Sunday, November 23, 2008

How to Write A Video Game Concept Statement

A game concept statement, or premise, is a short, direct description of the situation of a game. It describes the player's goal, the opposition to that goal, and the means through which that goal will be accomplished. When dealing solely with the narrative portion of the script, the game concept statement reads like a screenplay pitch. Realistically, game play is described because it effects some elements of the storytelling. A short example might read as follows:

"In Trick or Treat the player characters have been trapped in the labyrinth of an ancient haunted house. They must escape by destroying adversarial monsters, avoiding traps, and solving the maze. Trick or Treat is a third person perspective action game."

The goal of this writing is to give the reader a sense for the game. It should answer these basic questions:

  • What is the goal of the game?

  • How is the goal of the game accomplished?

  • What are the challenges to the game?

  • Where does the game take place?

Most people want to add marketing jargon and implementation specifics. This is simply a mistake. Reporting that is it is the best game ever, or that it will be available for the PS10 in 2020 just does not strengthen a concept. To put it bluntly, ths statement is about the concept. Concepts are general, high level notions. The concept of a car, for example, did not begin with the use of carbon fiber at the Indianapolis 500.

Do not include the following elements in a your writing:

  • Game platform (e.g. for the NES because I'm retro-chic)
  • Game rating (e.g. "M" for mature)
  • Game play specifics (e.g. controls)
  • Game programming details (e.g. uses recursive algorithms for speed)
  • Marketing (e.g. "more exciting than a ride on a roller coaster")

There are exceptions to every rule. There are times when it is important to add implementation details. These are exceptionally rare situations, such as a game designed solely to exploit a new type of controller or for use on a non-standard game platform. In these cases, it makes sense to touch upon the distinguishing detail.

A woman walks past a CitiBank branch on the Avenue of the Americas, in New York, November 17, 2008. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)AP - The government was weighing a plan on Sunday to rescue Citigroup Inc., whose stock has been hammered on worries about its financial health.

Video Game Rentals Online Easy Way of Renting your Favorite Games

When it comes to video game rentals today, the procedure couldnt be any easier. A number of online rental clubs have established their dominance within the video game rental realm. Lets take a look at a few and what they have to offer:

GameFly and Gottaplay are among the elite rental companies known in the market today. These two dominant rental services have more than four thousand games each within their collection to distribute at anytime. Both are equally matched in the marketplace and both offer well optimized websites to handle the renting aspect of the field and also contain previews, trailers, and codes which many game fans will enjoy as an added bonus.

Gamers will be eager to choose from titles both new and old and also from consoles such as XBOX, PS2, and PSP. Not only are the major game consoles included within these plans, but older systems as well including Nintendo, Sega, and Gameboy Advanced These rental plans generally range from $12.95 to $24.95 a month depending on how many games you would like to rent at a time.

When it comes close to renting video games, online rental companies are the only option for most. All titles from the two groups mentioned above are shipped within 1-2 business days and have many distribution points located anywhere in the U.S. Once youre done with your game, you can return it in the self addressed envelope it came with and receive your next title immediately, with no late fees, and especially no gimmicks. Each game can be purchased at anytime if you decide you would like to keep the title. These prices are a lot lower than you can find most used games at your local used video game store.

Once you have established your video game rental account, you may want to check and see how long the game takes to reach your doorstep. Gottaplay and Gamefly have many distribution centers across the US, so you should not expect to wait anymore than 4 business days from the day they send out your shipment.

For experienced gamers, I would substantially suggest into checking out the superiority and selection of the leading online rental facilities mentioned above or on our review page below. You will not be disappointed, as most rental plans have offered a free 14 day free trial.

For Professional Reviews and Evaluations on all the Top Online Rental Clubs, please visit us at: http://GameRentalGuide.com/Reviews.htm

AP - Taxpayers have shelled out at least $200 million since 2004 for medications that have never been reviewed by the government for safety and effectiveness but are still covered under Medicaid, an Associated Press analysis of federal data has found. Millions of private patients are taking such drugs, as well.

Download Games For Wii Nintendo

The Nintendo Wii has definitely made its mark in home video gaming. Coming to two years after its launch, the consoles continue to be going great guns. Unlike in the past when Wii games had always been lackluster compared to the consoles, newer Games for Wii are starting to match up to the consoles in terms of demand. Fortunately, there's no shortage fiasco on the card for games because there are feasible alternatives.

