What is the most expensive video game ever sold? No, it’s not an Xbox 360 game. Neither is it a PlayStation 3 game. Up till last year, the record holder is a cartridge of Nintendo Game Challenge, which was sold for $21,100. Just the other day, though, someone sold a sealed copy – the only one thought to be in existence – of the NTSC version of Stadium Events.

Guess how much it went for? A whopping $41,300!!! Now why would anyone pay that much for a game that you probably won’t be able to play today? Zergwatch tells us more:

There is a new Holy Grail of Rare Video Games, and it is Stadium Events. The auction on a factory-sealed NTSC version closed just minutes ago , and it was sold for $41,300, almost double the old record. Three days into the bidding the high offer had already eclipsed the record price ever paid for a rare game – $20,100 for a Nintendo Campus Challenge cartridge sold last fall by Denver entrepreneur J.J. Hendricks , who earlier in 2009 also paid $17,500 for a gold Nintendo World Championships cart. “I was pretty amazed at the price,” Hendricks told Kotaku. “This Stadium Events auction destroys the previous record and I think is a surprise to everyone in game collecting community. I just wish there was such a thing as a sealed Nintendo World Championships Gold.” Hendricks said he did not bid on the sealed Stadium Events box. “I thought about it briefly but the bidding quickly went beyond what I was willing to pay,” he said. “I’m not that into sealed game collecting.” Bidding surged in the final 18 hours of the Stadium Events auction, nearly doubling the price from $22,500 to its final amount. Much of that was attributable to a single user bidding it up unopposed 35 times in a 10-minute span early this morning – from $22,700 to $39,800 – before leaving the auction. In all, more than 100 bids were placed on the item.

If you’re shaking your head and saying it’s crazy, I am with you! It is crazy. But hey, you can’t put a price on some things, can you?

Tags: collectors items, Nintendo, NTSC, Stadium Events

The year 2009 was rocked – hard – by various controversies. From politics to the entertainment industry to sports – we all heard and saw one scandal after the other all throughout the year. Not the least of these scandals is what happened to star golfer Tiger Woods. Who would have thought that he had all those skeletons in his closet?

After the news about his infidelity, it came as no surprise when sponsor after sponsor jumped ship, not wanting to touch the former squeaky clean sportsman. Here’s a bit of news though: Electronic Arts (EA) is standing by their guy! Well, I don’t know much about the relationship between Tiger Woods and EA but the fact remains that the video game icon is not cancelling its plans because of the scandal.

Prior to all the hullaballoo, EA already had plans to launch Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online. This is obviously the web-based version of the known video game. Developers were working on it last year when Tiger Wood’s personal life became headline news all over the world.

The people at EA say that what they have – the company and Tiger Woods – is all about golf and sportsmanship. They are taking the stand that whatever problems Tiger has in his personal life, it doesn’t change the fact that he is the best golfer out there.

Me, I don’t like golf – in real life or in video games. I also don’t think that EA will simply drop an investment like that. What are they going to do with the game anyway? Might as well launch it, right?

Tags: EA, new releases, online-games, Tiger Woods, video game news

It has been going on for quite some time now – libraries across the country have been stocking up on quality video games and encouraging their patrons to come to the library to play them. One might be surprised at this turn of events, especially those who have always associated libraries with being stuffy and full of nothing but old books. Some people know better though – and I would like to think that I am one of them!

The American Library Association actually is actively promoting video gaming in libraries these days. If you don’t believe me, check out events such as the one at the Bluffton Library. They are going to celebrate National Gaming Day @ Your Library on Saturday. The event will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. I am sure that other libraries across the country will be holding similar events – check out your local library to see if you can find something that interests you.

Anyhow, why is the library turning to video games now? Libraries are the repositories of information in all formats. We all know that in today’s world, electronic formats are fast becoming the choice for the average person, and the library is quickly changing things to adapt to trends, while keeping their original aim in mind. Hence, video games and other content in electronic format are part of their collection.

I think that this is a great way to encourage people to go back to libraries, which hold so much in terms of tools for lifelong learning and interaction with other people. Perhaps video games is the best tool to attract people for now.

