Smurf game complications, a video game grammy win, and a Smithsonian video game exhibit.

Apple Computing and Gaming

• The Mac App Store’s Smurfs game has led to a “significant number of parents who have complained that their children have been racking up large amounts of in-app purchases without their knowledge.”
• Just like there is a subscription service for MMOs, the Mac App store is now introducing subscription-based apps.
• GreenpoisOn has an untethered jailbrake of IOS 4.2.1 for AppleTV.
• There is also a rumor that Apple may be buying a small developer to improve iOS notifications.
• Aspyr is celebrating Civilization IV‘s 2011 Grammy win for “Baba Yetu.”

More Gaming Stories

• Steam is now responsible for 70% of the downloadable gaming market.
• Waiting on news for Diablo 3? Blizzard announced that it will be released by the end of 2011.
• Soon available with Steamworks support, Duke Nukem Forever will be able to be accessed on any computer with Steam.
• EA games will not be making Mirror’s Edge 2 because of poor Mirror’s Edge sales.
• Playing video games can have a variety of positive side effects, like helping kids feel better connected with their parents and building self-esteem. They may also be key to alleviating depression.
• Smithsonian announces that they will have an exhibit on the art of video games.
• Felicia Day will be acting in the launch of the Dragon Age: Redemption web series.

Our Posts

• Tweet Your Love Contest Winners
• We’re Splitting Up
• Quicksave: Sweet Game Deals of 50% Off
• Contest: Tweet Your Love to Your Favorite Game

Please welcome Jonathan Cohen, a social media marketing intern here at Aspyr. “J5″ is an MBA graduate student at St. Edward’s University, specializing in Digital Media Management. Jonathan has an extensive film & television background, but moonlights as a gamer! His favorite games include FIFA 11, Pinball FX, God of War, and Call of Duty 4. We’re excited to have J5 with us, and here he pens a response to RBurger’s post of the same title on why Mac is losing the battle with PCs, and what Apple can do to fix the problem… Enjoy! The Apple brand is universally associated with innovation, stylish design, and operating simplicity. With the success of the iPod, iPhone, and now the iPad, Apple has arguably become “THE” hardware manufacturer for mobile devices. However, when it comes to gaming, Macs don’t have such a positive reputation. The three main issues are: universality, performance, and scalability. The reason gamers like to talk about OpenGL versus DirectX is because content IS king. Let’s face it, hardcore computer gamers shy away from Macs because there are more games available for PC, and only PC. This lack of universality forces Mac owners to run PC virtual machines and emulation software’s just to play incompatible games. As a result, the Mac uses more power, exhausts its resources for performance, and in the end the game is about as stable as Lindsay Lohan on a Saturday night. Gamers also believe that the Mac’s system performance is not up to par with its PC counterparts. Without getting into all kinds of nerdy technical specifications, while the Macbook Pro and Mac Pro tower have enough processing power for resource-heavy creative applications like Final Cut Pro and Pro Tools, they sputter and fart in comparison to a PC. Check out this Mac OS X versus Windows performance comparison for Half Life 2 on Anandtech.com. Gamers don’t want a Colecovision when they can own a Playstation 2 for less money. (It’s no secret these Macs are extremely expensive.) Gamers know that they can build a PC from the ground-up for less than it costs to buy a Mac mini. This highlights the scalability issues of Macs. Its much more difficult to upgrade and personalize a Mac than it is a PC because of the Mac’s lack of flexibility. Ever try upgrading the hardware on an iMac? I’d rather rebuild the Death Star… Macs have more proprietary system components, and because gaming technologies are constantly advancing, gamers prefer the ease of updating their systems to maximize performance. And the circle of life continues… So how can Apple change this negative perception of gaming on Macs? Last summer, Apple had some good fortune when Valve released a Mac compatible version of Steam. One of the most popular online gaming platforms in the world, Steam will build awareness to gamers that Macs “can” perform as gaming systems. It will also allow current Mac users to explore and expand their game libraries to include more titles than just your browser’s “Minesweeper” plug-in. Mac owners can also explore video games through the newly released App Store. The App Store is similar to the iTunes Store, but it is located directly on the Mac operating system and allows Mac users to easily purchase Mac compatible games (ahem, like Aspyr’s Call of Duty 4, Civilization IV: Colonization, and the newly-released Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition!). You can make these purchases with one click of a button. After all, simplicity is Apple’s bread and butter (where it’s Microsoft’s ever-hard-to-find Nutella croissant). The success of the iPhone and iPod as gaming devices can allow Apple to vertically integrate itself into the gaming industry as well. If Apple were to release a Mac gaming console or a new Mac computer, one that’s specialized for gaming with amazing graphic and sound components, it could gather a huge chunk of the gaming market share. This would establish Apple as an all-purpose industry player, much like Sony and Microsoft are today. The bottom line is that the gaming industry would gladly accept Apple if it wished to penetrate the environment, however, whether Apple will dedicate itself to changing its gaming perception is up to them. Apple seems content with its current focus on mobile technologies, and because of this it may wish that the gaming industry comes to it.

