Launch game

A launch game, or launch title, is a video game released to consumers synchronously with the release of its respective video game console, meaning they are the only available games at the time of the console's launch. Several of these games are also packaged with the console. Because launch games provide first impressions of the console's features and technical abilities, they are important in the video game industry, and many launch games have been killer apps.

Quality vs. quantity

Historically, the number of launch games has been an important factor in deciding the success of a gaming platform. The more games available at launch, the higher the chances that players will find something that interests them. However, the same importance applies to game quality: poor quality games do not sell as well in the long term as high quality ones.

When preparing for a major console launch, developers and publishers have a decision to make. They can release a large number of launch games, often accompanied by the promise of more soon after launch, or they can release a few extremely strong games, or a killer game. Whilst releasing a large number of extremely strong titles is of course preferred, this may not be practical. To balance these choices, developers will often supplement one or two strong titles with third-party or licensed titles to bolster the number of launch titles.

The Game

The Game or The Games may refer to:

Sports and games

College sports

Books

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday.

History

The fear of the number 13 has been given a scientific name: "triskaidekaphobia"; and on analogy to this the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή, meaning "Friday"), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς, meaning "thirteen").

The superstition surrounding this day may have arisen in the Middle Ages, "originating from the story of Jesus' last supper and crucifixion" in which there were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday. While there is evidence of both Friday and the number 13 being considered unlucky, there is no record of the two items being referred to as especially unlucky in conjunction before the 19th century.

An early documented reference in English occurs in Henry Sutherland Edwards' 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini, who died on a Friday 13th:

The Kid (artist)

THE KID is a contemporary artist who questions social determinism and the frontier between innocence and corruption in modern societies. Half Dutch and half Brazilian, The Kid lives and works both in Paris and Amsterdam where he has, respectively, his painting and sculpture studios.

The Kid's socially-committed and thought-provoking art works include wall-size blue Bic ballpoint pen drawings, charcoal drawings, and oil paintings, as well as controversial hand-made hyper-realistic lifesize silicon sculptures and installations. In recent years, The Kid's works have been exhibited at the Louvre and Le Grand Palais and during solo and group shows at ALB Anouk Le Bourdiec Gallery in Paris, France.

Through the social and political dimensions of his subjects and due to an influential collectors' international audience, The Kid has also become a committed supporter of the leading International non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch, in particular for its fight against social discrimination and juvenile justice, two repeating themes of The Kid's art work. Beyond Paris, he has also lived and worked in New York, London, and Milan.

Game

A game is structured form of play, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements. However, the distinction is not clear-cut, and many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such as jigsaw puzzles or games involving an artistic layout such as Mahjong, solitaire, or some video games).

Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interaction. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both. Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulational, or psychological role.

Attested as early as 2600 BC, games are a universal part of human experience and present in all cultures. The Royal Game of Ur, Senet, and Mancala are some of the oldest known games.