Pros and Cons of Fiberglass Paddle Boards and Bamboo SUP Boards

Are you confused about evaluating fiberglass paddle boards and bamboo SUP boards? The following information will help you understand the pros and cons of these types of boards.

Pros of fiberglass boards

* Fiberglass SUP boards are durable. They can withstand the pressure from high-velocity waves. Fiberglass is a highly durable material.

* Fiberglass is light and durable. The lightweight structure of fiberglass SUP boards helps you navigate any kind of tide. You can also carry these boards around. Remember to choose a fiberglass SUP board that is appropriate for your height and weight.

Cons of fiberglass boards

* Fiberglass paddle boards are not environment friendly. They are also more expensive than bamboo SUP boards.

* These types of boards may develop dents or dings. You must cover the board with a special enclosure to protect it from chipping. You can't afford to let a chip, ding, dent or a crack linger.

* Strong sunlight is understood to have a negative impact on fiberglass. It takes away the sheen from the board. It also weakens the molecular structure of fiberglass. So you should always place your fiberglass SUP board in the shade.

Pros of bamboo standup paddle boards

* Bamboo SUP boards are lightweight and durable - similar to fiberglass paddle boards. They are inexpensive when compared to fiberglass SUP boards. Bamboo is a fast growing grass. It is easy to procure bamboo as a raw material.


* Bamboo is an all-weather material. It can withstand rain, sunshine, and cold weather. So you need not worry about your bamboo paddle board disintegrating due to environmental factors.

* If you are an environmentally conscious person, then buying a bamboo paddle board is an ideal thing to do. Bamboo can be safely recycled and does not release harmful chemicals. Furthermore, it is a sustainable material that is readily available and perfectly suited for SUP manufacture.

* Bamboo SUP boards, if manufactured properly can be harder than some of the hardest woods. A bamboo paddle board can be made to be ten times stronger than fiberglass paddle boards.

Cons of bamboo boards

There are no real disadvantages of bamboo paddle boards.

Conclusion

Whatever type of board you choose, it is important to buy it from a good SUP board manufacturer such as Elixir Board Co. (www.elixirboardco.com). Visit this site to browse through a collection of quality SUP boards. Additionally, place an order online and get delivery of your paddle board for an affordable flat rate. Elixir is one of the most reputed names in SUP boards.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1439731/pros-and-cons-of-fiberglass-paddle-boards-and-bamboo-sup-boards.htm

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Why are we stuck with games being released on a Friday? ? Articles ...

For as long as most folk remember, games have launched on Fridays in the UK and on Tuesday in the US. That's the way of things. Sometimes they converge for a glitzy worldwide launch but mostly they don't - they stick to the norm, and Europeans wait.

But why? Who decided on Friday, and who decided on Tuesday? If some games can be released on a Tuesday worldwide why can't all games be? More pertinently, why do we stick to the same rules for downloadable games? If everyone can buy and pre-install a game on Steam at the same time, why can't they play at the same time - why must someone in the UK wait until Friday but someone in the US can play from Tuesday?

Where do all these rules come from and, more to the point, can they be changed?

How UK Fridays began

In the olden golden days of home computers, there was chaos. Games came from everywhere in the '80s and shops flung them on shelves whenever they turned up. "It was just release whenever you could," recalls Andy Payne, a veteran of the UK industry. "Stuff would release every single day." Even the bigger shop-chains in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras joined the scrum, buying stock from wholesalers, amassing it at warehouses then racing it out to stores to go on shelves "as quickly as you bloody could".

That's what Graeme Struthers tells me, and he should know: he was a games buyer for Dixons Stores Group (Currys, Dixons, PCWorld) at the time. "And we were by far the biggest retailer for 16-bit," he - wait, was he boasting?

Big operators like Dixons weren't happy. They had order for other goods in their stores and they advertised them in newspapers on Fridays and Saturdays. The prospect of stock turning up late and missing the weekend wasn't a good one, so the big shops did something about it.

"Dixons basically started sitting down with the supply chain and saying, 'If you release products on a Friday that means we can include it in our advertising; that means we can promote you.' It's carrot and stick," Graeme Struthers explains. "I wouldn't say that Dixons were the company that made it Fridays, but it was the retail chains that said having product just turning up ad hoc is useless; having product that's got a defined release date means we can all orientate our distribution to get it into all of our shops for a Friday so that we've got the weekend business.

"It was basically retail bringing order to a very chaotic supply chain. Within about six to eight months, everyone was selling things on a Friday. It was very quick to reach that agreement and understanding."

"It was basically retail bringing order to a very chaotic supply chain. Within about six to eight months, everyone was selling things on a Friday.

Graeme Struthers

Dorian Bloch has been researching UK game sales for over 20 years, for some reason. He too remembers that Friday pact made between shops, ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) - now UKIE (Association for UK Interactive Entertainment) - and his company Gallup (now GfK Chart-Track). "The theory was that this was a clear differentiator to music/video releases on Mondays and gave retailers another window of sales opportunity and some great products to sell for the weekend, also giving publishers a clear and unique window in which to release titles," Bloch recalls.

They weren't enforced, those release dates - there weren't any penalties like there were for music. "It was just good for the industry as it brings a bit of order to something," Struthers shrugs, "and everyone seemed to be happy with it for quite a number of years."

Having no proper penalties did have downsides of course, especially as there were many more shops, each wanting to one-up the other. What would you do if stock turned up early one week, on a Wednesday or Thursday, and you had other shops within a stone's throw to compete with?

"Put temptation in front of people and guess what happens..." Payne rolls his eyes. But routine helped, and the cogs of the giant retail machine were soon well oiled and efficient. "Having worked in retail," says Struthers, "if you've got 600 shops, and you've got staff who do lots and lots of things, if there is no routine, if there is no process, the chances of it happening become lessened. If you just say 'hey this week the release date is a Monday', chances are: less compliance."

Friday was really cemented for the UK when home consoles boomed and home-grown games petered out, and when platform holders strode onto the scene. Not so much the NES or the Master System or even the SNES: it was the Mega Drive that went "absolutely bat s**t mental", recalls Graeme Struthers.

By the sounds of things, so too did Sega, flinging adverts all over papers and television, and doing "some amazing quite daring marketing", all the time reinforcing Friday, Friday, Friday. "When I was a kid I knew when I went to the record shop on Tuesday at 4 o'clock that's when all the new singles would be out," he remembers. "I guess there's kids out there who know you go into a shop on a Friday you're going to find what's been released."

And so Fridays came to pass, and so Fridays have remained. That model has stuck for a quarter of a century and today "it's virtually the same as it was" says Don McCabe, who established games shop Chipsworld/Chips in 1986. "They [the games] come in brown boxes, you unpack them, you put them on your system and you put them on your shelf."

That Friday feeling

There's no denying it: one feels a trifle jollier on a Friday than on any other day of the week, presuming you slog nine-to-five or study. But why does that make Friday a good shopping day - why did shops pick it?

"Well Friday inherently was always pay day," Don McCabe begins. "You put the products out in front of customers when it's pay day. That's how it started off years and years and years ago - 26 years ago - everybody got paid at the end of the working week. It made perfect sense to put the product out on the day they had money in their pocket."

