CONTEST ENDS TODAY: Bejeweled Photo Frame

Zombie hand not included

We have a heavy metal (as in the actual heavy metal kind, not the Black Sabbath kind) picture frame encrusted with real fake jewels. These frames are pretty rare, actually. PopCap produced some to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bejeweled, but they were never sold.

To enter, all you have to do is:

1. Share a link (even this one) or follow State of Play via:

• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• RSS Feed 
• Google Follow (found at the bottom of the sidebar)

Please note: if you already follow us on Google, RSS, Twitter, or Facebook, just let me know that you'd like to enter, and please do a retweet or some other kind of link share.

AND

2. Let me know you want to enter. Do this in any of the following ways:

• Leave a comment.
• Tweet me @StateOfPlayBlog
• Post a message on the State of Play Facebook Page
• Send an email to "games=at=aptopub.com" (replace the =at= with @) to have your name entered.  
• Please don't forget to do one of these things or I won't know you've entered!

Deadline is Monday, October 25!

I'll choose winners by the scientific process of writing names on little pieces of paper and pulling them out of my Mario hat.

ONLY NORTH AMERICAN ENTRIES PLEASE!

WIN!: Metal Bejeweled Photo Frame

The winner of the Plants vs. Zombies Game of the Year Edition was cappytweet. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Zombie hand not included

This week, we have a heavy metal (as in the actual heavy metal kind, not the Black Sabbath kind) picture frame encrusted with real fake jewels. These frames are pretty rare, actually. PopCap produced some to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bejeweled, but they were never sold.


To enter, all you have to do is:

1. Share a link (even this one) or follow State of Play via:

• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• RSS Feed 
• Google Follow (found at the bottom of the sidebar)

Please note: if you already follow us on Google, RSS, Twitter, or Facebook, just let me know that you'd like to enter, and please do a retweet or some other kind of link share.

AND

2. Let me know you want to enter. Do this in any of the following ways:

• Leave a comment.
• Tweet me @StateOfPlayBlog
• Post a message on the State of Play Facebook Page
• Send an email to "games=at=aptopub.com" (replace the =at= with @) to have your name entered.  
• Please don't forget to do one of these things or I won't know you've entered!

Deadline is Monday, October 25!

I'll choose winners by the scientific process of writing names on little pieces of paper and pulling them out of my Mario hat.

ONLY NORTH AMERICAN ENTRIES PLEASE!

WIN!: Plants vs. Zombies Limited Edition (Game of the Year Edition PC/Mac)

Thanks to all who participated in the GelaSkin contest.  The winners were Will D., LeeAnn W., and Brett N. They've all been notified by mail.

But don't go away just yet! Next up is this brand-new copy of Plants Vs. Zombies: Game of the Year Edition, generously provided by PopCap.  It includes the Windows/Mac version of the game, along with this little guy:

To enter, all you have to do is:

1. Share a link (even this one) or follow State of Play via:

• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• RSS Feed 
• Google Follow (found at the bottom of the sidebar)

Please note: if you already follow us on Google, RSS, Twitter, or Facebook, just let me know that you'd like to enter, and please do a retweet or some other kind of link share.

2. Let me know you want to enter. Do this in any of the following ways:

• Leave a comment.
• Tweet me @StateOfPlayBlog
• Post a message on the State of Play Facebook Page
• Send an email to "games=at=aptopub.com" (replace the =at= with @) to have your name entered.  
• Please don't forget to do one of these things or I won't know you've entered!

Deadline is Monday, October 18!

I'll choose winners by the scientific process of writing names on little pieces of paper and pulling them out of my Mario hat.

ONLY NORTH AMERICAN ENTRIES PLEASE!

WIN! Plants vs. Zombies GelaSkins

I'm giving away a few Plants Vs. Zombies GelaSkins, generously provided by PopCap. They fit either iPhone 4 or 3GS/3G/original. They do not fit on an iPod Touch.

GelaSkins are protective coverings for you device. They cling to the surface to prevent damage. They sell for about $15 each.

