Bukola Ekundayo blogs about the intersection of social media and gaming.
SnackorDie, the l33t snacking blog, has a deliciously bloody cupcake recipe celebrating the debut of Gears of War 2.
4 squares Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate
3/4 cups butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
Red decorator’s gel
Black decorator’s gel
[Visit SnackorDie for Full Recipe]
It’s been a long time coming. Tomb Raider Underworld, the next game in the Tomb Raider series drops tomorrow! Eidos saved the best for last. This launch trailer is a must see. If you recognize the track from the trailer let me know in the comments!
UPDATE: Found the song through some creative googling. Gorecki by Lamb
[via - Grooveshark]
Looking to burn off that post-election buzz? You can try out SuperObamaWorld, an adaptation of the Super Mario Brothers game. And it plays those signature Super Mario tunes we all know and love.
I love my Nintendo Wii but I don’t like the untidiness of my Wii Motes. I like to stack them on top of each other but that rarely holds. My Wii-Craft falls like a deck of cards resulting in a Wii Mess.
That’s why I like these Wii Mote caddies from Play-Asia.com. They’ll help me organize my gaming setup and bring me closer to gaming setup nirvana.
[Via - GeekSugar]
The iPhone app store is filled with applications. The selection of gaming apps alone makes me dizzy. Not because they’re all awesome but because the quality is all over the place. You’ll run into a gem of a game like Super Monkey Ball only to see 15 knockoffs of it and an app that claims it can turn your iPhone into a vibrator.
A proponent of free markets might say that the best apps will always rise to prominence. But for most people, finding the best stuff limits you to top 25 lists on the app store or relying on recommendations from friends.
With so much crap and so few quality apps you have to wonder if these cheap, low quality games are ruining the iPhone’s chances of becoming a heavy weight gaming platform. Traditional gaming consoles like the Playstation or the Xbox rely on game developers that pour millions into game development. And even with a high bar to entry I still have to wade through titles like Babyz, 8 versions of Street Fighter and other shameless knockoffs.
Of course, Apple remains cooly confident that the iPhone (and the iPod Touch) wil topple the PSP and the Nintendo DS. But with their bar to entry on the floor I don’t know if it will become the influential gaming platform I was hoping for.
Steve Demeter, app developer of Trism, will be launching a social networking app for iphone users soon. Onyx Online mimics Xbox Live, enabling iphone gamers to be ranked on leader boards, gather achievements and chat on forums.
While the application is a shameless copy of Xbox Live it will definitely help disconnected iphone gamers come together. It fills a need. I look forward to its release.
Via - Nerdgrind
Today I woke up much earlier than I usually do to vote in the Presidential Election. If you’re in the U.S. I think you should vote because it’s your civic duty.
And don’t forget to pick up your ‘Vote Swag’!
Free Ice Cream from Ben and Jerry’s
This morning I attended Jeff Pulver’s breakfast in New York. It was held at Friend of a Farmer, a cute and down to earth venue 5 blocks of North of Union Square.
The event was scheduled to start at 8:00 am. I woke up super early to get there but it was worth it. I met good people! I regret not taking any pictures. Every time I cover an event I forget to take pictures. I also regret not collecting more business cards. So the list of people I met is filled with holes.
Awesome people who gave me their business cards:
Allison Blass - Allison is a writer who is all about web 2.0 apps. I think we’re around the same age (early to mid-twenties). She blogs about health issues and living with Type 1 diabetes.
Brett M. Petersel - This guy is a super connector. I was amazed by the number of people he was able to engage in meaningful conversations. In crowded situations I tend to gravitate to few folks and then hang out with them until I leave. Brett is the Events Director at Mashable. I told him how much I loved SummerMash NYC. I took 3 of those color change cups home.
Adam Hirsch - He has a very good voice. He should star in his own podcast if he hasn’t already. Adam writes for Mashable.
People I’m looking for (Meaning: I forgot to get their business cards)
Yuki - A young woman with a zest for dancing. She’s taken classes in swing, hip hop and jazz.
Social Media Strategist from 360i - She helps 360i’s clients conduct social media marketing campaigns. We had a great conversation about our jobs, the delectable breakfast food, and my gaming addition. Her name escapes me at the moment. I’m hoping David Berkowitz can help me track her down.
Tall Man with Stylish Green Socks (Amus?) - I think his name was Amus. He works for a start-up that provides back-up solutions for mobile phones.He made a point of showing me his green socks when I asked about his green tie. He likes to match.
If you recognize these individuals could you let me know?
It looks like Barack Obama understands the power of in-game ads. So much so that he’s launched a couple on Xbox Live. His campaign placed an ad in the online racing game, Burnout Paradise. In it he urges players of the open-ended racing game to vote early.
This is brilliant because it’s completely unexpected and gaming has the potential to reach multiple targets. I’d love to know if this was part of a media buy package (in which you get a mix of marketing channels to advertise on) or if Obama woke up one morning and felt compelled to place an ad on Burnout.
Warner Beat Obama to Gaming
Obama isn’t the first politician to campaign in games. Mark Warner broke the mold when he attended a Press Conference in Second Life back in 2006. One could argue that he pushed the envelope further than Obama did. Warner made a personal appearance via avatar and took questions from the audience on issues ranging from the War in Iraq to abortion rights.
Conclusion
Obama’s campaign continues to impress me. They’ve pursued marketing channels that most people overlook. And since they are literally rolling in cash they can afford to pursue voters anywhere.
