The Ultimate List of The 15 Best URL Shortener Services 2019  

Posted by Sykes

  1. LINK.TL

    LINK.TL is one of the best and highest URL shortener website.It pays up to $16 for every 1000 views.You just have to sign up for free.You can earn by shortening your long URL into short and you can paste that URL into your website, blogs or social media networking sites, like facebook, twitter, and google plus etc.
    One of the best thing about this site is its referral system.They offer 10% referral commission.You can withdraw your amount when it reaches $5.
    • Payout for 1000 views-$16
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-10%
    • Payout methods-Paypal, Payza, and Skrill
    • Payment time-daily basis

  2. Shrinkearn.com

    Shrinkearn.com is one of the best and most trusted sites from our 30 highest paying URL shortener list.It is also one of the old URL shortener sites.You just have to sign up in the shrinkearn.com website. Then you can shorten your URL and can put that URL to your website, blog or any other social networking sites.
    Whenever any visitor will click your shortener URL link you will get some amount for that click.The payout rates from Shrinkearn.com is very high.You can earn $20 for 1000 views.Visitor has to stay only for 5 seconds on the publisher site and then can click on skip button to go to the requesting site.
    • The payout for 1000 views- up to $20
    • Minimum payout-$1
    • Referral commission-25%
    • Payment methods-PayPal
    • Payment date-10th day of every month

  3. Clk.sh

    Clk.sh is a newly launched trusted link shortener network, it is a sister site of shrinkearn.com. I like ClkSh because it accepts multiple views from same visitors. If any one searching for Top and best url shortener service then i recommend this url shortener to our users. Clk.sh accepts advertisers and publishers from all over the world. It offers an opportunity to all its publishers to earn money and advertisers will get their targeted audience for cheapest rate. While writing ClkSh was offering up to $8 per 1000 visits and its minimum cpm rate is $1.4. Like Shrinkearn, Shorte.st url shorteners Clk.sh also offers some best features to all its users, including Good customer support, multiple views counting, decent cpm rates, good referral rate, multiple tools, quick payments etc. ClkSh offers 30% referral commission to its publishers. It uses 6 payment methods to all its users.
    • Payout for 1000 Views: Upto $8
    • Minimum Withdrawal: $5
    • Referral Commission: 30%
    • Payment Methods: PayPal, Payza, Skrill etc.
    • Payment Time: Daily

  4. Wi.cr

    Wi.cr is also one of the 30 highest paying URL sites.You can earn through shortening links.When someone will click on your link.You will be paid.They offer $7 for 1000 views.Minimum payout is $5.
    You can earn through its referral program.When someone will open the account through your link you will get 10% commission.Payment option is PayPal.
    • Payout for 1000 views-$7
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-10%
    • Payout method-Paypal
    • Payout time-daily

  5. Short.pe

    Short.pe is one of the most trusted sites from our top 30 highest paying URL shorteners.It pays on time.intrusting thing is that same visitor can click on your shorten link multiple times.You can earn by sign up and shorten your long URL.You just have to paste that URL to somewhere.
    You can paste it into your website, blog, or social media networking sites.They offer $5 for every 1000 views.You can also earn 20% referral commission from this site.Their minimum payout amount is only $1.You can withdraw from Paypal, Payza, and Payoneer.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$5
    • Minimum payout-$1
    • Referral commission-20% for lifetime
    • Payment methods-Paypal, Payza, and Payoneer
    • Payment time-on daily basis

  6. Cut-win

    Cut-win is a new URL shortener website.It is paying at the time and you can trust it.You just have to sign up for an account and then you can shorten your URL and put that URL anywhere.You can paste it into your site, blog or even social media networking sites.It pays high CPM rate.
    You can earn $10 for 1000 views.You can earn 22% commission through the referral system.The most important thing is that you can withdraw your amount when it reaches $1.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$10
    • Minimum payout-$1
    • Referral commission-22%
    • Payment methods-PayPal, Payza, Bitcoin, Skrill, Western Union and Moneygram etc.
    • Payment time-daily

  7. Short.am

    Short.am provides a big opportunity for earning money by shortening links. It is a rapidly growing URL Shortening Service. You simply need to sign up and start shrinking links. You can share the shortened links across the web, on your webpage, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Short.am provides detailed statistics and easy-to-use API.
    It even provides add-ons and plugins so that you can monetize your WordPress site. The minimum payout is $5 before you will be paid. It pays users via PayPal or Payoneer. It has the best market payout rates, offering unparalleled revenue. Short.am also run a referral program wherein you can earn 20% extra commission for life.

  8. BIT-URL

    It is a new URL shortener website.Its CPM rate is good.You can sign up for free and shorten your URL and that shortener URL can be paste on your websites, blogs or social media networking sites.bit-url.com pays $8.10 for 1000 views.
    You can withdraw your amount when it reaches $3.bit-url.com offers 20% commission for your referral link.Payment methods are PayPal, Payza, Payeer, and Flexy etc.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$8.10
    • Minimum payout-$3
    • Referral commission-20%
    • Payment methods- Paypal, Payza, and Payeer
    • Payment time-daily

  9. CPMlink

    CPMlink is one of the most legit URL shortener sites.You can sign up for free.It works like other shortener sites.You just have to shorten your link and paste that link into the internet.When someone will click on your link.
    You will get some amount of that click.It pays around $5 for every 1000 views.They offer 10% commission as the referral program.You can withdraw your amount when it reaches $5.The payment is then sent to your PayPal, Payza or Skrill account daily after requesting it.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$5
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-10%
    • Payment methods-Paypal, Payza, and Skrill
    • Payment time-daily

  10. Bc.vc

    Bc.vc is another great URL Shortener Site. It provides you an opportunity to earn $4 to $10 per 1000 visits on your Shortened URL. The minimum withdrawal is $10, and the payment method used PayPal or Payoneer.
    Payments are made automatically on every seven days for earnings higher than $10.00. It also runs a referral system wherein the rate of referral earning is 10%.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$10
    • Minimum payout -$10
    • Referral commission-10%
    • Payment method -Paypal
    • Payment time-daily

