Joel Brodie

It's still sunny in the Bay Area, so I am missing the second day of the Virtual Items Summit. Never fear, Social Times, part of Media Bistro, who coincidentally, is running the show, is blogging there. So now I share their notes on their own game show (funny how that works).

With a heat wave pounding Northern California with the hot sun, I did what all smart folk do. I hopped a BART subway this morning into San Francisco, where it's always 20 degrees colder than anywhere else (yea, fog). Unfortunately, I over-slept and arrived at the Virtual Items Summit West too late to see Tripp Hawkins (Digital Chocolate) and Andrew Sheppard Kabam!) Apparently, I missed Mr. Hawkins proclaiming that virtual items would be $100 billion business (yes, Dr. Evil, I said billions). Luckily, I did not miss the presentation given by Gabe Zicherman about gamification. Like all Gabe Zicherman speeches, this one did not disappoint.

Halloween may be celebrated on October 31 for the rest of the world, but in NightClub City, Halloween starts today. And will.i.am, Nicki Minaj, Tesla Boy, A Common Boy, and Scissor Sisters are joining the party.

Libe Goad from Games.com reports that Playfish COO Sebastien de Halleux let it slip that they are bringing Monopoly to Facebook during a panel at GDC Online. Electronic Arts owns the digital rights of Monopoly through a deal with Hasbro and Electronic Arts owns Playfish so . . . I guess we all could have seen this game coming.