"What's the best day to create a buzz - Monday morning?" Andy Payne rhetorically asks. "I would say that Friday is still, if you're going to pick a day, probably the best day, because it's getting towards the weekend when people have more time on their hands and they've got more time to play games."

"If you go out yourself on a Monday or Tuesday into retailers you'll find they tend to be tidying their shops up, putting new displays in place and taking down point-of-sale because they have no customers," adds Graeme Struthers. "We're at work, we're doing other things."

There are practical considerations, too. "Friday gives you a whole week to prepare, get that stock ready in your stores," explains HMV games manager Andy Pinder, a man with 20 years of retail experience, most of it at GAME. "Whereas if you're trying to launch on a Monday or Tuesday, you're relying on things being delivered on a weekend, which doesn't necessarily always go smoothly.

"I like Fridays, Fridays feel right; I've worked my arse off all week and I can fully justify kick-back gaming time."

Rich Eddy

"You've got the whole of that week in which to generate pre-awareness, not so much amongst the core shoppers but for your more casual shopper; there's an opportunity to get that buzz building over the week, climaxing on the Friday, then you go into the weekend when people can buy it, play it, enjoy it.

"The arguments for a Friday release are actually quite compelling," he goes on, "particularly given that music and film is currently releasing on a Monday. It means games have got that day all to themselves. From a retail point of view they get much better stand-out, it's more of an event when you reach a big release and it's out on a Friday. Retailers can make more of a fuss out of it."

"Any retailer in the western world will tell you that the vast majority of your sales will occur Thursday through to Sunday," Struthers chimes in, explaining that Thursday is when the state traditionally pays its workers, the teachers and police and nurses of the world. "If you're a retailer you do something like 60 per cent of your business Friday to Sunday."

Codemasters' long-time director of communications Rich Eddy puts it more bluntly: "I like Fridays, Fridays feel right; I've worked my arse off all week and I can fully justify kick-back gaming time."

Friday releases also helped people think of games as "an acceptable part of the weekend entertainment make-up", Eddy adds, and charts stories on Monday about opening weekend sales made snappy, movie-like headlines. Bombastic weekend launches might have helped publishers fight piracy too, suggests Andy Payne, by flogging as many copies as humanly possible before the inevitable knock-offs circulated.

If Friday is so great, why did America pick Tuesday?

"It started with music," famed US video game analyst Michael Pachter informs me, "then VHS tapes and DVDs. Retailers were very slow to stock shelves, so distributors asked for entertainment products to release on Tuesday so retailers could have them in stores by Friday when consumer traffic picks up.

The early game publishers used music and movie distributors, and games were shipped" - hence the "shipping to stores" hangover we have now - "to the distributors on Tuesday along with CDs, VHS tapes and DVDs. The distributors then sent a single truck to the retailer with a variety of different entertainment products and the retailers put everything on the shelves Tuesday."

It wasn't so much a case of picking a Tuesday as being lumped with it, and one doesn't simply change the US distribution model.

"Retailers were very slow to stock shelves, so distributors asked for entertainment products to release on Tuesday so retailers could have them in stores by Friday when consumer traffic picks up."

Michael Pachter

"To understand US logistics," Graeme Struthers says, "think of pushing stock out to the corners of Europe, up to the icy climbs of Finland and down to the toe of the boot of Italy. It becomes less a street date issue and more of simply filling distribution channels with stock to achieve everyone getting the product at roughly the same time."

He once worked for Take-Two and was invited to see the warehouse of Take-Two's American distribution company. "OK, it's a big building..." he says. "But when I went in there I was bemused because this place? Its scale was ridiculous. It was full of TVs, Hi-Fis, washing machines, video games, video game consoles. So then I understood that these trucks that are going out to these different points are not just taking a copy of Halo 4, they're taking a huge variety of product, and economically I guess it makes sense: to cover those distances you have to do many things."

That's not to say there aren't benefits to launching on a Tuesday. Shelves can be restocked for the weekend if needs be, for instance, and boring Tuesday is transformed into exciting new game Tuesday, and shops make more money as a result.

Publishers have their own distributors now for games, but Tuesday has embedded itself as the US day to sell games.

Coming together

Global launches already happen, particularly for Blizzard games; World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria arrived in shops across the US, Canada, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil on the same day!

More commonly, a global launch means a simultaneous US and European launch (I don't know enough about Middle-Eastern, Asian, Australian or African dates to speak with any authority, unfortunately). Just this week we've had Hitman: Absolution (Tuesday 20th), and last week we had Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Tuesday 13th). A week before that we had Halo 4 (Tuesday 6th). What's more, the number of Tuesday launches in the UK is sharply on the rise.

There will be 18 different games released on a Tuesday this year, GfK Chart-Track's Dorian Bloch informs me. Last year there were 11, and the year before, eight. But in 2009 there were only two: Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3: ODST. There were three in 2008: LittleBigPlanet (on a Wednesday!), World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and Grand Theft Auto 4. And there were two in 2007: Halo 3 (on a Wednesday!) and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. But in 2006 there were none. And in 2005 there were also none. And in 2004 there were none again. I mean, I could go on - all the way back to 1993. Nothing, nadda, zilch.

"The first notable Tuesday release was Sega's Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for Mega Drive back on 24th November 1992," Dorian Bloch enlightens me - and that day Sega dubbed "Sonic 2sday". "This was followed in 1993 by the first multi-format event release for Acclaim's Mortal Kombat on Mortal Monday (13/09/93) on Mega Drive, SNES, Game Boy, Game Gear and Master System," he goes on. "However, the practice went out of fashion and 'event' titles released outside of Friday in the modern era essentially began again as of 2007 with World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade."

"The first notable Tuesday release was Sega's Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for Mega Drive back on 24th November 1992."

Dorian Bloch

We often refer to them as midnight launches because they tend to involve crowds queuing on Monday to buy the game at a minute past midnight on Tuesday morning. These midweek midnight launches upset the usual way of things, yet they're accepted all the same. That's because they benefit the machine.

Shops like them because they get to make a song and dance out of the whole event and flog a load of copies of - and merchandise for - what is probably a very popular game on a very unpopular day of the week. If you're selected as the official launch partner it's even better, HMV's Andy Pinder assures me. Publishers like them because they make their games stand out from the crowd. They also get a full week of sales for the chart. And you lot must like them otherwise why else would you stand for hours outside on the cold November night?

But as midweek launches increase in frequency, piled on top of the existing Friday schedule, they can cause problems. Shops lose track of what goes when, particularly outlets like Asda or Argos whose staff typically don't know as much about games, and where catalogues are vast and varied. When stock for a Tuesday arrives in the regular delivery cycle on Wednesday or Thursday the week beforehand... That's when accidents happen. "I'm getting double release dates every week," winces Chips' Don McCabe. "I'm having to tell the staff, 'No you can't sell this before this date, no you can't come out before that date.' 'Oh I thought we couldn't sell it yet?' 'Yes, yes: sell it!'..."

