It’s no secret that the aftermarket trade of video games is a thriving business, and that developers and publishers never see a penny of it. David Braben (developer, Frontier Games) has finally voiced the fear. Citing the short shelf life of new games and the small footprint that new games are given in retail Braben has discovered a solution: ban used games.

The nuts and bolts of the ban boils down to copy protection–some sort of code on the disc or package from the developer–but it’s not difficult to imagine a server activation more along the lines of modern DRM. In fact, games like Mario Kart DS already match a console to a cartridge to create a unique identifier for the player’s online presence. So, even if these program features haven’t been applied to copy protection, the technology is already in place.

It gets trickier and trickier to play the games you buy every year.

Gamasutra has posted an editorial analyzing Bushido Blade (PS1) and how it communicates designer morality and cleaves to its title. The article meanders a bit into the philosophy near the late middle section, but also contains some interesting thoughts on the difference between simple and complex game rules:

Traditional fighting games are like college courses, and versus matches like exams . . . In Bushido Blade, none of the answers matter; only your quick, correct reaction determines your future.

Popular casual games like Bejeweled have much this same core, where intuitive control means there’s as little barrier as possible between the player and his manifest will. When that happens, gameplay is less about testing a player’s knowledge about an arcane and draconian rules, and more about the intrinsic joy of changing the (virtual) world around you. Of course, there’s room for both kinds of gameplay, but if you’ve ever wondered why your mom hates video games, it may be because the Tao of gaming has been buried under all the rules.

From the “it’s about time” files, PopCap Games has announced that it will be porting Peggle to the DS. They’ll be doing this with Q Entertainment (Lumines, Meteos), a development house already experienced with the unique demands of handheld gaming devices. Touch interactivity seems well suited to PopCap’s precision aiming game, and Peggle’s short play sessions seem like a good fit for portable gaming. That in addition to Peggle’s uncommon appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers makes this a game to keep an eye on.

Ok, maybe not that bad, but Nintendo has just lost a patent suit against Anascape over their gamecube and Wii Classic controllers. The inevitable order to halt production has been put on hold while Nintendo appeals, but the console giant will be expected to put sales royalties in escrow (or post bond) while the appeal proceeds. Unlike Sony’s recent infringement loss, the Wii is still fairly early in its life-cycle, making it more difficult for Nintendo to simply stall the trial until the next console generation and abandon production of an obsolete product.

That’s right, the industry trade show is not dead! Major publishers still make interesting announcements in the summer months, even if the event isn’t quite the fracas it once was, in no small part because people like the Pixelsocks staff aren’t allowed inside. Nevertheless, Gamasutra has delivered a nice summary of all the news of consequence. Go check it out. There’ll be Pikmin, I promise.

Actually, Gamasutra reports that the Wii has become the top-selling console in the US. While its lifetime sales totals don’t rival those of the PS2 or the DS, Wii Fit and other parts of Nintendo’s policy of expanding the gaming user base appear to be paying off. Since each console is sold at a profit, even the low casual gamer attach rate shouldn’t impair Nintendo’s revenue flow.

If the long tail operates as advertised and casual gamers keep buying occasional games over the console’s lifetime, Nintendo may be in for a sustainable firehose that sprays cash.

With the Penny Arcade Expo fast approaching, the two creators have announced the roster for the PAX 10.

The PAX 10 is a list of independent games noteworthy for overall quality. The announcement includes links to the internet presence for all those games, so click a few and try them out.

It appears that critically-acclaimed (and local favorite) first person puzzle game Portal will see an expansion before the upcoming sequel. Interestingly, the expansion will be initially available as downloadable content for Microsoft’s Xbox Live. The rumor mongers are muttering about eventual release for PC and other platforms, but nothing has been confirmed as yet. In the meantime, PC gamers will have to console themselves with custom portal maps.

The new iPhone application store will launch with well over 100 games, according to Steve Jobs. The device’s considerable screen resolution, sophisticated touchscreen technology, and developer-friendly profit sharing position the iPhone to take a bite out of Nintendo’s DS. While games have never been breakout successes on phones, the technology may finally be converging.

Activision has announced Wee 1st, a new brand intended for its Wii-targeted development.

Nintendo has historically had difficulty forming reliable relationships with third-party developers due to unfamiliar hardware and draconian business policies. However, the new brand’s starting lineup clearly isn’t targeted at core gamers, a sign that third parties may be growing more comfortable with the Wii’s target demographic and design sensibilities. Whether or not this will lead to the software explosion the DS enjoyed about a year after its launch remains to be seen, however. Place your bets for what will happen for the fourth quarter of 2008.