PIPA legislation and why is MLG participating in the blackout?

My point of view on it is, I encourage everybody to read up on the bills and what the impact of the bills, as written, could be to all of us. It’s not something that I want to go around and preach, but I think if we’re informed, we can have a conversation and express why people might want to go and read up on it and educate themselves; that’s the most effective thing we can do to help avoid these bills from being passed.

As currently written and constructed, we think that they’re not anything that we’d like to see passed, because they would actually do more harm than good. We do not advocate piracy in any way, shape, or form; we just believe that there are better ways to prevent the behavior that’s trying to be prevented then what’s drafted in these bills.

It seems like the streaming of gaming content would be impacted through these bills. When you look at the success that streaming has had, would MLG still be able to stream gameplay at competitions?

Yeah, we get a license for the right to stream everything. The issue is that we don’t necessarily oppose the bills because of what they would do to MLG directly, but it’s more about what they would do to the ecosystem within which we operate. The community-based sites that cover our content and put video pieces up, they’re incredibly important to what we do. Anything that would threaten them, threatens our lifeblood and their success.

Would MLG be okay? Would we be able to work something out where we would be in a position to stream everything? Absolutely, we don’t doubt that for a second. We do think there will be more red tape, and more oversight, which I don’t think is a good thing for anybody. I think our money and efforts are better spent elsewhere.

Again, it’s not so much a question of what the impact to MLG would be, but to the broader community, and to something which we view as incredibly important. Players being able to stream their gameplay and talk about what they’re doing is a really important part of what we see the future of not just the competitive gaming landscape, but gaming in general. We think both SOPA and PIPA threaten that way too much.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is announcing details of its
first major exhibit exploring the art and evolution of video
games.

The unusual exhibit opens March 16, and will be on view in
Washington through Sept. 30. The Art of Video Games will focus on
the graphics, technology and storytelling of some of the best games
for systems ranging from Atari to the PlayStation 3.

It will include 80 video games that were selected with help from
the public who voted online last year.

The museum announced Tuesday that the exhibit will also tour to
several sites across the country, including Boca Raton, Fla.;
Seattle; Yonkers, NY; Flint, Mich.; and Memphis, Tenn.

Chris Melissinos, former chief evangelist and chief gaming
officer for Sun Microsystems, is guest curator for the exhibit.

LAS VEGAS, NV, Jan 17, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Leading software supplier to the gaming industry, NEWave, and its
Professional Services Division is expanding again, this time with an
affiliation with Jordan Gaming Consulting Group to offer database
management and slot management consultation to NEWave’s extensive and
growing client base.

Jordan Gaming Consulting Group is a full service advisory firm with a
stable of experts, which have extensive experience in the gaming and
hospitality industries. The group has countless published articles to
its credit, holds numerous patents and counts some of the gaming
industry’s top companies among its clients.

“When we formed the Professional Services Division of NEWave, we had
a vision to assemble the best possible in-house team, as well as
establish a network of experts that would extend our capabilities and
help our clients’ businesses function in top form. This new
relationship with Jordan Gaming Consulting Group fits that vision
perfectly, and we are thrilled to present their expertise to our
clients,” said NEWave Sr. VP of Professional Services Claudia
Winkler.

Jordan Gaming Consulting Group Principal Jeff Jordan said, “We are
delighted to be working with the experts at NEWave and to extend the
capabilities of their Professional Services Division. NEWave is
recognized industry-wide as leaders in technology development and
management, and we are confident that our team will be a valuable,
knowledgeable resource to their clients.”

Jordan Gaming Consulting Group will specifically consult with
NEWave’s clients on database management and slot management, helping
casinos to expand and enrich the casino experience for operators and
for their patrons. Their analysis will examine gambling activity,
identify untapped and underperforming segments and players, close the
performance gap, and design unique marketing campaigns tailored to
each casino and to each customer.

“The simple truth in business today is that data is money, and this
new area of our Professional Services Division will help casinos to
maximize the return on their data investment,” Winkler said.

