Marketwatch reports that data from the NPD Group indicates that April was another bad month for video game sales. Marketwatch says “relatively weak set of releases failed to entice consumers.” Sales were down 37% compared to April, 2009. NPD Group says part of the reason was the Easter holiday, but that doesn’t fully explain a 37% plunge. NPD blamed part of the weakness on a difficult comparison with 2009’s April period, which included the Easter holiday, while this year’s did not. It was the industry’s worst year-over-year decline since July of last year   read more

Batman: Arkham Asylum from Rocksteady Studios won Best Game at this year’s BAFTA Video Game Awards. Here is a complete list of the winners. 2010 BAFTA Video Game Awards Winners * Best Game: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios * Best Action Game: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Naughty Dog * Artistic Achievement: Flower, thatgamecompany * Best Family & Social Game: Wii Sports Resort, Nintendo * Best Gameplay: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios * Best Handheld Game: LittleBigPlanet PSP, SCE Cambridge / XDEV * Best Multiplayer Game: Left 4 Dead 2, Valve   read more

The Game Beat first reported on May 11 that Best Buy plans to launch a gaming magazine called @Gamer. The first issue will launch in June. Kombo.com then followed up and got confirmation from Best Buy that they are indeed launching a gaming magazine. There is not much information available yet about what the content of the magazine will be. Hopefully, Best Buy has the @gamer Twitter account if they are launching a magazine called @Gamer. The account has been registered by someone, but it is currently not being used. (via Dealerscope)   read more

Sid Meier’s Civilization game is coming to Facebook. The Facebook version will be called Civilization Network. It will be available on Facebook in 2010 according to the Facebook page (http://www.facebook .com/civnetwork). I wanted to let you know we’ll soon be looking for beta testers to help us develop a unique new way to play Civilization. Ever since we finished Civilization Revolution last year, I’ve been looking at ways of expanding the Civ gameplay experience to include solo, competitive and cooperative play to take advantage of the uniqueness of social networks. We’   read more

You’re a gamer. You’re a role-playing game (RPG) fanatic.But what if you are one of those gamers who want to keep up with all the latest stuff? Where can you get all the information about new releases?There are many websites that offer gaming news, but what about ones that focus on keeping us up-to-date about RPGs?First, let’s define a few terms. There are online RPG games, and there are RPGs that you play offline (board games and on computers and game consoles). The online RPG games include free games and those you must pay to play. MMORPG is a massively multiplayer online role-playing   read more

This article is a brief selection of shooter and strategy games for Linux. It’s not intended to be a complete list, but you can dig into much more information and links by checking the included references at the end of the article. Shooter Games AssaultCube is a first-person shooter http://assault.cuber s.net Cube 2: Sauerbraten is a 3D first-person shooter with integrated map editing mode http://sauerbraten.o rg Nexuiz is a first-person shooter http://www.alientrap .org/nexuiz Project: Starfighter a multi-directional, objective based shooter game http://www.parallelr ealities.co.uk/proje cts   read more

I don’t know about your game preferences, but I sure do enjoy war games, especially those I can play online against other players. It really brings out my competitive spirit and it gets me away from the cares of daily life. To really get “in the groove”, I choose a game that lets me play the role of a fighter. A role playing game (RPG) is one that lets my imagination get into the situation, into the world created just for a particular game. An online war RPG game lets me live through the game character, fighting for my survival and struggling to do as much damage (earn the most   read more

Kids have so many choices these days! There are so many games they can play, and there are many platforms they can use. These include a personal computer (PC) and the numerous devices designed especially for gaming. The game consoles include small portable devices, and larger ones suitable for home use. There are many different kinds of games available. Some are educational, and others are pure entertainment. The technology has advanced so far that today’s games can be extremely realistic. Some of the content is not suitable for kids to view. Fortunately we are aided in the quest for appropriate   read more

Parents should learn about kids online game sites and be aware of the dangers. Here are some practical tips. First, parents should realize how great the popular online game sites can be. They can provide a great amount of fun for your kids. However, you should be choosy about which sites your kids visit, and be careful to regulate the amount of time they spend gaming. Parental Oversight Parental oversight is an important responsibility, especially in this age of online predators. Content inappropriate for young people is readily available on the Internet. It’s the parent’s responsibility   read more

When visiting a video game store, it’s easy to feel lost in the many available products. If you’re new to gaming, it looks like a sea of color, and you will likely feel overwhelmed. When this happens, all the games start to look the same. If you’re an adult trying to buy a game for a young person, you will appreciate some guidance. The following advice is meant to give you a practical plan. 1. Do some research before you buy. First, you will want to find out which game system your youngster plays. HINT: If you don’t own a game system already, you may want to check out this   read more