Windows XP Game Advisor Discussed
Thanks to GameSpy for their 'Biz Buzz' summary discussing the recent launch of Microsoft's web-based Windows XP Game Advisor. The Game Advisor site, "created in conjunction with Futuremark, the makers of the 3DMark 3D game benchmark utility, takes the user's answers to questions regarding age range and preferred game genre, then returns a list of recent games (along with gameplay information) that might interest the user." As for the motivation behind this service, a Microsoft spokesperson "...noted that it's not a profit center for Microsoft - it doesn't charge publishers to list their games in the Advisor database... [and] equates it to the company's DirectX API bundle, which doesn't get revenue from users nor publishers, but if, by regularly improving and enhancing and promoting it, another computer with Windows is sold, Microsoft then earns some revenue, albeit indirectly."
Surprisingly, the site does not seem to work with Mozilla Firebird. I opened it and the button to start the test does not even appear in Firebird. I know this is a big shock to us all. Microsoft not playing nice with competitors? That's umpossible!
http://www.popularculturegaming.com -- my blog about the culture of videogame players