  11. Linkrex.net

    Linkrex.net is one of the new URL shortener sites.You can trust it.It is paying and is a legit site.It offers high CPM rate.You can earn money by sing up to linkrex and shorten your URL link and paste it anywhere.You can paste it in your website or blog.You can paste it into social media networking sites like facebook, twitter or google plus etc.
    You will be paid whenever anyone will click on that shorten a link.You can earn more than $15 for 1000 views.You can withdraw your amount when it reaches $5.Another way of earning from this site is to refer other people.You can earn 25% as a referral commission.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$14
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-25%
    • Payment Options-Paypal,Bitcoin,Skrill and Paytm,etc
    • Payment time-daily

  12. Adf.ly

    Adf.ly is the oldest and one of the most trusted URL Shortener Service for making money by shrinking your links. Adf.ly provides you an opportunity to earn up to $5 per 1000 views. However, the earnings depend upon the demographics of users who go on to click the shortened link by Adf.ly.
    It offers a very comprehensive reporting system for tracking the performance of your each shortened URL. The minimum payout is kept low, and it is $5. It pays on 10th of every month. You can receive your earnings via PayPal, Payza, or AlertPay. Adf.ly also runs a referral program wherein you can earn a flat 20% commission for each referral for a lifetime.

  13. Linkbucks

    Linkbucks is another best and one of the most popular sites for shortening URLs and earning money. It boasts of high Google Page Rank as well as very high Alexa rankings. Linkbucks is paying $0.5 to $7 per 1000 views, and it depends on country to country.
    The minimum payout is $10, and payment method is PayPal. It also provides the opportunity of referral earnings wherein you can earn 20% commission for a lifetime. Linkbucks runs advertising programs as well.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$3-9
    • Minimum payout-$10
    • Referral commission-20%
    • Payment options-PayPal,Payza,and Payoneer
    • Payment-on the daily basis

  14. Oke.io

    Oke.io provides you an opportunity to earn money online by shortening URLs. Oke.io is a very friendly URL Shortener Service as it enables you to earn money by shortening and sharing URLs easily.
    Oke.io can pay you anywhere from $5 to $10 for your US, UK, and Canada visitors, whereas for the rest of the world the CPM will not be less than $2. You can sign up by using your email. The minimum payout is $5, and the payment is made via PayPal.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$7
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-20%
    • Payout options-PayPal, Payza, Bitcoin and Skrill
    • Payment time-daily

  15. Ouo.io

    Ouo.io is one of the fastest growing URL Shortener Service. Its pretty domain name is helpful in generating more clicks than other URL Shortener Services, and so you get a good opportunity for earning more money out of your shortened link. Ouo.io comes with several advanced features as well as customization options.
    With Ouo.io you can earn up to $8 per 1000 views. It also counts multiple views from same IP or person. With Ouo.io is becomes easy to earn money using its URL Shortener Service. The minimum payout is $5. Your earnings are automatically credited to your PayPal or Payoneer account on 1st or 15th of the month.
    • Payout for every 1000 views-$5
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-20%
    • Payout time-1st and 15th date of the month
    • Payout options-PayPal and Payza

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Sleeping Dog Limtited Edtion Free Download  

Posted by Sykes

                                Sleeping Dog Limited Edition Download

Screenshots



Player can do many things such as running swiming and jumping.Player has got variety of weapons and he can use them in many situation.Player can use martial arts to fight with enemies.

Sleeping Dog Limited Edition Features

Open world action, adventure  video game
No strict rules
Single player game
Player can do many things 
Variety of weapons
Many girl for dating
Upgrade and cusomisze his clothes and cars

Sleeping dog minimum system requriment

Operating system:win.7,8,.8.1 

CPU: Core 2 Duo

RAM: 4 GB

Hard Disk: 15 GB

Sleeping Dog Limited Edition Free Download

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Part:5: http://velociterium.com/6o4N

Part:6: http://velociterium.com/6o8T

Part:7: http://velociterium.com/6oAf

Part:8: http://velociterium.com/6oEI

Part:9: http://velociterium.com/6oFz

Part:10: HTTP://VELOCITERIUM.COM/6OJM


Thanks for download the game


                   Popular for GTA 5 Money 

             Glitcheshttps://youtu.be/SlZvVwnUxeQ

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Overkill's The Walking Dead - Review  

Posted by Sykes


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Overkill's The Walking Dead - Review

Overkill's The Walking Dead is a sincere endeavor to convey a helpful adventure set in the notable Walking Dead universe, yet that effort feels somewhat like it's very little past the point of no return, as Overkill's The Walking Dead frequently doesn't feel like a shooter by any stretch of the imagination. It takes the rules built up by Robert Kirkman's comic series and its consequent TV adaption to heart in the wrong ways, forcing uneven decides on its missions that intensely restrict how you're able to play. Combined with a confounding combination of survival mechanics covered in unintuitive menus, useless customization choices, and non-existent incentives to enhance your gear, The Walking Dead feels foul and unfocused. 


Quick Facts:


  • Initial release date: 6 November 2018
  • Engine: Unreal Engine
  • Developer: Overkill Software
  • Genre: First-person shooter
  • Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows



 Overkill's The Walking Dead is a game about apparently thoughtless butcher with not very many plot strings drawing an obvious conclusion. There is no drama, there are no characters created crosswise over missions, and there is no nuance to for what reason you're killing people as promptly as you do the walkers. It has next to no to do with what makes The Walking Dead so incredible.
Also Read: Anthem | Preview, Release date, Gameplay, News, & more...
Overkill's the walking dead: Gameplay

 The biggest enemy in The Walking Dead—besides, you know, the walking dead—is noise. Nothing floods the roads with zombies quicker than a noisy blast or a jukebox firing up a Queen track. most of the missions in The Walking Dead is a stealth mission. Basically, this makes the game fundamentally the same as Overkill's past co-op shooters, Payday and Payday 2. In those games, heists start out calmly until the point that an alarm gets activated and the best way to get out alive is to go loud.

 Missions are diluted into more stealthy issues therefore, which can be somewhat engaging when you're working closely with teammates. As a major aspect of an efficient group you can keep noise to a minimum and dodge enemies completely, yet it generally just takes one player not sticking to the script to ruin a run. making the situation worse, there's no help for voice chat in-game nor some other approaches to communicate besides text talk, which is a huge bummer.

 Check out this amazing gameplay from Polygon



Killing a couple of scattered zombies with baseball bats and blades is simple enough, however, in the end, somebody will make a noise calling for backup. Regardless of whether it's a gunshot, a blast, or a car alarm. If your group is messy, in the end the group will get too thick to battle at all, and the only wise thing left to do is run.

