In my younger days I use to attend lots of Rock Concerts and it was fairly common for me to see Rock The Vote setup at these events. So I'm not surprised at all to see them move into the gaming world like they have now and find it really cool to tap this market and encourage younger people to register and vote.

So when your fire up your Xbox and head on to Live, look for the Rock the Vote Ads and register to vote, grab the gamerpics, check out all the Videos, vote in the Presidential polls and then go out to the forums provided by Microsoft. "To realize our goal of registering 2 million young Americans by this fall, we need to go where young Americans are, and there's no doubt in our minds that many are on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live," said by Rock The Vote director Heather Smith.

It’s a different world we live in now and people find their news and information, fast a furious from a number of sources. Even outlets like Jon Stewart & Steve Colbert provide some of the only news and information through humor for some people. It can be hard to get the attention of younger voters and expose them to current events. So at least Xbox Live gamers have an area to find out some of this information now and can take part and engage in some discussions perhaps.

It will be interesting to say the least in some of the game lobbies when people start sporting some of these gamerpics. Hopefully in the end it will help sign up some people to vote and at least inspire them to look further for more information and then actually get out and vote.

"If Xbox Live were a state, it would rank as the country's seventh largest, giving it approximately 20 electoral votes," said by Microsoft. Could we vote twice then? How interesting would it be to call Xbox Live your primary residence and cast your vote with gamers.

I'm looking forward to all of this and seeing what people have to say and hope to see Xbox Live and Rock the vote continue to work together like this in the future.

When I think back to the first time I heard about XNA games, it was at the Halo 3 launch event here in Dallas and I was introduced to Chris Koenig from Microsoft thanks to Deacon and Unscripted360.Com. Chris was talking to us about creating games with the XNA Developers Kit for Windows and even deploying these games to our Xbox 360s. Right then an there I knew I wanted to learn more and try this out for myself.

The old saying, "Seek and you shall find" comes to mind here as I started to look for more information on XNA and how to get started. The best place is at the source itself in a lot of cases. The XNA Creators Club can point you in all the right places for the tools you need and give you tips on how to get started. It’s a must for anyone that really wants to get into learning about XNA and creating games for Windows, Xbox 360, or even the Zune.

All great stuff, but I was looking for more and that is when I ran into Chris a few months later at a DDNUG meeting and he mentioned a local XNA Users Group was forming here in Dallas. I suddenly found myself at ground zero and helping with the formation of the group. Users groups are another great source and allow you to meet people with the same interests and learn about their experiences together on certain topics.

The Dallas XNA Community User Group has plans to meet on the third Tuesday of each Month at the SMU Guildhall. Our goals are to bring in some Game Developers to speak and share their experiences with the group. We plan to start off small and cover all the basics of game design - from concept & design and then the creation & coding of a game. We plan to look at simple 2D games to start with, move on into side scroller games, then up to 3D style games, and finally First-person Shooters. Hopefully we'll even look at what it take to create some games for the Zune.

So if your interested in creating games with XNA, check out all of the information that is available and look and see if a User Group is in your area. If one is not available, then see if you can find enough interest and try to form a group. Here in the Dallas & Houston areas of Texas, feel free to check out the Dallas XNA Community User Group or the Houston Area Game Developers Group for more information. If your in the area then come on out and see what we are all about.

DallasXNA Up Coming Meetings:
August 19th, 7:00-9:00pm
September 16th, 7:00-9:00pm
October 21st, 7:00-9:00pm

The Pub games for Fable II are now out and it sounds like its winning the hearts of many as well as some gold for the future release of Fable II. The effects of this remain to be seen and people will say its cool, while others will disagree with having all this gold at the start.

One thing that has not been addressed until now and thanks to Eurogamer, we now have a better understanding about the process of Gold from Pub games to Fable II and then back again. Starting with the Pub games, you first select a gambler from Lynch, Poe, Maya, Daphne, and Mongo to represent yourself in the Pub games. You can stick with the same one of move between them in fact.

