Feral Jundi

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Games: Erik Prince On His Entry Into The Video Game Business

Filed under: Games — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:19 PM

This is cool and I totally agree with Prince on this one. There is an incredible amount of money being made in the video game industry, and all of the big money making video games involve some form of combat and the use of guns in various types of environments throughout the world. Not only that, but they are drawing from historical battles or modern war fighting for ideas. So with that said, it makes total sense for him to enter such a market.

Here are some statistics that support what I am talking about. As of June of 2011, the gaming industry global revenue forecast was about 65 billion dollars. There were 10 million Kinect motion sensors sold, and 55 million Xbox’s sold. The top game was a first person shooter called Call of Duty, like the interview mentioned. With those numbers, it is no wonder that Prince would want to get into this market.

Anyway, this is a cool little interview below. I have not played the Kinect Blackwater game since I’ve been busy with a free bingo games download recently on my phone so I have nothing to add on the game itself. I would be interested in any gamer feedback on this thing though? –Matt

 

Blackwater founder Erik Prince enters video game business
By John Gaudiosi
September 12, 2011
More and more, today’s video game business is driven by huge military shooters like Activision’s “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” and Electronic Arts’ “Battlefield 3.”
Now, Erik Prince, the founder of a controversial, real-world military group, is stepping into the virtual war zone with a new first-person shooter, “Blackwater.”
Designed exclusively for Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360, “Blackwater” was developed by Zombie Studios and overseen by Prince, a former Navy SEAL.
The shooter is set in a fictional North African town overrun by warlords and opposing militia forces. Players enter the fray as team members of Blackwater, the mercenaries-for-hire company that Prince founded in 1997.
Featuring licensed real-world weapons, the game can be played with a traditional controller. But it has been crafted to take advantage of Kinect’s motion controls. Gamers will be able to aim, crouch, and interact with the on-screen action using only body gestures and moves to take out enemies through a series of action-packed missions.
The game has already courted controversy, since Blackwater employees were linked to the deaths of numerous noncombatants and civilians in the Middle East while employed by the U.S. government.
Critics have complained about the game because Blackwater employees take on missions for money, while U.S. soldiers, the focal point of games like “Modern Warfare 3” and “Battlefield 3,” fight for their country.
Following inquiries by Congress into Blackwater actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, including a shootout that led to the deaths of 17 Iraqis, Prince changed the company’s name to Xe and, in 2009, resigned as CEO. He sold the company last year.

(more…)

Monday, June 27, 2011

Legal News: Justin Cannon Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison

Filed under: Legal News — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 9:57 PM

Of course the family is still in the process of appeals. If you would like to show your disgust with this ruling, by all means contact Senator Carl Levin.  That is what the family is recommending.

As to my thoughts on the matter? I think DOJ wants a win with this one, just because they are getting beaten up in other areas where they have stumbled. These guys have also been on a Xe witch hunt for quite some time, even though the US government has been rewarding Xe with contracts. (an odd way to show your appreciation?) They want MEJA to have some precedent as well so they can say ‘look, contractors can be held accountable’.

I agree that this industry needs accountability, but on the other hand, I hate seeing contractors becoming scapegoats to create that precedent.

These men were in a war zone, they acted out of self preservation, and they ‘interpreted’ the oncoming vehicle as a threat.  That should have ended the case right there, because these men did not act maliciously. They were also firearms instructors and trained military veterans, and yet here we are, punishing these men for their decision in a war zone.

The fear I have here is that cases like this will actually reduce the security posture of security contractors. Because if you ‘fire’ your weapon out of self defense, or defense of your client, that you will be punished or worse, go to jail. Do we want to instill this kind of mindset into the minds of armed security contractors working in highly complex and extremely dangerous war zones? Worse yet, are we setting ourselves up to where even an enemy combatant, or the family of an enemy combatant, could file charges against a security contractor?

These are the things that must be considered as we go down this path of contractor accountability. It applies to military accountability as well, and some have even coined this as ‘lawfare’.