"What I want is a consistent release date," he pleads. "What I don't like is the current situation where some games are released on a Friday and some games are released on a Tuesday. I would be happy to switch to a Tuesday as long as it became common, the norm."

Nevertheless, the UK retail machine can clearly handle a Tuesday launch, so why can't we do it more often, or even move entirely to it?

"We probably can," says Andy Payne. "I don't see a reason why we can't. I see no reason why anything can't be moved, frankly. There's no reason why all games shouldn't be sold on the same day, there's no reason it shouldn't happen. But there's always reasons that will get in the way of that happening." Those reasons being a mixture of self-interest, logistical and "no-one ever thought of it".

"You'd have a lot fewer people skiving off college or skiving off work if a game's released on a Friday than if it was released on a Tuesday."

Paul Sulyok

Tick HMV off under self-interest. HMV likes Fridays, and you can bet your pay packet that GAME and probably supermarkets feel the same way too. "I don't see why we should move to meet [Tuesdays] because that would actually diminish our prospects of maximising interest and sales," Andy Pinder puffs. "There's a strong case for a Friday that's been built up over time, and if anyone's looking to move and accommodate, it could well be that the rest of the world's markets should actually synch with UK and European releases which typically now tend to be on a Friday."

"You'd have a lot fewer people skiving off college or skiving off work if a game's released on a Friday than if it was released on a Tuesday," nods Paul Sulyok, CEO of download service Green Man Gaming.

But not everyone releases games on a Tuesday in North America. One of the biggest players of all, Nintendo, opts for Sunday launches and has for some time (mm, Sunday launches). The Wii U was the most recent of these, arriving Sunday, 18th November.

Tuesday is usually the day, though, and it simply won't budge. "US Tuesdays are unmovable," states Codemasters' Rich Eddy, very matter of fact - I get the impression he's been on the abrupt end of an enquiry about their manoeuvrability before. It's much easier to have the teensy UK and most of Europe fall in line with the gigantic US than vice versa. Also, imagine trying to convince a US-based company to favour another market above theirs, because that's effectively how it would be seen. Not only is there national pride to consider, there's also the size of the market: the US dominates approximately 40 per cent of boxed product video games sales worldwide, Dorian Bloch tells me. Europe accounts for 36 per cent, and the UK 30 per cent of that. On this table, the US holds most of the chips.

None of that matters on Steam, does it?

"Gaming's a global business these days and consumers of games are global," announces Green Man Gaming's Paul Sulyok. "It's a bit unfair if gamer-one and gamer-two are members of the same gaming community yet one's played the game for three days and is chatting about it on the forums and the next one is saying 'well I haven't got my copy yet, it's not live in my country'."

"If you're part of a clan and you're working together and you're excluded: that's wrong," declares Andy Payne. "It's going to fragment, and gamers don't want to be fragmented; they don't care much about borders, they care about the game and they care about their mates."

Sulyok continues: "Any gamer will tell you, if they're active in a community, that they've got mates who are in Russia, in the US, in Canada, in Australia, because that's just the gaming community and how the gaming community operates."

Community is the key word: the games with the strongest communities are those most likely to launch simultaneously around the world, not least because there would be pandemonium if they didn't. Case in point, Football Manager 2013, which launched globally on Steam at 00.01 GMT Friday, 2nd November.

"In the digital age, this will be first year that we've actually completely held our release date," Miles Jacobson from Sports Interactive tells me, at the time, hours before launch. "Even last year, which was the first year through Steam, we ended up going live at about eight or nine o'clock in the evening. This year we've said from the outset it will be released at 00.01 GMT on November 2nd and that's the time it will be coming and I'll be the person pushing the button."

Pressing that button, incidentally, was as tricky as having an MSN Messenger conversation with his production team at SI and a couple of people at Steam. Steam then asks if he's ready to go and he says yes and they press go. There's no actual big red button for Jacobson to press, although there is for patches, apparently. Football Manager 2013's launch was both unusual and exciting because it revolved around a Friday and the UK. Mind you it was developed in the UK, and SEGA America didn't resist "because they can't give away Football Manager", Graeme Struthers quips.

"...gamers don't want to be fragmented; they don't care much about borders, they care about the game and they care about their mates."

Andy Payne

"Digital distribution obviously offers more freedom," Rich Eddy from Codemasters accepts, but says as long as there are boxed counterparts for sale in shops then regional release dates will come into play. "It is the model that makes it fair to both digital and physical distribution partners," he stresses. In other words, don't piss off the shops - it's probably hard enough getting shelf space for boxed PC games as it is.

"Those kind of things do come into play," Graeme Struthers nods. "If I was back in my retail days and I was sitting there and I was prepared to give you a purchase order for stock and you said, 'You know we're going to sell this three days before you get it into your shop...'" he trails off. "Yeah, thanks," he quips sarcastically, "why don't you have some more of my cash." I spoke anonymously to someone from a major publisher who reinforced not-pissing-off-shops as a major reason for all this.

Don't be hoodwinked by the notion that boxed sales of PC games have disappeared, either. Another contact tells me boxed and download PC sales only reached parity in July this year in the UK, so boxed sales are still significant enough to matter. And in southern Europe and South America there's "a large portion" of PC games sold on discs, Green Man Gaming's Paul Sulyok says.

1

Dishonored launched on Tuesday 9th October in the US and Friday 12th October in the UK. UK Steam users watched their American cousins play the game while it sat on their accounts pre-loaded.

That digital freedom is caged further by multi-platform marketing campaigns. If your game is Dishonored and it's on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, you want people to remember one thing: the release date. Watering that message down with different dates for different versions could ruin it all. "I wouldn't separate digital and physical," Paul Sulyok tells me. "You can't just look at the digital distribution element in isolation. If you're going to pay money for a poster or you're going to pay money for a bus stop, you want to make sure that a console gamer and a PC gamer - or whatever platform customers decide to consume that game on - that all of those different stock keeping units are available at the same time."

There are other more boring issues hampering downloadable release date synchronisation. Simple technical issues like dealing with lots of day-one DLC or wanting to staggering load for bandwidth purposes; localisation concerns such as translation or regional age ratings. Germany is particularly tough on blood in games, and publishers might hold up launches in other territories so Germans don't shop elsewhere. "It can sometimes be really, really boring admin issues with age ratings," says Graeme Struthers knowingly - he who helped found Get Games. "Some of that stuff can slow you down."

Speakers, in order of appearance

Andy Payne OBE, owner and MD of Mastertronic, an independent boxed publisher and distributor that's been around since 2004. He's chairman of publisher collective trade body UKIE. He started PC sim specialist Just Flight. Chairman of GamesAid. Founder of Get Games. Member of the BAFTA Games Committee. CEO of digital (mostly mobile) publisher AppyNation (Fluid Football). Where does he find the time? Like Graeme, who he works with at Get Games, Andy is well positioned to comment on all areas of this topic.

Graeme Struthers was, for 10 years between 1984 and 1994, a video games buyer at Dixons Stores Group (Dixons, Currys, PC World). He managed all supplier negotiations and contracts. In other words, it's his specialist subject. He went on to work at Virgin Interactive, EA and Take-Two. Now he's back in small-scale digital publishing at Devolver Digital - responsible for the brilliant Hotline Miami - and digital distribution at Get Games. In other words, he fits the bill for this investigation in plenty of ways. And he's a jolly nice chap. His Devolver cards credit him as a "distinguished gentleman" which in reality means he does the production management. He's a project manager at Get Games.

