Xmas Feature Round-Up: From Midway To Google Earth

Away last week? While you were out, Gamasutra printed four top-quality features, profiling big companies like Midway Chicago and EA Montreal, chatting to game violence-related author Gerard Jones, and finding out how to make games on Google Earth. Here's information and links to each of the features we posted during the week after Christmas, in case you missed them: Sex, Violence, Tension and Comic Books - An Interview with Gerard Jones [12.26.06] Noted author Gerard Jones (Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Superheroes and Make-Believe Violence) discusses the ability for video games to relieve aggression, and the acceptance of new forms of media on a government level, in this exclusive Gamasutra interview. Tour of Chicago Pt. 5: Midway Chicago [12.27.06] In the last of our tour of Chicago area game studios series, we speak to Midway Chicago's Scot Bayless about the studio's unique team structure, past adventures, its approach to the DS and Wii, and, of course, Ed Boon. Mars Sucks - Can Games Fly on Google Earth? [12.28.06] Three members of an Intel development team focused on PC gaming discuss the development, including source code, of "Mars Sucks," a conceptual prototype that attempts to infuse gameplay with Google Earth. Army of Alain - Inside EA Montreal [12.29.06] Gamasutra takes a trip to EA Montreal (Army of Two, SSX On Tour) to speak to studio head Alain Tascan about the city's unique culture, EA's push for original IP, and how the studio differs from nearby Ubisoft Montreal. In addition, if you went away for the holiday season early, you might have missed the following feature by Ernest Adams: The Designer's Notebook: PS3 versus Wii - The Designer's Perspective In the latest installment of his ongoing "The Designer's Notebook" series, game designer and Gamasutra veteran Ernest Adams gives a unique perspective on the next-gen console wars. Which console offers more opportunity for a designer, the impressive horsepower of the PS3 or the unique control scheme of the Wii? The answer inside!