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….and we’re back! Last year saw the gaming industry grow in unexpected ways, from social gaming to the rise of digital distribution. 2011 looks to be another year of innovation, business development, and, of course, great games. That said, this issue of PLAYED takes 2011 to task, asking both how and where we’ll all be gaming over the next year, while also recapping and prognosticating about the ever-shifting social gaming space. Also, since the year is getting off to a splendid start for blockbuster titles, we look at how gamers are utilizing unique and innovative ways to try games before plunking down their hard-earned cash well beyond the video store shelf.

“Life is a videogame.”

The electronic voice of Joshua, a rogue AI in the movie classic Wargames, has been echoing in my head for over 25 years.  Even though ol’ never said that in the movie, it used to amuse me to “hear” it said as I noticed a mechanic in life that paralleled the experiences I was having in front of my computer or console.  I’ve never escaped the feeling (or the voice), and the current excitement over gamification — of products, of marketing, of life — is a welcome addition to the dialogue around innovation.  If you’re one of our clients, you’ve perhaps rolled your eyes while I went on about gamification.  If you’re one of my friends, you definitely have.  Eye-rolling is for spouses and art-school contrarians.

The latest issue of PLAYED is NOT in another castle, nor is it stuck in a warp pipe somewhere. It’s here, live, and ready to deliver another helping of gaming-related insight. Think of it as a power-up mushroom for your marketing mind.

This month, we dive into mobile gaming, taking a closer look at how your phone will be the next battleground for social gaming networks and the marketing innovations that come with them. Also, Super Mario Bros. turns 25 years old this month and we celebrate how Nintendo’s most stalwart brand has reinvented the company time and time again. Speaking of reinvention, read about Sony’s success with PlayStation this year, thanks, hilariously, in part to one Kevin Butler, Sony’s VP of…well, everything. Finally, with gaming becoming a hot-button political issue, we look at how gamers and developers are taking action and informing voters about issues related to their rights.

In between getting destroyed by the Zerg in Starcraft 2 and whacking snakes in the head exploring FrontierVille, this month’s issue of PLAYED stares in the face of the last days of summer and welcomes the fall, where gaming goes bananas and, of course, news and insight follows.

Did you know yesterday was a national holiday? Yesterday, work was shunned and responsibilities shuttled to the backburners because of Blizzard’s release of Starcraft 2. The game’s release has been long-anticipated by gamers, but also by the industry in general. In the face of a downturn in retail game sales, as well as the shift toward social gaming and other, industry-shaping trends, Starcraft 2 embodies a lot of the changes the gaming industry is seeing. From digital distribution to pro gaming, Starcraft 2 may be the prime example of a shifting games industry.

Plus, it is so awesome.