Who would've thought that piracy would adversely affect the way we receive games?
News Blips:
Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce thinks that anti-piracy copy protection is "a losing battle." Instead, he touted the heightened synergy of Battle.net with Blizzard's plethora of titles, citing a one-time activation code for Starcraft 2 as a specific example. "If you start talking about DRM [digital rights management] and different technologies to try to manage it, it's really a losing battle for us, because the community is always so much larger," Pearce said, adding that "the best approach from our perspective is to make sure that you've got a full-featured platform that people want to play on, where their friends are, where the community is." Fair enough…so long as our privacy rights aren't infringed like certain social networks have done. (Hint: It rhymes with "Macelook.") [Videogamer]
Casual video games — such as PopCap's Bejeweled and Peggle — can improve the brain's cognitive functions. A study conducted by East Carolina University tested the brain waves of participants who played casual games versus a control group. The results indicated a staggering 87 percent improvement in cognitive response time, along with a whopping 215 percent increase in executive functioning (a sort of conductor for organizational skills). Ditch that sudoku puzzle and start clearing those pegs — your brain will thank you for it. [Gamasutra]
The Navy can supply a steady job, access to exotic locations…and a Wii exercise regimen? At least, that's what Surgeon General Vice Admiral Adam Robinson (who probably has the longest rank on record) wants to provide. High-movement games such as Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution could become part of a new system that prepares fresh recruits for the rigors of boot camp. I heartily support tempering the men and women that defend our waters with DDR gems like "Stomp to my Beat." [Navy Times]
The PlayStation 3 is hungrily taking a bite into the Xbox 360's global market share. The PS3's presence in the economy has jumped up to 31 percent as a result of the widespread success of the console's price-reduced slim version and the release of blockbuster exclusives such as Uncharted 2 and God of War 3. On the other hand, Microsoft's imminent launch of its ambitious Natal project could sustain the Xbox 360's fiscal lead. [IndustryGamers]
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