Games for Windows is a gaming platform and marketing campaign by Microsoft that dates back at least to 2005, and was revised in 2006. In popular usage "marketing" is the promotion of products especially Advertising and Branding However in professional usage the term has a wider meaning of Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Events March 6 &mdash The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within Video game controversy. Events January 26 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld the Nintendo DS Lite. Games for the platform must meet certification standards similar to those of modern popular video game consoles. The campaign aims to make video gaming on Windows operating systems as easy and accessible as on popular video game consoles.
The campaign has been promoted through convention kiosks and through other forums as early as 2005. An advertising campaign is a series of Advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC A convention, in the sense of a meeting is a gathering of individuals who meet at a arid place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest In the Mediterranean Basin and the Near East, a kiosk ( Persian کوشک Kushk Arabic كشك Koshk Turkish Köşk [1]
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Website
The Games for Windows website shows information about and links to Microsoft products, as well as links to specific video games, computer hardware, gaming tips, new game releases, bestsellers, and general gaming information about Windows games and related software. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Typical PC hardware A typical Personal computer consists of a case or chassis in a tower shape (desktop and the following parts Motherboard A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather A bestseller is a Book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade
The website has a "Windows Game Advisor" which has some more links to specific games, as well as more game rankings and a registration section which appears that allows visitors to find games that suit their tastes.
Game packaging
Games released on the Games for Windows platform are released in standard Games for Windows packaging. Packaging features include a prominent "Games for Windows" logo stripe across the upper front of the keep case. A keep case or poly-box is a type of DVD (and sometimes CD) packaging
In a December 2006 update on the progress of the marketing campaign, Microsoft stated to IGN that "the Games for Windows brand will sit on a stripe across all of the PC game boxes that are partners with this effort. IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video " Microsoft stated they had increased their sales of Games for Windows brand games in stores that had been giving the games greater focus, and said they planned on increased marketing efforts of the brand. [2]
Platform standards
Games which wish to be included in the Games for Windows platform must meet certain requirements regulated by Microsoft. These include,[3] but are not limited to:
- An "Easy Install" option that installs the title on your PC in the fewest possible steps and mouse clicks
- Compatibility with the Windows Vista Games Explorer (see below)
- Installs and runs properly on x64 versions of Windows Vista and is compatible with 64-bit processors (though the game itself can be 32-bit)
- Supports normal and widescreen resolutions, such as 4:3 aspect ratio (800 x 600, 1024 x 768), 16:9 aspect ratio (1280 x 720), and 16:10 aspect ratio (1152 x 720, 1280 x 800)
- Launching from Media Center (Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate have Media Center)
While not a required feature at this time, some Games For Windows certified games are playable during the game's installation, making PC games more convenient and more similar to console games, in that players aren't required to wait until the game's installation is complete before they can play the game. In Computing, a mouse (plural mice, mouse devices, or mouses) x86-64 is a Superset of the x86 instruction set architecture. Windows Vista (ˈvɪstə is a line of Operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on Personal computers including home and business desktops The range of Integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4294967295 or −2147483648 through 2147483647 using Two's complement encoding A widescreen image is a film computer or television image with a wider and shorter aspect ratio than the standard Academy frame developed during the Classical The display resolution of a Digital television or Computer display typically refers to the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed Windows Media Center is an application designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. Windows Vista (ˈvɪstə is a line of Operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on Personal computers including home and business desktops This feature is known as Tray and Play but is only available in Halo 2 as of now. Halo 2 is a Science fiction First-person shooter Video game developed by Bungie Studios.
Online play
Starting with Halo 2 on May 31, 2007, some Games for Windows titles will have access to Microsoft's Live network for online play and other features, including voice chat, messaging and friends lists, accessed from an in-game menu called the "Guide". Games for Windows – Live (trademarked as Games for Windows – LIVE) is an online gaming service for Games for Windows -branded PC titles Halo 2 is a Science fiction First-person shooter Video game developed by Bungie Studios. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Live Anywhere is an initiative by Microsoft to bring the Live online gaming and entertainment network to a wide variety of Users can log in with their Xbox Live Gamertags to gain achievements and play games and chat across platforms (not every game supports cross-platform play. Xbox Live (trademarked as Xbox LIVE) is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation Xbox Live (trademarked as Xbox LIVE) is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation ) Some features, including cross-platform multiplayer and multiplayer achievements, require a subscription to Live Gold.
Windows Vista Games Explorer
Included with all versions of Windows Vista, this special folder showcases the various games installed on one's computer. On Microsoft Windows Operating systems Special Folders are folders which are presented to the user through an interface as an abstract concept instead of an absolute When a compatible game is installed, the system adds the game's shortcut to the Games Explorer and also downloads the game's boxart and content rating information (e. g. ESRB, PEGI, CERO, etc. The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, Advertising guidelines and Pan European Game Information ( PEGI) is a European Video game content rating system. The ( CERO) is the Organization that rates video games and Computer Software in Japan with levels of rating that informs the customer ) for that game through either developers' own game definition files or from information provided by All Media Guide. All Media Guide (commonly known as AMG) is the company which owns and maintains Allmusic, Allgame and Allmovie. [4] Compatibility generally depends on the age or popularity of the games with newer games having better compatibility. For example, StarCraft is fully compatible despite being nearly a decade older than Windows Vista. StarCraft is a Military science fiction Real-time strategy Video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. If a game is incompatible with the Games Explorer, the user can manually add a game by dragging a game's shortcut to the Games Explorer (though there is a very small chance that boxart and rating information will be missing). Games Explorer is fully compatible with Vista's parental controls. Parents can restrict how long a child can play and what kind of games he/she may play (based on ratings and/or specific titles).
Magazine
Games for Windows: The Official Magazine was the title of a computer gaming magazine from Ziff Davis Media and the Microsoft Corporation. Games for Windows The Official Magazine was a monthly Computer game magazine published by Ziff Davis Media, licensing the Games for Windows Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally Ziff Davis Inc (ZD is an American publisher and Internet company Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer The publication date of its first issue was November 2006. [5] According to Ziff Davis, the magazine is to be a "rebirth" of the Computer Gaming World magazine. Computer Gaming World ( CGW) was founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication As of the April/May 2008 issue, the magazine is no longer offered in print and the editorial staff will be integrated with 1UP. [6]
See also
External links
- Official Games for Windows website
- NVIDIA's Official Games for Windows website
- Vista Game Explorer Editor
- List of Exclusive Games for Windows
- Windows Game Advisor
- Games for Windows Technical Requirements
- Games for Windows Test Requirements
- Gears of War for Windows Announcement
References
- ^ PRESS RELEASE: Rail Simulator attends Leipzig Games Convention
- ^ December 7, 2006 IGN.com conversation with Microsoft
- ^ "Games for Windows Vista" at Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows
- ^ "Legacy Game Support" at Microsoft Developer Network
- ^ Ziff Davis Media's Official "Games for Windows" Press Release
- ^ The Video Game Librarian: Games For Windows Magazine Goes Online-Only
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