Photo courtesy of the New York Times

Tags: ALA, libraries, National Gaming Day, video games

What have you been doing in the past week or so? Have you taken the time to look outside the window, or at least watch the news and see what’s going on outside? I know very well how tempting it could be to immerse yourself in a video game for days without connecting with the real world, but just so you know, crazy stuff has been going on out there!

A tropical typhoon destroyed billions worth in the Philippines – countless people are still affected. A tsunami hit the American Samoa. An earthquake rocked Indonesia. Another earthquake hit the southern Philippines.

I don’t know about you, but this stuff about global warming is really wreaking havoc on our earth! There may be other reasons for the disasters – especially the flooding in the Philippines – but there is no denying that we need to do something about the state of nature.

So what am I trying to get at here? One, you might want to help out the victims of these disasters. Here is one simple way you can donate – just click on the link below.

Two, you might want to help by saving energy with regard to gaming. Is there such a thing? Of course! Here are some ways you can do this:

1. Use rechargeable batteries – for the Wii-mote, dude.
2. Turn off your console AND unplug it. Alternatively, plug it into a power strip and always switch that strip off when not in use.
3. Buy the PS3 Slim!

Be a green gamer and make a difference!

Tags: eco friendly, global warming, green living, natural disasters, Philippines, PS3 Slim, save energy, Typhoon Ondoy

Not long after Sony released its much awaited PlayStation 3 Slim, video game console makers seem to have woken up from their slumber. If you thought that the video game console wars are over, think again! It’s back and in full force.

Try looking online for a video game console and you will be met with various promises and offers. This console has better hardware to give the best graphic experience. This one is the fastest. This one has awesome sounds. And so on.

More than the actual console itself, manufacturers are coming up with a plethora of hardware add-ons that promise to give gamers the best experience yet. At the most recent E3 convention in May, Sony revealed a new control system that is compatible with the PlayStation Eye. Not to be outdone, Microsoft revealed Natal, a hands-free control system. Of course, Wii had its MotionPlus.

Now we are witnessing the slashing of game console prices. The PlayStation 3 Slim already costs less than the first models. I was really taken by surprise at how low the price was! The Wii is also getting cheaper, with a 20% discount in the works.

What does this mean for us, consumers? Simple! We will have more and better choices in the near future. Looking at things from another angle, owners of the Xbox 360 and PS3 Slim are quite assured of the longevity of their consoles – it doesn’t seem like the units will be phased out for newer ones anytime soon.

Tags: Microsoft, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, PS3 Slim, sony, video game console wars, video game consoles, video games, xbox360

You read that right. Video games are evil. At least from the perspective of the creator of the much loved anime, Mobile Suit Gundam.

Yoshiyuki Tomino dropped a bomb at the 2009 CESA Developers Conference when he unequivocally made his stance against one of the most popular past times of modern times: video gaming. He delivered a keynote speech, wherein he said:

“I think that video games are evil. [Gaming] is not a type of activity that provides any support to our daily lives, and all these consoles are just consuming electricity! Let’s say we have about three billion people on this planet wasting their time, bringing no productivity at all. Add 10 billion more people, and what would happen to our planet? Video games are assisting the death of our planet!”

I do get his point, especially about the part about using up electricity. However, I find it totally ironic that he said something about providing any support to our daily lives. Come on now, we all love Gundam but does it provide any support to our daily lives? More so, it is beyond irony – Gundam has been involved in countless video games over the years. Where was Tomino when these were being made and he was making money? In addition to this, do not forget the thousands (or is it millions?) of Gundam kits and toys that have been produced and sold in the past decade? Where they all environment-friendly?

What do you think of his statement?

Tags: anime, CESA, Gundam, manga, Mobile Suit Gundam, toys, video games

Don’t you just love the Internet? You get to stumble upon pieces of news that you might otherwise not even hear about! Take for example this “rumor” that I discovered over at Cheap Ass Gamer.

A forum member saw a sign posted in his area of West Jordan, Utah. The sign is shown below.

If the sign is for real, then video gamers can buy new game titles for the price of used games as Gamestop or Game Crazy is offering them. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that you can make extraordinary savings if this rumor proves to be true. Other gamers in the forum have had their say about the post – many have not heard or seen of the promotion from Best Buy. A Best Buy employee adds his two cents: maybe it is market dependent. That is, not all Best Buy stores will offer the same deal.

