centerimg id="image1680" src="http://rhizome.org/imagebase/article/2152/still1small.gif" alt="still1small.gif" //centerbr / centerimg id="image1681" src="http://rhizome.org/imagebase/article/2152/still3small.gif" alt="still3small.gif" //center centeriImage: Stills from "Death Animations" video/i/centerbr / Performance, 3 hoursbr / Machine Project, Los Angelesbr /br / pbStatement:/b Inspired by Bruce Nauman's 1973 work "Tony Sinking into the Floor, Face Up and Face Down", 9 dancers outfitted in fantasy armour recreated his performance in slow motion combined with movements based on computer game death animations, this piece was accompanied by a high volume binaural beats reputed to induce out of body experiences. Closely linked to his past process of modification of existing computer games, as well as performative events with medieval re-enactment and fantasy live action role playing subcultures, iDeath Animations/i is a re-interpretation of the Nauman work through the lens of "New Age" ideas of astral projection and out of body experience, computer games, and recent foreign conflict. /p centera href="http://www.tmpspace.com/deathanims.html"iView video of the performance/i/a/centerbr / centeria href="http://www.tmpspace.com/"More work by Brody Condon/a/i/centerimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rhizome-fp/~4/474804032" height="1" width="1"/

Electronic Arts (EA) fait un pas de plus sur le marché des jeux électroniques en ligne en Asie avec le rachat du développeur de jeux en réseaux Sud-coréen J2MSoft.

J2M, auteur de Ray City, Taan & Debut, continuera de produire ses proches franchises en ligne, tout en développant des jeux en ligne à partir de titres EA. Aucune des deux sociétés ne souhaite parler chiffres.

EA ne met cependant pas tous ses oeufs dans le même panier, ayant annoncé en début de semaine s’associer au Chinois NetDragon Websoft pour créer des jeux 3D MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing games) dérivés de Dungeon Keeper, le titre d’EA. Les MMORPG (ou JRLMM en bon français) ne sont pas que massivement multi-joueurs en Asie, ils sont aussi massivement populaires, ce qui rend l’accord essentiel pour la stratégie asiatique d’EA.

Des jeux comme FIFA et NBA Street ont déjà été mis en ligne par Electronic Arts.

La société dit aussi vouloir placer ses meilleurs poulains Warhammer, Age of Reckoning, Need For Speed et Battlefield Heroes en ligne très bientôt.

Traduction et adaptation d’un article de Sylvie Barak pour INQ.

