We're back with the big #6 issue of our weekly QJ How-To Series, and this one here is a continuation of the discussion we jumpstarted last week on Copyright Issues and Homebrew. Let's pick up where we left off last week, shall we?

More details about Capcom's upcoming Mega Man Star Force 2 for the Nintendo DS have finally been released. If you want to find out more about the different game versions and the various features found in the game, head on over to the full article. Just click on the "read more" link below to do so.

Rhythm games galore seem to be the trend these days, even among the homebrew developers. Daren has come up with a new homebrew rhythm game based on the PC freeware title StepMania. Entitled StepMania DS, it includes all the major features which made the highly flexible rhythm title so popular over the past few years. For more details about the game, check out the full article.

Download: StepMania DS
Download: StepMania DS (alternate version)

There are people who like spending hours playing PopCap games. We call them the casual gamers. There are also those who would devote a large chunk of their time playing MMORPGs. We can categorize them as the "hardcore gamers.". And of course, let's not miss out people who take gaming more seriously, such that they would study its idiosyncrasies.

Those people really take serious gaming up a notch, and they will be holding the Serious Games Summit, a conference for people who, well, take serious games seriously (this includes serious games creators and commissioners). The said summit will feature talks and forums regarding serious game development and how it could be used to help in healthcare, education, science and social change.

As such, Henry Jenkins was tasked to give the keynote speech entitled, "Serious Games in the Age of Media Convergence and Collective Intelligence." Jenkins is a DeFlorz Professor of Humanities and Director of Comparative Media Studies at MIT, principal investigator for the MacArthur Foundation-funded New Media Literacies as well as co-founder and director of The Education Arcade, which currently looks into the educational aspect of computer and video games.

The said conference will be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA from October 30-31.

Computer pioneer and inventor Allan Kotok, has died of a heart attack at age 64 in his home in Cambridge Massachusetts. A native of Philadelphia, Kotok is an MIT alum and a W3C associate chairman.

Known for being "technically adept well beyond the norm," Kotok worked for a variety of high tech firms. While working at Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) Kotok designed a family of computers, did some consulting and went on to fulfill various leadership roles.

His background in creating the AI for chess computers was subsequently found to be indispensable in his capacity as a tech researcher and game inventor. Mr. Kotok's life was a catalyst for growth in the fledgling gaming and computing industries of his time, and he is someone all gamers should know about.

Credited with creating the first videogame, along with the joysticks used to play them, his role in the history of gaming and computing in general cannot be overstated. Who knows, without his contributions to the history of gaming, the gaming industry we see today could be drastically different.

Mr. Kotok is survived by two daughters, a son and two grandsons. Everyone who uses computers or enjoys gaming today should recognize Alan Kotok as an integral figure in the evolution of the videogame industry.