To enter, all you have to do is:

1. Share a link (even this one) or follow State of Play via:

• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• RSS Feed 
• Google Follow (found at the bottom of the sidebar)

Please note: if you already follow us on Google, RSS, Twitter, or Facebook, just let me know that you'd like to enter, and please do a retweet or some other kind of link share.

2. Let me know you want to enter. Do this in any of the following ways:

• Leave a comment.
• Tweet me @StateOfPlayBlog
• Post a message on the State of Play Facebook Page
• Send an email to "games=at=aptopub.com" (replace the =at= with @) to have your name entered.  
• Please don't forget to do one of these things or I won't know you've entered!

The deadline is Friday, October 8, 2010. Deadline extended to Monday, October 11!

I'll choose winners by the scientific process of writing names on little pieces of paper and pulling them out of my Mario hat.

ONLY NORTH AMERICAN ENTRIES PLEASE!

... And Poptober Begins

You know you want this.

And so we begin to pass out the PopCap swag throughout October.  Here's what we have on hand:

• A rare, 10th Anniversary metal Bejeweled Photo frame
• Plants vs. Zombies Gelaskins for your iPhone
• A Peggle t-shirt
• Plants vs. Zombies Game of the Year Edition, with a special zombie figurine.

I also have a variety of stuffed Chuzzles and strongbands, so I'll probably spread those around to various packages as I send out stuff.

First contest begins today.

And our next prize sponsor is....

Yep, those guys.

PopCap will be our prize sponsor throughout October, and I understand that a box o' PopCap games and swag is winging its way eastward at this very moment. I'm tingling all over just thinking about it.

This sponsorship thing has been easy so far, because both companies (first Bicycle and now PopCap) are ones I truly enjoy and admire. I remember talking to PopCap co-founder Jason Kapalka about ten years ago when they were just getting off the ground, and it was clear they were doing something new: a fresh kind of casual game with a much broader appeal. I never dreamed it would get this big, and I frankly thought their pursuit of mobile gaming was daft. (Obviously, I got that one very wrong.) Ten years on, PopCap games are everywhere, and Plants vs. Zombie shows that they can still innovate in ways we never imagined.

I consider them one of the major forces in gaming today. About a year ago, I wrote a column in Maximum PC in which I suggested the future of PC gaming belongs to PopCap and the casual gaming revolution they ignited. I still think that's the case. On the short list of Games That Changed Everything, Bejeweled is near the top.

So, beginning in October, we start passing out the PopCap love. Stay tuned.

Thanks to Garth, Eric, and the PopCap family for their kind support.

WIN!: Custom Bicycle Playing Cards

This is the final prize in our month o' Bicycles. The fine folks at the US Playing Card Company have provided us with 2 sets of Bicycle Personalized Cards. Each set comes with a code that allows you to create a FREE deck of Bicycle cards with any card-back image you want. Standard poker or jumbo index faces are available. Each deck normally sell for $20.

The process is the same as before. Please note: if you already follow us on Google, RSS, Twitter, or Facebook, just let me know that you'd like to enter, and please do a retweet or some other kind of link share.

All you need to do to be eligible is:

1. Follow State of Play and/or share a link via:

• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• RSS Feed 
• Google Follow (found at the bottom of the sidebar)

AND

2. Let me know you entered. Do this in one of the following ways:

• Tweet me @StateOfPlayBlog
• Post a message on the State of Play Facebook Page
• Send an email to "games=at=aptopub.com" (replace the =at= with @) to have your name entered.  
• Please don't forget to do one of these things or I won't know you've entered!
• You may enter multiple times, but no more than once a day.
  

The deadline is next Friday, September 24th, 2010.

And don't forget to visit the Bicycle web site and follow them on their Facebook page.

I'll choose winners by the scientific process of writing names on little pieces of paper and pulling them out of a hat.

ONLY NORTH AMERICAN ENTRIES PLEASE!

Prizes have been provided by the United States Playing Card Company.

WIN: Bicycle Poker Chips

Our next giveaway is a single set of Bicycle Premium Tournament Poker Chips. These are 8 gram, casino grade, clay-filled chips. (By comparison, the lightweight plastic chips found in most homes are only 2 grams.) There are one hundred chips in a plastic tray.

