The 2008 ScreenBurn Festival
March 7 - 11, 2008
Austin, Texas

The Sex Pistols made their name by defying authority. Defying the video game industry, however, is quite another matter. Reports 1up.com, “Witness the awesome power and influence of popular gaming. Activision announced today that legendary punk rockers the Sex Pistols reunited to re-record their hit 1977 single, ‘Anarchy in the U.K,’ for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Original members John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), Steve Jones, and Paul Cook hit the studio together for the first time in 30 years, hooking up with original producer Chris Thomas to maintain the feel of the recording. Additionally, the original analog sound desk, built in 1969 for producer George Martin at Air Studios in London, was utilized for aural authenticity.” The new game featuring the Sex Pistols song is scheduled to hit retail outlets on October 28.

“For us, gaming is a revenue producer,” explains Mika Salmi the president of global digital media for parent MTV Networks (MTVN) in an interview about video games published in the Hollywood Reporter. “Five years ago, TV was driving everything at MTVN. But, over the last few years, we’ve broadened out and games have become a big part of our business, one that now stands on its own and isn’t necessarily about attracting consumers to our TV shows. For us, games are absolutely a revenue producer and aren’t just a marketing vehicle.”

While US audiences eagerly await the September 25 release of Halo 3, developments at the four-day Tokyo Game Show reveal a very different side of the future of this medium. According to Reuters, one of the most popular offerings at this giant confab was a new release focusing on relaxation: “A Japanese video game software firm has come up with a novel way to release stress that doesn’t involve blowing up aliens or racing roadsters: yoga. Konami Digital Entertainment showcased its digital yoga instructor at Asia’s biggest video game expo this week to cash in on the global popularity of what industry experts are calling ;casual’ games — lifestyle-oriented software that is aimed at older gamers for whom slaying monsters holds little appeal.” Om!

Check out the SXSW Podcast Page to listen to audio content from ScreenBurn 2007. New additions here include audio recordings of these gaming-related panel sessions: “Gamer’s Games: Microcontent and User Creation,” “Web 2.0 to Web 3D,” and “Getting Girls Into the Game: Designing and Marketing Games for Female Players.” New content from the 2007 SXSW Interactive Festival is added to the Podcast Page every week, so please be sure to check back to this site regularly!

“Web 2.0 to Web 3D” panel, as photographed by John Swords

Top moguls of the media are recognizing the value of involvement in the gaming industry, and are actively taking part in shaping the future of games. A report by biz.gamedaily.com confirms “Rupert Murdoch and Fox own IGN/InterActiveCorp, Viacom/MTV is making a big push in gaming, and now media executive Barry Diller is looking to leave his mark on the gaming world by acquiring GarageGames and creating a new gaming website called InstantAction.com.” The Wall Street Journal also attests “In a further sign of the growing importance of the gaming industry on a global business scale, Diller, who has headed up Fox and Paramount and is now the Chairman of Expedia and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IAC (the parent company of businesses such as Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster, Match.com, LendingTree, among others), is getting involved in InstantAction.com.” How will media moguls affect the way games are developed and delivered?

Photo of Barry Diller.

Have you had a chance to play around with the SXSW Panel Picker yet? This easy-to-use online application allows you (and anyone else on the web) to have a direct say in daytime programming for ScreenBurn 2008 The Panel Picker lists more than 700 proposals, including 30 in the gaming category. Create an account now and tell us which of these ideas you like the most and which ones you are not so crazy about. But you better hurry — Panel Picker voting closes at 11:59 pm Central Standard Time on Friday, September 21. See you at the polls!

Advanced Life Support Group, a Manchester-based charity group, has developed a serious game to help educate medical professionals in the training courses they provide. A report from the Guardian Unlimited describes the training scenario: “In the game a major explosion has left people injured around the imaginary city’s streets. Doctors have to navigate to the bodies and assess patients’ treatment priority based on breathing, circulation and pulse rates.” “It is not a game to be used in isolation but it does offer another way of teaching doctors to deal with major incidents,” said Bryan Tregunna, a consultant instructional designer for the developer, Vega. Steve Jarvis of Vega hopes by using “Games to engage people, we have the potential to create more effective training and learning.” Developers are eager to provide a first-hand method of training, teaching the player real-world skills through a game’s engaging nature.

Photo of the Triage video game courtesy of TruSim.

What happens when you bring together the thrill of video games with the rush of gambling? You have the new online game Kwari, which offers players a potential payout every time they score a successful kill. As explained in a story in The Age: “Every time you hit another player you make money, and every time you are hit you lose money. Other actions might also have a cost, including breaking crates, using health packs or picking up weapons, with proceeds going into a central pot from which jackpots are withdrawn.The game will be free to play and the UK-based publisher will make money from selling ammunition, but prices have not yet been revealed. All other money is returned to players.” Gambling and video games? Depending on your perspective, this is a match made in heaven — or hell.

Have you been saving your allowance to buy the latest game release? At a Dallas GameStop location, you are also going to need to make your grades if you want to make a purchase. At the retail store off Interstate 20, manager, Brandon Scott, is enforcing a rule that you have to prove your grades meet a certain standard before he will sell you a title. WFAA-TV reports that “No school-age customer can buy a video game unless an adult confirms that the child’s getting good grades in school. GameStop doesn’t endorse or even know about the good-grade rule.” Scott admits he’s “probably going to get in trouble for this, but to me it’s worth it, because the kids understand that somebody cares.” Make your grades to get your game, and Scott will even purchase one for you to congratulate your hard work.

Photo courtesy of GameStop.