Some Scratch Records, Others Break Them

Once again our providers of care packages and predator missiles, Call of Duty, have shattered another record in today’s gaming market.  Activision announced on November 17, 2011 that, five days after the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the company generated 775 million— let me say that again, 775 million— in sales.

                This new number in sales has shattered any other previous record made by Call of Duty or any other gaming company. The guys at Call of Duty have always been fortunate when it comes to records: with the 500 million achieved with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 followed by the 650 million that came with Call of Duty: Black Ops.

 

                Robert Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, had this to say after getting news of his incredible success with COD: MW3, “With $ 775 million of sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in its first five days, Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for three consecutive years across all forms of entertainment.”

                In the first day of sales including the midnight release—a release I too took part in— the game sold over 6.5 million copies in North America and the United Kingdom, estimated at a gross of $400 million for Activision. The company is already approaching the numbers of popular entertainment titans such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings.

                But it is not just in the realm of money that Call of Duty is finding such success. Microsoft released that more the 3.3 million separate gamers logged over 7 million hours on multiplayer by the end of November 8, the release date. At certain times, there were minimum 3.3 million players online: a monumental feat for games.

Dragons, Magic, and… Babies?

            During February this year Bethesda released a rather interesting yet abstract competition for their fans to attempt. They were willing to provide the winner of the competition with a lifetime supply of Bethesda/ZeniMax games; a supply that would continue for any game released in the future as well. So what was the competition you ask? To, on the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, 11/11/11, conceive a child and give it the protagonist’s name within the game, Dovahkiin.

            Now Skyrim was only released a few days ago and my Dragon is a little rusty, but I believe Dovahkiin means “Dragon born”. Yes? Obviously and who wouldn’t want a sick name like that, right?

            And while this competition was intended more so for the laughs and fun, one family took up the challenge and strove to achieve. Megan and Eric Kellermeyer was this very family, and after hearing about this challenge, they gave a quick phone call to their local Stork and ordered a baby to be delivered on 11/11/11.

            Thanks to nature and a bit of good timing, the Kellermeyer family grew by one on this very date, giving birth to Dovahkiin Tom Kellermeyer at 6:08pm. After some quick snapshots of their newborn and some needed paperwork; the family was victorious. And like promised, Bethesda presented the family with the prize.

            Congrats Megan and Eric on your new child, we wish you and your new Dragon born the best. We now know who to call when we need help with dragons, and we’re sure you’re eager to hear his first words – shouts.

-Joystick Revolution

           

A Modern Renaissance

A cool article we found from USA Today (link below). Art has always been a source of culture and innovation, and who could say that Video Games are any different? Go get em Gamers!

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/story/2011-11-13/video-game-art-artistry/51186704/1

Artists in high demand for video game industry

By Mike Snider, USA TODAY

Are video games works of art? The debate goes on, but there's no question that art is integral to video games.

Bethesda Softworks

A team of 40 artists worked on 'The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim' video game to create a believable fantasy world.

• To compete in the $60 billion global video game marketplace, top studios have assembled NFL-roster-size teams of increasingly specialized artists to create blockbuster titles. And the growing demand for high-profile talent has led colleges and art schools to increase the course and degree options for prospective video game artists.
• "As gaming continues to rise in popularity, cross gender and social boundaries, and expand in what defines a gaming experience, artists of all types will be in high demand to provide all the visual elements we as game consumers expect and at the quality we demand," says Nick Heitzman, a game developer and member of the faculty at the Guildhall graduate game development program at Southern Methodist University.

• REVIEW: 'Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim' a magnificent odyssey
• PHOTOS: Video game art
• REVIEW: New 'Zelda' an enormous, engrossing adventure

The wide variety of art directions that video games are taking will be exhibited in several new releases:
 

• Take Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Revelations. Artists traveled to Istanbul to see the ancient Hagia Sophia to help them re-create their ornate rendition of the one-time Catholic church and Muslim mosque in the 16th-century-based game that comes out Tuesday. ($60 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PCs; ages 17 and up.)

