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Second Life Gets More Playtime than StarCraft, Half-Life, Others, Says Nielsen

Nathan Grayson — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:19:48 -0500

Massively multiplayer online everythingamajig Second Life’s total player numbers may be debatable at best, but the dedication of said, er, eclectic legion sure isn’t. According to a study conducted by Nielsen Media Research, Second Life gets more average playtime per week than games like StarCraft, Warhammer Online, and even World of Warcraft!

Lest you cry foul of Nielsen’s study, however, know this: World of Warcraft players still far outnumber those of Second Life, racking up 46.710% of total PC gaming time, while Second Life picks up a silver medal with 3.206%. Second Life’s significantly smaller group of players, then, just loves its game of choice a bit more than players powering Blizzard’s piggybanks.

Even so, however, Second Life still far outstrips most every other MMO on the market -- in terms of average playtime and total percentage of the pie -- including Warhammer Online and Eve Online, both of which didn’t even make the top ten.

Just for clarification’s sake, the study was conducted among a sample of almost 200,000 people –- not just hardcore gamers. It was, apparently, a random sample.

The only thing that makes us question this study? That’d be Dark Horse of Might & Magic in third place. Um, really? Not to question the alchemy behind Nielsen’s algorithms, but do you know anyone who actually plays that game anymore -– on a regular basis, no less?

Steam's Weekend Deal Will Blow Your Mind

Nathan Grayson — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:59:28 -0500

Yeah – this is getting pretty ridiculous. Just when you thought Valve’s market-dominating Steam service couldn’t cut any more off its game prices without bleeding money, they go and prove everyone wrong.

This weekend, Valve’s offering the Orange Box – a complete steal even at its original price – for $9.99. For those who haven’t been keeping score, the Orange Box contains Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episodes One and Two, Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. Really, the only things this virtual incarnation of said box lacks are, well, actual oranges and any sort of box. But hey, you’re saving the trees for cheap, and isn’t that basically the American Dream?

So, six amazing games. Ten bucks. Breathing lightly on piggy bank will yield you that kind of scratch. Seriously, if you haven’t played these games, what are you even waiting for? Afraid you might lose your job while utterly engrossed in your new purchases? Well, if Steam keeps topping itself like this, you probably won’t need much money to keep your gaming appetite sated anyway.

World-Bending Garry's Mod Sells 310,000 Units, Makes $3.1 Million

Nathan Grayson — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:11:47 -0600

In the beginning, Valve created Half-Life 2, and it was pretty flippin' awesome. Then, more towards the middle of the beginning, Garry Newman whipped up Garry's Mod, bestowing upon gamers a simple interface behind which they could all wield Valve's body-flinging, face-pinching powers. And after that, things got a little weird. But not for creator Garry Newman, who -- after selling his mod for $10 a pop on Steam -- found a new breadwinner.

Now, two years later, Garry's Mod has stripped 312,541 kids of their lunch money, bringing the total haul up to roughly $3.1 million -- or about 30 Midways.

"GMod hasn’t just given me financial stability," Newman said in a champagne-stained blog post. "It’s also made me a lot more experienced in c++. I learned how game engines are meant to work. I got to fly to Valve HQ and meet some game making dudes. I got to tell a nice bearded fellow how I was sick all over myself in the shower after eating airline food, and then realising I was talking to [Deus Ex creator] Warren Spector."

"And it’s my hope that it has inspired other people to do stuff. I mean, I’m a fool like you, I’ve just got more experience in pretending I’m not, and I did it... So why can’t you?"

Yeah, whatever. Shouldn't you be off playing StarCraft, mom?

Black Box Cancellation Won't Affect ATI Bundle

Michael Brown — Tue, 22 May 2007 12:31:54 -0500

As you’ve probably heard, Valve has canceled Half-Life 2 Black Box, which would have contained Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. In its place, Valve will be selling the more-expensive ($50) Orange Box, which comes with those games plus Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One.

Our immediate question was how does this impact AMD, which is bundling coupons for the Black Box with every one of its ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT cards? The short answer is it doesn’t: Although the Black Box won’t be available as a stand-alone purchase, ATI buyers will still get the three games they’ve been promised.

What’s more, Valve’s director of marketing, Doug Lombardi, tells us those buying cards based on AMD’s new graphics chip shouldn’t wait for those games to become available prior to registering their product keys on Steam. “While they wait for the release of the three new games, Day of Defeat: Source is made available to them immediately upon registering the product code that comes in the box with their new videocard.”

