PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read

I’ve seen a number of people break out this old Harry Truman chestnut recently:

“It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job it’s a depression when you lose yours.”

By this definition, the current economic situation has indeed become a depression for a number of our colleagues in the gaming industry. Just in the past few weeks, some people we’ve linked to, who make the games we play, who have guest-posted on this blog, and even some close friends have found themselves out of work.

As if that didn’t hit close enough to home, just in the past few days we’ve heard about the closing of the Gamerscore Blog, and the subsequent layoffs of its staff. Major Nelson may be the big name, but we’ve always felt the GSB to be more of an opposite number to the PlayStation.Blog. And while we’re on opposite sides of a sometimes contentious competitive atmosphere, we’ve maintained cordial, even friendly, ties with those who do what we do – only in Seattle.

On my first trip to that city last summer for PAX, it was GSB’s Chris Paladino who welcomed me to an opening night party and a joint Rock Band 2 jam session. Since then, we’ve continued to talk about things personal and professional (he’s a huge MLB The Show fan), and to jointly recognize how lucky we are to work in an industry that we’ve both loved since childhood.

That’s why the news was particularly shocking. While we absolutely love working for PlayStation, there’s no joy in seeing some of the more noble soldiers of a competitor go out like that. Best of luck Chris, Nelson, Sara, and the rest of you who find yourselves, hopefully only temporarily, a casualty of the times we live in.

–Jeff, Patrick, & Chris

The PS Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 19, 2009)

• Media Molecule teaches how to make a LBP survival challenge – Joystiq
• Resistance: Retribution gameplay videos reminds us to charge our PSPs – Destructoid
• LittleBigPlanet scores most nominations for February’s AIAA – PS3 Fanboy
• Exclusive Look At ‘Resistance 2′ Comic Pages – MTV Multiplayer
• Ubisoft Publishing Tenchu 4 PSP In North America – Siliconera
• Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 Q&A – IGN
• Sony set to bring PSP replays, streaming for Arsenal matches – PSP Fanboy
• Wireless Keypad Eases Typing on PlayStation – NYTimes.com
• ESRB Explains Noby Noby Boy For Us – Kotaku
• Crisis Core’s Quiet Redefining Of The Gameplay Narrative Divide – GameSetWatch
• Watch this 41 minute Killzone 2 interview – PS3 Fanboy
• Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition for PS3 is the ultimate edition – Destructoid
• Review: Cuboid – The Escapist
• PS3 FW 2.60 = Non-Gaming Goodness – Sarcastic Gamer
• PS3 is the More Affordable Console – Gaming Target
• Star Ocean: Second Evolution Review – IGN
• Welcome To the Family: A Letter From Playstation’s Peter Dille – Kotaku
• PS3 Fanboy hands-on: Flower