The Gray Gamers

For hard core gamers it’s Christmas tomorrow as the game industry big show takes place in the US.

The official site for the convention is here. However it’s more fun to read the hard core game sites where leaks happen, speculation happens and gamers get all excited about technology and an announced release of a long awaited game.

The industry convention covers all the game consoles, all the big players and sets the tone for the coming year.  I counted about 207 exhibitors.

The big news seems to be the leak of Sonys new PS3.

And rumours about Nintendo plan to roll out with Wii fit. 

Have the fun for game industry attendees is the rumours and seeing which game news site can scoop another game news site. That and some serious play time on the convention floor.

This isn’t a trade show for gray gamers, but I plan to keep an eye open for what we old folk can look forward too.

The Gray Gamer Charity of the Month is Sri Lanka, World Vision.

It’s hard to pick a charity, the needs facing displaced and wounded Sri Lankans seem overwhelming.

Needs are great.

1/4 of a million people are in displacement camps.
30 years of war have left a generation who do not know safety and peace.
Since January of 2009 it is believed 8 thousand civilians have been killed
Over 22 thousand Tamil rebels were killed, over 21 thousand government soldiers, and over 1 thousand police in 2009.
It is believed 16 thousand civilians are wounded
Refugees are expected to live in camps for at least two years

World Vision is providing basic care, water, shelter, food and medical help.  As well World Vision is focusing on the 80 thousand children, providing none essentials such as education.  Joining with other aid agencies the longer term goals are:

Sri Lanka special appeal

1. Get people back to their original land and homes as quickly as possible and then provide them the support they need to get back to work. (This will need to in many cases be accompanied by de-mining, infrastructure rebuilding and livelihoods set up.)Bartlett says: “There are now almost 250,000 people in the displacement camps, among them an estimated 80,000 children. These people have been displaced numerous times and in reality the camps are yet another displacement, albeit one where they are safe and having their basic needs met. It is important to get people home as quickly as possible so they can feel a sense of ownership over their own lives, recover their dignity and livelihoods and create an environment where their children feel safe.”
2. Provide special support for children that address their physical, psychosocial, emotional and educational needs. Many tens of thousands of children have been severely emotionally, physically and mentally impacted, having endured months of extremely violent close quarter conflict, suffered a lack of health care, and poor access to shelter and food. Aid agencies and government ministries need to identify children who have suffered trauma and distress and find creative solutions to address this special problem.Bartlett says: “Getting children back home and then back to school will have the biggest impact for good on their health. Children need to be back in communities and classes where neighbours and teachers can keep an eye on them and restore a sense of normalcy which is what children crave. Hundreds of schools need to be rebuilt, repaired, re-staffed and restocked with equipment to make this a reality.”
3. Trust building programmes are essential to create an environment of peace. Many Tamils who come from the area once controlled by the LTTE may never have had Sinhalese neighbours or friends. Likewise those from the south may be suspicious of northern Tamils. A large percentage of those from Colombo or the South have never been to the conflicted North.Bartlett says: “We need trust-building programmes to break down years of prejudice. It is especially important to focus on the next generation – the children – to give them the opportunities to meet and get to know each other. We would advocate for trust-building programmes that bring Tamil and Sinhala communities together, especially those who once lived along what was the Line of Control that divided the country.”
4. Millions of aid dollars needed. The international community, donors and banks need to give or lend millions of dollars to fund the return, recovery and rehabilitation phases. None of these programmes is possible without the commitment of the international community to support recovery efforts. But without this support the country may not be able to make a real go at winning the peace, so losing out on a vital opportunity to bring peace.

Couple of interesting items from around the web. 

From Big Fish Games:

We have dropped our prices from $19.99 to $6.99 for all games. Effective immediately, there are no Casual, Super or Jumbo Game Club members, just customers. We have also removed the requirement for recurring monthly charges by allowing you to activate or cancel your Big Fish Game Club membership online at any time.

Every game is now only $6.99 at Big Fish Games.

Just click on the Big Fish logos on the sidebar and you’re there.

Gamelab, the developers of Diner Dash, one of the most popular time management PC games ever has closed up shop.  From Gamasutra:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   New York-based Diner Dash creator Gamelab has shut its New York office, selling off its office equipment and furnishings, but co-founder Eric Zimmerman remains tight-lipped about plans for the firm.

…Gamelab’s most renowned game is PlayFirst-published Diner Dash, which debuted in 2003 and has grown into a franchise that has sold millions of copies across a wide array of gaming platforms. Despite the massive success of the franchise, it appears that Gamelab has not seen a continued financial boost from its success, likely due to PlayFirst’s IP ownership of the original game.

New York video game industry stalwart Gamelab has also developed LEGO Fever, Jojo’s Fashion Show and the serious game Ayiti: The Cost of Life, with Zimmerman a notable figure in the local industry scene and the host of GDC’s yearly Game Design Challenge.

Hoyle Online/Cases Ladder update. 
Despite a petition and a promise from Cases Ladder to see what they could do to keep the online community going, it’s gone under. This was posted April 20/09 by Cases Ladder.

Hoyle Online Players,

We regret to inform you that we will no longer be able to keep this site up and running. The rights to use the gaming software and the underlying servers have expired and Activision has declined to renew those licenses. We apologize that we are unable to continue operating the site.

Inquiries regarding this new development can be sent to us at hoylefeedback@igl.net.

Sincerely,

Case’s Ladder Staff

Gray Gamers posted the about the online community site going down here, the attempt to keep it going here.

I downloaded this game late yesterday afternoon while waiting for family to arrive and finished it late evening.

It’s not a bad game at all, it was a bit like curling up with a fun book.

It had all the right ingredients, a good story line, minipuzzles, good crime scene locations and a twist.

You play Carrie Chase, a detective with a grumpy sergeant. Both of you are off to solve the murder of a fashion designer in New York.
By the time you’ve collected your hidden objects at the crime scene and headed to the lab to do your forensics work, you realize you have a serial killer on your hands. But who, because an interesting cast of characters parade through your office and the game. The dialogue isn’t stiff btw. or intrusive which is often the case in a mystery game.

Searching the crime scenes, you pick up hidden objects which are used in the mini-puzzles. Example you look for letters, then have to piece together the note left by the murderer. Throughout the chapters you remain engaged because all clues lead to solving the case.

As you collect items some go into your inventory which you may use at a location. (flashlight, magnifying glass etc)

Hints are generous, if you time out you can re-do or go to another location. Every once in awhile an object such as a purse becomes a search inside a search which gives you engaged.

There are over 500 objects to find and 25 levels to get through. And what I liked was the twist at the end.

By far the most challenging part of the game was the blood sample and finger print match mini games. The graphics, atmosphere sounds and animation are above average.

I wasn’t bored or distracted, while some objects were hard to find in each 10 minute location, this is one of the better mystery/hidden object games with a better than average story line.
I was unaware that the game developer Big Bubble was a Canadian company. They put out a good game.

Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion was released January 2009

Got a few minutes to twiddle your thumbs at work?  Or are you a fan of flash games?

Lots to chose from at Armor Games, give your brain a workout and those twiddling thumbs a break.
Action, Arcade, Adventure, Shooting, Puzzle & Skill, Strategy, Sport and Miscellaneous. All you need to do is sign in. Go play!