 Even though fighting zombies is pretty simple, but you don't wanna get too close to them as they will grab you and will drain your health to a good amount as it takes some time to shove them off.

 It's too awful that slaughtering zombies with melee weapons is so essential, though, because these weapons aren't much fun to use. There are machetes, baseball bats, and pickaxes, but they all feel clunky, and pretty much the same. And also fighting off thick crowds of zombies, again and again, becomes boring, but what satisfies me the most is the wooden tunk sound I get from smacking a zombie right in the skull.
Also Read: Hitman 2 | Review, Trailer, Gameplay & Everything else you need to know.
Overkill's The Walking Dead: Characters



In Overkill's The Walking Dead, you take control of one of four new characters, each with their own uninvolved weapon specializations and one of a kind aptitudes. For instance, Maya is the medic and her unique ability is tossing down a med bag that can heal up anybody in your group. Aiden, on the other hand, gets streak blasts that can daze human enemies and distract zombie crowds.

Each character is fun in their own particular manner and, in spite of their strengths, anybody can utilize any weapon you discover, giving them a helpful adaptability. The distinction, however, is that they won't have the capacity to apply any of their skill upgrades or passive rewards to upgrade a weapon outside their wheelhouse.


But beyond that, the difference between the characters are for the most part detail driven other than a solitary unique skill. 



From its restrictive mission structures, unbalanced difficulty and baffling methods of progression, The Walking Dead struggles to justify the time it requires from you. It's a collection gameplay diagrams stacked upon each other without insightful thought on how they may durably cooperate, wrapped with a dull presentation and ordinary combat that once in a while energizes. The Walking Dead is a wreck of scattered thoughts and an absence of direction, and there's no reason to make sense of it all.


Also Read: Resident Evil 2 Remake | Review, Trailer, Release date, News, Gameplay, and more...
The Verdict:

 It's fun when you cooperate with friends and escape the horde of zombies by sneaky ways. But, it's all wrapped with a package of various disappointments: Technical issues, unavoidable repetition, and dull shooting experience.



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2011 GAME OF THE YEAR - Genre Awards  

Posted by Sykes

2011 Game of the Year - from media outlets

* Video Game Awards Only - The Video Game includes Console & PC Games,but not Handheld games, Mac games, Kids games, Indie games, etc.

* Professional Awards Only - The Media include Sites, Magazines, Newspapers, Publications, Broadcastings, but not Blogs have a staff of one.

* All-Format GOTY Awards Only - But a single GOTY pick must be a single title, except for a tie.

* In release order.




2011 SHOOTER OF THE YEAR


Golden Joystick Awards (UK) : Call of Duty: Black Ops

WhatIfGaming (US) :
First Person - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Third Person - Gears of War 3

Just Push Start (US) : Battlefield 3

eGamer Community Choice (ZA) : Battlefield 3

Cheat Code Central (US) : Battlefield 3

Spike TV Video Game Awards (US) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

All Age Gaming (AU) :
Single player - Gears of War 3
Multi-player - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

X-Play (US) : Gears of War 3

Gaming Irresponsibly (US) : Battlefield 3

GamingBolt (IN) :
First Person - Resistance 3
Third Person - Gears of War 3

GameSpot (US) : Gears of War 3

GameSpot Readers' Choice (US) : Battlefield 3

NEXTGEN.at (AT) : Battlefield 3

Yahoo! Games (US) : Gears of War 3

GameFront (US) : Resistance 3

BigPond GameArena (AU) : Battlefield 3

Game Revolution (US) : Battlefield 3

XGN (NL) : Battlefield 3

UGO (US) : Battlefield 3

RipTen (US) :
First Person - Battlefield 3
Third Person - Gears of War 3

Middle East Gamers (AE) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Digital Trends (US) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

3DJuegos (ES) : Gears of War 3

3DJuegos Readers' Choice (ES) : Battlefield 3

Gametrailers (US) :
First Person - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Third Person - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Freakin' Awesome Network Readers' Choice (US) :
First Person - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Third Person - Dead Space 2

Extreme Gamer (CA) : Gears of War 3

Console Monster (UK) : Battlefield 3

Console Monster Readers' Choice (UK) : Battlefield 3

GameZone (US) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Softpedia (RO) : Crysis 2

MyGames (PT) : Battlefield 3

Game Chronicles Readers' Choice (US) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

VGChartz gamrReview (UK) :
First Person - Bulletstorm
Third Person - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

VGChartz Readers' Choice (UK) :
First Person - KillZone 3
Third Person - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

iamgamer.de (DE) :
First Person - Battlefield 3
Third Person - Dead Space 2

Everyeye.it (IT) :
First Person - Crysis 2
Third Person - Dead Space 2

Everyeye.it Readers' Choice (IT) :
First Person - Battlefield 3
Third Person - Gears of War 3

PressFire.no (NO) : Battlefield 3

gram.pl Readers' Choice (PL) : Battlefield 3

Push Start Select (US) : Battlefield 3

Game Rant (CA) : Gears of War 3

Go! Gaming Giant (UK) : Gears of War 3

OMGN (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

ShogunGamer (CA) : Battlefield 3

SpazioGames (IT) : Battlefield 3

CD-Action Readers' Choice (PL) : Battlefield 3

Velocity Gamer (US) : Gears of War 3

New Game Network (US) : Battlefield 3

4PLAYERS (DE) : Bulletstorm

Vagary.TV (US) : Battlefield 3

GameDynamo (ES) : Gears of War 3

MediaStinger (US) : Dead Space 2

Strategy Informer (US) :
First Person - Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Third Person - Gears of War 3

HollywoodJesus.com (US) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

The Controller Online (CA) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Gamers XTREME (US) : Resistance 3

Gamers XTREME Readers' Choice (US) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Portugal Gaming (PT) : Battlefield 3

gamona.de Readers' Choice (DE) : Battlefield 3

GamerNode (US) : Battlefield 3

MGnews (RU) :
First Person - Battlefield 3
Third Person - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Reborn (RU) : Bulletstorm

IGN (US) : Gears of War 3

IGN Readers' Choice (US) : Battlefield 3

News10 Gamers' Choice Awards (US) : Battlefield 3

Looki.de Readers' Choice (DE) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Middle East Gamers Readers' Choice (AE) : Battlefield 3