The next part is where the work kicks in, you gamble like crazy and hopefully win big now as you wait for Fable II to come out. From what I hear its well worth the wait and you get to listen to some of the sounds of Fable II once again and earn achievements along the way.

Jumping ahead to the release of Fable II and you've created your hero now, its time to find one of the gamemasters and start a game variation. Once you start a game the option to merge your hero with your gambler will become available to you now.

You can merge multiple gamblers with your hero now and you can go back to the Pub Games with your merged Hero and game funds. What you can't do is undo the merge between your Hero & Gamemaster or Gamemasters.

I'm looking forward to trying these games out later today and hopefully keeping all my gold. One thing I haven't heard is what happens if you loose all your gold in the Pub games. I sure hope its not a long wait for Fable II and finding a job to earn more gold. Win or loose, I'll have fun all the same.

Podcast Community Prepares Playapalooza ‘08 in Support of Child’s Play

Seattle, WA – August 5, 2008 – Platform Nation has announced a unique charity drive, dubbed Playapalooza ‘08, to take place August 14th, 2008. Playapalooza—a 50-hour gaming marathon—will be conducted in support of nationally recognized children’s charity, Child’s Play, which provides video games to hospitalized children throughout the world.

Participants in Platform Nation’s Playapalooza ‘08 will play a series of games in timed 30-minute increments, with the gameplay streamed live on Ustream.tv. Each segment will feature text overlays with information about the games and their donors. Games to be featured in the event have been donated from a number of prominent publishers throughout the industry. The event will last for 50 consecutive hours of play and feature as many as 100 games.

At the close of the event, all donated games will be collected and the proceeds given to Child’s Play during a public event at this year’s Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington.

Here is the link to the live stream along with some more info and a donation button where 100% of what you give will be given directly to those at the Child’s Play Charity.

About Platform Nation:
Platform Nation is a collaboration of several gaming podcasts committed to sharing their efforts and resources for the betterment—and entertainment—of gamers worldwide. Together we have a larger voice and influence in the industry, which we strive to use in order to represent the views and concerns of our friends, the gaming community. We share the same forums and the same listeners. After all, we are a community—not a network. Platform Nation. United We Game.

I've actually reserved two copies of the Limited Edition, one copy of the game is being given away with Fable: The Lost Chapters and Lionhead has donated a signed artist print of the Hero & Dog for the Power of 360 Ultimate Hero Prize Pack. I'm helping my wife raise money for Breast Cancer Research and decided I would purchase Fable & Fable II to giveaway to one of the Heroes helping us with this cause.

The Pub games are releasing tomorrow for those who have pre-ordered a copy of Fable II and I have both sets of codes. I'm planning to give one away tomorrow to someone who has already donated to this cause. The Pub games are a set of three games that allow you to earn gold early and then transfer this to your Fable II Character.

The Pub games will be included in the full game at release or you could purchase the pub games for 800 MS Points if you didn't reserve your copy of Fable II. Pub games will be available on August 13th from Xbox Live.

Fable II Collector's Edition
In addition to the standard retail version, Fable II will be available in a Limited Collector's Edition through participating retailers and will feature:

• Bonus DVD : Includes new "Making-of" feature with Peter Molyneux and the team at Lionhead Studios and concept art viewer.
• Bonus in-came content (requires LIVE account): Includes "The Hall of the Dead" Dungeon, "The Wreckager" Legendary Cutlass Weapon, and Otherworldly Bonus.
• Collectible Hobbe figure with accessories: From the Qee Collection comes this one-of-a-kind Hobbe figure. Nasty, brutish, and short, he roams the countryside, preying on travelers and spiriting away the children of the unwary.
• 48-hour Xbox LIVE Gold Trial Card: With Xbox LIVE Gold, show off your individual hero by inviting friends into your unique version of Albion, or visit your friends' Albion, and earn additional gold, experience, and renown to take back into your own.
• Five printed Fate Cards: These five beautiful cards foretell the Hero's great destiny to journey across all of Albion, encountering deadly enemies and enigmatic allies. The path leads to a choice that will change the world forever.

