tycoon

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Greenheart Games takes ironic aim at pirates.

- Samsung Galaxy S4 India launch weirdly tries "Gangnam Style."

- Original iPhone reportedly to be "obsolete" on June 11.

Bathroom break video: News reporter gets owned.… Read more

Yesterday, along with the genuine release of Game Dev Tycoon (Windows demo; Mac demo; Lite version for Windows 8), developers Greenheart Games treated some online gamers to an extra "gift" in the form of a cracked version of the game, which they then seeded via BitTorrent protocol.

Soon after seeding the cracked version of the game, thousands of users downloaded it. As those players progressed through the game--which takes players from producing games in a garage to becoming global leaders in the industry--establishing and growing their companies, they were blocked from proceeding further with the following, not-so-subtle hint--delivered … Read more

Ever wonder what it would be like to own your own island? Well, with Paradise Island for Android, you can at least simulate the experience. In this "freemium" simulator game, you are the owner of a small sector of a tropical island, on which you work to build a perfect resort getaway. As you build more attractions and entice more tourists, your wealth grows, and eventually (if you're good enough) you can expand your empire to cover the entire island.

With enough money, you can build resorts, restaurants, casinos, hot dog stands, shopping centers, monuments, pyramids, waterslides, … Read more

Could TerraCycle and Guerillapps have hit upon the next FarmVille?

The Trash Tycoon Facebook game that launched yesterday challenges players to find and recycle trash that can be used to make eco-friendly products that translate into game money and points. Its sponsors include TreeHugger and the CarbonFund.org, as well as TerraCycle.

The game, developed by Guerillapps, was a finalist at VentureBeat's GamesBeat 2011 startup contest, and you can see why. The game provides a clever introduction to the lucrative possibilities of upcycling, the use of recyclable elements to make new products. (One nit: the horrible music. I had to mute it.)

Trash Tycoon has players collecting glass, organic, plastic, architectural elements, paper, and jewelry. By using other tools like worms for composting, players are shown the kinds of useful products that can be made from recyclable goods.

The game mimics TerraCycle's real-world business model.

The New Jersey-based company is known for its recycling "brigades" in which anyone can mail in recyclable items needed by TerraCycle in exchange for two cents per item being sent to their charity of choice. Shipping for the items is paid for by TerraCycle. Using any box, participants simply print out a label for it, and mail in their items.

Using this method, TerraCycle has made the Garbage Garbage can, a garbage can made from old chip bags and the rubber elastic left over from the production of baby diapers. Other products includes bicycle chain picture frames, Capri Sun drink bag totes, pencil cases from cookie wrappers, circuit board coasters, Clif Bar duffel bags, and Kashi place mats, to name a few from its hundreds of quirky-looking products.

The game has a real-world component as well.

People who contribute recyclable waste to TerraCycle's real-life brigades and facilities will earn game points.

Just like TerraCycle's real-world product placement advertising in which it utilizes wrapper logos to contribute to product design as with its Skittles Eco Kite and Target ReTote, the Facebook game will also feature sponsorship by showing trash wrappers with various brand logos, according to Guerillapps. … Read more

Plant Tycoon, a garden simulation game that lets players nurture simple backyard gardens into lavish nursery empires, is about to set down roots in the PC and Mac. Now here's an upbeat title even grumpy game foe Jack Thompson might like.

Created by game studio Last Day of Work, the new version of the handheld title lets players breed and cross-breed species, within a budget, in a search for six magic plants. Solve the genetic puzzle and you'll be rewarded with wealth--and virtual horticultural fame.

In a nice twist on real-time green-thumbing, the gameplay continues unless you pause … Read more