As those of you who might have noticed when going to Google.com, Google has turned 14 today. Back in 1998, who knew that it would become the premiere search engine, before branching out to pick up such sites as YouTube, and starting its own web browser?
Here’s to Google, which is in the midst of puberty. Salud.
Yesterday a rumor started which said Google was looking to purchase Valve Software, the makers of Half-Life, Team Fortress and, of course, Portal. While Valve Software boasts a 20-million unit sales on their archive of awesome games, what interest would google have in gaming?
From google’s own corporate mission statement: “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” How would gaming fit into the dynamic of organizing the worlds information?
Some have said they’d be interested in Valve’s Steam system for distributing games and products. That seems far fetched considering all the CDN solutions on the Net, especially those focused towards media related projects like Liberated Syndication (Wizzard Media), which we use to host our gaming podcast, or other video solutions which would fit more into the Google playing field (considering the large purchase of youtube.com)
Today, Doug Lombardi of Valve, pubically said that Valve Software is willing to be purchased but stated the Google rumor was “a bit of fiction.” (kotaku) While Valve Software has shown they can make awesome titles with stability and dedication, knowing their open to being purchased is slightly disturbing.
I’m always happy for those “little guys” that make it in the big world of cut throat game development, there is some satisfaction knowing the smaller developers are making big waves against publishers like EA and Activision. Valve has changed the way we download games electronically and continues to expand their dominion; if Valve Software was purchased by a bigger company, would we still get the same quality and innovation from the developers?
This week is slow in terms of videogame industry news, but rich on developer stories told by Paul, so be prepared for a lot of advice for the kid who wants to make games instead of just play them.
The news includes:
All this and Listener Feedback, with the Question of the Week: “Have you ever created your own content with a game’s editor?”
Twitter continues to be a tire fire, as does cryptocurrency. One wonders when either one will shuffle off the stage and fade into obscurity. Both seem to have become synonymous with chaos and instability, and it feels like there’s a new scandal or controversy every week. Twitter, under Elon Musk’s leadership, has faced constant changes in policy, mass layoffs, and a significant dip in user trust, making it increasingly difficult to see a clear path forward for the platform. Cryptocurrency, on the other hand, seems to have become more about speculation and volatility than about real-world utility or widespread adoption. While the promise of decentralized finance and digital currencies seemed promising, the market’s swings, coupled with major scandals like the collapse of FTX, have left many questioning whether crypto will ever truly deliver on its early hype. Secure Cryptocurrency Trading platforms provides secure environments for users to trade and manage their digital assets. It feels like both industries are desperately clinging to relevance, hoping to regain their former glory, but with each new misstep, they drift further from the ideals they once espoused. Anyway, lots of news this week, along with a Gaming Flashback of Dishonored.
News includes:
Let us know what you think.
