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Jim Squires is the Editor-in-Chief of Gamezebo. Everything you see passes his eyes first, so we like to think of him as "the gatekeeper of cool stuff." He likes good games, great writing, and just can't say no to a hamburger. Also, he is not a bear.
  • 5 things we learned from App Annie’s Worldwide Games Index for February 2014
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    5 things we learned from App Annie’s Worldwide Games Index for February 2014

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    Insight: you either have it or you don't. And if you don't, it's probably in your best interest to turn to someone that does. Thankfully the mobile gaming world has App Annie for that.The leading analytics firm for mobile apps and games released their latest 'Worldwide Games Index' report today, picking up on the hottest trends and observations from last month. We've combed through it to bring you what we felt were the five big highlights. If you want to see what we've missed, give the full report a read yourself at AppAnnie.com.
  • Talking Points: Here’s What You Should Know About Oculus and Facebook
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    Talking Points: Here’s What You Should Know About Oculus and Facebook

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    What happened? In a move that surprised just about everyone, promising startup Oculus VR was bought out by Facebook for $2 billion (well… $400 million + $1.6 billion in stock. You interpret that how you want).Who the @#$% are Oculus VR? If you're not into gaming, that's a pretty good question. If you are into gaming, shame on you. Birthed on the back of a successful 2012 Kickstarter campaign that raised $2.4 million (nearly 10x the project's goal), Oculus VR are the company behind the Oculus Rift: a head-mounted virtual reality device that's expected to seriously shake up the gaming world.Virtual Reality? Is that still a thing? A fair question. In its earlier incarnation, virtual reality was kind of a bust; a fad that came nowhere close to living up to its potential (remember Lawnmower Man? VR in the 90's should have been awesome). The folks at Oculus, however, realized that the combination of 90's VR dreams and 21st century technology could create a pretty powerful future.Come on… Who's going to believe that? John Carmack for one. The co-founder of id Software and lead programmer on DOOM left the company he helped found because he couldn't convince their parent company to take a gamble on bringing Doom 4 and Wolfenstein: The New Order to the Oculus Rift. Two months prior to leaving id, Carmack became Oculus VR's CTO. That's now his full time gig. Guess he'd better get used to calling Zuckerberg "sir."
  • Boom Beach, the next game from Supercell, launches this Thursday
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    Boom Beach, the next game from Supercell, launches this Thursday

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    First spotted by TouchArcade earlier today, it looks as though Supercell's Boom Beach will finally be leaving its Canadian soft launch shores and heading to you this Thursday.The announcement was made via tweet from the official App Store account, confirming that the Clash of Clans follow up was not only coming, but will be an App Store exclusive. (Whether that's a real exclusive or timed exclusive is anybody's guess).We first took a look at this one back in November with a hands-on preview, and were pretty impressed with what we saw. Beyond the cosmetic change (Boom Beach is to modern warfare as Clash of Clans is to medieval fantasy), there were some real twists that should give Clash of Clans veterans a brand new challenge rather than a fresh coat of paint.We'll be diving back in for a full review and guide soon. Be sure to keep an eye out for both just as soon as Boom Beach hits the App Store! 
  • The 10 Best OUYA Games
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    The 10 Best OUYA Games

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    It may not have the sales figures or marketing power of the Xbox or PlayStation brands, but we’ll be damned if the OUYA isn’t a fine addition to any living room set up. It’s a TV console at an affordable …
  • Keiji Inafune on Japan’s struggle to be relevant in games again, and what it has to do with indie
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    Keiji Inafune on Japan’s struggle to be relevant in games again, and what it has to do with indie

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    If anyone remembers the heyday of Japanese gaming's global domination, it's Keiji Inafune. The man responsible for Mega Man, Dead Rising and Onimusha has been a champion in the marketplace since the NES days. He recently left Capcom to form his own indie games studio, Comcept, and his first creator-owned project, Mighty No. 9.It's a pretty familiar story; we've seen plenty of notable developers go this route in the West. But in Japan, Inafune is an anomaly.And that might just be what's wrong with Japanese gaming.At a GDC panel last week dubbed "Meanwhile, in Japan," Inafune was joined on stage by Mark MacDonald of Japanese localization company 8-4. The two explored the cultural differences that have limited Japan's growth in the West, including their indie scene.
  • ZeptoLab tries to crush King’s CANDY trademark
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    ZeptoLab tries to crush King’s CANDY trademark

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    Let's face facts: nobody likes King's attempts to trademark the word CANDY. When the story first broke back in January, it was a public relations nightmare for King. In an attempt to protect their Candy Crush Saga IP, they obtained the trademark for the word CANDY in the EU, and were trying to do the same in the US.The games community - and indie developers, in particular - were quite vocal in their opposition to King's tomfoolery. But few have managed to take any sort of meaningful action, and those who've tried have been shut down in the most unseemly of ways. Just ask Albert Ransom.It took a body as big as the IGDA to seemingly pressure King to withdraw its trademark application on the word CANDY in the US.But what about outside of the US? To really make an impact in the EU, it was going to require a company that could bring out the big guns. Somebody with a game that's attained the same kind of household name recognition as King's Candy Crush Saga has. Someone like ZeptoLab, creators of Cut the Rope.On March 20th, ZeptoLab filed a claim in London that, if successful, will see King's EU trademark registration on the word CANDY cancelled. 
  • Flappy Bird in a Box is one very cool DIY project
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    Flappy Bird in a Box is one very cool DIY project

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    Cultural phenomenon? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean it's complex. Flappy Bird is endearing because of its simplicity. And in keeping the game simple, it remains easily adaptable. Take Flappy Bird in a Box for instance - a real-world rendering of the game that's now available as a DIY kit on Kickstarter.Created by Fawn Qiu, a Harvard alumni who co-developed teacher curriculum for the kids-can-code program Scratch, Flappy Box is just the latest in her "anyone can make anything" approach to STEM culture. Qiu is also the founder of MakeAnything - a technology kit community that promotes STEM learning through accessible, user-friendly project kits and workshops.Qiu's Flappy Bird project really took flight after an appearance on BuzzFeed in February. But while cool, it was also pricey to build. "The motors and Arduino board alone would cost $70!," reads the project's Kickstarter page. But with so much interest, Qiu knew there had to be a way to bring the cost down. Her team has sourced raw materials and streamlined the design to help bring the price to a consumer-friendly level. Also, ordering in bulk helps. "We want to raise money in order to put in a large order and to make the Flappy Box Kit more affordable."
  • The #FirstTweet of your favorite game developers
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    The #FirstTweet of your favorite game developers

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    Every now and then, the internet gets a funky little oddity that provides a surprising amount of amusement for what it is. Today, Twitter rolled out once such oddity. By visiting discover.twitter.com/first-tweet, you can see the very first tweet you posted to your account.In fact, you can see anyone's first tweet. (tee-hee)And so, like any good citizen of the internet, I felt it was my responsibility to comb through the first tweets of every game developer worth following on Twitter to find the ones that really stuck out. As you'd expect, 99% of them are people saying "I'm on Twitter now" or "let's see what this Twitter thing is about." In an effort to represent the 99% (Occupy Twitter, people!), here's what Jonathan Blow, the creator of Braid and the upcoming The Witness first tweeted: "Now that we have that out of the way, let's see what those who weren't ready to just greet their newfound Twitter friends had to say.