Decoding Gaming: Are Video Games the Future of Education?

The feature “Decoding Gaming” looks deeper into the relationship between video games and society. Last fall saw the launch of the first U.S. public school curriculum based entirely on video games and the learning inspired by it. The sixth grade Quest to Learn class plays knowledge-based games such as Little Big Planet and Civilization in [...]

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Nintendo Announces the Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo is readying the release of the Nintendo DSi XL, an updated version of the company’s popular handheld system but they’re are already dropping hints on their next update, the Nintendo 3DS. According to Nintendo, the 3DS will feature 3D graphics without the glasses usually required to experience 3D. Nintendo’s aiming for a 2011 release. [...]

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Alleged Counter-Strike Cheater Cheats Death After Sustaining a Blade to the Brain

A Counter-Strike gamer who was accused of using a “wallhack” in a Chinese net café was violently stabbed in the brain by an upset gamer. The victim survived the attack and the knife was removed from the head but he is still being observed because the blade was rusty, possibly leaving behind pieces in the [...]

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Rhode Island Bill Wants Jail Time For Selling M-Rated Games to Minors

Rhode Island has a bill in its legislature that calls for up to $1000 in fines and a year in jail for selling Mature or Adult-Only games to minors. Key people like anti-video game lawyer Jack Thompson believe the bill is “unconstitutional” and will not pass.

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PlayStation Move Revealed

Sony revealed their new motion controller, the PlayStation Move this week at the Game Developers Conference. Using the already released PlayStation Eye, the Move follows a few guidelines set by the Nintendo Wii’s motion controls but also sets itself apart with a few key details. The PlayStation Move is set to be released in the [...]

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The History of a Game Franchise – Metroid

In this new feature that I will update every other week, I will tell the history of the major franchises in video games. For the first part of this new feature, I will highlight the “other” big Nintendo franchise, Metroid. Super Mario Bros. may be the biggest franchise in the world and Zelda may be [...]

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Recent study shows that the Nintendo Wii can help seniors cope with depression

Research at the San Diego School of Medicine shows that “exergames” such as Wii Fit and Wii Sports may be able to combat symptoms of subsyndromal depression (SSD), a more common and milder form of depression in older adults. Though SSD is essentially minor depression, it is very common among seniors and it makes patients more [...]

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Halo: Reach multiplayer trailer officially released, Halo fans worldwide defecate in their pants

First leaked by a Taiwanese site and later released on developer Bungie’s site, the reveal of Halo: Reach’s multiplayer is officially on the web. It appears as though the Halo multiplayer has undergone a huge gameplay facelift to deliver a new kind of multiplayer experience. Remember when Cliff Bleszinski, a lead designer at Epic Games said [...]

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Activision fires the studio heads at Infinity Ward, takes control of Call of Duty franchise

On top of the odd PS3 meltdown, we get this strange report last night about security showing up at Infinity Ward Offices, the developer of the best-selling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Turns out, this was just the beginning of a massive takeover of the award-winning Call of Duty franchise. The CEO of Activision, [...]

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24: The ApocalyPS3 — Error 8001050F Resolved

All that’s missing is a screaming Kiefer Sutherland… At around 24 hours after the initial PlayStation 3 bug put Sony gamers worldwide into a dizzying panic, the corrupted systems seem to have cured themselves. Sony released a statement shortly after the issue had been resolved but it did not provide much information. Rumors were confirmed however that the error [...]

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