Kyle Orland’s Workblog

The Press Start gang talks about the games that made them smile this year.

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I’ve always been intrigued by games of chance, but I was never under any illusions about winning money in a casino. With the probability skewed so heavily toward the house, I knew I was essentially paying for the privilege to play games of chance.

But WorldWinner.com would have you believe it’s different. Unlike casino games, where you have to be lucky to win (for the most part), WorldWinner stresses that "the outcome of each competition is determined by the player’s skill." I don’t have the chops to make a six-figure salary at a poker table, but after years of the other form of gaming, I was sure I could beat just about anyone in the right game.

Ever since Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 would be shipping with Blu-ray disc support, the next-generation movie wars have been wrapped up with the next-generation system wars. Now that both the PS3 and the Xbox 360’s HD-DVD add-on have been out for a few weeks, the first effects of that relationship are beginning to show. After crunching some numbers, the take away message is relatively simple: gamers do not care about high-definition movies. At least not yet.

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