Softonic (DE) : Battlefield 3

Matt's Games Readers' Choice (IT) : Battlefield 3

4News (IT) :
First Person - Battlefield 3
Third Person - Gears of War 3

LevelUp (LV) : Bulletstorm

Danish Game Awards (DK) : Battlefield 3

Gamezone Readers' Choice (DE) : Battlefield 3

Games On Net (AU) : Battlefield 3

Games On Net Readers' Choice (AU) : Battlefield 3

Digital Life Awards (SG) : Battlefield 3

Digital Life Awards Readers' Choice (SG) : Battlefield 3

Game Industry News (US) : Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

DarkStation (UK) : Battlefield 3

Nerd Reactor (US) :
First Person - Battlefield 3
Third Person - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Gamer Theory Media (US) : Battlefield 3




2011 RPG OF THE YEAR


Golden Joystick Awards (UK) : Fallout: New Vegas

WhatIfGaming (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Just Push Start (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

eGamer Community Choice (ZA) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

GamingXP (DE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Cheat Code Central (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Spike TV Video Game Awards (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

All Age Gaming (AU) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Stuff (NZ) : Deus Ex: Human Revolution

X-Play (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Gaming Irresponsibly (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

GamingBolt (IN) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

GameSpot (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

GameSpot Readers' Choice (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

NEXTGEN.at (AT) : Dragon Age II

Yahoo! Games (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

GameFront (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

BigPond GameArena (AU) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Game Revolution (US) : Deus Ex: Human Revolution

XGN (NL) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Actiontrip (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

UGO (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

RipTen (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Middle East Gamers (AE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Digital Trends (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

3DJuegos (ES) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

3DJuegos Readers' Choice (ES) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

AtomicGamer (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Gametrailers (US) : Dark Souls

Freakin' Awesome Network Readers' Choice (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Extreme Gamer (CA) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Console Monster (UK) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Console Monster Readers' Choice (UK) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

GameZone (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Softpedia (RO) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

MyGames (PT) : Dark Souls

Game Chronicles Readers' Choice (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

iamgamer.de (DE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Everyeye.it (IT) : The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Everyeye.it Readers' Choice (IT) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

PressFire.no (NO) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

gram.pl Readers' Choice (PL) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Push Start Select (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Game Rant (CA) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

GameBanshee (US) : The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Go! Gaming Giant (UK) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

VaDeJuegos (ES) : The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

OMGN (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

ShogunGamer (CA) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

SpazioGames (IT) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

RPGFan (US) : The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

CD-Action Readers' Choice (PL) :
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Velocity Gamer (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

New Game Network (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

4PLAYERS (DE) : Dark Souls

Diehard Gamefan (US) : Dragon Age II

GameDynamo (ES) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

MediaStinger (US) : Star Wars: The Old Republic

Strategy Informer (US) : Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Games.cz (CZ) : Dark Souls

Game Republic Magazine (IT) : The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

HollywoodJesus.com (US) : Dead Island

The Controller Online (CA) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Gamers XTREME (US) : Dark Souls

Gamers XTREME Readers' Choice (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Portugal Gaming (PT) : Dark Souls

gamona.de Readers' Choice (DE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

GamerNode (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

MGnews (RU) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Reborn (RU) : Deus Ex: Human Revolution

IGN (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

IGN Readers' Choice (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

RPGWatch (DE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

RPGWatch Readers' Choice (DE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

News10 Gamers' Choice Awards (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Looki.de Readers' Choice (DE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Middle East Gamers Readers' Choice (AE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Softonic (DE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Matt's Games Readers' Choice (IT) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

4News (IT) : Dark Souls

LevelUp (LV) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Danish Game Awards (DK) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

AIAS - Interactive Achievement Awards (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Gamezone Readers' Choice (DE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Finnish Game Awards (FI) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Games On Net (AU) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Games On Net Readers' Choice (AU) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Digital Life Awards (SG) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Digital Life Awards Readers' Choice (SG) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Gullstikka (NO) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Game Industry News (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

DarkStation (UK) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Nerd Reactor (US) : Dark Souls

Gamer Theory Media (US) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Dataspelsgalan 2012 (SE) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim




2011 ACTION / ADVENTURE OF THE YEAR


Golden Joystick Awards (UK) : Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

WhatIfGaming (US) :
Action - Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Adventure - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Just Push Start (US) :  Batman: Arkham City

eGamer Community Choice (ZA) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

GamingXP (DE) : Batman: Arkham City

Cheat Code Central (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Spike TV Video Game Awards (US) : Batman: Arkham City

All Age Gaming (AU) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Stuff (NZ) : Batman: Arkham City

X-Play (US) : Batman: Arkham City

Gaming Irresponsibly (US) : The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

GamingBolt (IN) : The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

GameSpot (US) : Batman: Arkham City

GameSpot Readers' Choice (US) : Batman: Arkham City

NEXTGEN.at (AT) : Batman: Arkham City

Yahoo! Games (US) : Batman: Arkham City

GameFront (US) : Batman: Arkham City

BigPond GameArena (AU) : Batman: Arkham City

Game Revolution (US) : Batman: Arkham City

XGN (NL) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Actiontrip (US) : Batman: Arkham City

UGO (US) : Saints Row: The Third

RipTen (US) : Batman: Arkham City

Middle East Gamers (AE) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Digital Trends (US) : The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

3DJuegos (ES) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

3DJuegos Readers' Choice (ES) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

AtomicGamer (US) : Portal 2

Gametrailers (US) : Batman: Arkham City

Freakin' Awesome Network Readers' Choice (US) : Batman: Arkham City

Extreme Gamer (CA) : Batman: Arkham City

Console Monster (UK) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Console Monster Readers' Choice (UK) : Batman: Arkham City

GameZone (US) : Dark Souls

Softpedia (RO) : Batman: Arkham City

MyGames (PT) : Batman: Arkham City

Game Chronicles Readers' Choice  (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

VGChartz gamrReview (UK) : The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

VGChartz Readers' Choice (UK) : The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

iamgamer.de (DE) : Saints Row: The Third

Everyeye.it (IT) : Batman: Arkham City

Everyeye.it Readers' Choice (IT) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

PressFire.no (NO) : Batman: Arkham City

gram.pl Readers' Choice (PL) : Batman: Arkham City

Push Start Select (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Game Rant (CA) : Batman: Arkham City