The Games for Wii was never a Nintendo forte. It was always more of the way the games were played than the essence of the games itself. Of late though, new releases of Wii games such as Wii Fit, Blast Works, We Ski and so forth are looking like the Wii is finally coming into its own in that area too. Then again, there are also signs that it's headed for another case of stock-out propensity.

If there was any lessons learnt from the launch of the consoles, top on the list should be the supple issues. It's not only damaging for Nintendo in missed opportunities, it's also very frustrating and wasteful for the Wii gamers. The driving around town for that new disc that has run short of supply wastes petrol, time and efforts among other things. That hard-gotten machine is but only a white-elephant without the games.

The premium pricing of Wii video games does not help things either. The cost of the games adds up quickly as more and more of them are churned out and it doesn't look like the price of the games is coming down anytime soon. Instead of improving the affordability of the pastime with the increased volume, some of the new games actually require the purchase of add-ons and accessories such as the Balance Board in the Wii Fit package.

As a result, Wii gamers are resorting to other means to load their machines. Wii game rentals have caught on to some degree. Popular games for other consoles are also being converted through re-formatting to be playable on Wii machines, independent 3rd-party game developers and publishers have joined in the fray but by far the most popular solution to the affordability and availability problems is the Wii membership download service.

Games Download Service sites are found all over the shop on the net. Free unlimited lifetime download for a one-time joining fee seems to be the most popular type of package. The fee is typically around the standard price of a single physical game disc. There's really no comparison in price as they are effectively endless free Wii games for members and being downloaded online, they're also theoretically never out-of-stock.

Lastly, watch out for scams and pretenders in picking the right download service provider. Unless you're a multi-console gamer, choose from the pool of exclusive Wii providers as they tend to be more specialized. Other free Wii media like music, movies and TV shows must be included, along with software, tools and accessories at no charge and backed by 24/7 support and full refund guarantee.

Want to know the savviest way to get Free Wii Games? Let us share our information and tips with you. Visit us at Download Games for Wii.

Reuters - A massive ball of fire that lit up the skies over two Western Canadian provinces on Thursday evening was likely among the biggest meteor events to be witnessed in Canada this year, one expert said.

Xbox E74 - What Causes it and Can I Repair the Problem?

Xbox e74 problems are highly frustrating for gamers all around the world who have had to put up with faulty Xbox 360 consoles that just act like big, white paperweights. However, you don't have to put up with this any longer- today you are going to learn what causes these errors, as well as the steps you need to follow to fix them.

The cause of Xbox e74 problems is actually overheating, believe it or not. What is harder to understand is why does this problem occur in the first place with such a modern, well-built piece of gaming equipment? This is simple, that heat is easily able to build up rather rapidly inside the case, due in part to a lack of sufficient cooling devices such as fans and heat sinks. This heat then disrupts your components such as the graphics processor, hard drive or DVD drive, and causes them to malfunction eventually. Your console is then forced to display the e74 code as a warning that something quite major has gone wrong with your console.

This may also be accompanied by three red flashing lights in the "power ring" of your console. These ominous looking lights are where the term "the red ring of death" comes from.

Due to the potential expensive of having a third-party repair your Xbox 360, the best Xbox e74 repair method is to fix the problem yourself.

This might sound absolutely crazy, but it really doesn't any where near as much work as you might think. It really isn't that hard to fix your Xbox 360 console yourself- thousands of other gamers worldwide have done it, so there's no reason why you can't. All you will need are basic tools such as a screwdriver, as well as an Xbox 360 repair guide.

Xbox 360 repair guides are basically collections of video files that show you how to fix the Xbox e74 error problem safely and reliably. You really do need one if you want to fix your Xbox 360 without risking damage to it or yourself. When purchasing one, to ensure you get the best deal you should look for free customer support, a money-back guarantee, free updates, step-by-step video and a price of less than $40.

Click on the link to learn what the best Xbox360 fix and repair guide is for fixing the red ring of death. Get free customer support, high quality videos, a money back guarantee, an amazing price and more. Fix e74 errors permanently and easily in under 2 hours.

In this Nov. 4, 2008 file photo, Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, acknowledges the crowd during an election night rally in Phoenix.  Oprah wants her, and so do Letterman and Leno. Fresh from her political defeat, Sarah Palin is juggling offers to write books, appear in films and <a href=>sit</a> on dozens of interview couches at a rate astonishing for any first-term governor, let alone a Hollywood star.    (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)AP - Oprah wants her, and so do Letterman and Leno. Fresh from her political defeat, Sarah Palin is juggling offers to write books, appear in films and sit on dozens of interview couches at a rate that would be astonishing for most Hollywood stars, let alone a first-term governor.