Scraps: I suffer for you (12/05/2008)

All of my friends are in my living room, laughing and playing Rock Band 2 right now. It sounds like they’re having a really good time, once they figure out what songs they’re going to play.

What am I doing? Putting together your scraps post for the evening. I don’t know what’s more depressing: My dedication to delivering news that the rest of our staff obviously didn’t care about or the fact that I only have five friends. 

Whatever the case may be, it’s time once again to get your dose of so-called “lesser stories.” Don’t forget to follow after the jump to see some original articles from around the web.

• The naked, painted ladies displaying the winners of last year’s Spike TV awards will not be returning this year. Of course, it’s Spike, so there will probably be nearly naked women somewhere to make you forget that you’re watching a stupid awards ceremony. [MTV Multiplayer]
• Harmonix lied to you. That unused port on the drums, the one they claimed was for a second kick pedal, is for an unknown peripheral yet to come. [Joystiq]
• In South Korea, games are serious business. The government there has pledged to commit 350 billion in cold, hard cash to support the industry there. Granted, that’s only about $237 million US, but still enough to make it the third largest region in the world. [GamesIndustry]
• When Japanese consumers where asked in a survey what items they carelessly purchase this year, Wii Fit hit the third spot, under two sweet treats. And people say there’s a cultural divide between East and West. [Kotaku]
• Further pushing Atari’s new direction towards digitally distributed games, president Phil Harrison claims that the iPhone will “change the way that certain kinds of devices consume content forever.” [GamesIndustry] 

• Left 4 Dead has a tutorial? If it does, you’ve seen it and you probably didn’t even notice. John Brownlee makes his case for one of the most subtle instructional methods in gaming. [Offworld]
• Gamasutra has an exhaustive look into videogame piracy discussing the issue with the ESA and the PC Gaming Alliance. Part one covers the need to educate consumers, while part two looks at the countermeasures employed to keep PC gamers in line and their effectiveness. An excellent read.
• Entertainment lawyers have started to branch out, dedicating entire practices to the service of videogame companies. LA Weekly takes a gander at the burgeouning specialization of law. A bit pedestrian, but these are things we’re going to have to start thinking about more and more as the industry grows. [LA Weekly]
• Videogames are getting closer and closer to offering a truly interactive experience. But what are the best next steps towards total immersion? Lazlow has a couple of interesting ideas on the subject. [Hide and Geek]