In any case, I think that it is well worth your effort to go check out the local Best Buy PLUS the other Best Buys within your area. I went over to Gamestop to check on their latest offers for used games and found games for as low as $26.99 (Star Wars Force Unleashed PS3) and as high as $44.99 (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 360). New copies of Call of Duty 4 are being sold online anywhere from $49.99 to $53.97. $44.99 is looking pretty good to me.

Anyone knows more about this promo?

Who thinks that video games are already on the expensive side? I sure do! I mean, I pay top price for the titles that I really do want, but that does not mean that I wouldn’t be happy if video games were cheaper. Now if only the universe would hear me….

Unfortunately, if some gaming executives are to be followed, this is not going to happen any time soon. Register Hardware reports that Sony’s former European President has made his desires known: to increase the price of the average blockbuster video game to $115 (that’s ₤70 or €82).

Alright, I know. You are already having a panic attack at this point. There is no way that we can afford to pay a hundred fifteen bucks for the “average” blockbuster video game, right? I know I cannot! I mean, I pay less than that for the average game. I pay $80 or a bit more for the special edition ones. But $115 for the average game? No freaking way!

The same report states the reason for this:

Only a price jump would ensure a continued supply of groundbreaking games, according to Chris Deering, who noted the huge increase in development costs in recent years.

“In order to price these games at a level where they would support an industry [as strongly as] they did ten years ago, they’d have to be sold at £70”, Deering told MCV, a games trade website.

He was speaking to the games trade website in response to this month’s decision by Activision to raise the recommended retail price of Modern Warfare 2 from £45 to £55. The publisher blamed a weak pound as well as record development costs.

Oh, I don’t know. I really don’t know. Maybe I do not know the costs of creating video games but I sure think that the price increase is way too much.

I know a lot of people who would double up in laughter just from reading that question. I totally understand. Who said that either thing is “bad” in the first place? Of course, it really depends on where you’re coming from and how you think.

Anyhow, I came across this question in the Christian Science Monitor web site. (Yeah I know, what was I doing there? I like reading different points of view.) The article presented the case of the Entertainment Software Association, which sued the Chicago Transit Authority for banning advertisements about video game releases with mature content.

The supporting argument of the ESA is that while laws have been continuously implemented that target video games – especially those that are labeled mature and violent – movies and books (and other media) that have the same kind of content have remained untouched. The organization feels that the government is being selective in implementing bans and similar action.

David Horowitz, the executive director of Media Coalition, an organization which is backing ESA’s case, says that “Ex-[Illinois] Governor Blagojevich spent hundreds of thousands of dollars unsuccessfully to defend a law that barred minors from buy or renting similar video games before it was struck down as unconstitutional. The Chicago Transit Authority should repeal this ill-conceived ordinance rather than using scarce resources to fight this in court and get the same result.”

I would have to agree with him.

So going back to my original question: which is the lesser of two evils, assuming that they are both evil? Would you rather have your children exposed to mature video games or to rated R movies?

Yeah, I know. It is nothing but crap, isn’t it? I mean, I have heard of people wanting to restrict certain games to adults – those who are 18 years old and above. There are games which have an even lower age restriction. You know, just like the movies.

But have you ever heard of a maximum age limit for playing video games? It just doesn’t make sense to me! Apparently, though, Amazon has this weird and twisted way of looking at the situation. I ran across an article at Gaming Target which made me aware of this “recommended age” thing by Amazon:

Amazon has begun tagging video games with a “recommended age”, based on their content. As you can also see, the age range tops out at 20. The company provides a similar service for the items listed in their Toys and Games department.

In other words, Amazon believes that video games are toys and that people over the 20 shouldn’t be interested in them.

Of course, in still other words, the new “recommended age” field was likely added to video game listings as a service for parents who may not be aware of the adult content some games possess. And rather than creating a new field in their product creation database, Amazon likely reused the one from the Toys and Games department.

One, that is just plain lazy. If they wanted to serve their customers for real, then they should have come up with a totally new system to label their products.

Two, that is just plain useless. We already have a very specific rating system – ESRB, hello? That isn’t perfect, either, but hey, so far it has worked.

Amazon, maybe you need to rethink things?