Geeky Gift Giving Ideas

Well that cold nip is back in the air and as we head deeper into this winter season, we start thinking about what to get our more geeky friends and family for Christmas.  I know it's before Thanksgiving right now, but it doesn't hurt to think ahead and beat out some of the holiday rush with some gift giving ideas.  There's only 44 more days till Christmas, so it really isn't that far off.d8 Phone Charm from World of Dice

One gift giving recommendation I have are the interesting dice jewelry products found at World of Dice.  I recently got to meet the owners of this business at this past NDK convention.  I found the jewelry to be very well made with a wide range of colors and dice types.  You can get any of the 100 or so colors of Chessex dice in d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, or d20 die types in almost any of the jewelry products listed!  Talk about variety!

I made a purchase for myself of one of their phone charms.  The charm I picked was a scarlet d8, mostly because I like red and I often have characters that rely on the d8 for the majority of rolls.  As you can see by the picture, it's still going on strong nearly three months later.  I'm still very happy with my purchase as the price was very reasonable for the well made product and there is a lot of variation so everyone's can be a little different.  This would make a great stocking stuffer or group buying gift for your gaming table or general geek culture friends!

The Gameslave Podcast EP: 50

Today we have Episode 50 of The Gameslave Podcast!  We are recording on location from the Pirate Party, so I apologize for the scurvy puppy in the background of the recording.  He was fending off the king's men while we recorded the episode.  His kill streak is now quite impressive. 

The Gameslave Episode 50

Holy Taco Sauce Batman!!!

As many of you know, the newest Call of Duty: Black Ops was released this past Tuesday, November 9, 2010.  Well, Activision was happy to announce that the popular franchise's latest installment has sold a staggering 5.6 million copies in the United States and the United Kingdom on the first day!  The larger number is that the total revenue generated was $360 million.  This was a solid increase over their last entry, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which sold a respectable 4.7 million copies and a total revenue of $310 million on its first day.  

I think it's safe to say, baring an unforeseen monumental collapse, the Call of Duty franchise is stronger than ever and FPS fans should expect quality shooters, both single player and multiplayer, for many years to come. 

Smell Like a Monster?

OK, so everyone has seen the Old Spice commercials rights?  If you have not seen any before, I recommend that you watch this video; it is pretty funny.

Now this post will seem more entertaining.  A spoof to teach children about the word on has been created off this advertisement.  Why is this on a site for video games and anime you may ask?  Because it is freaking entertaining.  What other reason do I need?

The Gameslave Podcast EP: 49

Happy Halloween!!!  At least when this was recorded that wass the day. We have the whole crew again, and although this does not mean that we had a whole lot to talk about, it does mean that it didn't stop us from talking into the microphone.  Enjoy! 

The Gameslave Podcast: Episode 49

Supreme Court Hears Games Case

So today was the big day.  The Supreme Court heard the arguments between The State of California (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA which the ESA is a part of).  For those that are not paying attention this is the final court case to decide if the State of California has the right to control "ultra violent"  (a term which is never really clearly defined) game sales to minors.  Now at first this may not seem like a big thing.  Gamestop and Wal-mart already will not sell to a minor unless their parents are present.   But where the law goes too far is it seems too much like government censorship.

What is to stop this law from leading to censorship in other forms of media?  What would stop the jump from video games to comic, then comics to TV, and so on?  And even if there is no jump to other media for violent censorship and if the worst thing that happens is that it stays in the realm of video games, there is a possibility that the threat of fines or low sales would cause game producers to censor themselves in the US.

What do you think of all this though?  Sound off in the comments on your opinions and if you want you can read the court briefing below.

And when can we expect to hear the verdict on this case?  Some time between tomorrow and June 2011.  So don't hold your breath.

Schwarzenegger v. EMA

It Pays to Pay Attention

So you may have heard of the kid that informed the Blizzard staff at BlizzCon that they are neglecting their own cannon by letting them know they have left out a key character out of the Wildhammer Clan.  No?  You don't know him.  Well watch this video then.

Ok, you are all caught up then.  Well Blizzard has formed an official reponse to this guy.  They added him to the game.  He is now the Wildhammer Fact Checker.  Wearing the red shirt next to the man he said did not exist, which was true until now.  So I guess if you want to get your own NPC in a Blizzard game you need to call them out in what will turn out to be a viral video.

Also if you feel like mocking this guy for the voice he used.  Check out the response video he posted.

Prepare to Die Azeroth

You read that right.  Your little lives mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.  At least that is what the devs for World of Warcraft are telling us in their most recent announcement.  It appears one of the events that is being planned for the introduction to Cataclysm is Deathwing appearing in random zones and murdering the inhabitants.  What will happen is the skies will turn dark and Deathwing will begin to burn everything in his path.  Players that are in the way of his carnage will be rewarded with three things.  They will get a Feat of Strength achievement, a corpse run and a repair bill.

So watch out when the sky turns black and prepare to die.

 

The Gameslave Podcast EP: 48

We are at Episode 48 of The Gameslave Podcast.

Today we have a number of great things (or so I would like you to believe) for you to check out.  So have a listen and enjoy what we have for you this week.