Call (702) 891-0132 today to schedule an appointment with NEWave’s
Professional Services Division, or for more information, visit

www.mynewave.com .

About Jordan Gaming Consulting Group
Jordan Gaming Consulting Group
was founded in 2010 and specializes in product and corporate strategy
development for the gaming industry. We provide gaming and technical
experience in various areas such as: corporate and product strategy,
business development, product and technology development, operations
and market analysis. Our consultants utilize their knowledge in
gaming and technology to ensure our clients’ success with each
project.

About NEWave
NEWave and its more than 230 clients are creating
award-winning, innovative solutions together. Founded in 1993, NEWave
has more than 200 years of combined professional experience in the
gaming and hospitality industry; indentifying, developing and
deploying tools and strategies required to successfully manage
information technology projects and organizations. In addition,
NEWave leads the industry in the development and implementation of
gaming and hospitality software applications and services that
provide complete solutions for auditing functions, regulatory
compliance and casino cage operations. For more information, please
visit
www.mynewave.com .

Contact:
Paul Speirs-Hernandez
Steinbeck Communications
P (702) 413-4278
E Email Contact
T @steinbeckcomm

SOURCE: NEWave

http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=1F5E7562C0F01ADE

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

Could Israel live with a nuclear Iran? A gaming exercise suggests yes.

Israeli intelligence experts role-played Iran in a simulation exploring the day after scenario if Iran were to launch a nuclear explosive test. The results suggest war would not break out immediately.

By

Joshua Mitnick,Correspondent /
January 17, 2012

NEW ORLEANS and JACKSON, Miss., Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
Jones Walker recently announced the addition of attorneys from the Mississippi law firm of Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis, P.A. The transaction adds offices in Jackson, Gulfport, and Olive Branch, Mississippi. Jones Walker now has 15 offices in six states and the District of Columbia.

In particular, the combined firm expands the gaming practice and adds to the firm’s vibrant and notable practice. The firm will be able to leverage its gaming experience to clients in its existing jurisdictions, as well to provide advice and counsel with respect to emerging gaming states such as Alabama, Florida, and Texas.

Jones Walker Gaming Practice partner J. Kelly Duncan said, “We are excited to welcome Tommy Shepherd and the other members of the Watkins Ludlam firm and to add them to the team of attorneys already practicing gaming law at Jones Walker. This addition has enhanced and expanded our gaming practice to serve our gaming clients across the Gulf South.”

Kelly Duncan is President of the International Masters of Gaming Law and commenced a two-year term this January. He previously served as Vice President and is a Past Treasurer. He is listed among the world’s top gaming attorneys in the Chambers Global Guide in the area of Gaming & Gambling, and was named “New Orleans, LA Best Lawyers Gaming Lawyer of the Year” 2011.

Thomas B. Shepherd, III currently serves as Secretary of the International Association of Gaming Advisors. He has served on its Board of Trustees since 2001, and has held various other leadership positions in the organization. He was named “Jackson, MS Best Lawyers Gaming Lawyer of the Year” 2011 and “Mississippi 2011 Attorney of the Year” by the Mississippi Business Journal. Jones Walker sponsors a blog discussing current issues in Mississippi Gaming Law at Mississippi Gaming Law Blog:
http://msgaminglaw.com/ . The firm plans to expand the blog to jurisdictions across the Gulf South.

Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre L.L.P. , with more than 375 attorneys, provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base in highly regulated industries through offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Contact: Carol Todd Thomas504.582.8438cthomas@joneswalker.com

SOURCE Jones Walker

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

Using taxpayer funded primaries to play partisan games is a terrible waste, especially in Michigan in these difficult economic times.

Its unfortunate that lawmakers passed legislation that forces presidential candidates onto a primary ballot even when their party is holding a caucus.

The argument over this got ugly last week when Democrats called out Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, a Republican, for putting Barack Obamas name on the Feb. 28 primary ballot. Michigan Democrats plan to do their nominating through a party caucus on May 5.

