Iranian gamers may be freaking out about losing access to World of Warcraft, but apparently the game as a whole is falling from its nerdy perch, according to an interactive chart by Paid Content's Robert Andrews:
RELATED: Iranian Gamers Totally Bummed That They Can't Play 'World of Warcraft'
RELATED: Glenn Beck, Ahmadinejad, Tiny Animals
Andrews used data from WoW developer Activision-Blizzard's majority owner Vivendi to make the chart. If you go to the original, you can roll over dots to see the exact number of subscribers in each quarter. In the latest quarter, the game had 9.1 million subscribers, which is nearly the same as the level five years ago.
RELATED: How Can Washington Help the Iranian People?
Blizzard CEO Michael Morhaime said in an earnings call that the drop in users was coming from the East, which Andrews explains may be due to a competitive gaming market in China.
RELATED: A Dead End in the Muslim World
Despite its decline, WoW is still the biggest subscription-based multiplayer online role-playing game in the world, Morhaime said. So active WoW players need not worry about losing friends. Well, unless you're Iranian.
RELATED: A Peek Into the 1979 Iranian Revolution Video Game
To explore the chart more, go to Paid Content.
This article is brought to you by CHEAP COMPUTERS.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Zynga shares fall as executive departs
NEW YORK (AP) - Shares of online game company Zynga Inc. fell Wednesday after a key executive, its chief creative officer, said he was leaving to start a new company.
THE SPARK: 'Being at Zynga in the early days reminded me of how much I love being an entrepreneur,' the executive, Mike Verdu, wrote in a company blog post late Tuesday. 'After a lot of soul-searching, I have decided to go back to my roots and start a new company.'
His departure follows that of John Schappert, the company's chief operating officer, earlier this month. He was at Zynga for less than a year and a half.
THE BIG PICTURE: Zynga's games, such as 'FarmVille' and 'Mafia Wars,' are played mostly on Facebook. The company has struggled has struggled since going public in December due to the sharp drop-off in users of its most profitable games, delays in developing new games, the growing pull of Facebook's mobile app and because Facebook has changed the way it promotes games.
Zynga's mobile games, such as 'Words With Friends,' are popular but don't make as much money as the Facebook versions. Facebook makes up nearly all of Zynga's revenue.
The San Francisco company recently reported dismal second-quarter earnings and cut its guidance for 2012.
THE SHARES: Zynga shares fell 8 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $3 in light afternoon trading. Shares have dropped 70 percent from the company's initial public stock offering price of $10.
This article is brought to you by BUY CHEAP COMPUTERS.
THE SPARK: 'Being at Zynga in the early days reminded me of how much I love being an entrepreneur,' the executive, Mike Verdu, wrote in a company blog post late Tuesday. 'After a lot of soul-searching, I have decided to go back to my roots and start a new company.'
His departure follows that of John Schappert, the company's chief operating officer, earlier this month. He was at Zynga for less than a year and a half.
THE BIG PICTURE: Zynga's games, such as 'FarmVille' and 'Mafia Wars,' are played mostly on Facebook. The company has struggled has struggled since going public in December due to the sharp drop-off in users of its most profitable games, delays in developing new games, the growing pull of Facebook's mobile app and because Facebook has changed the way it promotes games.
Zynga's mobile games, such as 'Words With Friends,' are popular but don't make as much money as the Facebook versions. Facebook makes up nearly all of Zynga's revenue.
The San Francisco company recently reported dismal second-quarter earnings and cut its guidance for 2012.
THE SHARES: Zynga shares fell 8 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $3 in light afternoon trading. Shares have dropped 70 percent from the company's initial public stock offering price of $10.
This article is brought to you by BUY CHEAP COMPUTERS.
Iranian Gamers Totally Bummed That They Can't Play 'World of Warcraft'
There is a panic that's sweeping Iran. Gamers have found out that their World of Warcraft accounts are now casualties of the United States's embargoes and sanctions against Iran. Blizzard, the company that runs the popular multiplayer game, wrote in a statement: "United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran." They add, "This week, Blizzard tightened up its procedures to ensure compliance with these laws, and players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services." Bummer. And there's a double bummer here since Blizzard said that refunds, credits, transfers, and other services cannot be provided to accounts in Iran or other countries where U.S. sanctions are intact (an expansion to World of Warcraft entitled Mists of Pandaria is set to come out on September 25).
