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Dell, Pixel Mine get in the game
Two local tech companies are kicking off the summer by trying some unconventional ways to get video games into gamers’ hands.
Pixel Mine, Inc., which we’ve written about here before, recently launched Pixel Mine Portal, where PC gamers can download a launcher to play games from the company. Launch games include “Ashen Empires” and “Dransik,” both massively multiplayer online games, as well as beta versions of “Fireteam Reloaded” and “Secondhand Lands.”
Some games on the site are free, but others will rely on “micropayments.” Players purchase tokens that can be used for any games on the site. In the future, players will be able to earn game points and use them for prizes and store items.
Competition for gamers’ eyeballs is at an all-time high, so here’s hoping Pixel Mine can carve its own little niche out there.
Dell Inc. is also trying to get gamers excited. The company’s College Gaming League is partnering with the Championship Gaming Series for an amateur league.
Geared toward PC and Xbox 360 players, the College Gaming League offers educational discounts to all college students on PC bundles as well as access to tournaments for university teams.
Expect to see this partnership play out on campuses with competitions leading to national video game tourneys, which are expected to be televised.
Professional video-game leagues haven’t really taken off in the U.S. the way they have in South Korea and other countries, but if anyone’s in a position to put some hardware muscle behind the movement, it’s Dell.
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