Casual News – June 3, 2008

More senior citizens discover the stress-relieving properties of games,
the latest GamingInsider column questions whether in-game advertising
is too distracting, and GameSetWatch lays out what is wrong with Xbox
Live Arcade, Microsoft’s digital game download service for the Xbox
360. These headlines and more below.

News

• Mochi Media selected by AlwaysOn as OnHollywood 100 Top Private Company Award Winner
• PopJax debuts virual video game for Avenged Sevenfold 
• Demo version of SimCity Societies with updated content and features available June 12 
• Platrium launches new online casual games web site featuring the Playbar toolbar
• Shares of Shanda Interactive Entertainment drop on lower Q1 earnings

Features

• Seniors find out no play, no gain
• Millions play Peggle, but few review it. Problem?
• Opinion: Aggregation vs. portals: Where Microsoft is going wrong with Xbox Live
• In-game ads: Too distracting, or worth the bother?
• Are we making games the right size for the right people?
• Buku Sudoku developer talks about XBLA title

Erin Bell