To put it simply, 2010 was awesome for us at Aspyr.  We’ve already recounted some of the things that went down this past year, but we just want to make the celebration a little more… official! That’s why we’re taking all of the games we launched in 2010 and making them a part of our latest promotion, aptly titled “The Games of 2010!”  We’ve got six games on sale RIGHT NOW that you can grab at an awesome 20.10% discount!  Which games, you ask?  How about:

• The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (Mac)
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition (Mac)
• Civilization IV: Gold (Mac)
• Civilization IV: Colonization (Mac)
• RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum (Mac)
• and Civilization V (Mac)!

Each of these games will be on sale at the special 20.10% discount until 11:59pm CST, Sunday, January 16.  If you missed any of these games the past year, now’s the time to act–don’t miss out on them again!

Well, it’s all come down to this.  For college football fans, it’s almost undoubtedly been a rollercoaster ride of a season.  From perennial powers seeing subpar seasons (Texas, you broke our hearts) to surprise bowl game wins (both Stanford and TCU taking it to their opponents in BCS matchups!), from preseason conference realignment mania (the Big 10 now has 12 teams, the Big XII now has 10) to midseason scandals (looking at you, Cam Newton).  All in all, it’s been one entertaining season of college football. It all culminates Monday night with the BCS Championship Game between the #1 Auburn Tigers and the #2 Oregon Ducks.  Two explosive offenses that have pretty much steamrolled anyone that stood in their way this season.  Both teams have had a lot of time off to focus on the championship game, and both will undoubtedly bring everything they’ve got to get a win on Monday night.  It should be a highly entertaining game; a shootout of epic proportions, if you will.  But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s remember what’s really at stake here: discounts on video games.

The Discounts

We’re going back to the game discounts that started it all–Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Mac) and Civilization IV (Mac).  However, this is the grand finale, so of course we’ve got to kick it up a notch!  Not only are these individual titles up for grabs, but we’re also including the Call of Duty and Civilization IV bundles we’ve created, all at MASSIVE discounts!

• If the team representing Call of Duty wins, then you’ll be able to grab Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Mac) for 40% off!  And if that doesn’t suit your fancy, we’ll also be offering the same 40% discount on our Call of Duty Bundle (Mac), and we’ll throw in FREE domestic shipping to boot!
• If the team representing Civilization IV wins, then you’ll be able to grab Civilization IV Gold (Mac) for 40% off!  And once again, if that’s not enough, we’ll also be offering our Civilization IV Complete Bundle (Mac) for the same 40% discount, also with FREE domestic shipping!

The Football Game

Is it any surprise?  The featured matchup is the BCS National Championship Game!  Everything’s on the line in what could be one of the most entertaining and hard-fought games of the season.

• If the Auburn Tigers win, you’ll get the Call of Duty promo.  The discount will go active Tuesday morning and run through the end of the day (11:59pm CST) Thursday!
• If the Oregon Ducks win, you’ll get the Civilization IV promo.  Similarly, the discount will go active Tuesday morning and run through the end of the day (11:59pm CST) Thursday!