To me, all laws that a nation creates must be geared towards giving it advantage during times of war, and at the same time giving disadvantage to the enemy. Because what sense is it if you lose your country to a stronger enemy, all because of your self-imposed and highly restrictive laws? If MEJA, or whatever laws we create are the path we follow, they must be viewed in this type of legal filter, or we will have lost a strategic and tactical advantage. (and yes, contractors are a strategic asset of a nation, despite what some might say…) –Matt

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 27, 2011
Contractor Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Death of Afghan National in Kabul, Afghanistan
Justin Cannon, 29, of Corpus Christi, Texas, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his role in shooting and killing an Afghan national while on an unauthorized convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 5, 2009, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.   U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar also ordered Cannon to serve two years of supervised release following his prison term.

(more…)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Games: A Walkthrough For The Kinect Game ‘Blackwater’

Filed under: Cool Stuff,Games — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 12:41 AM

Thanks to a reader for sending me this. What is interesting about this game is how physical it is. That the player must move, shoot, and communicate, as well as take cover as much as possible using ‘their body’ in order to advance. Imagine playing this game while wearing full kit and using your issued weapon (with attachments to interface with the game). And to do all of this for time? Pretty cool and I hope it sells. Check it out. –Matt

 

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Games: Blackwater, The Video Game

Now this is interesting.  With the amount of celebrity and notoriety that Erik Prince brings to the table, this would make financial sense to actually produce a video game.  These things are huge money makers, and by having Mr. Prince’s blessing for such a thing, could really elevate the interest in the game and equate to sales.

I compare it to football players or sports coaches endorsing video games. These folks are inserted into the story and visual effects of the game, and give the player a feeling that they are actually playing for that team. It is also why players love first person shooter games that are endorsed by former special forces troopers.  Call it the John Madden Effect. lol

So what kind of money are we talking about for video games?  Just look at how much money Call of Duty: Black Ops made?  It set a record on it’s first day of release, making 360 million dollars! As of February of this year, the total amount earned was well over a billion dollars! Who knows where it is at now and you get the picture.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that video games rival movies these days, for the amount of money they make and for the entertainment value.  A game like this can also give Mr. Prince a chance to do some serious strategic communications by showing every player that plays this game, exactly the kind of complex environments companies like this operate in. Video games, like movies, can also benefit from any publicity associated with the thing. So events in the UAE, or wherever, are actually excellent means of driving up the brand name called ‘Blackwater’. –Matt

Infamous Real-Life Mercenaries To Star In Blackwater, The Video Game
By Owen Good
June 8, 2011
Blackwater Worldwide, the real-life mercenary team linked to the killing of civilians and noncombatants in Iraq during US operations there, will be the subject of a Kinect-supported video game coming to the Xbox 360 later this year.
Published by 505 Games and titled, simply, Blackwater, the game is being produced in consultation with the private security contractor’s founder, the former Navy SEAL Erik Prince.
A news release called it “an intense, cinematic shooter experience”, set in a fictional North African town, in which players, as Blackwater operatives, battle two warlords’ factions to protect the city.
“This game and its immersive Kinect-based approach will give players the chance to experience what it is like to be on a Blackwater team on a mission without being dropped into a real combat situation,” Prince said in a statement issued by 505. The game was developed with in conjunction with former Blackwater members “to ensure accuracy of moves, gestures and gameplay,” the 505 release said. “The game also features a selection of officially-licensed weapons for your soldier to choose from.”

(more…)

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Industry Talk: Xe Gets A New CEO And Some New Blood

Xe is starting to infuse some new blood into their game. Red McCombs, John Ashcroft and Bobby Ray Inman all make the list and here is a quick run down of each.

The Texas oil executive (Red McCombs) is a co-founder of Clear Channel Communications and a former owner of the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs.
In addition, former Attorney General John Ashcroft and retired Adm. Bobby Ray Inman, a former director of the National Security Agency, have been brought on board as independent directors.

Not to mention the new CEO Ted Wright who came from KBR. It will be interesting to see where the company goes from here. –Matt

Xe Services, successor to Blackwater, names new CEO
By Bill Sizemore
June 1, 2011
Xe Services, the security and training company formerly known as Blackwater, has named a new chief executive officer. He is one of several new faces joining the company as it tries to distance itself from a history of legal troubles and international controversy.
USTC Holdings, Xe’s parent company, announced Wednesday that Ted Wright will join the company as CEO effective June 13. Wright comes to Xe from Houston-based KBR, a global engineering, construction and services company, where he had been president for North American government and defense. He spent 30 years on active and reserve duty in the Air Force.

(more…)

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