So what's the point of my blog?

I'm a very passionate gamer. Not only do I play games, but I also keep up with the media and the gaming community. So much information pours out of this industry. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, and some of it is just plain weird.

I'm going to blog about the video game industry, look at topics that are happening in the industry, and write what I think about the topics. This isn't just limited to the media. I may talk about things that go on in the community as well. I may even talk about somethings that are going on in games whether it's discussing a great innovation in a game or talking about a common cliché in several games.

I feel like this will be similar to my videos on my YouTube channel. I mainly do countdowns and talk about my opinions on certain game topics in my countdowns. I feel this blog will allow me to not only speak to a broader audience but also expand on ideas that I can't do on a video. I'm looking forward to what this adventure in blogging will do for me as a writer, as a gamer, and as a person.

Game developer King trademarks the words "Candy" and "Saga"....What?!

The developer of Candy Crush Saga, King, trademarked the word "Candy" last February, but this wasn't approved for publication until last Tuesday. Because of this, apps with the word "Candy" in it were asked by Apple to change the name. Last week, we also learned that King also filed a trademark for the word "Saga". From this, King filed a "Notice of Opposition" with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office against developer Stoic Studios for their game, The Banner Saga. It was revealed that this was used as a scare tactic to keep games that are blatant clones of Candy Crush Saga from using the word "Saga" in the titles of their games. If you want to read more detail on this story, go to IGN to read up on the matter.

So what do I think about all of this? Well, I may not know a lot about the legal side of trademarks, and I'm sure there is more to trademarks than I know. However, I personally think it's stupid. The word "Candy" is a very broad word that is used almost everyday. And to think this could affect brands outside of the gaming industry, like Skull Candy. Sure, King said that this is only to protect their IP from games that are clones of Candy Crush Saga, but the word "Candy" is so broadly used that no one who uses the word is safe.

Then there's the word "Saga." While it's not as broad as "Candy," it could also affect others outside of the gaming industry. Unlike the word "Candy," the word "Saga" has most likely been used more in video game titles. A game that comes to mind that uses the word "Saga" is the Game Boy Advance game Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. This is one of my favorite games on the GBA, and I still own it to this day. But what are the odds of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga getting re-released on the Nintendo eShop? Could this trademark fiasco prevent Nintendo from releasing this well made GBA classic on the eShop? Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was released in 2003, which was a little over a decade ago. Nintendo can't just change the name; the game has been out longer than Candy Crush Saga. If this trademark fiasco does affect Nintendo from releasing this game on the eShop, then this will prevent people who never played the game before from playing it.

And it's not just Nintendo that could suffer. I'm sure there are many games out there, whether it's a digital copy, a physical copy, an old classic or a brand new game, that have the word "Saga" in there names. I hope that King doesn't push this trademark thing too far. Otherwise, there may be a lot of games that gamers may never get to play or never get to play again.

What do I think about my blogs type?

The type on my blog in my opinion is fair. In terms of the type on actual posts, everything is colored black and should be easy to read. One weakness of my blog's type is the colored text. The title is the only text that should probably be colored. Everything else should be a darker color that's easier to read.

Blogs I'm looking at

http://blogoklahoma.us/home.aspx
http://appleinsider.com
http://blog.us.playstation.com
http://www.macrumors.com
http://the-gadgeteer.com
http://nintendoeverything.com
http://www.igameresponsibly.com
http://attackofthefanboy.com
http://www.playstationlifestyle.net
http://www.ubergizmo.com