div class="rxbodyfield"p class="ArticleBody" page="1"Everyone knows that techies love "Dungeons amp; Dragons," where they can prowl the bowels of a castle and cast spells on clueless managers, er, mages. After all, it's just a game./pp align="right"a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.us.info.rss/news;pos=imu;tile=6;sz=336x280;skey=patch_management;pkey=security;ord=123456789?" target="_blank" /img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.us.info.rss/news;pos=imu;tile=6;sz=336x280;skey=patch_management;pkey=security;ord=123456789?" width="336" height="280" border="0" alt="" align="right"//a/pp class="ArticleBody" page="1"Or is it? Many tech staffers are also hard-core PC gamers. For good reason: In virtual worlds like "a href="http://www.gamepro.com/games/pc/135523/world-of-warcraft-wrath-of-the-lich-king/" target="_blank" class="regularArticleU"World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King/a" and "a href="http://www.gamepro.com/games/pc/109782/civilization-iv/" target="_blank" class="regularArticleU"Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword/a," you can show off your awesome mental powers and flex the most feared fingers in the universe. You can hone the problem-solving skills that make you good at IT, take out frustrations from your day-to-day work, and celebrate the technology that you so love./pp class="ArticleBody" page="1"b[ Check/b bout InfoWorld's slideshow of the a href="http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/2008/12/188-infoworld_s_per-1.html?source=fssr" class="regularArticleU"six perfect PC games for IT/a. | Looking for other cool techie stuff? Peruse our a href="http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/2008/11/185-2008_geek_gadge-1.html?source=fssr" class="regularArticleU"2008 geek gadget gift guide/a. ]/b/pp class="ArticleBody" page="1"So what, exactly, does a kick-ass shooter game like "a href="http://www.gamepro.com/games/pc/132121/call-of-duty-4-modern-warfare/" target="_blank" class="regularArticleU"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare/a" or the beautifully rendered role-playing game "a href="http://www.gamepro.com/games/pc/109692/fallout-3/" target="_blank" class="regularArticleU"Fallout 3/a" really say about tech life? Well, saddle up your Mechano-strider and watch as the Blade of Vaulted Secrets carves deeply into the tech-worker psyche./pp class="ArticleBody" page="1"bThe techie-gamer relationship is rooted in "Civilization"br/ /bAh, the early days of "Civilization," or "Civ" in tech-speak. This classic Sid Meier game ran on PC DOS -- no games ran on Windows 3 in the early 1990s -- which basically locked out mere mortals from playing it./pp class="ArticleBody" page="1"That is, you needed to know how to reconfigure autoexec.bat and config.sys to load extended memory and mouse drivers so that "Civ" could run. "You had to know technology to even play games," says George Jones, editorial director of a href="http://www.gamepro.com/" target="_blank" class="regularArticleU"GamePro/a, an InfoWorld sister publication. "Back then there was no Internet resource to help you, and so you had had to figure it out on your own. It was crazy."/pp class="ArticleBody" page="1"When PC games finally reached the masses, thanks largely to Windows 95, techies were already masters of "Doom," "Quake," "Counterstrike," and "World of Warcraft." (Let the jocks play "Madden NFL" -- why throw a football for a touchdown when you can toss a flash grenade through a window and storm the door for a beat-down?)/pp class="ArticleBody" page="1"Today, Jones figures more than half of all hard-core PC gamers work in tech. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist specializing in the gamer lifestyle, agrees: "There's a large overlay between people who game and people who chose technology for work," he says, adding, "Some people can read people, others can understand ? a computer."/pp class="ArticleBody" page="2"bStupid users are lost in the virtual worldbr/ /bThe single experience nearly every tech worker shares is that, at some point in their career, they've had to deal with a href="http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/04/13/77021_16FEusergoofs_1.html" class="regularArticleU"stupid users/a, a href="http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/05/07/19FEuserintro_1.html" class="regularArticleU"more stupid users/a, and a href="http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/06/16/25FE-stupid-users-part-3-admins_1.html" class="regularArticleU"even more stupid users/a. These users rarely respect the unsung tech worker -- and PC games can provide an opportunity for a little payback./pp class="ArticleBody" page="2"Let's face it: There's a tinge of happiness when one of these smug users creeps around the corner and right into your sniper crosshairs. It's your "Call of Duty" to put the poor sap out of his misery. Even better, the next day you can chuckle at him in the cafeteria line./pp class="ArticleBody" page="2"Indeed, users should thank techies for creating an industry of sophisticated games. When users look at a game screen, they probably wouldn't notice poorly overlapping 3-D images if a Hammer of Judgment hit them over the head./pp class="ArticleBody" page="2"But best-selling games such as "Fallout 3" don't have shoddy graphics rendering or crude artificial intelligence because "top game developers know their work will be scrutinized by trained eyes," explains Jones. "You can't fool them."/pp class="ArticleBody" page="2"bSolving problems with bloody executionbr/ /bMany tech workers are fervent problem solvers. Some are strategic, some tactical. Some solve problems through reverse engineering, others by invention, and a few by sheer luck. PC games play smartly into the many aspects of this problem-solving passion./pp class="ArticleBody" page="2"In "a href="http://www.gamepro.com/games/pc/109782/civilization-iv/" target="_blank" class="regularArticleU"Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword/a," a player spends days, weeks, or maybe months shaping a civilization from the beginning of time to the modern era. The goal is to emerge as the leader, and there's not just one solution or path to success. "It's the ultimate problem-solving experience," Jones says, "and epitomizes the mind frame of the tech worker."/pp class="ArticleBody" page="2"Of course, many tech workers don't have weeks or even hours to solve a problem. That's where "StarCraft" i/comes in. In this game, you're a military leader of an alien species. The game calls for quick thinking and some serious team management during short missions./pp class="ArticleBody" page="2""StarCraft" perhaps best mirrors the challenges and successes of life in IT. "'StarCraft' i/is firefighting," says Jones. "Things are crumbling, and you have to figure out how to fix it in 25 minutes. It's the nature of IT work." (FYI, "a href="http://www.gamepro.com/games/pc/131341/starcraft-ii/" target="_blank" class="regularArticleU"StarCraft II/a" is planned for release next year.)/pp class="ArticleBody" page="2"bPerfect PC games for ITbr/ /bOK, now that it's clear why techies and gaming go so well together, which games are the ideal fit for IT? InfoWorld has picked the ideal game for six kinds of tech staffers. Check them out in our a href="http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/2008/12/188-infoworld_s_per-1.html" class="regularArticleU""Perfect techie games" slideshow/a./p/divbr style=clear: both;/ a href=http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=efb778efbd7d728fdea775b87bbdd901p=1img alt= style=border: 0; border=0 src=http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=efb778efbd7d728fdea775b87bbdd901p=1//a img src=http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=efb778efbd7d728fdea775b87bbdd901 style=display: none; border=0 height=1 width=1 alt=/

Quote: Based on the story of multi award-winning million-selling PC role-playing game The Witcher and completely rebuilt pixel by pixel for the new generation of consoles, The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf brings the unrivalled RPG experience to Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 with a brand new combat system for thrilling dynamic action, and a new engine delivering matchless state-of-the-art visuals. The game is underpinned with the evocative and enthralling story which helped secure the original game's status as PC role-playing game of 2007, based on the mature and compelling universe created by renowned Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski.