Dorian Bloch has over 20 years experience researching video games sales in the UK. He's been business group director at Chart-Track now GfK Chart-Track for a mere 16 years. Come on Dorian pull your socks up.

Don McCabe is joint MD of independent video game shop chain Chips, and has been since time began - well, since June 1986, more than 26 years ago.

Andy Pinder has only been at HMV for three months, but worked for 12 years and 8 months at GAME Group before that. His history in UK video games retail stretches all the way back to being a sales assistant at Just Micro Computer Games in 1989.

Rich Eddy was an editor for Newsfield publications (Zzap!64, Crash) before joining Codemasters in 1991, where he now directs all things communication. He's also an award winning gardener.

Michael Pachter is the most famous video games analyst on the planet, whatever you think of him. He gives advice to the myriad sales team at investment company Wedbush Morgan.

Paul Sulyok has been CEO of download service Green Man for three years and six months and CEO of Playfire for five months before - the company bought by Green Man Gaming. Sulyok was also a captain in the British Army for six years, which is of no relevance to this piece.

Miles Jacobson OBE is studio director of Sports Interactive. He worked in music A&R before games. He joined SI as a tester but quickly showed his business acumen and became business advisor. He became part-time MD in 1999 before becoming full-time in 2001. He's one of the co-founders of GamesAid and vice-president of Special Effect. He was on the BAFTA Games Committee for six years.

Special thanks to them and the anonymous others who helped with this piece.

There's also tax and the "outdated" laws that don't transition online where there are no physical borders, Andy Payne adds. "And what happens when people find it difficult is they start making rules up," he tells me, "simplistic rules that seem like they're the right thing to do; but in the context of future-proofing they don't work." They might try and limit a UK-based download shop to selling to UK customers, for example. "'Oh OK," says Payne, sarcastically, "so we're an online business and we're only allowed to sell in the UK....'" He reveals that his Get Games business signed content deals that "restricted what we can and can't sell".

"There are so many things going on in the background," reiterates Paul Sulyok. "Yes you could have a global unlock, however there is a bigger picture that needs a bit more consideration."

So where do we stand, part 1: will boxed dates unify?

Only if we can convince the entire establishment it's worth the upheaval of change. "That long term established process has seen the many, many, manufactures, packers, distributors, logistics companies, warehousing, to-store-deliveries, work their systems around the end result of a game on a shelf on a Friday," stresses Rich Eddy, voice of the publisher. "To change that would take a unilateral acceptance that there is a need to change across all sectors involved in production and logistics - it's a way bigger consideration than just publishers' desire to change."

"Across the board no, it's unlikely," Andy Payne adds. "I can't see the absolute case for doing it. It'll be tough to see the whole industry rallying behind one worldwide release date.

"It's a free world," he shrugs, "it's not impossible that you'd have the two biggest games of the year going out on the same day and one of those game makers will turn around and say, 'Actually we're not doing that. We don't want to go out on the same day as those guys, we'll pick a different day and to be different we're going to say we've got FIFA Thursday or whatever it may be.'

"You're always trying to get attention for your game, and if all the media are geared up to a day of the week then they kind of fall asleep for the rest of the week. It's a free market out there and people are going to use every advantage they can to make the best of their game - and more power to that."

So where do we stand, part 2: will download dates unify?

"We shouldn't be talking about regional release dates for core games we download onto our PCs," Graeme Struthers sates flatly. "That should stop. It should stop now. It certainly shouldn't be around next year.

"Yes, it will change," he adds, "because the retail box business is going away. I can't think of any other reason why you would hold it back."

"We can all see where this going," Andy Payne agrees, "but it's not going to go as fast or as direct as theorists or economists or analysts might say; you've got vested interests, it's as simple as that." The "inexorable" tipping point he believes will come when the EAs, the Take-Twos, the Activisions, the Bethesdas, the Ubisofts decide its in the best interests of their businesses to leave boxed sales behind. Although don't expect boxed sales to disappear entirely, cautions Struthers - expect them stick around like vinyl has "after its demise has been celebrated so many times".

Bear in mind, too, that unified dates might not suit all games, and some companies might not need or want them. "If PopCap want to release the next version of Peggle and they want to stagger the release for whatever reason, I don't think it makes a big deal, no disrespect," Andy Payne points out. "It doesn't matter as much as if you're on Warcraft or Rift or League or Legends or something like that."

"Our preference would be for there to be one single unlock day for a product," Paul Sulyok pipes up. "You're going to see it in the very near future. The games industry is an industry that evolves and adapts very quickly to changes in consumer requirements. If there's consumer pressure to go for one single launch, the industry will recognise that and will cater for it."

"This is a problem that will disappear as more and more people - and guys like yourself - are using their voice."

Graeme Struthers

Graeme Struthers agrees: "This is a problem that will disappear as more and more people - and guys like yourself - are using their voice and saying that if a game's coming out on a digital platform like Steam and it's released on this day and I've got it, I've pre-ordered it, I've pre-installed it, it's a nonsense, it's a fundamental nonsense that it's not available for me to play.

"It's like giving kids a Christmas present on the 25th and saying, 'Can you f*** off and come back on the 28th? You can look at it, you can't f***ing touch it.'"

So what have I learned? That despite the ubiquitous appearance of the internet, underneath is a world of different cultures that for a quarter of a century have honed their methods for delivering games to their people. To change that, to unify that - to convince the myriad cogs of each machine to do things differently - would take a colossal effort as well as one hell of a convincing reason why. "It's not fair my American friend gets to play three days earlier than me" just won't cut it.

In the UK we're lucky because we're geographically small and therefore nimble, so we're able to make exceptions and synchronise with US Tuesday dates. Moving entirely to Tuesdays, though? It doesn't seem to suit the shops that control retail Britain. They like Friday, they like their routine, so they'd block it or make it hard to achieve. Vested interests.

Online, downloadable games are shackled by those decades-old, entrenched boxed-market habits, and will continue to be until the day boxed games pale into insignificance. On PC, that time will come sooner than consoles because of Steam, and because we don't yet know what next-generation masterplans Microsoft and Sony have.

But that "when" also depends on you - so kick up a stink, bray, petition about the Steam version of a game not being available at the same time in the UK (or wherever you live) as in the US. Chances are, if you shout loud enough, appeasing the mob may become a publisher's top priority for business. And when that happens, all other obstructions to a unified launch will seem to miraculously fall away.

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-23-why-are-we-stuck-with-games-being-released-on-a-friday

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what to do with kids in Toronto | yoyomama

toronto-family-events-nov22

Welcome to yoyomama?s weekend guide! Your go-to list of family friendly fun things to do with kids in Toronto and the GTA. It?s also easy to get these event listings in our handy new app, OnTheGoKids, which takes our weekend guide and makes it mobile!

You?ll find all these events and more in our interactive events calendar.

