Gaming

Despite popular beliefs that video games keep people from engaging in real life activities, opting for Madden over football tryouts or Gran Turismo over studying for a license exam, in many cases games can actually stir interest in relevant ... activities. According to reports, games like Guitar Hero lead kids to pick up real instruments. Research conducted by the Youth Music charity in Britain now suggests that popular rhythm and music-based games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band have probably led about 2.5 million kids to learn real-life instruments. In a report, Youth Music discovered that of ... (view more)

It's a topic that has long been debated by video game aficionados all over the world: which features make for a better system: the pristine graphics of the Sony PlayStation 3 or the motion-sensitive game play of the Nintendo Wii? If Sony is ... successful in patenting their new controller concept, they just may be able to sway undecided consumers towards the PS3. If you can't beat them, join them! The idea will be to stray away from the traditional "Dual Shock" solid controller, opting instead to introduce a controller that resembles two ice-cream cones attached side-by-side. The controllers ... (view more)

Although we won't be expecting any major new hardware releases this holiday season, Christmas 2008 might feature some of the best-reviewed video games ever. Two years after the release of the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii (and three since ... Microsoft released the Xbox 360), next-gen consoles appear to be hitting their stride. Surprisingly few of these exciting new titles are original franchises. Perhaps the most talked-about game is the recently released Fallout 3, which places gamers in the middle of a massive post-apocalyptic universe. Awakening in the middle of a bomb shelter, the ... (view more)

Think that video game-playing son of yours is nothing but a bum? Well, guess again. A recent study obliterates a number of common perceptions about gamers, including their age, level of education, employability, and income. According to both ... Canadian and American studies recently launched to investigate the subject, gamers are not the slobby, pizza-eating and pizza-faced basement dwellers we may have thought. Instead, U.S. researchers Ipsos MediaCT found that the average age of gamers is a stunning 40. Even more surprising, 55 per cent of all gamers are married, another 48 per cent have kids ... (view more)

Some early buyers of the brand new and much-anticipated Guitar Hero: World Tour (which effectively rivals Rock Band by offering drums and a microphone) have complained that the "instruments" don't work as they should. It wasn't supposed to be like ... this. After a year in Rock Band's shadow, the original franchise that started this whole rock 'n roll video game thing, Guitar Hero, was supposed to reclaim its throne. If you haven't seen or played either Rock Band or Guitar Hero, you're missing out on one of the best party fads to ever hit the video game market. Players "strum" by flicking keys at ... (view more)

Sony has delayed releasing a much anticipated video game after fears it could offend Muslims. The soundtrack for LittleBigPlanet includes a song which uses lyrics taken from the Qur'an. The song is performed by a Malian musician named Toumani ... Diabate, himself a Muslim. The problem is that while such songs are acceptable to some Muslims, particularly in West Africa, others have a much stricter interpretation of the religion. (Source: foxnews.com ) Unlike the Bible, which is seen by Christians a collection of historical accounts, Muslims view the Qu'ran as literally being the word of God. To ... (view more)

Millions of people log on to Blizzard's Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft every day. The game is a sensation around the world, and has arguably made Blizzard the king of PC gaming. However, WoW's popularity ... has demonstrated that there is room in the marketplace for rival franchises, and LucasArts recently revealed plans to bring people together online via the Star Wars universe. With the media buzzing about at a recent San Francisco unveiling, LucasArts and BioWare (makers of the popular Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series) announced Star Wars ... (view more)

There's been plenty of talk about this being the first truly Internet-powered US Presidential election. But now it seems Barack Obama has found a new technology for getting his message across: video games. Electronic Arts have confirmed that ... screenshots of the Xbox 360 game Burnout Paradise showing Obama campaign billboards are genuine. The firm told reporters "Like most television, radio and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates. Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its ... (view more)

Electronics Arts is facing an angry backlash from gamers for putting DRM restrictions on its popular game 'Spore'. The game, based on evolution, has been generally well-reviewed and early sales were strong. It doesn't allow online game-play as such, ... but there are many official online features, including the ability to upload clips of your character in action directly to YouTube. Hoping to crack down on piracy, EA set up a system where the game has to be authorised over the Internet, both the first time it is used and the first time a player uses the online features. The firm allowed players ... (view more)

A study of teenage leisure habits says video games, rather than inciting violence actually promotes social interaction. The study also found that almost as many girls play games as boys. Perhaps the most surprising finding in the survey, carried out ... by the Pew Internet ... (view more)