NPD November 2014: Good-bye 2014

I hope you all had a happy holidays(Unless you were one of those who played on Playstation Network).  And now, here is the NPD of November 2014

At number 10, Halo: The Master Chief Collection by 343 Studios and Microsoft for the XBox One.  About as buggy as a Windows ME Machine

At number 09: NBA 2K15 by 2K Games for the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3 and PC.  Space Jam's got nothing on this

At number 08: Pokemon: Omega Ruby by Nintendo and Gamefreak for the 3DS.  Why is this lower than Alpha Sapphire?

At number 07: Far Cry 4 by Ubisoft for  the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3 and PC.  At least it's not a buggy mess

At number 06: Pokemon: Alpha Sapphire by Nintendo and Gamefreak for the 3DS.  Come to think of it, why are both games separate, but Smash Bros is bundled into one?

At number 05: Assassin's Creed: Unity by Ubisoft for the PS4, XBone and PC.  Seems the beta testers were asleep on this one

At number 04: Madden NFL 2015 by EA for the 360, PS3, XBone and PS4.  Wait.  Madden couldn't afford a PC?

At number 03: Super Smash Bros 4 by Nintendo and BandaiNamco for the Wii U and 3DS.  The Duck Hunt Dog laughs at Assassin's Creed: Unity

At number 02: Grand Theft Auto V by Take 2 and Rockstar for the 360, PS3, XBone and PS4.  Didn't this come out last year?

And number 1: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare by ActivisionBlizzard for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC.  So...uhhh, when did they jump the shark?


The overall software sales for games is up.  But surprisingly, it seems Wii U and 3DS Software has gone up thanks to the sales of Smash Bros and Pokemon.  But even more surprisingly, sales of the X Box One has skyrocketed past the Playstation 4 no thanks to a temporary lower price.

Folks, I'm afraid I have some bad news.  As much as I hate to say this, I have grown tired of posting news articles about video games.  I enjoyed it in the past, attmepting in vain to mirror the now former host of the Colbert Report himself: Stephen Colbert.  So with the next NPD, I will be retiring this Blog for good and leaving it up for archive status.  With the next NPD, I will bid you farewell.

RIP Ralph Baer

Folks, it has come to my attention that Ralph Baer, inventor of the Magnavox Odyssey, the light gun, and even the game Simon!, has passed away.  Gamasutra has more details on his passing.

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Ralph Baer, a true pioneer of video games, has passed away at the age of 92, Gamasutra can confirm via independent sources close to Baer.
Baer developed the very first console video game system, originally known as the Brown Box, but later licensed and sold as 1972's Magnavox Odyssey, which laid the foundation for video games as we know them today.
Baer, an engineer and inventor through and through, also developed the light gun, recognized as the very first peripheral for video game consoles, the interactive memory game, Simon, and other inventions.
He'd been widely recognized for his achievements throughout the course of his life, such as receiving the National Medal of Technology from President George W. Bush, and an induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
He also received a 2008 Game Developers Choice Pioneer Award (video above). "Thank you very much," he said at the time. "I appreciate the honor, and I'm still cranking out stuff. Goodbye."

 

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Folks, had it not been for this pioneer, we would not have any form of video games on our television sets, on handhelds, on cellphones, or even computers.  Heck, we wouldn't even have had cell phones, home computers or even tablets.  Life wouldn't have been interesting without the man who made the video game industry possible.

Here's to you Ralph Baer.  RIP and thank you for bringing to us video games

Ralph Baer: March 8, 1922 - December 6, 2014

Works Cited: Gamasutra

NPD September and October 2014: Happy Thanksgiving

While all of you are enjoying your turkey, I will do another month comparison of the NPD sales.  Here we have both September and October of 2014 software sales

First for September:

At number 11:  Hyrule Warriors by Nintendo for the Wii U.  I stand with Ganondorf

At number 10: Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls by ActivisionBlizzard for the PS4, Xbone, 360, PS3 and PC.  No one can stop Death

At number 09: Disney Infinity 2.0 by Disney Interactive for the 360, PS3, Wii U, PS4 and XBone.  PC version now available on Steam

At number 08: The Sims 4 by EA for the PC.  Now with 20% more uncut features

At number 07: Minecraft by Mojang and 4J Studios for the 360 and PS3.  Now owned by Microsoft

At number 06: NHL 2015 by EA for the PS4, XBone, 360 and PS3.  Where's Wayne Gretezky when you need him?