The game is set to kick off at 8:30pm EST on ESPN/ESPN3.  Catch a full preview here.  Who are you rooting for? Still new to the feature?  Each week we will feature a marquee match-up between two college football teams.  Each team will represent a specific game or set of games available at GameAgent.com and an associated discount for those games.  The game discount(s) associated with the winning team will then go into effect the following Monday or Tuesday after the game and last for 3 days.  In order to get the discounts, you must use the specific coupon code that is generated once the winner is decided!  Finally, commenting on the blog or our Facebook page about the marque match-up, your favorite team, or football in general is highly encouraged–participants may get special benefits!

Things remained steady in the top 10 this week, as there were no upsets to shake the balance of power.  There were some close calls, however, as #1 Oregon barely skated by California, #2 Auburn struggled early with Georgia, and #3 TCU almost dropped the ball against San Diego State.  The question, of course, is how did our featured CFB Game of the Week turn out? In a battle that initially looked like it would be close, the South Carolina Gamecocks emerged victorious over the Florida Gators, 36-14.  The Gators jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but the Gamecocks soon came back with RB Marcus Lattimore running in for a touchdown late in the first quarter to go up 9-7; it was a lead that South Carolina would not relinquish.  Lattimore would end up running for a career-high 212 yards as the Gamecocks handled the Gators at their home turf of Gainesville for the first time in 13 tries.  South Carolina will play in the SEC Champsionship game as winners of the East Division.  Catch a full recap here. Since the Gamecocks won, we’re discounting Civilization IV: Warlords (Mac) through Wednesday, November 17.  You’ll be able to buy the Civ IV expansion, shipping included, for only $12!  Just add the game to your cart and use the coupon code #Gamecocks at checkout!

Anxious to know the Civ 5 Mac release date?  Well wait no longer–Sid Meier’s Civilization V is coming to Macs on November 23!  Hooray for the holidays! With an official date set, pre-orders for the game are now open at GameAgent.com!  As previously mentioned, we’re offering both boxed and digital versions of the game.  By pre-ordering the digital version, you’ll be amongst the first to play the game on the Mac.  On the other hand, if you’re leaning towards the box, we’ve got good news–all boxed pre-orders will receive FREE shipping!  These deals are good for ALL* GameAgent-supported regions! That’s not all we’re offering, though.  We happen to have a small collection of autographed copies of the Civilization V: Special Edition (Mac) signed by Sid Meier himself!  Not only are these special editions signed by Sid Meier, but they’re also extremely rare on their own, as they are not being sold to the public!  How can you get yours?  All you have to do is pre-order Civilization V (either digital or boxed) from GameAgent.com.  You will automatically be entered into a pool of contestants from which a grand prize winner will randomly be drawn.  In addition, ten runners-up will receive a free t-shirt from Aspyr.  You can catch the full details below. We’ll be providing even more opportunities to win a signed Special Edition of Civilization V Mac in the coming weeks.  All we can say right now is that both Facebook and Twitter will play very important roles, so be sure and follow us on both if you don’t already! Finally (yes, there’s even more!), we’re offering all of our previous Civilization titles at 50% off!  These titles include:

• Civilization III: Complete (Mac)
• Civilization IV (Mac)
• Civilization IV: Gold (Mac)
• Civilization IV: Warlords (Mac)
• Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (Mac)
• Civilization IV: Colonization (Mac)

We also hope to have some Civilization bundles put together soon, too!  This is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the series while waiting on the Civilization V release date.  The discounts will be good through next Tuesday, November 9. Still have questions about Civilization V Mac?  Send them our way!  We’ll still be posting more info on the title all the way up to it release.  You can find all of the information here on the NonBlog, or you can follow our new Twitter account, @Civ5Mac, to get all the Civ 5 Mac news! (more…)

GameAgent Labor Day Sale

Hello, GameAgent fans, and welcome to the official unofficial end of summer!  It was a fun (and HOT) summer, but with Labor Day coming up on Monday, it’s time to move on to better and newer things–like new games! In celebration of hard-working individuals everywhere, GameAgent has put together a fantastic BLOWOUT sale to put a cap on Summer 2010.  Between now and the end of the day (11:59pm CDT) Labor Day Monday, you’ll be able to get ALL of your favorite Mac and PC titles by Aspyr for 15% off at GameAgent.com!  This includes favorites like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Mac), The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (Mac), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Mac), and Civilization IV (Mac)! But the best part of this deal?  It’s open to EVERYONE that can shop at GameAgent.com!  Just because Labor Day is a US holiday doesn’t mean everyone else can’t enjoy the discount love.