Go! Gaming Giant (UK) : The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

VaDeJuegos (ES) : Batman: Arkham City

Mania (US) : L.A. Noire

OMGN (US) : Batman: Arkham City

ShogunGamer (CA) : The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

SpazioGames (IT) : Batman: Arkham City

CD-Action Readers' Choice (PL) :
Action - Batman: Arkham City
Adventure - L.A. Noire

Velocity Gamer (US) : Batman: Arkham City

New Game Network (US) :
Action - Dead Space 2
Adventure - L.A. Noire

4PLAYERS (DE) :
Action - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Adventure - Harveys neue Augen

Diehard Gamefan (US) :
Action - Batman: Arkham City
Adventure - Corpse Party

GameDynamo (ES) : Batman: Arkham City

MediaStinger (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Strategy Informer (US) : Batman: Arkham City

Games.cz (CZ) :
Action - Gears of War 3
Adventure - L.A. Noire

Game Republic Magazine (IT) :
Action - Batman: Arkham City
Adventure - L.A. Noire

HollywoodJesus.com (US) :
Action - Gears of War 3
Adventure - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Controller Online (CA) : Batman: Arkham City

Gamers XTREME (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Gamers XTREME Readers' Choice (US) : Batman: Arkham City

Portugal Gaming (PT) : Batman: Arkham City

gamona.de Readers' Choice (DE) : Batman: Arkham City

GamerNode (US) : Batman: Arkham City

Reborn (RU) : Shadows of the Damned

IGN (US) :
 Action - Batman: Arkham City
Adventure - Minecraft

IGN Readers' Choice (US) :
Action - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Adventure - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

News10 Gamers' Choice Awards (US) : Portal 2

Looki.de Readers' Choice (DE) : Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Middle East Gamers Readers' Choice (AE) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Softonic (DE) : Batman: Arkham City

Matt's Games Readers' Choice (IT) : Assassin's Creed: Revelations

4News (IT) :
Action - Gears of War 3
Adventure - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

LevelUp (LV) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Danish Game Awards (DK) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

AIAS - Interactive Achievement Awards (US) :
Action - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Adventure - Batman: Arkham City

Gamezone Readers' Choice (DE) : Batman: Arkham City

Finnish Game Awards (FI) : Batman: Arkham City

Games On Net (AU) : Batman: Arkham City

Games On Net Readers' Choice (AU) : Batman: Arkham City

Digital Life Awards (SG) : Batman: Arkham City

Digital Life Awards Readers' Choice (SG) : Batman: Arkham City

Gullstikka (NO) : Battlefield 3

Game Industry News (US) : Assassin's Creed: Revelations

DarkStation (UK) : Batman: Arkham City

Nerd Reactor (US) : Batman: Arkham City

BAFTA Awards (UK) : Batman: Arkham City

Gamer Theory Media (US) : Batman: Arkham City

Dataspelsgalan 2012 (SE) : Batman: Arkham City




2011 SPORTS OF THE YEAR


Golden Joystick Awards (UK) : FIFA Soccer 11

Just Push Start (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

GamingXP (DE) : FIFA Soccer 12

Cheat Code Central (US) : NBA 2K12

All Age Gaming (AU) : NBA 2K12

X-Play (US) : NBA 2K12

GamingBolt (IN) : FIFA Soccer 12

GameSpot (US) : NBA 2K12

GameSpot Readers' Choice (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

Yahoo! Games (US) : NBA 2K12

BigPond GameArena (AU) : FIFA Soccer 12

XGN (NL) : FIFA Soccer 12

UGO (US) : WWE All-Stars

RipTen (US) : Fight Night Champion

Middle East Gamers (AE) : FIFA Soccer 12

Digital Trends (US) : NBA 2K12

3DJuegos (ES) : NBA 2K12

3DJuegos Readers' Choice (ES) : FIFA Soccer 12

Gametrailers (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

Freakin' Awesome Network Readers' Choice (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

Extreme Gamer (CA) : Fight Night Champion

Console Monster (UK) : FIFA Soccer 12

Console Monster Readers' Choice (UK) : FIFA Soccer 12

GameZone (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

MyGames (PT) : FIFA Soccer 12

Game Chronicles Readers' Choice (US) : NBA 2K12

VGChartz gamrReview (UK) : FIFA Soccer 12

VGChartz Readers' Choice (UK) : FIFA Soccer 12

iamgamer.de (DE) : FIFA Soccer 12

Everyeye.it (IT) : NBA 2K12

Everyeye.it Readers' Choice (IT) : FIFA Soccer 12

PressFire.no (NO) : Football Manager 2012

gram.pl Readers' Choice (PL) : FIFA Soccer 12

Game Rant (CA) : NHL 12

Go! Gaming Giant (UK) : MLB 11: The Show

VaDeJuegos (ES) : NBA 2K12

Mania (US) : Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

OMGN (US) : NBA 2K12

SpazioGames (IT) : FIFA Soccer 12

CD-Action Readers' Choice (PL) : FIFA Soccer 12

Velocity Gamer (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

New Game Network (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

4PLAYERS (DE) : Top Spin 4

Diehard Gamefan (US) : Virtua Tennis 4

GameDynamo (ES) : FIFA Soccer 12

Strategy Informer (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

Games.cz (CZ) : FIFA Soccer 12

Game Republic Magazine (IT) : FIFA Soccer 12

HollywoodJesus.com (US) : NBA 2K12

The Controller Online (CA) : FIFA Soccer 12 and NHL 12

Gamers XTREME (US) : MLB 11: The Show

Gamers XTREME Readers' Choice (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

Portugal Gaming (PT) : FIFA Soccer 12

gamona.de Readers' Choice (DE) : FIFA Soccer 12

GamerNode (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

MGnews (RU) : FIFA Soccer 12

IGN (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

IGN Readers' Choice (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

Looki.de Readers' Choice (DE) : FIFA Soccer 12

Middle East Gamers Readers' Choice (AE) : FIFA Soccer 12

Softonic (DE) : FIFA Soccer 12 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

