I’m in NYC, what I consider ground zero for the current financial crisis. Bad banks, high unemployment, foreclosures, fraud, cash for clunkers, oh my! It’s a tough environment for an honest gamer. I just don’t get it. These are the same streets, the same people, but for some reason lots of people are in a bad mood. They’re worried about spending money, which only perpetuates the problem. The gaming industry is important for business. Excitement for new games drives console and computer sales. That puts people to work, which helps the economy. So let’s get excited! Let’s make life fun again! But of course, we’ll start slow. Here are some inexpensive game ideas for cost conscious consumers.
Continue reading “Five Video Game Gift Ideas For Poor Gamers… Or Just People On A Budget”
Things may be busy in Photics.com land, but I’m still taking some time out to spy on ArenaNet. They’re still quietly hiring more people. They’re no doubt working on Guild Wars 2. Yet, how close are they? The wall of silence that ArenaNet has built is not impenetrable. There are obvious weak points. Sometimes NCsoft, the parent company, releases information ahead of ArenaNet. But there is another source of information… retailers. This is where the money comes from and they require a heads up.
If you went by the rating of Guild Wars titles, I’m an unlucky player. I already have two ranks in the unlucky title track, but I still haven’t reached the first rank in the lucky line. That means I’ve been breaking a lot of lockpicks. When the merchants sell them for 1500 gold each, that’s a lot of gold lost. Perhaps my situation will improve during this weekend’s event, where there will be extra lockpicks and double lucky/unlucky points from opening treasure chests. An event like this is a refreshing boost for title farmers – like me!
I’ve been busy working on some new projects for Photics.com. I needed to grab a Guild Wars skill image. While wandering over to the official Guild Wars website. I spotted an unusual announcement. It said, “Guild Wars Live Test Krewe Ready to Roll!” What is that supposed to mean? The description said, “Our Asuran technicians have finished weaving their magic, and it is time to get things rolling.” Um, that still didn’t make any sense to me, but the next paragraph helped clarify things.