Whether she's turning aside blows in Street Fighter IV or audiences in her very own motion picture, Chun Li has certainly made multitasking an art. A martial art, if you will. Now Siliconera has caught Capcom's favorite gal gambling as the star of a pachislot machine. Where does she find the time?

Titled Chun-Li Ni Makase China, the machine allows players to see Chun Li pummel cars and other fighters into submission as they empty their pockets of loose change. The skill stop machine is just one of several of slots in Capcom's Pachislo machine business, which include an earlier released Street Fighter II slot as well as machines based on Devil May Cry 3 and Biohazard. However, Capcom noted in a financial briefing that Chun-Li Ni Makase China has "struggled" since its release. Apparently gamblers just aren't captivated by Miss Li's massive coin operated thighs.

Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:

I get a surprising number of questions about video game tournaments and whether those constitute gambling. So today I'm going to discuss the matter specifically. I want to state up front that because this varies from state to state, please consult an attorney before attempting to set up a tournament. If you can't figure out what the laws in your state are, check with the state's Attorney General. Even if you have seen other tournaments in your area, you need to know what rules you have to play by to host your own. It's far better to be cautious than to be in jail. You've been warned. Now, back to our discussion...

Professional sports are legal and gambling (in general) is not in the United States. Video games, however, seem to be consistently stuck between the two. Part of this is due to video games being, in relative terms, the new kid on the block. And part of this comes from the structure of the tournaments themselves. The last bit comes from the skill-chance continuum that games are placed on. But let's take each of these issues one at a time.

Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:

Despite the relatively small amount of time I've had to play them, I've so far enjoyed Fable II's Pub Games, especially Fortune's Tower (pictured above). The idea of minigames has been around for ages, but Pub Games adds deeper elements than the norm, as well as pre-release hype for Fable II. Of course, this begs the question: Is this a sign of things to come?

I could certainly see other RPGs following suit, pre-releasing a related Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, or WiiWare game that interacts with the core game, like a Final Fantasy XIII card game stand-alone. If this becomes a trend, then developers will be looking to the next evolution of this idea. I would imagine the next step would be external games that affect MMO environments; and beyond that, perhaps gambling with real currency. Think of the evolution this way: You start with a game like Texas Hold 'Em, where your play only affects that game, then the next logical step is something like Pub Games, which affects you alone in a virtual environment. From there, the evolution would logically move to impacting a multiplayer virtual environment and, ultimately, to affecting a real world environment, specifically your bank account. It's these last two steps that present some legal issues.

We'll make a promise to you: not once in this preview will we reference the "Things that occur in Vegas" advertising slogan that seems to pop up every time someone mentions the mecca of mischievousness in the middle of Nevada. Except for that one time. No more.

This is Vegas is a game dreamed up by an assistant. Senior Associate Producer Trevor Ellington told us the real story behind the Sin City-based open-world humor game: an executive assistant at Midway came up with the idea of a game that replicated all of the wild fun to be had in Vegas, and thus was born TiV. During the demo we saw here at E3, the game presented four various scenarios: Fight, Party, Game, Drive, but by the time the game is released in 2009, they'll all be melded into what's supposed to be a sandbox of a good time.

Another day, another lawsuit for Nintendo. Their wacky ideas have probably been done in some form or another over the years, and now everyone wants a profitable piece of the action. The latest candidate for a chunk of Nintendo's payroll is John R. Martin, who claims to have patented touch-screen and pointing gaming technology in 2005. One year after the DS was released. Despite being a bit late, the origins of the patent date back to 1995, so it's fair game for the courts now.

This image was submitted with the patent filing, apparently showing a device "switchable between an amusement mode and a gaming or gambling mode." The whole touching thing can be found under "operating a touch screen on a CRT or ICD." But gambling? Looks like that diagram is for someone who hides stuff under the table to cheat at blackjack or roulette.

Nintendo has denied the infringement, while Martin is pursuing another suit against Apple.

Dragon Quest V is going to be one of the most feature-packed games on the DS. Don't try and argue with us, for Famitsu's recent look at the title only cemented that fact in our mind. There is a lot going on here.

Famitsu's article highlights not only a DS-exclusive character, Deborah, but also documents some of the other timesinks available in the game, should you wish to take a break from the main story. You can enjoy some Poker or Slots over at the casino, or partake in one of the other many mini-games available. You can even enjoy some combat in the Fight Field.

