‘Journalism: The Videogame Redux, Part 7‘ by Leigh Alexander at Insert Credit.

I wonder if other fields labor under the same constant self-reflexive laments as do video games press. It’s always seemed a little absurd to me, sometimes feeling as if there were more people willing to question my fitness and that of my colleagues to do our work – again, we write about video games — than would apply that scrutiny to their local government representatives or their physicians.

‘Electronic Empire Expo: The First World Problem of E3‘ by Kris Ligman at Dire Critic.

E3 is a first world problem. Yet it reflects some of the most far-reaching global issues our high tech society is able to inflict on the rest of the Earth. For all the self-gratifying expense of E3, the light and sound shows, the slick expensive hardware developed against a backdrop of Foxconn factory fires, the booth babes are just a tiny symptom of this whole exploitative scene. The fact that expo organizers have gone back to this carnival format after their abortive attempt a few years back to downsize and sober up the event signals all we need to know about industry priorities…

‘Call of Dupe-y‘ by Chris Plante, at The Daily.

Here’s how Activision plans to not only shut down ModernWarfare3.com, but take it over: A complaint like this pertains to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ domain-name dispute resolution policy. To win control of the URL, Activision must prove three things: The domain name is confusingly similar to a trademark they possess; the registrant has no rights or interest in the domain name; and the registrant’s intended use of the domain is one of “bad faith.”

…

The dispute is in Activision’s favor. If the panel rules on the side of the publisher, the registrant must surrender ModernWarfare3.com — without the option to appeal. The registrant’s return to court would spell a pricey lawsuit and a scrimmage with Activision’s squad of lawyers.