LAGAMES

Nintendo’s Wii a Testament to Innovation

Authored by Scott Goldberg on November 14, 2006 - 8:15pm.

I had a chance to test Nintendo’s Wii at the LA Games Conference last week, and it proved to be far more interesting than I had imagined. The Wii’s controller, which looks in form like it should be changing channels on a television, is a positive step ahead for the industry, offering a change to a device that has essentially been the same since the days when Atari’s Pac Man ruled the field.

A Thank You To LA Games Conference Participants

Authored by Ned Sherman on November 10, 2006 - 1:00pm.

Dear LA Games Conference Participants,

Ned Sherman and Clancy Brown - 2006 LA Games Conference 1

Thank you for participating in the LA Games Conference! We really appreciated the time and effort that everyone put into making the event a success. We met a lot of knowledgeable and interesting people, including some surprise guests such as Vin Diesel (who played Manny "Master" Rodriguez in the "Dead or Alive 4" gamer tournament), over the two days, and look forward to hosting the conference again in LA in May 2007 (dates to be announced). To view editorial coverage and photos of the event, click here. We welcome your ideas on how to grow the event in 2007. Please send your ideas to games@digitalmediawire.com.

Finally, if you are in New York next week, we hope to see you at our Future of Television Forum at NYU on November 16 and 17.

Sincerely yours,
Ned Sherman
Co-Chair, LA Games Conference
CEO & Publisher, Digital Media Wire, Inc.

State of the Industry: Video Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2006 - 12:45pm.

[Coverage from the 2006 LA Games Conference]
Three analysts present key research at Digital Media Wire's LA Games Conference
Online Console Games

John Broady, CNET Networks' director of business intelligence, looked at trends in the online console gaming market, which is set to kick off in earnest this month, as for the first time, the market offers three consoles that can connect to broadband and a multitude of online features.

[NOTE: To download and view Broady's PowerPoint presentation click here.]

The Next WoW: Searching for the MMOHG (Massively Multiplayer Online Holy Grail)

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2006 - 9:30am.

[Coverage from the 2006 LA Games Conference]
Blizzard Entertainment's "World of Warcraft" (WoW) massively multiplayer online PC game is not just a hit, it's a certifiable phenomenon, in the opinion of Don Daglow, the president and CEO of developer Stormfront Studios. The game has skyrocketed to an unprecedented nearly six million subscribers. (Update: Blizzard announced on Nov. 9 that WoW subscriptions have now topped 7.5 million.) WoW is the fastest-growing business at Vivendi, Blizzard's parent company, and bolstered profits 24.4% for Vivendi Games to $376.4 million in the first half of 2006.

LA GAMES: Pro-Gamer Fatal1ty - “I have an awesome job”

Authored by Jay Baage on November 8, 2006 - 2:42pm.

[Coverage from the 2006 LA Games Conference] Pro-gamer Jonathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel is the most accomplished professional PC gamer in history. He is the breakthrough name and face for the new generation of so called "cyber-athletes". He was a featured keynote interview on Thursday. The audience got to hear about how he is not just a pro-gamer, but also runs his own company Auravision/Fatal1ty, to exploit his strong brand in gaming.

LA GAMES: ESA Exec Says Direct Download Market of Games is 5 to 10 Years Away

Authored by Jay Baage on November 8, 2006 - 11:39am.

[Coverage from the 2006 LA Games Conference] In his keynote Wednesday morning, Doug Lowenstein, President of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), stated that the digital download market for video games will not grow big anytime soon. “We are a long way from online distribution of games. The direct download market is 5 to 10 years from being significant” he said to the audience of industry insiders.

LA GAMES: Manny “Master” Rodriguez Easily Dispatches Fellow Gamers, including Vin Diesel

Authored by Scott Goldberg on November 7, 2006 - 7:13pm.

[Coverage from the 2006 LA Games Conference] Considered perhaps the world’s best “Dead or Alive 4” gamer, the popular IGN game on Xbox 360, Manny “Master” Rodriguez backed up the hype at the LA Games Conference’s First Annual Gamers Tournament today, taking first prize. Entering the day infirmed and unsure of the field, Master demonstrated a level of ability few could approach, most notably Vin Diesel.

LA GAMES: Online Games About to Take Off as a Mass Medium

Authored by Jay Baage on November 7, 2006 - 1:29pm.

[Coverage from the 2006 LA Games Conference] UPDATED. Electronic games are not just for teenage boys anymore. Women, both younger and older, are playing more online games. “The money right now, however, is still in console games like Playstation 2 and Xbox”, says Mike Vorhaus, Managing Director, Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc.