Analysts for the video game market considered 2009 to be critical to further success of the genre. Both the "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" franchises expanded in this year with new games on other gaming platforms including handheld gaming devices and mobile phones and with titles targeted towards specific genres or demographics, such as "Band Hero" for pop music and "Lego Rock Band" for younger players. Sales of music games were down in the first half of the year, though part was attributed to fewer purchases of the instrument controllers which players had already purchased and could reuse for other games. However, though analysis had expected that United States sales of "Guitar Hero 5" and "" to be high, close to or exceeding one million units each in the first month of their release, the resulting sales numbers were lower by nearly half of the projections. Though signs of the impact of the late-2000s recession on the video game markets were considered a factor in lower sales, it was also taken as a sign of the waning popularity of the titles, now considered to be saturating the market. As a result, analysts have lowered expectations for future music games; projections for sales of "DJ Hero", a spinoff of "Guitar Hero" published by Activision, have been reduced from 1.6 million units in the first quarter of sales in the United Sates to only 600,000. Further contributing to the decline is the lack of innovation in the genre, as such games have not changed their basic play model over their last several games, leading to consumers becoming less likely to buy additional titles. Total sales of rhythm games, having reached $1.4 billion in 2008, reached only $700 million in 2009, with analysts predicting the market will settle at the same "healthy" $500–600 million level seen by the "Call of Duty" series.
The weakening market for rhythm video games has created fallout effects impacting both game developers and distributors. Publishers and distributors have recognized that in 2010, most consumers likely have one or more sets of instrument controller hardware at their homes, and that further sales would be primarily driven by software sales and additional content.
Activision scaled back its 2010 "Guitar Hero" release schedule to just two full games, reducing the number of SKUs from 25 in 2009 to 10 in 2010. Activision has also closed some of its in-house developers, including RedOctane, Neversoft's "Guitar Hero" division, and Underground Development, bringing the remaining employees and assets under their own control. Viacom, which had previously paid Harmonix $150 million for their performance behind "Rock Band" in 2007, are now seeking to get a "substantial" refund on that amount due to the weak sales in 2009. Viacom is also seeking to further reduce costs by negotiating new deals with music publishers to reduce the costs associated with music licensing for the "Rock Band" series. During the third quarter of 2010, Viacom began seeking a buyer for Harmonix, recognizing they did not have the efficiency and capacity to deal with the cost of maintaining a video game developer compared with dedicated video game publishers.
The kinds of people buying games was changing and they wanted something different. Rhythm game developers tried to add new features to their games. "Rock Band 3" and "" added new stringed guitar controllers. They also added kinds of game play to help players learn how to hold their fingers as if playing a real guitar. Despite these new modes, sales of music games were still low in 2010. "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock" and "DJ Hero 2" sold only 86,000 and 59,000 copies in North America during their first week of sales, respectively, a sharp contrast to "Guitar Hero III" which had seen nearly 1.4 million units in its first week in 2008. Analysis of music game sales through October 2010 show net sales of around $200 million through October, one-fifth of the revenue for music games for the same period in 2008, and that the market will likely not break $400 million by the end of the year. End year sales were less than $300 million.
By the end of 2010, the rhythm market, initially propped by game bundles with instrument controllers, was considered "well past its prime" and has shifted towards downloadable content and potential integration with motion control systems. Citing the downturn in rhythm games, Activision shuttered their "Guitar Hero" division in February 2011. Viacom completed its sale of Harmonix in late 2010 to an investment-backed group to allow it to continue developing "Rock Band" and "Dance Central" on its own. Analysts suggest that the market for these types of peripheral rhythm games may be stagnant for three to five years after which they may resurge on new consoles or based on different distribution models such as a stronger focus on downloadable content.
With the introduction of motion control to both the Xbox 360 (through Kinect) and the PlayStation 3 (through PlayStation Move) in 2010 and 2011, along with existing Wii motion control, some analysts believed the rhythm market would resurges through a new wave of dance-based video games and band-based ones that use platform-agnostic controllers to replicate real-life actions. Games such as "Dance Central", "", and "Child of Eden" are all games based on the new motion sensing technology aimed to encourage more engaging dance routines. Industry pundits believe that as sales of music games requiring peripheral controllers lag, dance-based games, along with rising popularity of pop music, will continue to thrive for some time. Dancing games such as "Just Dance" and "Dance Central" boosted late-year sales; "Dance Central" was the top-selling game for the Kinect in North America in November 2010, and both games led to an 38% increase in sales compared to November 2009, according to NPD.
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is supposed to inspire more awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. It takes place each year on April 22. It now takes place in more than 193 countries around the world. During Earth Day, the world encourages everyone to turn off all unwanted lights. On Earth day we should give something to our mother land like we can plant trees.
It was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. U Thant, the Secretary-General of United Nations at that time, has recognized it. While the first Earth Day focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 countries. Its name and concept were created by John McConnell in 1960 at a UNESCO conference in San Francisco.
Parables of Jesus
The parables of Jesus can be found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and in some of the gospels not in the Bible. They are found mostly in the three synoptic gospels. They are a key part of the teaching of Jesus: they form about one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place emphasis on these parables, since they are believed to be the words of Jesus.
Jesus' parables are seemingly simple and memorable stories, often with imagery, and each conveys a message. Scholars have commented that although these parables seem simple, the messages they convey are deep, and central to the teachings of Jesus.
Many of Jesus' parables refer to simple everyday things, such as a woman baking bread (parable of the Leaven), a man knocking on his neighbor's door at night (parable of the Friend at Night), or the aftermath of a roadside mugging (parable of the Good Samaritan); yet they deal with major religious themes, such as the growth of the Kingdom of God, the importance of prayer, and the meaning of love.