games

Wed
11
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Doctors Want to Put Game Ratings Under the Knife

While video games regularly face a heat wave of criticism from politicians, "crusading" lawyers, and other members of the mainstream media, the industry is currently facing a particularly brutal firestorm. Not long after Florida lawyer Jack Thompson ... tried his hardest to connect the Virginia Tech massacre with PC sensation Counterstrike, Rockstar's Manhunt 2 has raised concerns to new heights. It's prompted a re-evaluation of video game ratings, in both the United States and United Kingdom (where the game has been outright banned). (Source: bloomberg.com ) Now, American physicians ... (view more)

Fri
29
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Manhunt 2: Ban a Game, Boost its Appeal

Although I'm neither a teenage girl nor a mother, if there's one thing TV and movies have taught me, it's that by denying that "bad boy" boyfriend, she'll only want him more. If you really think about it, that concept could easily be applied to ... Manhunt 2, the latest and already most infamous in Rockstar's line of shock 'em and rock 'em video games. Last week, Manhunt 2 was outright banned in the United Kingdom. As the ratings board there denied even setting a suggested age for the title, it effectively made it illegal for retailers to sell. Although Americans are far more accepting of good ' ... (view more)

Thu
24
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Gaming and the Elderly: Will Today's Gamers Close the Gap?

Can the video game industry break the technology-created age barrier? Although nothing is certain at the moment, Microsoft has made attempts to do so. In conjunction with game maker Electronic Arts, Microsoft brought a day of gaming to a pensioners' ... settlement in Finland. This specific venue was a prime choice, since Finland is home to the most rapidly aging population in Western Europe. The motive behind this day of electronic recreation was to gauge interest in gaming among pensioners. For the seniors, however, playing video games was merely a way to strengthen relationships with their ... (view more)

Thu
12
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Spring Fever: New Features Unveiled for Microsoft Xbox 360

Microsoft officially announced the Xbox Dashboard Spring Update this past Monday: a move that is sure to ignite spring fever among the game console's millions of users. Headlining the update is a new Xbox 360 accessory -- a QWERTY text-input device ... will directly connect into the Xbox 360 controller and will support text and instant messaging capabilities. (Source: itwire.com.au ) Scheduled to be launched on May 7, the new add-on will enable Xbox 360 users to access the Windows Live Messenger service through their game console, allowing gamers to identify each other by tags and communicate via ... (view more)

Tue
23
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

Gaming 101: University Professor Wants Video Games Added To Schools

Math, Science, English, and Philosophy: those are the types of courses university students expect to be confronted with. Will video games soon be added to that list? Yes, video games. David Williamson Shaffer, an education science professor at the ... University of Wisconsin-Madison, is pushing to have gaming adding to the curriculum. If he succeeds, students could eventually have chemistry and video games on the same class schedule. It's not as farfetched as it sounds. After all, video games *do* have their practical uses: The U.S. military uses games to train its soldiers. Teenage cancer ... (view more)

Fri
12
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

EA Fully Supports iPod's Entry Into The Video Game Market

When a company as powerful and influential as Electronic Arts (EA) gives its seal of approval, people stand back and take notice. As previously reported on Infopackets, Apple recently added video games to the growing list of media that can be ... downloaded for the iPod from the iTunes web store. Now EA is putting its full weight behind Apple's portable unit. "Consumers have an appetite for a diversionary-type game experience -- a snack where they can play for five minutes," stated Mitch Lasky, the leader of EA's mobile gaming division. The iPod is not in competition with standalone portable ... (view more)

Tue
19
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Games Come To iPod: Pac-Man, Tetris, Bejeweled, and More

If you're the owner of a fifth generation video iPod, you can now turn your music machine into a bona fide pocket arcade, as Apple has officially added video games to the iTunes store. Leading the charge is the ultimate gaming classic: the ... dot-chomping, ghost-busting Pac-Man. The world famous Tetris and Internet favorites Bejeweled and Zuma are also on the lineup, along with several original titles. Each game can be downloaded for a very reasonable $4.99. However, they're only playable on an iPod -- not on a PC or Mac like regular iTunes video downloads. (Source: gamespot.com ) These are the ... (view more)

Tue
19
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Nintendo Announces Date, Price, and More for Wii

When it rains, it pours. Nintendo has finally let the cat out of the bag about several highly coveted bits of information regarding its new system, the unique and innovative Wii. The Price The Price Tag for the Nintendo Wii is set for $250 (in the ... U.S.). Does anything else really need to be said? Let's compare the Wii with its other next-generation counterparts: Sony PlayStation 3: $500 or $600 (U.S.) depending on which model you get. Microsoft Xbox 360: $300 or $400 (U.S.) for the Core or Premium versions respectively. Obviously, Nintendo is pricing itself much cheaper than its competition ... (view more)

Fri
08
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

EA To Include Downloadable Ads In Video Games

Advertising in video games is hardly a recent development, but Electronic Arts (EA) plans to add a new wrinkle to the formula: ads that are automatically updated and downloaded into games over time. To make this happen, the gaming giant inked a deal ... with two major marketing companies: Massive Inc. and IGA Worldwide Inc. Both IGA and Massive will begin streaming ads into the Xbox 360 and PC versions of upcoming EA titles. Battlefield 2142 and the next incarnation of the Need For Speed franchise will be the first recipients of this agreement. Never noticed ads in games before? Think about your ... (view more)

Tue
05
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

New Movie Chronicles a Special Time in Computer Game History

Imagine a game without graphics or sound. To succeed, all players need are reasonable spelling and typing skills -- not a speedy trigger finger or lightning-fast eye-hand coordination. Imagine something like this... "You wake up. The room is ... spinning very gently round your head. Or at least it would be if you could see it -- which you can't. It is pitch black." That is how the computer game version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy begins. Based on the famous book by Douglas Adams, the all-text game was released in 1984 by Infocom, Inc. At the time, Infocom was the king of the text ... (view more)

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