Online Gaming News

China bureaucratic war over online Warcraft heats up (Reuters) November 4 @ 5 AM source

Reuters - China's Culture Ministry has accused the publishing watchdog of abusing its authority by shutting access to the popular online game, World of Warcraft, stoking bureaucratic rivalry over control of the Internet.

World of Warcraft May Go Dark in China (PC World) November 4 @ 1 AM source

PC World - Blizzard's World of Warcraft could be headed for a good ol' fashioned plug-pulling in China, thanks to simmering government infighting gone wild. A Chinese regulation body has ordered NetEase, a Chinese internet company that hosts World of Warcraft in China, to disconnect the game after rejecting NetEase's application to operate Activision Blizzard's The Burning Crusade, the popular MMORPG's second expansion.

China regulator rejects World of Warcraft game: official (AFP) November 3 @ 7 PM source

AFP - Chinese players of World of Warcraft, one of the world's most popular online games, may be out of luck after a government regulator rejected an application from the game's new licensed operator.

Chinese Government Agencies Battle Over Warcraft (PC World) November 3 @ 12 PM source

PC World - A Chinese government agency halted its approval process for hit online game World of Warcraft to operate in the country on Monday, deepening its struggle with another agency for power over China's online game sector.

NetEase, Activision caught up in China turf war (Reuters) November 3 @ 9 AM source

Reuters - A Chinese regulator has ordered top online game firm NetEase.com to stop operating a popular title, the result of an apparent governmental turf war highlighting the risks the sector faces.

Controlling Games and Apps Through Muscle Sensors October 31 @ 6 PM source

A team with members from Microsoft, the University of Toronto, and the University of Washington have developed an interface that uses electrodes to monitor muscle signals and translate those into commands or button presses, allowing a user to bypass a physical input device and even control a game or application while their hands are full. The video demonstration shows somebody playing Guitar Hero by making strumming motions and tapping his fingers together, a jogger changing his music without having to touch the device, and a man flexing a muscle to open the trunk of his car while he carries objects in both hands. The academic paper (PDF) is available online.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

FCC Mulling More Control For Electronic Media October 30 @ 2 PM source

A recent Notice of Inquiry from the FCC is looking for opinions on how the "evolving electronic media landscape" affects kids, and whether the FCC itself should have more regulatory control over such media. The full NOI (PDF) is available online. "FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski included a statement with the NOI in which he noted that 'twenty years ago, parents worried about one or two TV sets in the house,' while today, media choices are far more widespread for children, including videogames, which 'have become a prevalent entertainment source in millions of homes and a daily reality for millions of kids.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Wireless 'N' Standard Helps Home Networks (Investor's Business Daily) October 29 @ 2 AM source

Investor's Business Daily - Today, computer networks aren't just for computers. If you've purchased a TV, Blu-ray Disc player or video game console in the last couple of years, they likely are network-capable, giving them the ability to fetch updates and even stream movies online.

Are Dedicated Servers for Modern Warfare 2 a Bad Idea? (PC World) October 27 @ 1 AM source

PC World - One thing you pay dearly for prizing away from PC enthusiasts is control, but that's just what Infinity Ward's risking by moving Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer servers in-house. The decision, which broke in an October 17 podcast with fan site BashandSlash, involves swapping traditional do-it-yourself PC matchmaking servers for autocratic console-style centralization...aka One Server (Farm) To Rule Them All.

Netflix Will Stream Videos on Sony's PlayStation 3 (NewsFactor) October 26 @ 8 PM source

NewsFactor - Like a cartoon where the main character keeps finding another way to get into the house, Netflix is now popping up on Sony's PlayStation 3. The online rental service will make its library of thousands of movies and TV shows available to be streamed over the game console at no additional cost to Netflix members in the U.S.