• Another Ubisoft game out Tuesday, Rayman Origins ($60 for PS3, Xbox 360; $50 for Wii; ages 10 and up), brings Disney-like hand-drawn animation.

• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword ($50 for Wii; ages 10 and up) has been described as having an impressionistic art style. It comes out Sunday.

• A team of 40 artists helped create 16 square miles of ice-capped vistas and intricate dungeons in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which came out Friday. ($60 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PCs; ages 17 and up.)

• Video game artists face unique challenges because their work is not admired passively. "It's interactive. It's different than if you are making a sculpture or a painting," says Matt Carofano, art director on Skyrim for Bethesda Softworks. "You know that people are going to play this art and not just see it from one specific angle. They are going to walk around it and make up their own story as they look at the work you've made."

• Artists have always been a part of video games and, arguably, it was even tougher for them when game characters and settings were more abstract. "There were great artists working on video games even if it was very low-res," says Assassin's Creed Revelations Art Director Raphael Lacoste. "They had to deal with very low budgets and still do something interesting."

• Despite being pixellated, early video games will be part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Art of Video Games exhibition, which opens March 16, 2012, in Washington, D.C. 

• As games have gained high-definition graphics, the work of artists has become more high-profile. "When people see video games like Uncharted or Assassin's Creed, even if they are working on visual effects for movies, they want to join us now," says Lacoste, himself a former matte painter and concept artist for films including Terminator Salvation and Journey to the Center of the Earth. "You can be more creative in video games, I think."

• Games have caught the attention of prospective students, too. Colleges and art schools have doubled the video game art majors in the last two years, according to The Princeton Review's survey of schools offering video game coursework and degrees.

• "Gaming courses and the number of schools that offer them have only grown" since The Princeton Review and GamePro magazine released a first-ever ranking of undergraduate and graduate programs in February 2010, says David Soto, director of content development at The Princeton Review. "Visual design and art creation, in particular, are two skills that high-ranking schools continue to emphasize."

• In addition to the creative element, video game artists and animators are well-paid. They make, on average, $71,354, according to Game Developer magazine's 2010 annual industry salary survey, though not as much as game programmers, at $85,733 on average.

• For current blockbuster games, budgeted at $40 million to $60 million, artists are needed to conceptualize environments and characters, create visual effects, add lighting and mesh the art with the game programming.

• "We obsess over all the small details," says Bethesda Softworks' Todd Howard, Skyrim game director. "Our art team created all the stuff and placed it all by hand, every tree and every rock."

• With rising interest for games, studios will need a constant flow of artists, says Michel Ancel, creator of the Rayman game franchise. "Video games are just at the start of their history, when you compare them to other styles of art," he says. "Thousands of worlds have yet to be designed, and artists are essential to bring these worlds to life. The story is just beginning."

Staying Connected

We here at Joystick Revolution are happy to announce that we will be branching out to Facebook and Twitter to better interact with everyone out there. Final touches are being placed so we will be online within the week. Stay tuned!

Dovahkiin

 Coming Soon!

 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review

 
 

The Early Bird Catches The Worm

Midnight releases are a lot like Saturday Night Live skits. Most of them suck, some are okay, a few are great, but then there's one. One that everyone will remember, and one that we will talk about for years to come. Call of Duty: MW3 was one of those releases. 3 hours of uncomfortable camping chairs on pavement, energy drinks, leg cramps, and pure good times was my Monday night this past November 7th.

Everyone who purchased the game received a pretty green wristband that gave us super powers.

Look at all this free stuff! Only thing that didn't come from the release was the table.

Dog Tags

Coming Soon! 

Call of Duty: MW3 Review

Deus Ex: The Eyeborg Documentary

 A story of inspiration, technological advances, and overcoming obstacles as an augmented.