I'm writing to you from sunny Las Vegas, Nevada, site of the 2007 D.I.C.E. Summit (DICE stands for Design, Innovate, Communicate, and Entertain). It's an exciting place to be, one of the annual highlights of game-related trade shows, with the only drawback being that I'm here instead of Playing the Supreme Commander Demo.

Every year DICE tackles big industry issues, from breaking games out of the mould to finding funding in an increasingly harsh business. And every year it seems there are new battles to fight.

For instance, inside my press kit I found a flier from VideoGameVoters.org. This project, sponsored by the Entertainment Software Association, is an effort to mobilize registered voters in order to fight increasing pressure from the government to regulate gaming. More and more in recent months, politicians are trying to score easy wins with uninformed voters by being "tough on violent games," often without evaluating the products in question or what their legislation would do to the industry as a whole. GamePolitics.com is a great resource for tracking all of that if you want to follow that scene.

There's some precedent here. Government pressure on the Comics industry in the 1950s (look up The Comics Code on Wikipedia) relegated that medium to brightly-colored kid fluff. While elsewhere comics thrived and became a major artistic and cultural force (I'm thinking of Japan in particular), American comics became a ghetto medium. Could it happen to games? "If video game sales to minors are regulated based upon their content, as some politicians propose, the end result could be diluted and duller storylines as many game publishers will not be able to take the same risks that lead to great, innovative movies, books, and music. This is not right!" says game designer Will Wright in an open letter on the Video Game Voters website.

Of course, there are other issues facing the industry, including the skyrocketing costs of making good games. But there are also bright spots: like more ways to download and buy content, or more mainstreaming thanks to fun products like Nintendo's Wii. And if you're trying to break into the industry, you're in luck -- it's growing faster than new talent can be found. Top-notch 3D artists and animators are being snapped up. Finding good people is actually the topic of one of the presentations at DICE that I'm looking forward to, from design genius (I don't throw that word around lightly) Will Wright.

That's what makes shows like DICE a lot of fun to cover. You never know what big issue or new technology will be the buzz around the hallways, or what people will be talking about when they gather next to the Red Bull vending stand. I'll fill you in on everything I learn right here, so stick around.

      -Fargo

• Blockbuster Video Top Ten Video Game Rentals -GameSpy
• Manhunt 2 Coming Soon -GameSpy
• Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection coming to PlayStation Store -GameSpy
• Aging PCs Can Play Crysis -IGN
• Space Giraffe Heads to Microsoft -IGN
• Aussie Games Industry Celebrates Achievements -IGN
• D3 Secures Ben 10 License -IGN
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Hands-on -TeamXbox
• Xbox Rewards Program Announced -TeamXbox
• Charity Auction Offers Chance to Make a Cameo in Halo 3 -TeamXbox
• D.I.C.E: The Complete Guide -Next Generation
• Blu-ray, HD-DVD Neck-and-Neck -Next Generation
• Shhhhh: Microsoft’s New Improved Xbox 360 -Next Generation
• Nintendo Rewards Southwest's Frequent Fliers -GameDaily Biz
• Okami, Oblivion Lead GDC Awards Finalists -GameDaily Biz

• Battlefield 1942 - Eve of Destruction Update - Planet Battlefield
• Battlefield - Battlefield Podcast: Episode 42 - Planet Battlefield
• Oblivion - Shivering Isles preview - Planet Elder Scrolls

• Boards: ASUS Striker Extreme Mainboard - Xbit Labs
• Boards: ASUS Striker Extreme - Legion Hardware
• Boards: DFI ICFX3200-T2R/G - [H]
• Cases: Moneual Moncaso 932B HTPC Case - Pro-Clockers
• Cooling: Monsoon II Lite: Thermal Electric Cooling Tower - Anandtech
• Cooling: Zalman Fatal1ty FC-ZV9 Dual Heatpipe VGA Cooler - PC Apex
• Mice: I-Rocks 4-Way Navigation Laser Mouse - techPowerUp
• Memory: Buffalo FireStix PC2-8000 5-5-5 - Overclockers Online
• Power Supply: Corsair's HX series 620 Watt PSU - Metku
• Power Supply: OCZ ProXStream 1000W - Virtual-Hideout
• Power Supply: XClio Stable Power 460 Watt - Tweaknews
• Storage: Western Digital WD740ADFD: Bottled Lightning - Anandtech
• Video: The Best Gaming Video Cards For The Money - THG
• Video: PCI-E x1 Graphics Performance with Galaxy GeForce 7300GT - Tweaktown