Taking it, to the Wire
Dave Cook looks at what is available in the world of online gaming and the latest download services
ounloading media has heeome
inereasingl} eas} in reeent sears. Your
mohile phone ean dounload games. yutr teleVision ean stream radio and DVDs ean he rented o\'er the net and pla_\ ed on )our games eonsole. While users are inereasingl} warning to the idea ol' husing media through the \sire. there are still purists uho helieu' that ouning a ('I). eoinplete \xith inla} eard and haeking ease. is the old} \\a_\ to go. l'nl'ortunatel} l‘or those people. most ol' the hig pla_\ers in multimedia eontent are happ} to suiteh to the digital don nload format.
There is mueh talk ol a luture uhere stores sueh as (iame \sill he replaeed h} a ser\iee mueh like the i'l‘unes store in \shieh users ean hrouse near-endless eatalogues ol' releases and
Niall Walker 35, Marketing Manager i. "‘- A.
How would I describe my style? Le Poof! Ha ha ha. I really like the looks you see at Horsemeat Disco in London at the moment. My favourite shop in Glasgow is W
Rouleaux. l llr‘
Over my shoulder is an All Saints bum bag. I have a friend who works there and gets me a discount. t
1 k .4-‘
My shirt is from UNIQLO in London - this was the last size small in the Oxford Street store and I had to fight two hissy queens for it.
The shoes are from (legendary, much-missed Glasgow store) Dr Jives, which shows how old they are. I've had these trainers forever and refuse to throw them out until I find another pair the same. They stink.
10 THE LIST .‘5 F:‘-:*«‘5 ‘.‘.a' .ffjr
l
‘THERE ARE NO LIMITATIONS TO WHAT A PLAYER
CAN DO'
My trés chic friend Julienne took me to the Agnes 8 shop in Lyons
last year. This scarf says:
‘A mes heures perdues’ on it, which I think we can all relate to.
~———~ ~4» , .
The vest is Muji. When are they gonna open a Muji in Glasgow again?
The belt is Marc Jacobs, but I might have to stop wearing it, in protest at
him using Victoria Beckham as a muse.
The jeans are Cheap Mondays — why pay more?
mum WM
dounload games straight onto their hard dri\e. The largest and most sueeesslul ser\iee ol this kind is Steam t\t\\\s.steampouered.eoml. \shieh is operated ll) l/il/l-llft' .3 tle\eliipel' \'al\e. IIIL' range ol'games has grou n massi\el} sinee it lirst opened its \irtual doors in Still}. It etu'rentl} ol'l'ers \'al\e's entire haek eatalogue as \\ ell as other dexelopers sueh as Roekstar \orth. l’op('ap ( iames. .t\eti\‘ision and Sega to name hut a lien. .-\t the time ol' uriting the ser\iee ol'lers appro\imatel_\ 350 titles l'or less than _\ou \sould pa} in hiin street stores.
Taking the idea ol online marketplaees e\en l‘urther is neneomer A World ol‘ .\1_\ (lull in \\ \\ .a\\ omo.eom l \\ hieh has enjo} ed a ptlslllVL' reaetion in the gaming press. ()perated h} Riehard Branson‘s Virgin (iaines. the l'ormat pla}s ottt like World of llirn'm/i meets 'I'lu' Slim \\ here )our digital persona ean \talk around detailed eities and talk to other gamers. 'I‘hei‘e are no limitations to \shat a pla} er ean do. he it \xalking around toun. ehatting. hroxs sing games in the shops. taking part in online tournaments or ehilling out at a trend} \ irtual har.
lior those \sho just \xant the games \xithout the \irtual \xorld element. there is also a simple i'l‘unes Store l‘ormat a\ailahle l'or quiek hrousing and pla_\. .’\lternatel_\. il' )ott don't uant to wait hours tor a game to download. head (net to \s\t\s.streamtheor).eom \\ here similar retail games ean he purehased and pla}ed as the} download. \\ ith the ad\'antage that while soil are pla}ing through le\el one of a game. le\el tuo is heing stl\ ed to _\our hard dri\ e.
.\lueh like Steam. .-\\\'().\l() eneourages independent eoders \\ ho operate l'rom their hedrooms to sell their \torks on the serViee. lt's possihle that. in the l'uture. \sork \‘tlll heeoine notieed and these eottage eoders eould hit the hig time. :\s we“ as oll‘ering a springboard l'or small de\elopers. streaming serxiees sueh as Steam and .-\\\'().\l(). along \xith Xhox l.i\e and I’la_\station Netxxork. ol'l‘er great henelits tor Users and game eompanies. So. in a sense. exer} hod) \klns.
With so many ptislllVe l’aetors it might jUst he a matter ol‘ time hel'ore we‘re all doing our games shopping through the wire. But as ever with such a liekle industr}. only time Vt ill tell.