Obligatory GameCrush Post

I’m not sure if GameCrush is trying to be a gamer dating site (like SoulGeek or World of DateCraft) or a way for awkward gamer guys to pay girls to play games with them, and I’m not going to find out because the site’s down due to an overabundance of sign-ups. No word on whether those would-be beta GameCrushers are lonely guys or broke girls.

Here’s the press release:

SAN FRANCISCO – March 23, 2010 GameCrush, now available in public beta, introduces an entirely new interactive social gaming experience allowing gamers to meet, match and pay to play online games with other users (PlayDates). GameCrush is the only online service that allows gamers to choose a companion to spice up their favorite online games. Both Players and PlayDates define the experience they want- either “flirty” or “dirty”, choosing from some of the most popular console titles and casual web-based games. To register for free, visit www.gamecrush.com.

On GameCrush, players can find their perfect PlayDate through browsing their profiles and chatting live with them. Players can then purchase a live one-on-one private gaming session, complete with two-way video and text chat.

Designed to appeal to female and male gamers alike, GameCrush offers games to suit a variety of tastes, from casual web-based games to the hottest console titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Halo 3, Gears of War 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. Initially games are available on GameCrush’s own exclusive video-enabled gaming platform and on Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE network. In addition, GameCrush will soon be available for platforms such as Sony’s PlayStation 3, World of Warcraft, and other online gaming environments.

GameCrush delivers comprehensive social tools that allow PlayDates to post profiles complete with picture galleries, video clips, blogs and text chat.  PlayDates can make up to $30 or more per hour while having fun playing online games.  After a game session is completed, Players rate their gaming experience, and top-rated PlayDates are rewarded with enhanced site promotion and additional benefits.

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ThumbGods in 2009

In 2009, I reviewed indie games like Funky Farm 2, A Case Of The Crabs, Rotoadventures Momo’sQuest, Slayer of Dragon,  Democracy 2,  Electric Box,  Faerie Solitaire, and CyberWord. I plan to keep focusing on creative, indie games next year. I also played major mainstream titles, like Cartoon Network’s new MMO Fusionfall, and James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club:  Games of Passion for the DS. ThumbGods reviewed the match-3 Atlantis, Totem Tribe, National Geographic’s Mystery of Cleopatra, Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, Sims 2 on the DS, and Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting To Danger! Major misses  this year were  My Boyfriend,  Create-a-Mall,  the disappointing Build-a-lot 3, and Jack in Lost in Blue 2. (Not all of LiB2. Just Jack.)

I tried to branch out a bit from reviews, and started writing some hints, including a guide to solving MyTribe mysteries and hints for Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting To Danger! I’ll probably keep doing this whenever I’m really proud of solving a puzzle and want to help out.

Thumb Gods had a great guest post when when Lexton Collins reviewed Runes Of Magic. I guest posted reviews of Cake Mania 3 and Ciao Bella, over on Casual Gamer Chick, Crayon Physics Deluxe review on Angry Gamers, Travians: Asterix Meets The Sims on SeeJaneGame, and contributed to several issues of Indie Game Mag.

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Xbox Live Forever

My friend was recently got ban from xbox live. It’s xbox 360 online game. He was ban for using modified console. Modified console is an upgrade that enable you to use pirated games, which cost a fraction of the original price. Ban hammer as they call it struck once in a quarter, which permanently bans the console but not the account, so the member could use his unexpired subscription membership in another xbox 360console. He was really upset when he found out his console was ban. I told him that cheater never prosper and he maybe better of buying PS3 because playstation came with their version of online gaming. But he was so addicted to xbox live, and he kept on saying that he work really hard for his rank in NBA 2k9 and the equipments that he earned from his long hours of online competition in Soul Caliber IV. And he kept on pointing out that the number of members in xbox live will always outnumber the one’s that will subscribe to Playstation. So as expected he bought another brand new xbox 360 console, but he learned his lesson he never modified the unit, the unit only plays original games. I ask him one time what will he do to the old xbox 360 console. He said He’s planning to throw it in the river or something.

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What Not To Say…

Frag Doll Valkyrie  has blogged about Top Ten Least Original Things To Say To A Girl Gamer. Female gamers are subject to harassment every single day, every single minute, while playing online games. Although voice communication is a wonderful thing in online gaming, some girls would rather choose not to talk or use a name that would not identify them as females simply to have a little peace.

I don’t know if I would call it “harassment” because most games have a /ignore (if only real life had a /ignore function, too), but it does get annoying to hear the same “witty” lines over and over. In fact, I can sum up everything in a Top Two Stupid Things To Say To A Girl Gamer.

1) You sound hot… and you should send me naked pictures / give me your phone number / set up a webcam / give your your AIM (MSN, whatever) / cyber right now

2) You’re not really a girl.

Valkyrie’s list of ten includes:

 3. Get back into the kitchen and make me a … (sandwich, turkey pot pie, etc.)
We know you’re lazy-ass gamers, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t the same. Go make your own damn food.

I know I could just pick a boy’s name and a male ‘toon to avoid all that, but I don’t think I should give up my femme avatar because of a few obnoxious preteens. Girl gamers shouldn’t have to hide! I love getting on a new WoW server and seeing other girls, especially if their chat channel behavior proves they’re real girls.

Oh, and I like having pretty hair and girly armor. Is that a problem?

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Fatal Internet Addiction

I just saw this story about a Chinese man who spent all of Lunar New Year holiday playing online… and died from it.

An obese 26-year-old man in northeastern China died after a “marathon” online gaming session over the Lunar New Year holiday, state media said on Wednesday.The 150-kilogram (330-pound) man from Jinzhou, in Liaoning province, collapsed on Saturday, the last day of the holiday, after spending “almost all” of the seven-day break playing online games, the China Daily said, citing his parents.

China has 137 million internet users, and 20.8 million bloggers. (These seem like respectable sources, but I also saw 5 million and 60 million bloggers… as with most Chinese statistics, the margin of error is +/- 50%)

No word on what game he was playing, but I’m going to have to guess CounterStrike.

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Instancing in MMORPGs

Neil Thompson at MMORPG.com gives us an interesting editorial about instancing in MMORPGs.

Instancing (he explains it in the article) is when a specific place in a MMOG is opened only to a certain amount of players (usually, the maximum size a group can have); once this amount is reached, the next group to enter the place will appear into a new instance of it, and won’t meet the previous group. This can raise serious problems, for instance when a player gets disconnected and, upon logging back in, finds himself in another instance of the dungeon, and not with his group anymore.

This is one of the things Thompson deals with, by taking examples from Ultima Online (no instancing at all), Guild Wars (much instancing) and City of Heroes (which stands in the middle). Instancing can indeed affect gameplay and community sense to quite an extent, and the fears he exposes here are, in my opinion, legitimate enough:

I hope that instancing isn’t being seen as the way forward for MMOG, or not total instancing in the style of Guild Wars anyhow. If handled correctly I do think it can add to a game (anyone who has played Ultima Online will appreciate the joys that instanced housing would bring) otherwise is it not the same as sitting around a console with four controllers plugged into it playing a linear game with 4 friends? Part of the appeal of online gaming is surely the unpredictability that only human interaction can bring.

Not the longest nor most detailed editorial ever, but I found it a good read no matter what.

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