Matt's Games Readers' Choice (IT) : FIFA Soccer 12

4News (IT) : FIFA Soccer 12

LevelUp (LV) : FIFA Soccer 12

Danish Game Awards (DK) : FIFA Soccer 12

AIAS - Interactive Achievement Awards (US) : FIFA Soccer 12

Gamezone Readers' Choice (DE) : FIFA Soccer 12

Finnish Game Awards (FI) : FIFA Soccer 12

Digital Life Awards Readers' Choice (SG) : FIFA Soccer 12

Gullstikka (NO) : FIFA Soccer 12

Game Industry News (US) : NASCAR 2011: The Game

DarkStation (UK) : NBA 2K12 and FIFA Soccer 12

Nerd Reactor (US) : NBA 2K12

BAFTA Awards (UK) : Kinect Sports 2

Dataspelsgalan 2012 (SE) : FIFA Soccer 12




2011 BEST GRAPHICS


WhatIfGaming (US) :
Technology / Artistic Design - The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

AreaGames (DE) : Battlefield 3

eGamer Community Choice (ZA) : Battlefield 3

Cheat Code Central (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Spike TV Video Game Awards (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

All Age Gaming (AU) : L.A. Noire

Gamekult (FR) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

X-Play (US) :
Art Direction - Batman: Arkham City
Animation - NBA 2K12

Edge Magazine (UK) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

GamesRader (US) : The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

GamingBolt (IN) : Crysis 2

GameSpot (US) :
Technical - Crysis 2
Artistic - Alice: Madness Returns

GameSpot Readers' Choice (US) :
Technical - Battlefield 3
Artistic - Alice: Madness Returns

RipTen (US) :
Visuals - Rage
Art Direction - Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Softpedia (RO) : Battlefield 3

Metro GameCentral (UK) : Battlefield 3

Digital Trends (US) : Battlefield 3

Gametrailers (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

GameZone (US) :
Technical - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Artistic - El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

3DJuegos (ES) : Battlefield 3

3DJuegos Readers' Choice (ES) : Battlefield 3

Freakin' Awesome Network Readers' Choice (US) : Batman: Arkham City

Extreme Gamer (CA) : Battlefield 3

MSNBC (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

MyGames (PT) : Battlefield 3

Game Chronicles Readers' Choice (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

VGChartz gamrReview (UK) :
Technology - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Art Direction - Rayman Origins

VGChartz Readers' Choice (UK) :
Technology - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Art Direction - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Game Rant (CA) :
Artistic Design - Rayman Origins
Technical Design - Crysis 2

Cheat Happens (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

CD-Action Readers' Choice (PL) : The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Velocity Gamer (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

New Game Network (US) :
Art - Trine 2
Technical - Battlefield 3

GMRFM (IE) :
Art Design - Bastion
Technical - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

4PLAYERS (DE) :
Art Design - Child of Eden
Technical - Battlefield 3

Diehard Gamefan (US) : L.A. Noire

MediaStinger (US) : Battlefield 3

Game Republic Magazine (IT) :
Artistic - Rayman Origins
Technical - Rage

HollywoodJesus.com (US) :
Art Design - Batman: Arkham City
Technical - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Controller Online (CA) : Rage

Ready Up (UK) : The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Portugal Gaming (PT) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

gamona.de Readers' Choice (DE) : Battlefield 3

GamerNode (US) :
Aesthetic Style - El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Technical Visuals - Battlefield 3

MGnews (RU) : Battlefield 3

IGN (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

IGN Readers' Choice (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

PowerGamer (SE) :
Artistic - El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Technical - Crysis 2

Gameswelt Readers' Choice (DE) : Battlefield 3

Gaming Precision (US) : Battlefield 3

Gamearth (ES) : Battlefield 3

Matt's Games Readers' Choice (IT) : Battlefield 3

LevelUp (LV) : Battlefield 3

AIAS - Interactive Achievement Awards (US) :
Animation - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Art Direction - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Visual Engineering - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Game Developers Choice Awards (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

DarkStation (UK) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Nerd Reactor (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

BAFTA Awards (UK) : Rayman Origins

GRY OnLine (PL) :
Artistic - Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Technology - Battlefield 3

Gamer Theory Media (US) : Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception




Previous Page - 2011 GAME OF THE YEAR

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Wet Market  

Posted by Sykes

Abstract: Wet markets (濕貨市場) in virtual and real Hong Kong, which are often referred to as "street markets" (街市), are not just unique and eye-catching, but also reflecting the eating preference, pragmatism and ethnic origins of the people living in the city. This article will go through these distinctive features one by one.

In a few virtual Hong Kong in video games, you may come cross wet markets. The markets are where Hong Kong people buy fresh meat and produce, named "wet" because they require frequent washing to maintain good hygiene. These virtual markets altogether share a few unique and eye-catching characteristics just like the real counterparts. This is not a coincidence, but a result of the local people who buy or sell food there. In this article, we will go through these distinctive characteristics one by one, and more importantly the historical and cultural origins behind them. 

Characteristics of Hong Kong wet markets

Traditionally located on streets

The wet markets of Hong Kong dated back to 1842 when British colonized Hong Kong and set up Victoria City in the current Central district. Population then grew inside and around the city, making daily markets profitable. Since then we started seeing wet markets on the streets of residential areas: Individuals opened stores on the street level of the residential buildings, set up stalls on the sides of streets, or just laid down goods on the ground and start selling (爾東, 許嘉汶, & 陳國豪, 2014).

A variety of daily necessities are for sales, but the most significant of them all are the meat and produce, freshly slaughtered and harvested every day. They are exactly what the majority Chinese customers wanted. In Chinese culture, freshness is the key for best possible texture and taste.

Being convenience and selling products that customers wanted, these outdoor "street markets" (街市) was, for a time, how new wet markets got started and why they became popular.

