Hey there everyone, welcome back to Pixelkin’s family gaming news. The PlayStation 4 got a huge update on March 25th, including a change that’ll make it way easier for families to game. Thanks to the Yukimura update, the PS4 can now bounce back from rest mode super fast, meaning you can step away from the game without losing your progress. This is gonna be a lifesaver for parents with young kids, as well as parents who hear “but I have to get to the next save point!” over…and over…and over again. There are some other changes as well; find out what they are here.
When I was at PAX East I got to interview two AWESOME participants in Girls Make Games, a summer program that teaches art, programming, and game design. The program has a ton of locations this summer and they’re accepting applications right now, but before you sign up check out what Evan and Samantha learned in this video interview. They raised a ton of money on Kickstarter to finish their game, The Hole Story, and it was on display at PAX East.
Satoru Iwata, the CEO of Nintendo, has spoken about potential payment models for the upcoming Nintendo mobile games, saying that he doesn’t want to jeopardize the trust that Nintendo has built with customers over the years. He said that free-to-play is a misleading name, and that apps that have paywalls can more accurately be described as “free to start.” Zing! Still no solid details on how we’ll pay for Nintendo’s apps in the future, but this is nice to hear.
Johann Sebastian Joust is a minigame that will get you away from your TV screen and attacking your friends! I mean, you use PlayStation Move controllers and try to keep them level while getting your opponents to fail. It’s one of Andy Robertson’s favorite games, and he wrote about what it’s like to take Johann Sebastian Joust out in public. Up to seven people can play JSJ together, which makes quite the spectacle when you’re playing it at the park. Check out that editorial here.
If you’re in Seattle come see Pixelkin at Emerald City Comicon! We’ll be tabling all weekend, giving away stickers and t-shirts, and on Sunday we have two, yeah TWO panels—one on getting your kids started making games, and another on why videos can be great for kids to play. Check us out if you’re in town.
Finally, Steven Spielberg is set to direct the film adaptation of Ready Player One, a famous dystopian novel about virtual worlds. What do you think, is Ready Player One ready to be translated into film? Let us know in the comments, and then immediately subscribe to this channel to stay current with all your gaming news.