At number 05: Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor by Warner Bros Interactive for the XBone, PS4 and PC.  Gollum loves the precious

At number 04: Super Smash Bros by Nintendo for the 3DS.  Wait.  How did that get up there?

At number 03: FIFA 15 by EA for the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3, Wii, PSVita and 3DS.  Wait, how did a Wii title make it onto the Top3?

At number 02: Madden NFL 2015 by EA for the 360, PS3, XBone, and PS4.  Boy it's been awhile since we had some serious competition

And at Number 01: Destiny by ActivisionBlizzard for the XBone, PS4, 360 and PS3.  World of Warcraft this ain't.

And yet, despite the free game deal, the XBone could cut it above the Playstation 4 that month.  What was really surprising was that Super Smash Bros made it onto the list and it managed to outsell games liek Disney Infinity 2.0 and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.  Who knows what Nintendo has in stall for this year.

Now let's take alook at October's sales

 At number 10: Minecraft by Mojang for the 360, PS3 and PS4.  An Xbone version is due out soon.

At number 09: Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor by Warner Bros Interactive for the PS4, XBone and PC.  Keep your eyes peeled for the final chapter of the Hobbit due out on December 17th

At number 08: Madden NFL 2015 by EA for the 360, PS3, XBone and PS4.  That's a long drop

At number 07: FIFA 15 by EA for the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3, Wii, PS Vita and 3DS. How there isn't a Wii U version, but a Wii version is beyond me.

At number 06: Skylanders: Trap Team by ActivisionBlizzard for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4, Wii, Wii U, 3DS and Mobile platforms.  Kaos Rises again

At number 05: Destiny by ActivisionBlizzard for the 360, PS3, XBone and PS4.  I still can't believe they're doing a Destiny 2

At number 04: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel by Gearbox software and 2K Games for the 360, PS3 and PC.  Who needs a Next-Gen system just to play this game?

At number 03: The Evil within by Bethesda Software for the 360, PS3, Xbone, PS4 and PC.  Hey what happened to Alien Isolation?

At number 02: Super Smash Bros by Nintendo for the 3DS.  How well will the Wii U version do?

And at number 1: NBA 2K15 by EA for the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3 and PC.  And why Madden doesn't show up on the PC is beyond me.

 Other than Alien Isolation, Sunset Overdrive didn't even make the Top 10 this time around. 

Interesting, while Hardware was up 59% YoY, Software sales are down 28%. 

Black Friday is around the corner.  Will Microsoft be able to claim the feast?  Or will Sony make them a turkey?  Stay tuned.

Jim Sterling goes independent

One year ago, Jim Sterling made his move from Destructoid to Escapist Magazine, which already housed the Jimquisition videos, along with Movie Defense Force and his little collaboration with Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw.

But now it is with a heavy heart that Jim Sterling is no longer with Escapist Magazine, and instead has become independent.  Greg Tito, Editor-In-Chief at Escapist, has this to say

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Jim Sterling began posting videos on The Escapist back in April 2011. The first few Jimquisitions were a bit unpolished, shall we say, in the technical department. But once Jim got a new microphone, his voice got a lot stronger and his shows only got better. The Escapist proudly hosted Jim's op-ed videos on the gaming industry for more than three years and 210 episodes. Last year, I was extremely happy to ask him to join the editorial team as Reviews Editor. Jim's professionalism was only outmatched by his surprisingly tender heart - despite his persona, Jim is really just a big teddy bear of a person. He was a fixture at the Escapist Expo, worked with the other contributors on tons of collaborations and everyone here considers him a part of the family.

It is with a heavy heart, then, that I announce Jim Sterling's departure from The Escapist. Jimquisition, Movie Defense Force and Uncivil War will no longer be published here. There will also no longer be any game reviews written by Jim Sterling at The Escapist.

I'm happy to say that even though Jim's work will no longer be presented at The Escapist, it is by no means going away. He has set up an amazing Patreon which will allow him to continue writing reviews and making Jimquisition videos through the direct support of his readers. Jim will only be beholden to you, the consumers, and I think that's awesome. On behalf of everyone here at The Escapist, I wish him all the best and I sincerely hope you head to Jim's Patreon to check it out. I know I will be going there to watch his videos every week.

