We may be in the middle of the “summer drought” of video game releases, but plenty went down in the video game world this week. Lets take a look at some of the most interesting headlines.
E3 Staying in Los Angeles for a while longer
The week kicked off with speculation that E3 would be announcing a new location for E3 next year as the city of Los Angeles makes plans to tear out part of their Convention Center to build an expensive invitation for an NFL team to come back to them.
Instead came the news that E3 will be remaining in L.A. through 2015, giving those who plan events for after the second day of the event plenty of time to ensure all their activities overlap each other again.
The news was met with mixed reaction, as some on social media stated that they had hoped for a fresh location. However, those who got in line at the Starbucks at E3 2012 were pleased to hear the news, as they may finally be out of that line in time to see the 2013 event.
Zelda Prototype Hits eBay
An eBay auction showed up this week featuring an apparent prototype version of the Nintendo Entertainment System classic The Legend of Zelda. Several photos of the inside and outside of the test cartridge appear within the auction, which also includes a sealed version of the retail release version of the game.
Numerous offers were made against the $150,000 listing price, but none were taken as of press time. Experts have stated that the seller stood to pocket a cool $12.50 after eBay and PayPal fees if his asking price was accepted.
Jay-Z Listed as Executive Producer of NBA 2K13
Word came out this week that entertainment superstar Jay-Z was partnering with 2KSports on their next entry into the NBA gaming franchise. No confirmation yet if Beyonce has been brought on to test play mechanics.
FIFA 13 Refs to Respond to Profanity
Those who use their Kinect to play FIFA 13 may want to watch their mouths, as it was noted this week that the officials in the game will react to profanity. American gamers who tend to ask “what the @#!* is this %@&@?” upon seeing a soccer video game are expected to be the most penalized.
Minecraft Characters are Gay, says Notch
“Every character and animal in Minecraft is homosexual,” said creator Markus “Notch” Persson this week. The statement came as part of an online explanation that the characters in the game were not intended to represent any particular gender.
The statement provided a crushing blow to Chick-Fil-A president Dan Cathy, who heard the news just as he’d finished building a functioning transit system that he demanded could only go one way.
Check back here each Monday to see what happened this week in gaming history and each Thursday to see the latest rundown of current industry headlines.
Patrick Scott Patterson – who has written 91 posts on The Jace Hall Show.
Patrick Scott Patterson is a Video game personality & historian who has been gaming since 1981. He contributes two weekly columns for The Jace Hall Show: "This Week In Video Game History" and "This Week in Gaming News".

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