Your all number 1 in my book

I created the Power of 360 Leaderboard on MyGamerCard.Net as another way for us to see who all has donated. It also ranks you based on your gamerscore as leaderboards normally do. But the truth here is someone will be on top and people will climb and fall on this list over time, but for me your all number one for getting behind this cause and helping support & fight Breast Cancer this year.

The Power of 360 is joining us together with a goal of finding 360 donors by the launch of Fable 2. So far we have 37 donors and we've raised a total of $564.32 so far out of our goal of $2,203.20. The donations are helping my wife raise money for the Breast Cancer 3-Day, a 60 mile walk being held here in Dallas/Fort Worth Texas on November 7-9th.

After all is said an done, it will be nice to look back here at the list who've helped and see how our gamer scores have increased as we unlock more achievements. Thank you all for signing up to be a hero and visit www.edithowens.com/power360 to learn more and see how we are doing.

Well we've been busy working on getting the word out and updating the site with more prizes. People have powered up the prize packages for this event. So in addition to the Ultimate Hero Prize Pack, you now have a chance at 10 more items from various Companies, Communities, and fellow gamers. Thank you all for your support and help here.

XBLRadio has been awesome and working on getting the word out to those who listen. If you've never listened to their show, then let me personal invite you to check them out. Some of the best information is available from communities like XBLRadio and those on the Platform Nation. They've stepped up with a 1 yr Xbox Live Gold Card and a number of them have donated to the cause as well.

How about some Microsoft points for some lucky winners. TheMonkeyFather has given up two 1600 MS Point cards. Prize Check Please! He e-mailed me back thinking a mistake was made and ordered them again. No mistake though and so we now have four 1600 PS Point Cards to giveaway. That's right he doubled up and feels it was meant to be. I really can't express the feelings I have about those believing in this.

Checkout the AVG Gamer site and if you’re a Zuner like me and want some info on playing games on the Zune look at the links he has available. When I get a free moment I plan to load my Zune up with some stuff. Thanks to him for giving up some XBLA games in the form of Warlords and Elements of Destruction.

Who is this guy? Areacode, a new friend of mine now has brought Rare into the Power of 360 with some very cool items. Cover Art posters of Kameo & Perfect Dark Zero have been signed by team members and are now available as Power of 360 Prizes. In addition Rare has added a very cool set of Vision Pack cards for their upcoming Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise, these shiny cards were made for the developers and have their names on them. Its hard to run a fund raiser and I'll keep Areacode in mind for any future Power of 360 Events.

The Pub Games are set to come out next week and I think I might give away one of the game codes to someone that has donated to the cause. I've purchased Fable: The Lost Chapters and in a few months it will be joined by Fable 2 the Limited Edition. Artwork is ready and signed, but my contact might have a little something more. I'm working on those details and will update when I hear back. As much as I'd like to say what it is, I just can't until its official. Sorry Fable Fans, you'll have to wait a little longer now.

So many cool prizes to give away, some fans will really enjoy the chance at these items and all for a simple donation of $6.12. We have a lot of Heroes to locate between now and the launch of Fable 2. Please keep us busy and make a difference here, remember this money goes direct to help fight Breast Cancer. My wife is walking for all of those that have been effected by cancer.

Soldiers from the Future Combat Systems, Evaluation Brigade Combat Team, employ
an unmanned vehicle to clear a road during an exercise and live demonstration Feb. 1
at Oro Grande Range, Fort Bliss, Texas. (Photograph by U.S. Army)

I came across this video clip from GamePolitics.Com and thought it was rather cool. The US & British are using Xbox 360 controllers to control UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and robots for numerous tasks. You can also read more about this in a piece that ran in Popular Mechanics as well.

Its only natural that the military would use or leverage the gaming industry in this way. Most of these games are very realistic in their creation and look & feel. My only thought is can you not skin the controller pictured above so it doesn't stand out as much? At least give them an Elite controller or is that for Special Forces only?