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Jim Sterling will now have his Jimquisition videos at here  And if you want, you can donate to his cause right Here

Good luck to you Jim, and may we all Thank God for you.

Works Cited: Escapist Magazine

I am Colbert and so can you.

Folks, the Anita Sarkeesian drama has been going on since 2012 due to the death threats the woman has been getting for her critical point of view on Video Games.  From being forced from her home to having to cancel an appearance at a college, Sarkeesian has been showing up in the news trying to prove her point about video games, and having others prove it right for her(Just in a bad way).

But it seems the Anita Sarkeesian drama has hit its peak when she was recently interviewed by a known media site.  No, I'm not talking about IGN, Gamespot or Kotaku.

I'm talking about Stephen Colbert.

That's right folks.  The same Stephen Colbert who hosts the Colbert Report every Monday through Thursday night on Comedy Central(Soon to be vacated in January when he becomes the new Late Night host).

Now, due to a situation beyond my control, I cannot directly link the embedded videos here.  What I can do is provide to you the link to the videos itself and let you be the judge, plus I have this information from Huffington Post.

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The importance of GamerGate -- a cultural firestorm and ostensible video games consumer revolt fixated on feminism, journalistic ethics and right-wing politics -- is not necessarily easy for an outsider to grasp. That's because from the outside it doesn't seem... to make a whole lot of sense.

As such, it has proven to be a topic best treated in recent days by humour and parody.

US late night host and satirical firebrand Stephen Colbert produced perhaps the best 10 minute discussion of the issue so far last night, when he invited feminist blogger (and focus of serious, equally inexplicable abuse) Anita Sarkeesian to discuss it with him on The Colbert Report.

What happened next was probably the best and most incisive piece on GamerGate to yet appear on mainstream TV.

And yes, the fact that's true is incredibly depressing.

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Works Cited:

Huffington Post

You can look at the videos at

http://on.cc.com/1tScrPt Part 1
http://on.cc.com/1DB7SZJ Part 2(Stephen interviews Anita Sarkeesian)

I actually did want to talk about the Ubisoft Situation....

But it seems something new has popped up from Anita Sarkeesian.  Last we heard of her, she went into hiding due to her information being doxxed and her address was posted online.  This time, it seems things got worse.

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Utah State University stated it received a threatening email today from someone claiming to be a student; the person directed threats at the Center for Women and Gender Studies ahead of a talk Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency was scheduled to give tomorrow morning. USU stated Sarkeesian has canceled her speech. Classes and business will continue.

A spokesperson for USU's Center for Women and Gender Studies said the email was sent to the director of the center, the Standard Examiner reported. In this article, USU spokesperson Tim Vitale said USU planned to hold the event with extra security at the event. Federal and state agencies advised USU that it was all right to still hold the event. However, the speech has been canceled.

Utah State Today, the campus' online news source, reports Sarkeesian decided to cancel the speech after speaking with police on whether weapons are permitted at the speaking venue. Police confirmed that people are allowed to carry a weapon at the venue if they have a concealed firearm permit in accordance with Utah state law.

Sarkeesian wrote on Twitter, "Forced to cancel my talk at USU after receiving death threats because police wouldn't take steps to prevent concealed firearms at the event." Because of Utah's open carry laws, police cannot do firearm searches, Sarkeesian said. Sarkeesian alleged she has received many threats with intent to kill her and others at USU, and she also alleged "one threat did claim affiliation with #gamergate."

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Now I cannot talk detail about this situation, as I consider the tex.  The Works Cited below will talk more about this.  However, I can bring up the motive, plus the fact that there was a similar situation that went on at a previous convention.

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The sender claimed to be a student at the university, writing, "Feminists have ruined my life and I will have my revenge, for my sake and the sake of all the others they've wronged."

This is far from the first time threats have been issued at a venue for hosting Sarkeesian. Last weekend officials confirmed to Polygon threats were directed at GeekGirlCon for Sarkeesian's appearance. Sarkeesian had to leave her home in August when she receiving death threats directed at her and her family and reported the incident to the San Francisco Police Department, who confirmed the existence of the police report. The FBI is now investigating.