Facebook and Twitter Exclusives

Finally, in addition to the store-wide discount, we’ll also be giving out some exclusive coupon codes to our Facebook fans and Twitter followers all weekend long!  The coupon offers will be exclusive to each platform, meaning the coupons given out on Facebook will not be the same as those given out on Twitter; however, the coupons will be stackable (assuming you can use them before someone else does!), so be sure to follow GameAgent on both!  Here’s what you can expect:

• Facebook: We’ll be giving out 5 coupons per day, starting Friday and running through Monday.  Four coupons each day will be for HALF OFF shipping costs.  The fifth coupon will grant shoppers FREE SHIPPING.  However, these are one-time use coupons, so stay alert and use the coupon before anyone else!
• Twitter: Like Facebook, we’ll be giving out 5 coupons per day, starting Friday and running through Monday.  Each coupon will be good for $5 off your total order!  These coupons, too, are one-use only, so be quick to use them before they expire!

Fan us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with these deals and more!  Also, don’t forget to come back tomorrow to check out the opening match-up of our new “College Football Game of the Week” feature–we’ve got a great game picked out and some killer deals that could be yours!

It’s super weekend special spectacular time at GameAgent!  Why?  Just because!  Starting today and ending at 11:59pm CDT on Sunday, August 29, we’ve got two great deals involving Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Warlords for the Mac!  Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Warlords (Mac) is the first expansion pack for Firaxis Games’ award-winning title, Civilization IV.  Paying homage to some of history’s greatest military leaders, the expansion delivers eight unique and interesting scenarios, giving players the chance to change the course of history with the help of their new powerful “warlord” unit.  Civilization IV: Warlords (Mac) includes new civilizations, leaders, units, and wonders that offer even more fun and exciting ways for players to expand their civilization’s military power as they strive for world domination. Deal #1: The boxed version of Civilization IV: Warlords (Mac) will be 25% off for the weekend.  In addition, shipping costs will be cut in HALF when purchasing the game!  It’s that simple. Deal #2: Of course, you need Civilization IV to actually play the game.  If you don’t yet have Civilization IV, though, no worries–we got you covered!  When purchasing either the boxed or digital version of Civilization IV (Mac), you’ll then get Civilization IV: Warlords (Mac) for HALF off, plus the half-price shipping! Remember, these deals are only good for this weekend and only at GameAgent.com, so act fast!

Sid Meier’s Civilization IV Mac is one of the best selling Mac games ever, created by Aspyr and sold here at GameAgent amongst other fine Apple retailers.  In fact, the recent promotion we had that featured Civilization IV and its expansions was so popular, we were taking back orders by the second day!  To follow up, we wanted to ask a member of the Aspyr team, John Butler, about his experiences porting the game over to the Mac platform.  In this exclusive DevDiary, John talks about the challenges of porting a game like Civilization IV over to the Mac, including one bug near the end of development that almost stopped the project cold!  Check out how he dealt with these issues after the jump… (more…)

Sid Meier’s Civilization® IV: Colonization for the Mac is a follow-up to the incredibly addictive Sid Meier’s Civilization® IV published by Aspyr Media.  Like its predecessor, Colonization combines Civilization’s addictive “just one more turn” gameplay with all-new graphics and features that add more depth to the franchise.  MacGamer.com does an excellent job of detailing the various features of Civilization: Colonization as well as breaking down what works and what doesn’t.  Check out part of the review below, then follow the link to get to the full breakdown.

By MacGamer.com