Famous wet markets of this kind include:
  • Graham Street (嘉咸街) of Central - one of the first wet markets established since Britain established the colony of Hong Kong in 1842
  • Chun Yeung Street (春秧街) in North Point - a wet market featuring Fujian food (due to immigrants from Fujian province of China after World War II) and double-decker trams running through it (more details)
  • Temple Street (廟街) in Yau Ma Tei - much more well-known for its night market with cooked food stalls, low-cost merchandises and fortune-telling (more details)
  • Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market (油麻地果欄) in Yau Ma Tei - a wholesale fruit market with several blocks of one or two story brick-and-stone historic buildings
They are the basis of the wet markets in the following games:

  • Art of Fighting 2 (SNK. Arcade et. al: 1994)
  • Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Capcom. Arcade et. al: 1996)
  • Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (SNK. Arcade et. al.: 1997)
  • Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact (Capcom. Arcade et. al.: 1997)
  • Shenmue II (Sega. Dreamcast: 2000, Xbox: 2001)
  • Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon (Universal Interactive. Xbox: 2002)
  • Stranglehold (Midway Games/Success. Microsoft Windows/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360: 2007)
  • Sleeping Dogs (Square Enix. Microsoft Windows/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360: 2012) 
  • Resident Evil 6 (Capcom. Microsoft Windows/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360: 2012).
The street market in Graham Street. Source: Wikipedia
Green Market Quarter for meat and produce in Shenmue II
A tram moving inside the market in Chun Yeung Street. Source: Wikipedia
The Chinatown stage of Art of Fighting 2 featuring a tram running through a street market 
A stage of Real Bout Fatal Fury Special featuring a tram running through a street market
The Hong Kong stage of Street Fighter III: 2nd impact featuring a tram running through a street market
The street market in Temple Street. Credit: Rachel Moore
North Point Night Market in Sleeping Dogs
A butcher store in Temple Street. Credit: Robert S. Donovan
A fruit stall in Temple Street. Credit: Marcelo Druck
Temple Street in Street Fighter Alpha 2. From left to right, there are a fortune-telling stall, a butcher shop (back) and produce stall (front), and several clothing stalls.
Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market. Credit: Chong Fat
The market based on Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market in Resident Evil 6
Inside the real Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market. Credit: Chong Fat
Inside the street market in Resident Evil 6
The street market in Resident Evil 6

While the number and popularity of these street markets were growing, the government was also constructing standalone wet market halls (and later municipal services buildings which offer many other public services such as libraries and sports centers). The first few include Central Market (中環街市) and Wan Chai Market (灣仔街市) constructed in 1858 (爾東, 許嘉汶, & 陳國豪, 2014). One can find a market based on Wan Chai Market in Deus Ex (Eidos Interactive. Microsoft Windows/Mac OS/PlayStation 2: 2000).

The 2nd generation of Central Market hall, built in 1895. Source: Wikipedia

The current generation of Central Market hall, built in 1939. Now it is largely abandoned. Source: Wikipedia

The old Wan Chai Market hall in 2006. Source: Wikipedia

Wan Chai Market in Deus Ex

Another indoor market of this kind can be found in Resident Evil 6.

Inside the wet market hall of in Chris's campaign Chapter 1 of Resident Evil 6
The indoor market building in Resident Evil 6 (starting from 26:53)

For over a century, these indoor wet markets weren't that welcomed by many store owners. This was understandable as the separately-located market halls were never as convenient as the streets that citizens walked by every day, which means less customer traffic and hence poorer sales. It was until 1960s and 1970s when citizens finally got used to shop in these halls and store owners changed their mind (爾東, 許嘉汶, & 陳國豪, 2014).

Note that even though these wet markets aren't located along streets, many Hong Kong people and even the government are still referring them as "street markets" (街市) in Chinese, probably because the stores in these markets preserve a few features of the traditional street market stores.

Seas of red lampshades

Remember, fresh ingredients are why customers visit the wet markets. Shop owners are thus motivated to do whatever they can to highlight the freshness of their stocks. One impressive practice is perhaps the sea of red lampshades often found in nearly all wet markets. Used with high-power light bulbs, the lampshades create bright red light which shines on produce, fish and meat and makes them look fresher. The lampshades are so widely adopted that some designers even use them as an icon of the wet markets.  
A red lampshade. Credit: Star Industrial Co. 
Red lampshades in a real produce store
Red lampshades in a real seafood store
Red lampshades in a produce store of Shenmue II
Red lampshades in a seafood store of Shenmue II
Red lampshades in a butcher shop of Shenmue II
Red lampshades in a produce store of Sleeping Dogs
Red lampshades in a produce store of Resident Evil 6
Red lampshades in a seafood store of Resident Evil 6
Red lampshades in a butcher store of Resident Evil 6
Facebook profile picture of Sui Sai Wan Market
The art exhibition "The Street Market Symphony" (燈燈燈櫈 – 香港地道街市之旅) in 2012. See here for more images. The exhibition uses the red lampshade as the icon of the wet markets in Hong Kong.
Promotional video of the art exhibition "The Street Market Symphony"

Live seafood and chicken

To keep stocks as fresh as possible, some shop owners even keep live seafood and chicken in their stores and slaughter them as late as when customers make the purchase. Shopping a wet market is then like visiting a zoo and an aquarium combined!

Live chickens kept in cages in a real poultry shop. Credit: Rob Young
Live chickens left in cages, in the evacuated street market of Resident Evil 6
Live seafood in a real seafood store. Credit: Rob Chan
Live seafood in a seafood store of Shenmue II
Live seafood in a seafood store of Resident Evil 6

Stocks hung throughout the stores

For other kinds of stocks, shop owners often hang them up. This is a smart way to utilize every piece of limited store space to show off the variety and quality of goods.

Cooked meat hung in a real store in Hong Kong. Credit: Canadian Pacific 

Cooked meat hung in a store of Shenmue II

Chicken body hung in a store of the street market in Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon
Raw and cooked pigs hung in a store in Stranglehold

Cooked meat hung in a store of Sleeping Dogs

Raw pork hung in real butcher shop
Raw pork hung in a butcher shop of Sleeping Dogs 
Raw pork hung in a butcher shop of Resident Evil 6
Some shop owners even hang plastic bags and petty cash baskets/buckets over the air for their convenience.

Plastic bags and a bucket hung in a real seafood street market store
A pink petty cash bucket hung in a real produce store. Credit: Yu Hin Wong
A basket bung in a produce store of Shenmue II

Baskets hung in a produce store of Sleeping Dogs
A bucket hung in a butcher store of Resident Evil 6

Reuse of packaging materials

Packaging cardboard and polystyrene boards are often reused by shop owners to organize stocks and mark prices. This practice saves shop owners money and resource from making fancy ones. More importantly, the packaging materials are so abundant that the shop owners can pick up another one for replacement. Indeed, prices in the wet markets could fluctuate not only every day but also every hour of the day. In late evenings, shop owners often offer discounts in hope of selling all their stocks before the market closes for the day. You may even try to bargain for further cut-down.