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 I disagree with Anita many times on her own opinions, but resorting to these lows is just...ugh.  I dunno what to say about this.  This makes her opinion more credible.

But it seems the whole GamerGate situation has somehow hit the Cable News.  MSNBC became the first to cover the situation courtesy of Joy-Ann Reid's Reid Report.

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Today's episode of The Reid Report on MSNBC discussed GamerGate and invited journalist Eric Johnson and independent game developer Brianna Wu to speak on the issue.

Hosted by Joy-Ann Reid, The Reid Report examined the culture of games from the consumer side and also the industry side. Johnson, a journalist for Re/Code, explained that people participating in the GamerGate hashtag are calling for a reform of journalism ethics. Johnson then said, "But it has originated as and continued to be about undermining women in the game community."

Reid turned to Wu, who is the head of development at Giant Spacekat and recently released the game Revolution 60, to discuss sexism within the games industry as well as the death threats she has received. Wu had to leave her home Friday night and called the police after a person wrote violent tweets containing her address. A person on the 8chan GamerGate board posted Wu's personal information. Wu told Kotaku that she received the death threats within moments of her personal information being posted.

On The Red Report, Wu explained the games industry is incredibly male-dominated. Statistics show 76% of game development positions are occupied by men while women make up 22% of game developers and people who are transgender make up only 2% of game developers. While women in programming make up approximately 20% of programmers, women are only 3% of programmers within the game industry, Wu said.

Wu is not the only one who has had to leave her home. Independent game developer Zoe Quinn and feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency have both received threats and had to leave their homes. The FBI is now investigating the police report Sarkeesian filed.

"I know almost all the women in the game industry at this point," Wu said on The Reid Report. "All of us are terrified about this. We are terrified about our jobs, we are terrified that we are going to be next, and what we feel is that there is a literal war in this industry on women."

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 For those of you who want to see the entire GamerGate article, the video is down here.  I'll let you be the judge of this




Works Cited:
Escapist Magazine article 1
Escapist Magazine article 2

*Sigh* I dunno what to say anymore

I'm just jaded right now, seeing something like this happen again.  You all know how upset I am over this.  The fact that I have to go and post this to prove how bad it's gotten is just...appalling.

Anyway, the newest victim is Brianna Wu, developer of Revolution 60.

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Wu, who has written about the harassment against women in gaming, has long been critical of the recently-formed Gamergate movement and what she and others have seen as the targeting of women in the industry. Earlier this week she caught the attention of users of the pro-Gamergate message board 8chan after Tweeting snark about the movement, only to then see users of that board mock her, post details about her husband and ultimately publish her personal information (a screencap of a post with redacted info remained on the thread on Saturday).

"I was literally watching 8chan go after me in their specific chatroom for Gamergate," she told Kotaku today. "They posted my address, and within moments I got that death threat."7

Wu contacted the police and tells Kotaku that they offered to send patrol cars by her home. As she noted on Twitter, she left home last night and has not returned.

Wu's account of her harassment was widely retweeted last night and viewed, by many, as a distressing new incident to add to the progression of people in gaming, mainly women, who've born the brunt of intense harassment largely due to their views on games and the gaming scene. Wu joins Zoe Quinn, the indie developer who was the original target for what was then not yet called Gamergate in late August and who said she had to leave her home due to threats. There is also Anita Sarkeesian, the critic behind a video series about the depiction of women in gaming, who chronicled in late August the most recent threats that had her leaving home and notifying police out of fear for her safety.8

Captain Richard Flynn of the Arlington, Massachusetts police department confirmed to Kotaku today that the police took a report on the incident last night and that "the matter is now under investigation by our Criminal Investigation Bureau."9

While Wu received a lot of sympathy online, she was also charged by some with making the whole thing up. She bristles at that, of course. "I am a professional developer," she told Kotaku. "The quickest way I could think of to end my career and destroy my credibility would be making something like this up and getting arrested for filing a false police report."

 Right now, I am completely clueless on the Gamergate issue.  But to see someone like Wu get harassed by a random stranger and have her address posted on Twitter is just...well...ugh.  I really don't know what to say anymore.

Works Cited(Including Twitter postings): Kotaku