I wrote an article for The New Statesman on the business and economics of the video games industry, and one on Alternate Reality Gaming. It’s in this week’s edition, but there is also a free download PDF of the supplement the articles appeared in here. It was a huge pleasure to be commissioned by former NS Web guru Kathryn Corrick and to appear alongside some other writers whose work I
I have a new gig editing TechCrunch UK. Fairly soon I’ll be outlining what I plan to do with this blog next and some other ideas, assuming it’s of any interest to anyone, which I doubt!
I’m writing an article for a magazine (The New Statesman), provisionally titled “What have videogames ever done for us? A look at the economics of videogames in the UK”. I’m looking at the variety of jobs, how old the industry is here, who’s involved, what research is being done here (both in terms of R&D and possibly academically), investment, numbers of companies, exports, and what they are doing to make
For my money, Gary Hayes offers an excellent explanation and graphic. Key quote: “We are heading towards a rich media personal hub that points to and houses all of our ’shareable’ content. But the current 2D web, mostly linear to linear linking, is about to be enhanced by virtual environments in which we meet as avatars, interact as 3D moving objects that takes sharing, collaboration and communication to the next,
I heartily recommend this Orwellian analysis of what is going on in the world – and where it all started – by the author Martin Amis: “The age of horrorism: On the eve of the fifth anniversary of 9/11, one of Britain’s most celebrated and original writers analyses – and abhors – the rise of extreme Islamism. In a penetrating and wide-ranging essay he offers a trenchant critique of the
Interesting: “While some researchers focus on alarming fertility rates in poor countries, which grew by 16.3 percent from 1995 to 2005, the US population grew by 10.6 percent in that period, or 29 million people, the report noted. Europe during that time grew by 504,000 people, or less than 1 percent…. Americans consume like no other nation — using three times the amount of water per capita than the world
Azeem has an interesting post about how Digg has now overtaken Cnet. Amazing really, in such a short space of time.
I’m organising an event for NMK, called My So-Called Second Life. It’s an afternoon seminar on the opportunities for creative firms and investment in the new world of MMORPGs (massively mulltiplayer online role playing games). Why is this interesting? Well, the likes of Disney and the directors James Cameron are getting into the area, along with a new wave of technology and media firms. If you think you could contribute
So, a little more on my trip here. I got here Sunday, contending with the now familiar terror scare , to find Tokyo sweltering in heat and humidity. Luckily the evening was bearable enough to venture out for a meal in a down-home local place. The next day a short trip out of the city showed a little more of the real Japan – miles of rice paddies (all subsidised
How can you be dynamic and conservative at the same time? Tokyo seems to pull off both, at least from the outside. First impressions are of a hustling, bustling city at the forefront of modernity. But come across any person and you will soon be met with astounding formality. Don’t shake hands, bow. Don’t say who you are, present a business card, while bowing of course. Smile all the time.