If you want to check out some new screens, head on over to Famitsu.

If there's one thing we here at Joystiq constantly find ourselves thinking while playing Tomb Raider games, it's "Man, if only this experience could be translated into an online video slot machine." Well someone at Belle Rock Entertainment must have had a window into our souls, because the group has just unveiled Tomb Raider: The Secret of the Sword, a new video slot for their online casinos.

The machine isn't based directly on the games, unfortunately. Instead, it promises to "faithfully capture the gripping excitement and suspense of the original movie" with "a glossy 5 reel 30 pay-line multi-faceted package." Fans of the movie will be happy to know that the "randomly triggered Super Mode" and "Global Adventure Bonus" have been faithfully captured here. The Secret of the Sword joins a similar Hitman slot machine in the annals of lame cross-marketing ideas for Eidos products impressive and engaging Eidos slot machine ports.

Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:


Well, it's GDC week, which likely means no one will be reading 'Law of the Game on Joystiq.' I can't say I blame you ... However, I just got back from the Gaming Law Minefield conference, and I feel like writing about MMORPG gambling. So, if you can pry yourself away from the real-time GDC updates for a few minutes, it's time for this week's Law of the Game on Joystiq. But first, a little shameless self promotion in the way of background: I've been writing about the MMORPG gambling idea since December 2005, which, best as I can tell, makes me one of the earliest legal commentators on the matter, and my commentary spans my SSRN account and Law of the Game. If you want a pretty complete background on MMORPG gambling legal issues, feel free to read up. If, on the other hand, you'd rather get a summary and get back to your GDC coverage, read the next couple paragraphs.

MMO gambling, when linked to currency with a real world value, is essentially the same as any other online gambling. The first major issue in the early years of MMO gambling was what constituted a tie to "real world value," as games with eBay economies were a gray area. Games such as SecondLife were much more clearly linked to real currency. Given that MMO games have the freedom to incorporate practically anything imaginable, they can have any of the types of online gambling integrated into the game, or to a lesser extent, acted out by players (i.e., player sponsored tournaments with a gold buy in and prize) without integration. So, like any other online gambling system, there were the perpetual issues of access by minors, taxation, and, of course, the endlessly murky waters of differing gambling regulations worldwide. Things took a rather abrupt turn with the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in the United States at the end of 2006.

Exacting revenge for all those times we said, "This is mediocre," publisher Midway has announced "This is Vegas," shortly before kicking us into a mysterious pit acting as little more than a receptacle for cynical gamers and woefully outdated movie references. So what, pray tell, is this ... This is Vegas?

According to the press release, it's "an open world, lifestyle action experience, where players will live out their Vegas fantasies by fighting, gambling, driving and partying their way through the most decadent, fast-paced and wildest city in the world." Said gambling, driving and partying will occur in a world devised by Midway's internal studio, Surreal Software. The Suffering and Drakan developer is currently aiming for a Winter 2008 release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Studio head Alan Patmore says the team is "thrilled" to indulge our "wildest Vegas fantasies," though fails to specify whether that includes the one where we become an inconsiderate, alcoholic grandmother addicted to shaking hands with the one-armed bandit. There will, however, be "partying in the hottest night clubs, racing in underground circuits," playing at the tables, impromptu barroom brawls and (presumably) other exciting, lifestyle action experiences. This is Vegas, baby.

It's that time of year again. Yes, it's the Las Vegas convention season, and between CES and D.I.C.E., many of the gaming faithful will have been in casino central before the end of February, including my own trip to the Gaming Law Minefield conference. This means bloggers are more drunk and broke than usual. It also means it's time to talk about gambling and how it may soon have a greater impact on video gaming. In fact, video game gambling has been a hot topic as of late, between MMO gambling and Kwari, among other stories. As an idea, video game gambling is relatively new.

Gambling, and gambling laws, on the other hand, have been around for quite some time. Games themselves fall into a range between two extremes: Games of Pure Chance and Games of Pure Skill. Chance games are ones where the player has literally no impact on the outcome of the game. The classic example is a lottery, where no matter what you do, you can't change the odds of your numbers being drawn on any given entry. Skill games, on the other hand, have no elements of chance whatsoever. The classic example of a pure skill game is chess, given that there are no random elements in the game; the outcome is determined solely by the skill of the two players. Most games, from blackjack to backgammon to baccarat to Bubble Bobble, falls somewhere between chance and skill.

