Late last year, a customer service rep for the Canada Revenue Agency launched a game titled “I Get This Call Every Day” that lets players experience the frustration of working in a call center. But now he no longer has to fret about this problem, as he’s without that day job. [More]
video games
Atari Files For Bankruptcy In The U.S. Because — Wait, Atari Is Still Around?
By 1.21.13
Mention the word “Atari” to anyone born before the mid-1980s and a happy rush of Pong memories will likely blip through the mind. But even though the heyday of video game company Atari is so far from over some might not even realize it’s still hanging around, not only is it alive in 2013, but it’s filing bankruptcy in the U.S. to maintain its existence. [More]
Massachusetts DOT Pulls 9 Violent Arcade Video Games From State Rest Stops
By 1.15.13
It’s been a month of change since the Dec. 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were killed by a gunman. The alleged gunman also reportedly played video games, some of which are violent. That association with violence and guns has many in the government worried, including the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which has subsequently pulled nine video games from the state’s rest area plazas. [More]
Hiring Online Assassins To Take Down Your Son’s Avatars Is One Way To Curb His Gaming Habit
By 1.9.13
The parental instinct is usually one of protection — gotta save the baby so my genes get passed on — but what if your son just refuses to stop playing video games online? Then it’s time to take him down in the virtual world, as one father in China decided to do when he hired online “assassins” to kill off his son’s avatars every time he logged on. Harsh, pops. Way harsh. [More]
Why Does GameStop Need My ID To Accept A Trade-In?
By 1.3.13
A lot of consumers are concerned — and not without reason — that their personal information is being passed around like bottle of cheap wine around a campfire. At the same time, it feels like more retailers are asking for this sort of information on everything from purchases to returns. [More]
Gamer Backlash Against ‘The War Z’ Prompts Makers To Pull It From Steam Store
By 12.20.12
Selling something that isn’t perfect can be okay in some situations. An apple? Just cut the bruise out. Shirt missing a button? Ask for a discount and sew one on. But when it comes to technology and video games, if your product isn’t up to snuff, those playing the games are going to be very unhappy. The distributors of zombie survival game The War Z learned that this week and ended up pulling it from game site Steam. [More]
Publisher Atones For Underwhelming 2010 Video Game With Free Downloads Of Latest Game
By 10.29.12
Two years ago, Consumerist reader Joe purchased “Elemental: War of Magic,” a turn-based, strategy game for his PC. Alas, Joe’s response was like that of many reviewers, that the game was buggy and unpolished and not worth playing. [More]
EA Apologizes For Free Game Goof. Customers Who Earned Credit Will Still Get It
By 10.15.12
Over the weekend, EA unintentionally made a lot of people happy by accidentally sending out a rewards code that could be used by anyone. EA also angered those who had earned the credit but hadn’t used it by the time EA deactivated the code. Now the company is trying to set things right. [More]
Popular Ubisoft Video Games Could Put Your Computer At Risk
By 7.30.12
UPDATE: Ubisoft has released a statement saying it has pushed out a patch that should fix the issue. [More]
Man Sells Video Game Collection On eBay For $1.23 Million
By 7.9.12
A man in France who sells and collects video games says he has just unloaded his largest collection ever — around 7,000 games — to an eBay customer for a whopping $1.23 million. Let’s just hope the buyer didn’t use PayPal. [More]
EA To Finally Appease Ticked-Off Mass Effect 3 Customers On June 26
By 6.22.12
When video game giant Electronic Arts became the (to some) surprising winner of this year’s Worst Company In America tournament, the company was also in the middle of one of its biggest PR problems ever, as fans of the bestselling Mass Effect series of games felt like they’d been bilked out of piles of cash when the trilogy ended with an apocalyptic shrug. [More]
Developer "Disappointed" That People Would Rather Hack Game Than Pay $20 For Content Already On Disc
By 4.18.12
When you buy a car and opt to get the basic, no-frills stereo, the really rad sound system isn’t also included somewhere in the vehicle, just waiting for you to plunk down some money to activate it. If that were the case, the car-maker has to know that buyers are going to be tempted to figure out how to turn that better system on without forking over the cash. [More]
California GameStops To Warn Used-Game Buyers That "Free DLC" Isn't Necessarily Free
By 4.10.12
While some experienced buyers of used video games may know that the “free additional content” burst on game’s packaging probably only applied to the original purchase of the game. But as part of a class-action settlement announced earlier today, GameStop stores in California will now alert buyers that any additional downloadable content (aka DLC) will likely have to be purchased separately. [More]
Expert: Credit Card Data On Old Xbox Hard Drives Is Vulnerable (Updated)
By 3.30.12
If you’ve ever gotten rid of an old Xbox 360 hard drive, a determined hacker could find a way to extract your credit card information from the device. As part of a study meant to expose Microsoft’s lax protection of consumer data, researchers bought a refurbished Xbox 360 and used hacking tools to plunder the device for info that identified the previous owner, as well as the owner’s credit card details. They say old data isn’t safe even if the hard drives have been formatted. [More]
GameStop: You've Got One Week Left To Trade In GameCube Stuff
By 3.26.12
If you’ve got a stack of old GameCube games you’ve been waiting to unload at GameStop for a tiny bit of cash or in-store credit, you’d better take care of the transaction by the close of business Sunday. Starting a week from today, the monolithic game retailer will no longer accept games, accessories or systems from Nintendo’s obsolete console. [More]
Peeved Mass Effect 3 Fans Might Actually Get The Ending They Want
By 3.22.12
For several years, a growing number of people have enjoyed beating the hell out of Geth, mastering head-shots on husks and trying to save the entire, expanding universe as Commander Shepherd in the Mass Effect series of video games. But without giving too much away, a lot of those same fans are not pleased with how the series finally wrapped up in Mass Effect 3. [More]
How To Turn Off A PlayStation Vita When It Doesn't Want To Turn Off
By 3.14.12
When most electronic devices freeze up and won’t restart or turn off, one option is to pull out the battery. But that’s not a choice when dealing with Sony’s new PlayStation Vita, which has an internal power source you can’t access without violating the warranty. When the Vita freezes up, it won’t react immediately to button inputs. [More]
Game Publisher Explains Why It Included "Downloadable Content" On Disc
By 3.6.12
Most gamers seem to be OK with the concept of paying for downloadable content that isn’t included on the discs they bought. But they get angry when publishers hide the extra stuff on the disc and make customers pay to unlock it. By choosing the latter route, Capcom finds itself defending its inclusion of several currently unplayable characters on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC versions of the fighting game Street Fighter X Tekken. [More]