The process is the same as before. Please note: if you already follow us on Google, RSS, Twitter, or Facebook, just let me know that you'd like to enter, and please do a retweet or some other kind of link share.

All you need to do to be eligible is:

1. Follow State of Play and/or share a link via:

• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• RSS Feed 
• Google Follow (found at the bottom of the sidebar)

AND

2. Let me know you'd like to have your name entered. Do this in one of the following ways:

• Tweet me @StateOfPlayBlog
• Post a message on the State of Play Facebook Page
• Send an email to "games=at=aptopub.com" (replace the =at= with @) to have your name entered.  
• Please don't forget to do one of these things or I won't know you've entered!
• You may enter multiple times, but no more than once a day.
  

The deadline is next Friday, September 17th, 2010.

And don't forget to visit the Bicycle web site and follow them on their Facebook page.

I'll choose winners by the scientific process of writing names on little pieces of paper and pulling them out of a hat.

ONLY NORTH AMERICAN ENTRIES PLEASE!

Prizes have been provided by the United States Playing Card Company.

WIN!: Contest Deadline This Friday

Our first prize, provided by the US Playing Card Company, is

A two-pack of Bicycle World Series of Poker Tournament Edition Playing Cards (one red deck, one black deck), standard faces.

AND

A set of 5 Bicycle Dice.

I have two sets to give away. All you need to do to be eligible is:

1. Follow State of Play in some way:

• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• RSS Feed 
• Google Follow (found at the bottom of the sidebar)

2. Share a link from the site (it can even be this one). Obviously, most forms of link-sharing are on the honor system.

3. When you've done that, let me know in one of the following ways:

• Tweet me @StateOfPlayBlog
• Post a message on the State of Play Facebook Page
• Send an email to "games=at=aptopub.com" (replace the =at= with @) to have your name entered.  
• Please don't forget to do one of these things or I won't know you've entered!

And don't forget to visit the Bicycle web site! They have a huge database of card games and rules.

Deadlines for the first set of giveaways are next Friday, September 10th, 2010.

I'll choose winners by the scientific process of writing their names on little pieces of paper and pulling them out of a hat.

ONLY NORTH AMERICAN ENTRIES PLEASE!

Card Corner: Prizes, USPCC Cards, and More

When I began this blog, I knew that playing cards and card games would be one of the things I wrote about from time to time.

There were a number of reasons for this: I’ve been rediscovering old games while I taught them to my family, I think social and family card games are worth reviving, and there was a general shortage of good writing about cards. Sure, Poker was covered (over-covered, if you ask me), but when was the last time your newspaper ran a Bridge column, or you learned how to play a new game?

Since cards are a very old and popular form of gaming, I suspected they had a rich history and lore. As I began reading more, I realized that this was true, and I’m particularly in debt to Pagat, writer David Parlett, and The International Playing Card Society for opening a fascinating window to this element of game history.

I also began to see an important artistic element to cards. I’ve been involved in printing and publishing for my entire adult life, so I’ve always had an eye for the aesthetic side of the graphical arts: color, form, design, typography, and the like. Some people find this boring, others fascinating. There’s an entire, highly acclaimed movie called Helvetica that’s just about a single font, so obviously I’m not alone in this.

For the month of September, I have a couple of things in store.

As I’ve said before, the only cards I use are from the US Playing Card Company, mostly Bicycles and Bees. When I got in contact with them last month, they provided me with examples from some of their others lines, and I was surprised to find distinct tactile, production, and design elements for each.

So, throughout September, I’ll be posting comments and detailed, high-res illustrations from each of these different lines. Take a moment and look at them. I’m going to pull out some visual details and talk about each and what makes them different. There will probably be about 7 of these posts, scattering throughout the month.

USPC was also kind enough to provide a few prizes for you, the readers. I’ll post the first of these later today, and explain how to enter to win. The first will be a set of World Series of Poker cards (2 decks, red and black) and a 5-pack of USPC dice.