Because of my day job, I frequently get asked questions like, "How do I get a job as a game designer?" or "I have an idea for a game, how do I sell it?" or "What do I need to learn about to write a good game?"

This page has excellent answers to a lot of those questions.

GameDev.net - The Getting Started Guide to Game Development FAQ

] Experts have valued the deal at between $85m (£43.6m) and
] $100m, making it one of EA's largest acquisitions.
 . . .
] EA's stake would give it access to 18.4 % of the voting
] rights against 22.8 % held by Ubisoft's founders, the
] Guillemot family, Ubisoft said.
]
] "Pending further information, we consider this operation
] as hostile," an Ubisoft spokesman told Reuters agency.
 . . .
] The transaction needs to get US anti-trust clearance
] before it can be completed.

Games giant EA buys Ubisoft stake

] A Ubisoft spokesman said the video game designer is
] waiting for Electronic Arts to make its intentions clear
] before any discussions on the future of Ubisoft can
] start. EA has declined to comment on whether it wants to
] make a full takeover bid for Ubisoft.

EA has a reputation for buying companies (Maxis, Westwood, Kesmai, Origin) and then shutting them down. I sympathize with the universal "cringe" that must be being experienced by the folks at Ubisoft right now.

Ubisoft Regards EA Share Purchase As Hostile

] A new report from DFC Intelligence forecasts that the
] worldwide market for online games will reach $9.8 billion
] in 2009. This represents a 410% increase over 2003
] revenue of $1.9 billion. In 2009, the largest market for
] online games is expected to be the Asia-Pacific region
] with $4.2 billion in revenue. Korea and Taiwan are
] already well established markets and China and Japan are
] expected to be the two fastest growing countries for
] online games.

DFC Intelligence Forecasts 410 percent Increase in Online Games Revenues

Meme-ing for future reference.

Internet Market Research Reports

This is a related website to the "Electronic Gaming Business" newsletter. Lots of interesting reports and data here.

EGB: Electronic Gaming Business

] Top Ten Industry Facts
]
] 1/ U.S. computer and video game software sales grew eight percent
] in 2003 to $7 billion -- a more than doubling of industry software sales
] since 1996.
]
] 2/ In 2003, more than 239 million computer and video games
] were sold, or almost two games for every household in
] America.
]
] 3/ Half of all Americans age six and older play computer
] and video games.
]
] 4/ The average age of a game player is 29 years old.
]
] 5/ The average game buyer is 36 years old. In 2003, 94
] percent of computer game buyers and 84 percent of console
] game buyers were over the age of 18.
]
] 6/ Thirty-nine percent of game players are women.
]
] 7/ Eighty-five percent of all games sold in 2003 were
] rated "E" for everyone or "T" for teen. (For more
] information on ratings, please see www.esrb.org.)
]
] 8/ Ninety-two percent of parents surveyed who have
] children under the age of 18 say they monitor the content
] of the interactive games their children play, and 55
] percent of parents say they play interactive games with
] their kids at least once a month.
]
] 9/ Forty-three percent of game players say they play games
] online one or more hours per week, up from thirty-seven
] percent in 2003 and thirty-one percent in 2002.
]
] 10/ More than half of game players expect to be playing as
] much or more 10 years from now as they do today.

Good resource for sales and demographic data factoids.

Entertainment Software Association - Sales and Demographic Information

] BEIJING (AP) -- China has shut down more than 8,600
] Internet cafes since February, many of them for illegally
] admitting juveniles, the official Xinhua News Agency
] reported Thursday.
]
] "Any such place allowing juveniles to enter or allowing
] unhealthy information to spread through the Internet will
] face rigid, severe penalty," Xinhua said.
]
] China also bans Internet cafes within 220 yards of
] schools because of its fears that children could become
] exposed to pornography or hooked on online video games.

China shuts more than 8,600 Net cafes for letting in minors

] 2004 Web & Downloadable Games White Paper

Hot off the presses, the new 93-page report from the International Game Developers Association Online Games Committee. I was one of the senior editors on this, pulling in bits of data from dozens of industry professionals who volunteered time and data.

It's free for download, if anyone wants to check it out. :)

IGDA State of the Industry - 'Web & Downloadable Games' White Paper

] Fantasy worlds created by virtual reality have been shown
] to provide a novel form of relief to patients suffering
] from intractable pain.

Virtual analgesia -- makes perfect sense! Maybe I'll bring my handheld to my next dentist appointment....

Real pain dulled in virtual worlds