"The creative vision and dedication to the quality of the player experience that CD Projekt RED bring to the Witcher games is extraordinary, and it's great to be working with them to bring the Witcher universe to console gamers," said Phil Harrison, President of Infogrames Entertainment, the parent company of Atari. "Taking this brilliantly realised world to PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360 gamers for the first time is a breakthrough in the development of this important franchise."

"We're thrilled to continue our great relationship with Atari, whose refreshing focus on quality fits squarely with our own, to bring Geralt and the Witcher franchise to an even larger audience - fans who expressed to us very clearly that The Witcher would be a natural fit on consoles," said Adam Kicinski, CEO, CD Projekt RED. "Console gamers' tastes are maturing; they're looking for deeper story-driven experiences that are very hard to find in today's console market. We're developing this remake based upon the compelling narrative that helped The Witcher on PC sell more than a million copies and win more than 100 awards, building everything else from the ground up to be the definitive console RPG."

Based on the universe created by best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf puts players in the role of Geralt, a professional monster slayer who exists on the fringes of a complex society troubled by the kind of problems more commonly found on the front pages of newspapers than in a fantasy universe. Taken as a child, mutated, and trained in the arcane ways of the witchers, Geralt is a reluctant hero, who nonetheless finds himself all too frequently in the heat of battles that are not his own. In this world there is no right or wrong, only decisions and consequences.

With The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf, the best PC RPG in recent years is being completely remade as the ultimate console RPG. The title is being developed by a core team from CD Projekt RED working alongside France-based Widescreen Games who provide their cross-platform DaVinci engine technology. For more information about The Witcher visit www.thewitcher.com and for more details about Atari's entire product line up visit www.atari.com.

NetDragon Websoft Inc. , one of the leading online game developers and operators in China, together with The Walt Disney Company's Interactive Media Group today announced their first Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) "Disney Fantasy Online" will be launched in Spring 2009. This fun and dynamic game is set to be the most highly anticipated game for the season.

Gamers of "Disney Fantasy Online" are immersed in a uniquely Disney-themed central world, created based on themes of magic, adventure and romance with non-playing Disney character hosts such as Mickey and Friends, preparing and training the gamers for the vast adventures that lie ahead. As gamers explore, complete quests, and level-up, they have the opportunity to acquire virtual items to personalize the gaming experience and enable them to explore additional worlds more extensively. Expansion packs with new adventures and maps will be constantly added to the game, providing endless opportunities for gamers to uncover new content and secrets.

"Disney is committed to providing gamers in China with the ultimate digital entertainment destination. Our characters and stories endure across generations, platforms and now immersive online experiences," said Mr. Stanley Cheung, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Walt Disney Greater China. "We are very pleased to be cooperating with NetDragon, to create a unique, fun, and brand-new entertainment experience for gamers".

Key game features include:
-- Gamers will explore vast fantastic lands, and can show off their skills
in turn-based battle mode
-- Fully customizable player avatars, premium accessories, and other in-
game items
-- Players will be able to "raise" Disney-themed companions or "Pets"
throughout the game. Companions can be won, purchased, and/or
discovered and will have various attributes that enhance the gaming
experience. Companions are expected to be nurtured and will grow and
mature through game play
-- Players can build their virtual castles within the game world, which
will act as the player's virtual personal space. These virtual castles
can be upgraded, assembled, traded, and shared
-- Leveling-up, team-play, raising companions, and building virtual
castles provide endless gameplay and community activities

NetDragon, renowned for its leadership in online gaming development and operating experience, is responsible for developing "Disney Fantasy Online". The Game consists of many virtual worlds based on some of Disney's most famous stories, providing an exciting environment for endless adventure.

Mr. Liu Luyuan, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of NetDragon said, "We have 9 years of rich experience in online game development, and operations in multiple international markets. Creating and sharing great entertainment experiences are common objectives of NetDragon and Disney. I'm very excited about being able to work with Disney's rich content to develop this exciting game".

"We assigned the best creative and production teams to this project and the end result is the creation of a totally unique gaming experience around unique stories that will delight gamers," said Mr. Liu Luyuan.