With Japan yet to be treated to its first compilation of casino games on the DS, Success Corp is planning to bring SuperLite 2500 Tokyo Odaiba Casino to the region next February. At first glance, there's nothing particularly notable about the title, with the usual casino suspects all present: poker, slots, bunny girls, blackjack, and roule -- wait, bunny girls?

Yep, it turns out that Odaiba comes with a rather unusual hook: the ability to dress up the game's casino hostess in a range of costumes that can be purchased once you've won enough virtual medals in the game. Indeed, further research indicates that said outfits are the only reward for playing through the game. Is this the vital ingredient that would have brought success with the lonely male demographic to western casino titles? Dear reader, we shall never know.

Take a gamble and make the jump for shots of a further five outfits.

There's usually not that much overlap between the gaming industry (the gambling one) and the gaming industry (the one you actually are about). That seems poised to change, though, as the New York Times reports slot machine manufacturers are adding skill-based gaming elements to the one-armed bandits in an effort to attract new players. "We can't just make a slot thinking about the 55-year-old lady who comes to the casino a few times a month," said Rob Bone, marketing director for WMS Gaming. "We need to appeal to new buckets of players, or we'll die."

To that end, Bally Technologies has signed a deal with Atari to make machines based on Pong and Breakout, which let you play simplified versions of the games during a bonus round. Don't get too excited, though -- your gaming skills won't let you break the bank at Vegas. As the Times points out, "skill will take a player only so far as these machines are still calibrated to pay out less money than they take in." That's OK though ... back in the '80s we put money into these games without expecting to get any money back.

[Thanks Vlad]

A new bill to be proposed by Florida Rep. Robert Wexler (D) would seek to exempt "games of skill" from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). While the obvious goal is to protect poker from the UIGEA, the bill would presumably allow for the establishment of online betting networks for most video games. While casinos in Second Life (featuring games of chance, like slots, roulette, etc.) would remain illegal, theoretically, a company could establish a site that took round by round bets on Halo 3 matches, inviting leet slayers to put they monies where they mouths at.

Of course, the UIGEA was established in part to quell the enormous debt that online poker players have amassed, so don't expect this bill to float on by Congress. Still, just imagine the hustler-like subculture that would grow from out of the basements of red-eyed gaming junkies if the bill did pass. Sorta terrifying. Sorta tempting.

[Thanks, dark54555]

Tired of playing games for near-meaningless Gamerscore points or leaderboard rankings? If you live in Illinois, you may soon be able to play games for cold hard cash instead.

The Illinois legislature recently passed HB1124, which would allow residents to place bets on "a contest of 2 or more individuals" in "an electronic video game simulating a contest requiring skill, experience, dexterity, and precision." The key clause here is "requiring skill," so traditional luck-based gambling games like blackjack or video poker are out while games "requiring speed and accuracy of response to factual questions," for instance, are in.

While the law is likely intended to allow gambling on the touchscreen games often seen in bars, we can't see why it wouldn't also allow Illinoisans to legally place bets on Halo 2 matches, for instance. The bill still has to be signed into law by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, though, so don't go placing money on your skill with headshots just yet.

[Update: Law of the Game has further analysis of what is and isn't allowed under the bill. We'll take his word over ours since he actually seems to have some legal experience.]

[Via Gaming Today]

Tournament.com is looking for a few good beta testers and giving the participants $1 credit for every match they complete before the official launch later this spring. Tournament.com is looking to become a skill-based tournament environment where players compete for real money. Co-founder Marcus Pearcey says, "Much like golfers or chess players can compete against each other in tournaments, Tournament.com users can prove their skills and make some cash in secure, fair, competitive matches that reward winners with more than just bragging rights." Tournament.com has received the rights to use Valve games Counter Strike and Half-Life 2 for the beta, they plan to announce more titles after the beta.

Of course, this sounds just a tad bit like gambling, but Tournament.com insists this is skill-based competition. There is a list of locations that believe this is gambling and won't allow you to play. Competitors are only allowed to place $150 USD into their account every month to wager $1 to $10 on their competitions -- you must also be 18 or older to participate. The beta testers who receive the $1 credit per round need to use up their credit value before they can cash out. For gamers into competition, the stakes just got real. The $150 cap prevents us from saying that this is just begging for intervention. Tournament.com doesn't sound any different than bars that hold gaming competitions with buy-ins. Just make sure to check that the software is legal to download in your location before you go trying to pwn n00bs for cash.