Reuse of packaging materials (baskets, boxes) in a street market stall
Reuse of packaging materials (baskets, boxes) in a grocery store of Shenmue II
Reuse of packaging materials (polystyrene boxes) in a real produce store. Credit: inmediahk
The reuse of polystyrene boards to mark prices of seafood in a real seafood store
The reuse of polystyrene boards to mark prices of seafood in Resident Evil 6

Chinese traditions

The ethnic Chinese origin of the majority store owners affects how the stores look like in general. First, their store signs are in Chinese. Many of them are even in calligraphic style. Second, the fonts on the signs are usually in red which symbolizes fortune in traditional Chinese culture. What is more, inside the stores one may find posters with blessings written in Chinese. Sometimes, you may even see posters or altars of Chinese gods.

A wet market store sign in Sleeping Dogs 
A wet market store sign of Resident Evil 6
The use of regular computer fonts (the first two characters from the left) and Chinese calligraphic fonts (the remaining five characters) in a real butcher shop
A label with Chinese blessing on the top of a door in a store of Shenmue II

A poster of Chinese God for fortune in a store in Resident Evil 6
Label with Chinese blessing in a real wet market store of Hong Kong

Challenges

Recently, wet markets in Hong Kong are facing fierce competition from supermarkets. Instead of a collection of small, independent shop owners, each supermarket is operated by a single management. It is thus easier for supermarkets to maintain overall cleanliness, a criterion that more and more shoppers care as living standard improves. In 2014, the share of the wet market in fresh food dropped to 40% (香港消費者委員會, 2014, January 14).

To survive, wet markets are innovating.

A notable pioneer is Tai Yuen Market (大元街市) in Tai Po. It got renewed in 2010. Besides renovations on infrastructures such as floor, wall, illumination, drainage and ventilation, there are new gimmicks including on-site cooking classes using the fresh produce bought in the market, the use of multi-purpose stored value smart cards for payment, the establishment of a roof garden using the leftover food as organic fertilizer for growing produces which are later sold in the market, and the hiring of service ambassadors to provide customers with daily shopping tips (LINK, 2012 May).

Four major innovations in the renewed Tai Yuen Market in 2012. Source: LINK 
Later in 2015, the refreshed Siu Sai Wan Market (小西灣街市) introduced two other technological innovations: a vending machine for fruits, and the i-Chicken system which allows customers to examine and order live chicken located at another market remotely.

Demonstration of various technologies used in the refreshed Siu Sai Wan Market

These moves are driven by a profit-making private management firm LINK (領展) which have taken over the markets from the government. Mainly aiming for profit, the new management change has much more motivation to innovate.

The changes are reported to have brought customers back to the wet markets (東方日報, 2017, January 6). However, at the same time, management are alleged to have intervened how individual shops do their own business. While some traditional wet market features such as the red lampshades are not affected and even specially preserved, some others such as the calligraphic store signs are not with the same luck (周詠雯, 香港01, 2017, January 03). There are also complaints on the soaring rent: the average rent increased from 54.3 HKD per feet in 2007 to 70.0 HKD/feet in 2013 (爾東, 許嘉汶, & 陳國豪, 2014). Individuals which cannot afford the high rent have to leave. With fewer competitions from individuals, the provision of daily necessities and services are at risk of being monopolized by chain stores opened by large corporations. Those large corporations and lucky few surviving small individuals respond to the high rent by raising the price of their goods, which harms the customers.

The public has already noticed the problem and urged the government to do something. One proposal is to build new government-managed wet markets which can provide individuals with low-rent store locations.

Final Remarks

The local customers and shop owners of the wet markets have shaped the distinctive wet market features: With many Chinese customers who loves fresh meat and produces, the shop owners introduce a sea of lampshades, mini-aquariums and mini-zoos to the markets. To make best possible use of the limited store space and resource, the shop owners hang stocks and accessories here and there, and reuse wholesale packaging in their stores. The font and choice of color on the store signs reflect the ethnic root of the shop owners.

However, what we see today are subjected to change. With customers' increasing awareness on hygiene, traditional wet markets are losing their market share over supermarkets which are generally cleaner. In response, some wet markets have their management transferred to some profit-making corporation which are much more motivated to upgrade infrastructures and introduce new marketing gimmicks. While reported to have boosted customer traffic, the management switch appears to reduce the autonomy of individual small store owners. Sometimes it even becomes a matter of whether these owners could survive under soaring rent. The government is pressed to act to protect the interest of this portion of citizens.

Anyway, hope that next time when you visit a wet market, either real or virtual, you will have another level of appreciation.

References

東方日報. (2017, January 6). 青衣長發街市改名重開　檔口縮水租金加40%. Retrieved March 26, 2017, from http://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20170106/bkn-20170106151433985-0106_00822_001.html

周詠雯, 香港01. (2017, January 03). 領展換走小店手寫體招牌　彩園邨店主：逼我換仲要我俾錢. Retrieved February 28, 2017, from https://www.hk01.com/%E7%86%B1%E8%A9%B1/63619/%E9%A0%98%E5%B1%95%E6%8F%9B%E8%B5%B0%E5%B0%8F%E5%BA%97%E6%89%8B%E5%AF%AB%E9%AB%94%E6%8B%9B%E7%89%8C-%E5%BD%A9%E5%9C%92%E9%82%A8%E5%BA%97%E4%B8%BB-%E9%80%BC%E6%88%91%E6%8F%9B%E4%BB%B2%E8%A6%81%E6%88%91%E4%BF%BE%E9%8C%A2

香港消費者委員會. (2014, January 14). 超市一站式購物模式-對消費者影響的反思. . 《選擇》月刊, (447). Retrieved March 11, 2017, from https://www.consumer.org.hk/ws_chi/choice/447_06

爾東, 許嘉汶, & 陳國豪. (2014). 樂遊九龍街市. 香港: 明報出版社

LINK. (2012, May). Tai Yuen Market Modern Operation of the Fresh Market in the New Millennium All-Round Approach to Environmental Protection and Recycling. Retrieved February 28, 2017, from http://channel823.linkreit.com/201205/cover-story.html

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    Navarre, GUNshine State, FLAWada... Homie, United States
    What up?!?! This is me, Sykes. Not really a lot here. I'm a daddy to two of the greatest little monsters in the world. I'm a full time Animal Control Officer, aspiring record producer, and always HIP-HOP. Check me out.