The countdown is on! With the holiday season almost upon us, Christmas crafts sales are popping up all over the city. This week marks the kick off to the annual One of A Kind Show, while tree lighting ceremonies and parades are still happening in communities across the GTA. Be sure to enjoy the festivities and maybe get yourself a special little something while you?re out and about.

One of a Kind Christmas Show and Sale
Thursday, November 22nd ? Sunday, December 2nd, Monday ? Saturday: 10 am ? 9 pm, Sunday: 10am ? 6pm, Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place, 100 Princes? Boulevard, Toronto
Find the perfect gift for that someone special at annual One of A Kind Christmas Show and Sale. From artisan jams to handcraft jewelry, this holiday tradition featuring handmade crafts will have you finding gifts for everyone on your list. Don?t forget to look for some of the unique children toys and outfits: www.oneofakind.com

Holly Berry Fair
Saturday, November 24th, 10 am ? 3 pm, Rosedale United Church, 150 Roxborough Drive, Toronto
Welcome to the Holly Berry Fair, an annual event at Rosedale United Church!? With elevator access to all three floors transformed and decorated for Christmas, patrons will find Christmas shopping for baked goodies, jewellery, and lots of handcrafted items from vendors. You can have lunch or take a break in Fran?s deli located downstairs in ?Copp Hall. Proceeds from past Fairs go to support the work of the church, including local and international outreach: www.rosedaleunited.org

MAP Family Saturdays ? Colborne Lodge
Saturday, November 24th, 10 am ? 11 am, Gerrard/Ashdale Library, 1432 Gerrard Street East, Toronto
Enjoy a real-life adventure story on the high seas, then have fun with Victorian era circle games and toys: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca

Gingerbread House Workshop
Saturday, November 24th & Sunday, November 25th, 11 am, 1 pm or 3 pm, Montgomery Inn, 4709 Dundas Street West at Islington Avenue, Toronto
Bring the family together and spend an afternoon decorating a Gingerbread House. From candy roofs to licorice windows, all the supplies will be provided: www.toronto.ca

The Balloon Tree (pictured)
Saturday November 24th ? Sunday, November 25th, 11 am & 2 pm, Solar Stage Children?s Theatre, 100 Upper Madison Avenue, North York
Join the fun and music while you help Princess Leora and her father, the king, solve a dilemma. The king must go to a tournament and according to tradition he must leave the oldest child in charge of the kingdom. Leora fears that this will change the very happy kingdom. Find out if Leora?s balloons save the day. Ideal for ages 3-10: www.solarstage.on.ca

Annual Wandering Winter Craft Show
Saturday, November 24th ? Sunday, November 25th, 11 am ? 5 pm, The Magic Pony, 680 Queen Street West, Toronto
The Wandering Winter Craft Show is back this holiday season with three show dates and locations in downtown Toronto: The Magic Pony (November 24th ? 25th), The Cameron House (December 1st) and the Gladstone Hotel (December 9th). With over 40 local artists showcasing their unique handmade wares, everything from preserves, to jewellery, to textiles, there?s sure to be something for everyone?s holiday shopping list. Brought to you by Shop Cats ? a Toronto-based craft event company: www.shopcats.ca

SWEA Annual Swedish Christmas Festival
Saturday, November 24th, 11 am ? 5 pm & Sunday November 25th, 11 am ? 4 pm, York Quay Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto
Enjoy the annual traditional Swedish Christmas, with singing, folk dancing, Swedish handmade crafts for sale, Christmas decorations and home-baked goods, as well as imported Swedish food. The Children?s Christmas Workshop allows families to make Swedish crafts, bake gingerbread cookies, and dance around the Christmas tree.? This event is presented by the Toronto Chapter of the Swedish Women?s Educational Association International Inc: www.harbourfrontcentre.com

Christmas Bazaar
Saturday, November 24th, 12:30 pm ? 4 pm, German International School Toronto, 585 Cranbrooke Avenue, Toronto
Do you love the smell of fresh Christmas wreaths and homemade cookies? Have you been wanting to try Gl?hwein, a type of mulled wine? The time has come for you and your family to attend the German International School Annual Christmas Bazaar where you can do your Christmas shopping, have lunch, and enjoy homemade treats: www.gistonline.ca

Buskertainment
Saturday, November 17th ? Sunday, December 23rd, Saturday ? Sunday: Noon ? 2 pm, various locations on Yonge Street, see site for details, Toronto
This holiday tradition, presented by Panera Breads, will have the streets come to life with dynamic buskers who will entertain holiday shoppers.? Visit various locations along Downtown Yonge and see mimes, illusionists, human statues, stilt walkers, balloon artists, and more. All proceeds raised will go to Raising the Roof. Get all Winter Magic details at your fingertips by downloading this free Winter Magic app:? www.wintermagic.ca

Celebrate! Holidays of the Global Village
Saturday, November 24th, 1pm, St. George the Martyr Anglican Church, 197 John Street North, Toronto
Celebrate the best of the season with live music and sounds from around the world. This free holiday concert highlights the customs and festivities enjoyed by people throughout North America. Special guests Shannon Thunderbird, Aviva Chernick, Sultans of String and more will entertain you! Bring a donation for ArtsCan Circle, or a non-perishable donation for Daily Bread Food Bank: www.fiddlefire.com

Adult and Child Wreath-Making Workshop
Saturday, November 24th, 2 pm, Colborne Lodge, South end of High Park on Colborne Lodge Drive, Toronto
Together, adults and children aged 7 ? 10 can make a Christmas wreath that can be hung proudly at home. This 2-hour workshop is a unique opportunity to start the season doing a special family activity in the cosy historic ambience of Colborne Lodge?s 19th-century kitchen. A tour of the decorated parts of the house and light refreshments are included. Pre-registration & pre-payment required: www.toronto.ca

MAP Family Saturdays at Maryvale Branch with the Toronto Zoo
Saturday, November 24th, 2 pm ? 3 pm, Maryvale Public Library, Parkway Mall, 85 Ellesmere Road, Unit 16, Toronto
Polar bears, grizzly bears and soon giant pandas all call the Toronto Zoo their home. Come to the Maryvale Branch and enjoy a picnic while you learn more about what bears eat, where they live, and the games they play. Don?t forget to bring your own wild teddy bear! Free tickets will be given out 30 minutes before the program, which is limited to the first 50 participants: www.torontopubliclibrary

Toons for Toddlers ? The Best of Chuggington
Saturday, November 24th ? Sunday, November 25th, check website for locations and times
Traintastic adventures are in store with the exciting world of Chuggington. Join engines Wilson, Koko and Brewster on their adventures, as they experience fun and excitement on the rails. The Best of Chuggington is a compilation of the best episodes, as voted by viewers. Movies are one hour in length: www.toonsfortoddlers.com

Holiday Brunch
Sunday, November 25th, Seatings: 10:30 am, 11 am, 12:30 pm, 1 pm, Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto
This Holiday Brunch is served in the stately elegance of Toronto?s famous castle and is an event to remember! The Conservatory and Library are spectacular settings for the meal, after which you can enjoy a self-guided tour of the Castle. Full payment is required upon booking (credit card or cash payment), and is non-refundable 10 days prior to date of the brunch. Call Pegasus Hospitality Group for details and reservations at 416.533.1573: www.casaloma.org

