PC gaming and me -- we've ve never really mixed. I think it has something to do with the fact that I can’t rely on my left hand for anything other than the thumb (but oh how good a thumb it is). Maybe it’s because every time I time I try to use my keyboard it melts a little and gets all over my hands.
Continue reading "Why My Stomach Likes Microsoft Keyboards More Than My Hands" »
Let me get this out there now: I am girl who grew up in the '80s. Therefore, I have seen the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing no
less than 58,932,075,207 times. In fact, I've watched it so many times
that the VHS tape actually broke (and was quickly replaced). Why did I
love it? I have no idea. It could've been the mature themes (being an
unwed pregnant woman in the '60s) or just Patrick Swayze's sweet, sweet
abs (but wait, I was six years-old, and hence should not have been
interested in old man stomach muscles. Grody!). Regardless of why I was
compelled to it, I watched the movie over and over again, dancing
around the living room with my sister and cousins as if we were all the
naive, nubile, and nasally-endowed Jennifer Grey (a.k.a. "Baby"). But
alas, as soon as I discovered the true men in my life -- Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, Super Mario Bros. and Metallica -- those days became
gone forever.
I always thought Lara Croft and Hitman would make a cute couple, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Famed MTV video games journalist Stephen Totilo is in need of a bit of help putting a gaming twist on his upcoming wedding reception. At the suggestion of his future wife, they have decided to name all their tables after locations in video games. Hit the jump for the list as it stands right now, but they need about six more. Any suggestions are completely welcome.
While we were walking around the city, we visited a "PC bang," or a South Korean internet cafe. There are over 20,000 PC bangs in South Korea; compare that with around 12,000 Starbucks or 31,000 McDonald's worldwide. PC bangs provide a place for young Koreans to socialize and play online games on computers with high speed internet connection. It costs 1,000 Won ($1) per hour and players can just check out the games they want to play. Although there were only a few people there during the daytime, PC bangs get really packed in the evenings.
Like I mentioned earlier, Korean competitive gamers are as famous as our own professional sports athletes. During Blizzard's presentation (and prior to the StarCraft 2 announcement and demo), they introduced some of the top players for each of the tournaments: StarCraft, WarCraft III, and new this year, World of Warcraft. (Blizzard president Mike Morhaime stated that this was the most Blizzard tournaments they've ever held in one place). Many of the players were South Korean, but there were several representatives from Sweden, France, China, Japan, the United States and Canada as well. And when they came on stage, one-by-one like a basketball line-up, the crowd screamed wildly.
Continue reading "Blizzard WWI '07: Korean Rockstars -- The Gamers" »
After the cinematic trailer was shown, lead game designer Dustin Browder (whose RTS work includes Battle for Middle-earth, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, and Command & Conquer: Generals) came onto the stage and looked as happy as if he won an Academy Award. He then proceeded to narrate an exciting and lengthy demo of the game. For you hardcore StarCraft gamers, you can read about the exact details here. Click through for a few photos from Dustin's demo.
"Korea is the only place in the world where an event like this could ever fill an Olympic stadium," said Mike Morhaime, President and Co-Founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Unveiling a new game in Korea is just a small way of saying thanks." With that, he said no more, and presented a jam-packed arena with a cinematic trailer. As the video played on a gigantic screen, the whole stadium waited with bated breath, even though they already knew in their hearts what it was. At the very end, the game logo appeared and the crowd roared louder than when a touchdown is scored at the Super Bowl. It was the game they've been waiting nearly 10 years for: StarCraft 2. And it's a full-scale real-time strategy game like its 1998 predecessor (and not an MMO like CVG erroneously reported, and definitely not out by the end of 2007).
The game will feature the same three races, but with an emphasis on making them as distinct from each other as possible with new weapons, vehicles and abilities. Although we only saw an early demo of the gameplay, it looked fantastic; it seemed not only more fun to play, but more fun to watch (an important component of e-sports). If anything, the Koreans were pleased: they "oooed" and "aaahed" at every new feature. For more pictures of the presentation, click below.
MSNBC actually had an interesting article a few months back about the popularity of online gaming in South Korea. While most young Americans are playing consoles and watching reality TV, South Koreans are playing PC games online. According to the article, about 17 million people play online games in a population of 48 million. Here are some other interesting excerpts:
Korean’s wires can transfer data at speeds of up to 50 megabits per second (Mbps). The “elite” package from AT&T Yahoo! promises download speeds up to 6.0 Mbps. ... Close to 70 percent of South Korean households have broadband. ... As such, young people in the technology-obsessed culture have grown up online — but not in the same way that the MySpacers have here in the United States. In South Korea, the home PC is as ubiquitous as a refrigerator.
In other words, the broadband connection in South Korea is ridiculously fast, and if you didn't own a PC here, you'd pretty much be seen as a caveman. Keeping up with technology and the latest trends is a form of social status: no luddites allowed!
Continue reading "Blizzard WWI '07: Online Gaming in Korea" »
Our shuttle from the hotel to the event arrived promptly at 10am. From there, it was about 20 minutes to the Olympic Park. And when we arrived, oh what a spectacle! Throngs of fans were waiting in line outside for the venue to open; there was bungee jumping, a hot air balloon, live music... even clowns. Every single person had a smile on their face. It literally seemed like the happiest place on Earth -- like Disney World, only Blizzard-themed. But don't take my word for it... Hit the jump to see the wonder that is the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational.
Today I'm leaving for Blizzard's third Worldwide Invitational being held in Seoul, South Korea this weekend. It's a public event for fans (and hordes of media outlets) to celebrate the wondrous collection of Blizzard's ever-popular computer game franchises: Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft. In addition to tournaments pitting Korea's best gamers against international players, there will also be various panels, interview sessions, and a big, big announcement. What's this big announcement, you ask?
As typical in the gaming industry, plenty of rumors have made the rounds on blog after blog after blog about what it might be. Regardless of what it is, fans of Blizzard's games should be excited for whatever is coming next. So wish me luck on this incredible journey; apparently, it's a 14-hour flight from New York City to Seoul. Not to mention a 13-hour time difference... Gah. See you after the time warp.