An election law passed last year requires the secretary of state to put the names of candidates identified from media reports onto the primary ballot. Obama clearly is a candidate. The flaw in the law? It requires the candidate to personally say that he or she is not running in order to be removed from the primary ballot. But Obama is running – for caucus votes, not primary votes.

Johnsons staff said her hands were tied; even though Mark Brewer, head of Michigan Democratic Party, asked that Obama not be listed by the legal deadline, she didnt get notice directly from the Obama campaign. Yet the law appears to offer no option for a candidate who is running, just not on a primary ballot.

Democrats suggest the law was deliberately written to cause them problems, because their national rules say that voters who cast primary ballots cannot then vote in the caucus. Brewer also says he will ask the national party to waive that rule for Michigan this year.

Either lawmakers did what Brewer accuses them of, or they passed a flawed law. Political parties are entitled to set the rules for picking their candidates, and that means choosing whether to hold a caucus or a primary.

Gaming the system, sadly, is part of Michigans history. When the state held open primaries, voters from the major parties freely crossed into each others contests in hopes of boosting a weak candidate who could be easier for their partys nominee to beat in the general election. And four years ago, both state parties were threatened with sanctions from their national organizations after scheduling a January presidential primary, in violation of their national rules.

Michigan ought to rise above such games. Lets do better in 2016.

An LSJ editorial

6Waves-Lolapps is going more aggressively into mobile gaming by acquiring Escalation Studios, the gaming company it worked with to publish its two very first iOS games.

Escalation is a bootstrapped, five-year-old company out of Dallas that created Yeti Town and Splode, which 6Waves-Lolapps published last month. Splode Free is a music-and-color puzzle that challenges players’ sense of timing while Yeti Town is a game thats essentially identical to Spry Fox’s Triple Town. The terms of the deal werent disclosed.

We started negotiating a publishing relationship, and we then realized we wanted to make them part of the family, says Arjun Sethi, who is now the companys chief product officer. (He was previously Lolapps chief executive before the company merged with 6Waves.)

Sethi tells us even though Escalation had a video gaming pedigree, the studio operated more like a highly iterative mobile-social gaming one.

They looked like a web services-oriented company, he says. Theyre not very much like a traditional studio. They get games out from a quality perspective, but they also leverage the data as fast as possible, which is pretty rare.

At the same time, Escalation was looking for greater distribution and reach. The company had a previous publishing relationship with DeNAs ngmoco, which released its game Dr. Awesome.

We realized the 6L guys had most of what we wanted. They had a platform, worldwide distribution and so the conversation got steered away from publishing toward acquisition, says Escalations Marc Tardif. The acquisition brings 6Waves-Lolapps headcount to 230 around US, Hong Kong, Japan and China.

6Waves-Lolapps is one of the last larger venture-backed social gaming companies to make the leap from Facebook to iOS. Zynga has Dream Zoo, Poker and more, while Crowdstar has Top Girl and Funzio has Crime City and Modern War. Germanys Wooga also brought Diamond Dash to iOS last year.

This story originally appeared on our sister site, Inside Mobile Apps.

TONY EASTLEY: While Australian politicians are debating how to minimise the harm done by poker machines, researchers are warning that sports betting and online casino games are the fastest growing form of gambling in Australia, and could become a serious problem in the future.

The biggest study of online gambling habits in Australia has found problem gamblers are losing an average of $825 a month.

Suzanne Hill reports.

SUZANNE HILL: Researchers from Southern Cross Universitys Centre for Gambling Education and Research surveyed 6,500 online gamblers, and found that half of them started playing online in the past six years.

Lead researcher Dr Sally Gainsbury says that means Australians are taking up online punting and gaming faster than any other form of gambling.

Its estimated Australians now spend $600 million a year on online gambling.

Sixteen per cent of the participants in the study were deemed to be problem gamblers and Dr Gainsbury said many of them admit the comfort of playing from home can be particularly addictive.