Toronto Comicon
Sunday, November 25th, 11 am ? 5 pm, Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street West, Toronto
Toronto Comicon is an excellent local event aimed at comic book lovers of all ages. With tables of comic book retailers, tens of thousands of comic books will be on site for collectors to purchase: www.hobbystar.com

Chess Club
Monday, November 26th, 6:30 pm ? 7:30 pm, Downsview Public Library, 2793 Keele Street, Toronto
Interested in playing chess? This Club is open to beginners and experienced players alike, ages 7-12. Great for improving your concentration and logic skills while making new friends! Tips and techniques are provided as required. Register in person, or call 416.395.5720, or email dokids@torontopubliclibrary.ca: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca

A Roaring Twenties Christmas
Tuesday, November 27th ? Sunday, January 6th, Tuesday ? Friday: Noon ? 4pm, Saturday ? Sunday: Noon ? 5 pm, Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Road, Toronto
Take a trip into an era long ago and learn how Christmas was celebrated at the turn of the century. Celebrate the holidays, 1920s style, at the newly restored Spadina mansion. Holiday admission rates apply: www.toronto.ca

Minute to Win it
Wednesday, November 28th, 3:30 pm ? 4:30 pm, Maria A Shchuka Branch, 1745 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
Get ready. Get Set. Time to Play! Minute to Win it involves fun challenges using household items with only 60 seconds on the clock. There will be prizes on the line. Think you can do it? Registration required 30 minutes before the program at the children?s desk (space is limited). For ages 6-12: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca

Farther Afield:

Streetsville Treelighting Ceremony
Friday, November 23rd, 7pm, Streetsville Village Main Street Square, Mississauga
Spend an evening in Streetsville, a village within the city! Tour the holiday windows, enjoy some of the delicious restaurants, and be sure to watch the traditional lighting of the Streetsville Christmas Tree. Other activities include horse and wagon rides, and of course Santa will be coming to visit. Don?t miss your opportunity to talk to the big man in the red suit: www.villageofstreetsville.com

Streetsville Santa Claus Parade
Sunday, November 25th, 1 pm, Queen Street and Britannia Road in Streetsville, Mississauga
Arrive early for The Mississauga Santa Clause Parade to get a great viewing area along the curbside, as the village is sure to fill up with fans, young and old. With over 75 groups in the parade, you?ll be sure to find a favourite float band or entertainer. Enjoy the flavours of Streetsville; many of the restaurateurs will have their best finger foods out for your taste buds to try. And be sure to write a letter to Santa so you can drop it in the Post Box to Santa Float: www.mississaugasanta.com

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie & Other Stories
Sunday, November 25th, 1 pm, Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Drive, Mississauga
This sparkling musical revue, based on eight delightful children?s stories, will take you on an adventure. Join a little lamb, a boy and a hungry mouse, a kid in a jam and more, as these stories come to life. Good for ages 3 and up: www.livingartscentre.ca

Santa Claus Parade
Sunday, November 25th, parade begins at 1:30 pm, intersection of Yonge Street and Industrial Road, Richmond Hill
Help Santa and his reindeer kick off the holiday season at the annual Richmond Hill Santa Claus Parade. With over 50 colourful floats, marching bands, festive costumes and clowns handing out candy canes to the crowd, this event is sure to be a fun one. Parade is held rain or shine: www.richmondhill.ca

City of Vaughan CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish Toy Drive
Until December 7th, at local community centres, libraries, fire halls and City Hall
The City of Vaughan?s Annual Toy Drive in support of the CP24 Chum Christmas Wish Program has kicked off. Residents, schools and local businesses are invited to take part in this year?s drive by dropping off a new, unwrapped toy for children aged newborn ? 18 years. For locations, please visit the website: www.vaughan.ca

You?ll find all these events and more in our interactive events calendar.

Do you have an event you would like to see in our weekend guide? Then send us your details and we?ll help you get the word out. Looking for a feature listing? Contact Erin, our Director of Sales and Marketing, for more information.

And we wanted to remind you to always call or visit the website for event info before you head out just in case any changes have been made since we posted it. And of course, have fun!

Source: http://www.yoyomama.ca/2012/11/torontoevents-b/

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99% Finding Nemo 3D

All Critics (224) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (234) | Rotten (2) | DVD (48)

A genuinely funny and touching film that, in less than a decade, has established itself as a timeless classic.

It makes even more compelling what is still my all-time favorite Pixar film.

Think of this re-release as an encore, a handy touchstone for you and your kids. "Finding Nemo" was and remains the gold standard against which all other modern animated films are measured, a classic from the day it premiered.

In this seamless blending of technical brilliance and storytelling verve, the Pixar team has made something as marvelously soulful and innately, fluidly American as jazz.

Nemo, with its ravishing underwater fantasia, manages to trump the design glamour of earlier Pixar films.

Detail is what holds your attention from frame to frame: the panorama of soft and hard corals, the different textured sea bottoms, the undulating seaweed, and the schooling sardines that look flashy and real as can be.

I don't exactly worship Pixar, but "Finding Nemo" is truly a great film.

Gill is Platoon's Sgt. Elias if he'd survived Sgt. Barnes' treachery and returned to civilian life weary and hard-bitten from his experiences. And also a fish.

Finding Nemo 3D is a quality post-conversion experience that successfully enhances the 2003 film's original standout visuals.

The 3D gives the images a little more depth but they already had heft and weight. The 3D is a money-making gimmick, nothing more.

A great blend of storytelling and technology.

It's downright curmudgeonly to remain focused on the negatives when the rest of the picture is saturated with invention and wit.

It's bright, it's beautiful and it hasn't aged a day. So why, then, do we need to see it in 3-D?

A rare example of a movie that not only survives its 3-D conversion but benefits from it

It was as funny as I remember and brilliant because it is subtle. It just knocks it out of the park. I love everything about this movie, one of my favorite Pixar movies of all time, 5/5 Schmoes. The new sound/3D adds to the greatness that is Nemo.

If you're fishing for fun in an ocean of movie mediocrity, grab the kids or the grandkids, fork out a few extra bucks and see this one in three-dimensions.

It's a great movie, so much fun, an acheivement that should be enjoyed by children of all ages and worth seeing it in 3D.

Sea-worthy w/enhanced visual lure and rich, humorous characters set in a double narrative; this 3D revisit allows us to fall overboard all over again.

If ever there was a film that wasn't broke, this is it. So naturally they converted it into 3D for a special re-release this weekend. (Stupid irony.)

I believe my sensitivity to certain creative choices of the picture has dulled some, while age has opened my eyes to its complex relationships and tireless sense of exploration.

