games

Your Smartphone as Superman: 86 Percent Use Phones for “Just-in-Time” Situations

Lauren Goode in Mobile on May 7 at 9:39 am PT

Arguing over fact sets or finding yourself in a sticky situation? Your smartphone, to the rescue.

Google Gets Deeper Into the Content Business, by Putting Money Into Machinima

Peter Kafka in Media on May 7 at 3:00 am PT

Machinima’s gamer videos are wildly popular on YouTube. Now YouTube’s owner will own a piece of Machinima.

Games Taking a Back Seat to Social Networking on the Phone

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on April 27 at 11:54 am PT

For the first time in four years, games are not the top category of applications on the phone.

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News Byte

New York Times Game Lets You Blow Up the New York Times

Peter Kafka in News on April 4 at 7:47 am PT

Now this is how you promote a long, thinky story on the Web: Tack a free, super easy shoot-’em-up game at the top. The story is a new piece in the New York Times magazine, about the rise of casual games like Angry Birds. The game lets you destroy, Asteroids-style, most of the Web page surrounding it, including the ads. Poynter’s Steve Myers has more.

Games Are Fun

Games are fun. But they can be socially relevant too. Please share this. At Draw Something, by OMGPOP & Zynga, we just added the word HOODIE.

– OMGPOP CEO Dan Porter, via Twitter

Rovio Marketing Engine Thrusts Into Warp Speed on Eve of Angry Birds Space

Ina Fried in Mobile on March 21 at 10:55 am PT

Angry Birds Space is launching on Thursday, looking to take over not only PCs, phones and tablets, but also the aisles of a retailer near you.

Exclusive: BermanBraun Buys Most of Shelby Bonnie’s Whiskey Media

Kara Swisher in Media on March 15 at 9:30 am PT

Can’t we all just get along? Yes! Hollywood grabs a piece of Silicon Valley content tech.

Godfather of Pong

I always thought of it as a family game. And it just sort of degenerated into a one player type thing which was never in my mind.

– Ralph Baer, inventor of the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home videogame system, on how videogames didn’t end up being the family activities he imagined they would be

Can Playing More Games Make Your Life “SuperBetter”? Jane McGonigal Thinks So.

Lauren Goode in Social on March 9 at 4:40 pm PT

Few people on their death bed would probably say they wished they had played more videogames, but game evangelist Jane McGonigal insists games can help people live a much richer life.

Rovio Shows Off Angry Birds Space — From Space

Ina Fried in Mobile on March 8 at 7:49 am PT

The Finnish game maker showed off the first game play for the forthcoming outer-space-themed sequel, making the announcement from the International Space Station.