Day of Defeat: Source is an additional $20 value—assuming, of course, that you don’t already own it. That’s always been the downside to game bundles, which is why I found it refreshing that AMD is bundling brand-new games with its top-end Radeon card.

Valve’s decision to force gamers to buy games they almost certainly already own in order to get boxed copies of new software is a whole other matter. My guess is that retailers objected to stocking two SKUs, so Valve decided to drop the cheaper package. In any event, you’ll still be able to buy the three new titles separately on Steam—provided you can live without the boxes. If you can't, the product codes for Half-Life 2 and Episode One would make a great gift.

Hmm, I wonder if the Orange Box will arrive in time for Father's Day?

Fragging for Fun and Profit

Tom Edwards — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:37:22 -0500

At a prelaunch event in San Francisco, representatives from U.K.-based Tournament.com announced new details about its site where gamers can compete in multiplayer deathmatches for cash.

The company has secured a license that allows it to be the exclusive provider of online play-for-cash tournaments with Valve's games. Tournament.com reps at the event said that since the titles it will host (Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life 2 at launch with more titles to be added) are games of skill, not chance, wagering on the outcome of the matches is allowable in most states. Still, gamers in 14 U.S. states which have gambling laws that don't differentiate between games of skill and games of chance will be blocked from participating.

Marcus Pearcey, director of Tournament.com, stated that the stakes for most matches will be about a buck, with high-stakes matches maxing out at $10, the theory being that low-stakes matches will generate interest and allow people to compete without burning through their bankrolls. To allay fears that overenthusiastic noobs will empty their back accounts, get owned, and then be forced to move back in with their parents, individuals will be able to deposit a maximum of $150 into their Tournament.com accounts each month. The company will generate revenue by taking a cut of the pot from each match; the percentage Tournament.com will keep has not yet been finalized.

When asked about combating cheating and the possibility of individuals working together, Pearcey said that the company's proprietary anticheat software, Tournament Anti-Cheat, which was developed with assistance from academics at Cambridge University, would be able to determine when groups were working together and eliminate other types of cheats.

While we’re not skilled enough to join the professional gaming circuit, we are ready to gain not just bragging rights but also cold hard cash from some of our lesser-skilled coworkers.

Half-Life 2: Episode One

Josh Norem — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 12:48:28 -0500

This month we got to sample the first installment of what probably should have been called Half-Life 3. Though Episode One lacks the overall emotional impact of a 15-hour game, it’s a fantastic, inventive shooter that’s awesome from start to finish—albeit a little shorter than we’d like.

The episode begins right where Half-Life 2 left off—you’re in the Combine citadel in mortal peril. In a true deus ex machina, you and Alyx are miraculously rescued, and must escape from the crumbling City 17. The next five hours are a whirlwind of puzzle-solving, co-op combat with Alyx, and incredible battles that are as memorable as they are difficult.

The variety of new experiences in the game is splendid. The physics puzzles are much more fun and challenging this time around, and the fighting is as harried as ever, with several boss battles that are as explosive as a Michael Bay movie. The big focus this time around, however, is the interaction with Alyx, which Valve got just right. You’re with her for 90 percent of Episode One, and she’s never a bother. In fact, she’s very helpful in combat, a reassuring presence (Valve’s commentary track notes her role in praising the player), and has terrific dialogue that made us laugh out loud a few times. She’s a genuine pleasure to be around, and in no way reminds us that we “can’t leave without our buddy SuperFly,” which is a significant achievement in FPS gaming.

The weapons are the same as in Half-Life 2, which is disappointing. Worse, there’s only one new enemy—the Zombine—which is just a zombie Combine soldier. We were expecting at least a few new baddies, and maybe a new weapon or two.

There’s still plenty of goodness to experience here, however, and even though it’s “just” more Half-Life 2, we’re OK with that, because Half-Life 2 is pure FPS awesomeness. Episode One represents quality over quantity. While we would have loved more, we were satisfied with what we got for our $20.

Month Reviewed: September 2006

Verdict: 9
kickass=yes

URL: www.half-life2.com
ESRB Rating: M

January 2005 - The Breakthrough

The Maximum PC Staff — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0600

In the PDF archive of the January 2005 issue, you can find:

Amazing new technologies will reinvent your PC
How fast is Intel's new 3.8ghz Pentium 4J?
36 Lab Tests
Half-Life 2 Exclusive!
Power Supply Showdown
Ask the Doctor
Rig of the Month
The Watchdog
And a whole lot more!

Click the big giant cover image to the right to download the PDF archive today!