When the blunt head of Bruce the shark slams into the screen like a hammer, everyone -- adults included -- gasps

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/finding_nemo_3d/

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EU leaders prepare for bitter fight over budget

British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with journalists as he arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. EU leaders begin what is expected to be a marathon summit on the budget for the years 2014-2020. The meeting could last through Saturday and break up with no result and lots of finger-pointing. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with journalists as he arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. EU leaders begin what is expected to be a marathon summit on the budget for the years 2014-2020. The meeting could last through Saturday and break up with no result and lots of finger-pointing. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

People walk in front of a giant banner for the euro currency outside of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Leaders from around Europe are arriving in Brussels Thursday for what promises to be a turbulent summit on the budget for the 27-country European Union. And for once, Britain will be at the heart of the debate. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso jestures toward journalists as he arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. EU leaders begin what is expected to be a marathon summit on the budget for the years 2014-2020. The meeting could last through Saturday and break up with no result and lots of finger-pointing. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

People walk in front of an information office outside of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Leaders from around Europe are arriving in Brussels Thursday for what promises to be a turbulent summit on the budget for the 27-country European Union. And for once, Britain will be at the heart of the debate. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Belgium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo waves to the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Leaders from around Europe are arriving in Brussels Thursday for what promises to be a turbulent summit on the budget for the 27-country European Union. And for once, Britain will be at the heart of the debate. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

(AP) ? British Prime Minister David Cameron set the tone Thursday for what is expected to be a bitter fight over the European Union's budget, warning that the latest proposal for a spending ceiling does not go far enough.

Arriving at a summit of the 27 EU leaders, Cameron voiced the concerns of several countries that do not want to see an increase in the bloc's seven-year spending plan at a time when tough spending cuts are being imposed back home.

"No, I'm not happy at all," Cameron said about the latest offer for the 2014-2020 ?1 trillion ($1.28 trillion) spending ceiling, as he headed into a meeting with the author of the proposals, EU President Herman Van Rompuy.

"Clearly, at a time when we're making difficult decisions at home over public spending, it would be quite wrong ? it is quite wrong ? for there to be proposals for this increased extra spending in the EU."

"So we're going to be negotiating very hard for a good deal for Britain's taxpayers and for Europe's taxpayers," he told reporters.

The EU budget primarily funds programs to spur growth in the bloc's less developed regions and farming and amounts to about 1 percent of the EU's gross domestic product.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, backs more spending, arguing that cross-border initiatives will help to create the economic growth and jobs that the bloc of a half-billion people needs.

Facing an ever more vocal Euroskeptic electorate at home, Cameron is under huge pressure to veto any seven-year deal which would make the budget bigger. The U.K. and other countries that contribute more then they receive from the budget ? such as the Netherlands, Sweden and, to a certain extent Germany ? claim an austerity budget is the only justifiable outcome at a time when almost every member state has to cut its budget to lower debt.

Fifteen of the EU's most financially and economically vulnerable countries have joined forces to oppose any cuts to funds earmarked for economic growth and development. These countries include not only traditionally poorer member states, many in Eastern Europe, but also those hit hardest by the financial crisis, like Greece, Portugal and Spain.

They argue that they need sustained, even increased, help to close the wealth gap on the continent and that EU institutions need the means to implement their jobs and growth policies.

"Certain countries want to make drastic reductions in the budget. That's a big mistake," said Elio Di Rupo, Belgium's prime minister.

With every country having the power of veto, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte fully realized what was coming.

"There will be quite a battle to come ? the French, the British, southern Europe, eastern Europe, we all have our demands," Rutte said. "I don't know whether it will work out."

Going into the open-ended summit, which might well stretch into Saturday, Van Rompuy made a first compromise proposal that leaned toward Cameron's demands. It proposes a cut of between ?3 billion ($4 billion) and ?24 billion ($31 billion), depending on how the figures are read.

"With less money, we cannot do the same as before," Van Rompuy wrote in the invitation letter he sent to the 27 leaders.

If the summit fails to find a compromise, the issue could spill over into a new meeting next month, or into next year. There is no set deadline for a deal but the closer it gets to 2014, the tougher it will be for a smooth introduction of new programs.

"In talks with colleagues, I had one message. If this doesn't work out at once, let's be sure that the mood is not that dark that we have to spend months on patching up personal relationships," Rutte said.

If there is no deal up to 2014, there would be a rollover of the 2013 budget plus a 2 percent increase accounting for inflation.

___

Don Melvin and Carlo Piovano contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-22-EU-Budget%20Summit/id-913129fc74f44e21bea5d07ceddb2870

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Rise above the negativity: 3 steps ? Business Management Daily ...

New brain science shows that constant exposure to complaining will reinforce negative thinking and behavior.

It?s hard to stay positive in such a toxic environment, but you know you?ve got to do it for your sanity and effectiveness.

Three steps will get you there:

Step 1: Reclaim the way you interpret and react to situations.

Step 2: Create insights that separate successful people from the rest. You can position yourself to recognize and respond to good ideas.

Step 3: Proceed in ways that will turn your ideas into actions.

? Adapted from Three Simple Steps, Trevor Blake, BenBella Books.

Like what you've read? ...Republish it and share great business tips!

Attention: Readers, Publishers, Editors, Bloggers, Media, Webmasters and more...

We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.

The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.

" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/33217/rise-above-the-negativity-3-steps "

Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/33217/rise-above-the-negativity-3-steps

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PHL eyes larger share of rapidly expanding game console market ...

For starters, a 5-percent share of the PC and game console market in the next three years isn?t bad, stakeholders in the Philippines figured, considering the global industry is expected to reach $90 billion this year alone.

?

Recent estimates also expect the industry revenues to hit $242.92 billion by 2016.

?

However, there is a lot fine-tuning industry players must do to gain from this tremendously growing market.?

?

?The worldwide game industry is estimated to hit up to $90 billion by the end of 2012,? Game Developers Association of the Philippines president Alvin Juban said in an emailed statement Friday.

?

?The top game development companies are trying hard to sort through to still find ways to continuously better their business models,? Juban added.

?

The game development sector is quite young, counting about 60 companies as of December 2011, according to the Game Developers Association, a partner of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.

?

As of end-2011, the sector accounted for 3,000 employees and combined revenues of $12 million ? up 13 percent from 2011.?

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That is why the Game Developers Association wants to expand its 0.2-percent share of the market to 5 percent by 2015.

?

The global games market, including animation, is expected to grow up to $242.92 billion by 2016, according to researcher MarketsandMarkets.

?

Core revenues mainly come from PC games and devices that carry games as a bonus feature, specifically helped by the proliferation of mobile devices ? smartphones and tablet computers ? and enhancing the industry?s growth potential in terms of revenues, MarketsandMarkets noted.
?

?Game development companies based in? Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and? ?France have explored opportunities for joint venture projects with us, as well as training partnerships and consultancy [with a view to] establishing a Philippine presence,? said Juban.

?

This development is an offshoot of the ?lingering bearish global climate?? prompting industry players to explore possibilities overseas, Juban noted.

?

?With a highly-trainable and competent talent pool, we are confident that global clients will realize the potential of the Philippines as the destination of choice for outsourcing game development services,? Juban added. ? VS, GMA News

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/283517/economy/business/phl-eyes-larger-share-of-rapidly-expanding-game-console-market

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Tensions loom as Obama meets Asian leaders

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - In his first meeting with a Chinese leader since his re-election, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday Washington and its chief economic rival must work together to "establish clear rules of the road" for trade and investment.

