Let’s Talk About A Valley Without Wind

A Valley Without Wind is a procedurally generated open world adventure game, which, as sales pitches go, ranks up there with “free cocaine” and “infinite kitten petting room.” So the concept is solid, but what about the execution? That’s what this article is all about, a considered and considerable discussion of an adventure through a fallen world. Rock, Paper, Shotgun has the story.

Video Game School in Florida

A Miami-Dade magnet school focusing on video game design and creation is in the works, and the principal has high hopes for the school. Not only is video gaming a growing industry that has risen to dwarf all other media, but the skills involved with game making have a home in a number of other places. Graphic design, animation, programming, and database management are all useful outside of gaming. The Miami Herald has the story.

PopCap Goes Into Merchandising, May Finally Make Money

PopCap, makers of such fine games as Plants vs Zombies and Peggle, have announced licensing deals for their various properties. The first game products to hit the shelves will be for Plants Vs Zombies. There are plush murderplants involved. GamesIndustry has the story.

Skyrim Kinect Patch Adds New Voice Commands

The best part of playing Skyrim on the Xbox is shouting at your Kinect system to make stuff happen. That’s about to go into hypershouty, as an upcoming patch is set to add 200 new voice commands to the game. Check out the list of commands in this article. Joystiq has the story.

Two Guys From Andromeda Run Out of Money, Get Back to Work

Weird, those Space Quest residuals should have lasted them at least ten more years. Anyhow, the two guys from Andromeda, legendary names from the golden age of adventure gaming, have joined forces once again with a new project. What is it? No clue, but they have a video. Also, they’re hiring. Kotaku has the story.

Diablo III TV Advertisement

Because there are people who don’t know about the upcoming Diablo III, Blizzard went and made a TV spot for it. Nothing here we don’t already know, but it’s always good to see some demon fist-spike action.

Super Monday Night Combat Guide

It’s not Monday Night Combat, that’s so last week. This is Super Monday Night Combat, with new rules, new Pros to play, and new surprises. If you want to get in on a first-person shooter that’s also a MOBA game, then SMNC is your thing. Of course, it doesn’t do anyone any good to just stumble blindly into the arena. Check out this guide to get the most from Super Monday Night Combat. GamesRadar has the story.

Schadenfreude Sunday, it’s Time for Game Glitches

Just in case your weekend wasn’t going as planned, allow us to present a collection of game glitches that assured someone — player, tester, or developer — had a worse day than you. The list includes such favorites as Mass Effect 3, Oblivion, Fallout: New Vegas, and even Team Fortress 2. Check it out, and revel in the suffering of others. 1UP has the story.

New Skyrim DLC and Snow Elves

The groundwork for the first DLC expansion of Skyrim has been set down, and the community has already mined its secrets. Apparently, the DLC will feature Snow Elves, whatever those are, and a Snow Elf Prince. Also, crossbows. It seems that whatever problems the world faces, somewhere there’s an elf at the bottom of it. Skyrim is no exception. To fill out the article, there’s even a video of cool Skyrim mods. GameSpot has the story.

A New Genre, Video Game Tourism

Video games have a great power to take us to magical places and wondrous lands where we can slaughter legions of enemy minions. That’s cool, but what about the wondrous land itself? Video game tourism is the practice of exploring the world of the game, hunting secrets, discovering lore and amazing sights. Some games are all about the tourism, like Myst and Endless Ocean. As the casual players seep into our little community, tourism games may well become more common. Check out this article on game tourists. The Metro has the story.