SALLY GAINSBURY: Internet gambling actually does offer unique risks compared to other forms of gambling. So because its available all the time, its private and you can gamble without anyone really finding out, people are saying that – half the internet gamblers, problem internet gamblers said that it disrupted their sleep and around a third reported it disrupted their eating.

So that constant availability is really disrupting peoples normal functions.

SUZANNE HILL: She says the amount of problem gamblers online is only likely to grow.

SALLY GAINSBURY: Absolutely, internet gambling, one of the most important things is that these people are at risk because its so easy to do. Its actually happening to a new population, so youre getting more people gambling. It means that there are going to be a greater number of people reporting problems relating to internet gambling in the future.

SUZANNE HILL: Dr Gainsbury is calling on the Government to look into more regulation for the online gambling industry, something she says should be easy to do.

SALLY GAINSBURY: Similar to the efforts put into making sure that the pokies are played in as safe a way as possible, there needs to be more responsible gambling strategies for online. So we should be seeing pop up messages telling people how long theyve been playing for and how much theyve been spending.

These type of things are actually much easier to do with online because you can track an individual player. People are using accounts, theyre not putting cash in, so we can tell how much individual players are spending.

TONY EASTLEY: Dr Sally Gainsbury from Southern Cross University ending that report from Suzanne Hill.

Curious about the PlayStation Vita handheld console? You can now try one out for yourself.

Mashable stopped by Sonys Vita Hill Social Club a pop-up store Sony has opened temporarily to show off the Vita to curious consumers to play major games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and FIFA Soccer.

The Vita comes out Dec.17 in Japan, and Feb. 22 in North America, Europe and Australia, starting at $249.99. Some of its most-touted features include dual analog sticks, WiFi and 3G capabilities, augmented reality, a back touchpad and a six-axis motion-sensing system. It also features the ability to remotely log in to and stream games from the PlayStation 3, while a Party App allows users to chat with friends while gaming.

Overall, the Vita impressed us. Its easy, intuitive touch interface makes navigating the system simple and hassle-free. The graphics are pretty amazing for a 5-inch screen; it was easy to forget you were playing on such a small device.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss is one of the systems biggest upcoming titles, alongside other highly anticipated games such as Unit 13 and Resistance: Burning Skies. Golden Abyss, which follows from the popular Uncharted series on PS3, was developed especially for the Vita. The impressive visuals and fast-paced storytelling at times felt almost like watching a movie.

The game also takes advantage of Vitas built-in motion technology. You have to tilt the device back and forth to balance on beams and swiping the tilt screen resulted in your character chopping through a barrier. These are nice, intuitive additions to normal gameplay.

Reality Fighters, meanwhile, showcased the Vitas augmented reality and connectivity. Players can snap a picture of their face and digitally layer it onto a fighter. Two people can battle it out by connecting their Vitas wirelessly. The combat can then be projected on a live battlefield, or any flat surface between them.

The augmented reality feature really shines on the new Little Deviants game, which also capitalizes on the back touchpad.

The back touchpad, a touchscreen on the back of the device, was most impressive in FIFA Soccer. To shoot on the Vita version of FIFA, for example, you simply visualize the rectangular back pad as the goal, and tap where you want the ball to go. Meanwhile, the front touchscreen lets you simply touch players to pass them the ball or switch to them to defense.

While FIFA is currently EA Sports only scheduled release for the Vita, its easy to imagine how other sports can make use of the devices touch capabilities.

In short, the Vita is an extremely cool and innovative little handheld console. The augmented reality and front and back touch capabilities allow a world of possibilities, as do the connectivity features.

Still, the system is not a must-buy for casual gamers. Consoles and mobile gaming offer enough diversion for boring subway rides. For the more serious gamers, the Vita could be a great purchase offering truly remarkable visuals and gameplay capabilities in a portable format.

But dont take our word for it you can try out the Vita seven days a week at Sonys Vita Hills Social Club in San Francisco through the end of February. There are also Vita pop ups in near Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, DC Sony also just announced a Vita tour of the United Kingdom for February.

What does the Vita have to prove to make you plunk down the cash? Share your thoughts in the comments.