His comments on the final leg of a three-day Southeast Asian trip follow a U.S. election campaign in which China was repeatedly accused of unfair trade practices and illustrate the work ahead in a region already simmering with tension over territorial disputes involving Beijing.

"It is very important that as two of the largest economies in the world that we work to establish clear rules of the road internationally for trade and investment," Obama told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao before an East Asia Summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

Divisions over Chinese sovereignty claims in the South China Sea marred a Southeast Asian leaders' summit on Monday and roiled a July meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) where foreign ministers failed to agree on a communiqu? for the first time ever.

"I'm committed to working with China and I'm committed to working with Asia," Obama said. China and the United States had a "special responsibility" to lead the way on sustained global growth, he added before the meeting was closed to media.

Wen highlighted "the differences and disagreements between us" but said these could be resolved through trade and investment.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told Obama earlier that mounting Asian security problems raise the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance, a veiled reference to tensions over Chinese sovereignty claims and maritime disputes.

"With the increasing severity of the security environment in East Asia, the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance is increasing," Noda told Obama in a bilateral meeting in Phnom Penh.

Obama is expected to raise Asia's divisive territorial disputes in closed-door meetings later on Tuesday at the East Asia Summit, which also includes leaders from ASEAN, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan insisted Southeast Asia remained united, even as U.S. ally the Philippines objected to Cambodia's statement on Monday that ASEAN agreed not to "internationalize" the maritime dispute ? diplomatic code for saying it would resolve the issue without U.S. involvement.

"We're not going to allow the issue to cloud or to affect other pursuits that we're doing together here," Surin told reporters.

China's claims of sovereignty over the South China Sea set it directly against Vietnam and the Philippines in one of Asia's most divisive and vexing security problems. Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to parts of the sea.

Sino-Japanese relations are also under strain after the Japanese government bought disputed islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China from a private Japanese owner in September, triggering violent protests and calls for boycotts of Japanese products across China.

China says both disputes involve sea-lanes vital for its economy.

"It's going to be very important for us to coordinate effectively to promote jobs and growth, trade and investment throughout the Asia Pacific region," Obama told Noda.

"HOW CAN THERE BE A CONSENSUS?"

China prefers to address conflicts through one-on-one talks.

On Monday, Noda challenged efforts by summit host Cambodia, a staunch China ally, to limit discussions on the mineral-rich sea.

Cambodia had said Southeast Asian leaders had agreed not to internationalize the South China Sea row -- a claim that was strongly disputed by Philippine President Benigno Aquino who raised the possibility of finding an "alternative route" to discuss the issue with countries outside the 10-member ASEAN.

Alternative diplomatic routes for the Philippines would likely involve the United States, one of its closest allies, which has said it has a national interest in freedom of navigation through the South China Sea's vital shipping lanes.

"How can there be a consensus? A consensus means 100 percent," said Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario. "It was translated into a consensus without our consent."

ASEAN on Sunday agreed to formally ask China to start talks on a Code of Conduct (CoC) aimed at easing the risk of naval flashpoints, according to Surin. But Wen played down the need for urgent action in talks on Sunday night with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Late on Monday, Obama and Southeast Asian leaders launched a trade initiative known as the U.S.-ASEAN Expanded Economic Engagement, which is aimed at smoothing a path for Asian nations to link up with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a pact the United States is negotiating with 10 Asian countries and the Western Hemisphere, the White House said.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership excludes Chinese participation until it undertakes significant economic reforms.

(Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal, Stuart Grudgings, Prak Chan Thul and James Pomfret, and Jutarat Skulpichetrat; Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asia-tensions-loom-obama-meets-japan-china-leaders-054612574.html

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Learning How to Greet Stress When it Arrives | Mentoring and ...

deal with stressMy bird, Pearl, is always freaking out about something.

Whether it is the sight of a butterfly flitting by outside, the sound of my large silver hairdryer, or the experience of watching Mommy round the corner and disappear from her line-of-sight view, the phrase I speak most frequently to my diminutive grey and white avian companion is a soothing, ?Don?t worry?.

She never listens.

Freaking out is in a cockatiel?s nature, as it turns out. Every cockatiel I have ever known or owned has behaved similarly. What I marvel at is how the continual influx of stress doesn?t seem to bother Pearl much. If I spent my days freaking out as often as she does, I would be a nervous wreck. I might be dead.

But 10 healthy years into a predicted 20+ year lifespan, Pearl?s vet says she is doing just fine. She freaks, deals with it, and moves on. Like a small child or a tropical storm, the stress blows in, through, and out again, leaving no trace of its presence behind.

This is soooooo interesting to me.

What does Pearl know ? and others of her kind ? that we humans do not? Why is stress toxic to our collective systems, yet while Pearl experiences twice as much stress as I do (at least by all outward signs) she has to go to the vet in inverse proportion to the number of times I land in the doctor?s office annually?

Biologically speaking, repeated bouts with stress can build up a substance called cortisol (frequently dubbed ?the stress hormone?) in our systems that can weaken our immune systems and leave us vulnerable to illness, disease, and death. The biological ?fight or flight? syndrome that we share in common with our avian and mammalian counterparts is the trigger that causes our collective bodies to release cortisol, but that in and of itself is not negatively impactful to our health. Studies have shown that short periods of elevated cortisol levels in the body are not harmful in their own right.

What impacts our health is how quickly we can return ourselves ? bodies, and especially in the case of human beings, minds ? back to a state of calm once more (this is often called ?the relaxation response? and represents the body?s equal and opposite reaction to the activation of the ?fight or flight? response).

Pearl is quite simply better at this than I am. She freaks, then calms ? observing her is like sitting on the shore watching the waves roll in and then back out again. The incoming tide is not more or less powerful than its outgoing counterpart. But for me, each incoming tidal wave generates a minor stress tsunami, both delaying a natural equal and opposite abatement response and elevating my cortisol levels to an unnecessarily extended and thus unhealthy high.

Pearl is simply experiencing ?stress?, ?relaxation?, ?stress?, ?relaxation?. What I am experiencing, however, amounts to stress to the power of stress.

So this is on my to-do list for what remains of this year, and next year, and for however long it takes to ensure I learn how to regulate both my personal biology and psychology to support staying healthy in body and mind. There are many ?good? kinds of stress too that I don?t want to miss out on ? but in order to have those, I have to learn how to greet stress when it arrives, and bid it adieu with expediency when it departs.

Today?s Takeaway: When it comes to stress, do you respond more like Pearl or more like me? Are you pleased with your ability to handle stress, or do you want to continue to work on this area of your life? Contemplating how we interact with the stress in our own lives can yield valuable information to help us deepen our enjoyment of life, no matter what may be going on in any given day.

Cockatiel photo available from Shutterstock



????Last reviewed: 2 Nov 2012

APA Reference
Cutts, S. (2012). Learning How to Greet Stress When it Arrives. Psych Central. Retrieved on November 2, 2012, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/mentoring-recovery/2012/11/stress-to-the-power-of-stress/

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Source: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/mentoring-recovery/2012/11/stress-to-the-power-of-stress/

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