RELATED: The Strait of Hormuz Is Still Open for U.S. Aircraft Carriers
This being World of Warcraft, and World of Warcraft being addictive as it is, messages posted on Blizzard's forums started to look like a natural disaster had befallen the country inspiring frenzied messages like this one:
RELATED: Glenn Beck, Ahmadinejad, Tiny Animals
RELATED: How Can Washington Help the Iranian People?
The actual thread of the message (as you can see) extends about 126 pages. According to Blizzard, there are about 9.1 million paying subscribers to World of Warcraft, but it's hard to tell just how many of those players are in Iran. Adding another layer of conspiracy is that some gamers believe that the Iranian government is also partly responsible for this (no not because of its ties with Syria and continuous threats against peace) outage. The Verge's Samit Sarkar reported on August 22 that a government pamphlet was issued and detailed offensive content within the game. The offenses include:
RELATED: A Dead End in the Muslim World
This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
RELATED: The Strait of Hormuz Is Still Open for U.S. Aircraft Carriers
This being World of Warcraft, and World of Warcraft being addictive as it is, messages posted on Blizzard's forums started to look like a natural disaster had befallen the country inspiring frenzied messages like this one:
RELATED: Glenn Beck, Ahmadinejad, Tiny Animals
RELATED: How Can Washington Help the Iranian People?
The actual thread of the message (as you can see) extends about 126 pages. According to Blizzard, there are about 9.1 million paying subscribers to World of Warcraft, but it's hard to tell just how many of those players are in Iran. Adding another layer of conspiracy is that some gamers believe that the Iranian government is also partly responsible for this (no not because of its ties with Syria and continuous threats against peace) outage. The Verge's Samit Sarkar reported on August 22 that a government pamphlet was issued and detailed offensive content within the game. The offenses include:
Regardless of the reason and conspiracy theories behind the ban, the fact is that no one's playing. The only way around this ban, as Epoch Times' Jack Phillips notes, is to use proxy servers that have IP addresses outside Iran. If you are (not) playing in Iran and can't figure out that proxy server thing, the one thing you should probably avoid is looking for sympathy on Blizzard's forums where human mages can be so cruel (and full of sic).
- Promotion of superstition and mythology
- Promotion of violence due to too much violence (I'm not exaggerating this is exactly what they wrote).
- Abolishing the deformation in sin.
- Demonstration of inappropriate clothing and slutty outfits for female avatars.
RELATED: A Dead End in the Muslim World
This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Zynga's creative chief exits, plans Zynga-backed start-up
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc's chief creative officer Mike Verdu has quit to start his own company, becoming the latest top-level executive to depart the struggling social games maker in past weeks.
Verdu, who led many of Zynga's studios and creative projects for over three years after a stint at Electronic Arts, announced his exit from the company behind 'Farmville' just three weeks after Chief Operating Officer John Schappert resigned.
Morale has suffered as Zynga's share price continued to stumble and revenue growth stalled, sources close to Zynga have said. Zynga closed Tuesday at $3.08, versus its $10 IPO price in December 2011.
But a source familiar with the situation told Reuters that Verdu's departure was motivated primarily by his desire to create a mobile gaming company.
'Being at Zynga in the early days reminded me of how much I love being an entrepreneur. After a lot of soul-searching, I have decided to go back to my roots and start a new company,' Verdu said in a blog post.
He thanked Zynga CEO and founder Mark Pincus for his 'leadership, friendship, and unwavering support.'
In a statement, Pincus said he was proud of Verdu's legacy and would be investing in his new company.
'Zynga will be on the ground floor with Mike on his next venture as an investor in his new start-up,' Pincus said.
Zynga shuffled its top management ranks after reporting a net loss in its second quarter. Schappert -- another former Electronic Arts' executive -- left shortly after Zynga said he had ceded many of his game development responsibilities.
Other media reports have said that some other executives have left the company in recent months but Zynga has declined to comment.
The company, one of several highly touted consumer Internet startups in late 2011, blamed its poor quarter on sudden changes to Facebook's algorithm and delays in its pipeline of new titles.
(Reporting by Malathi Nayak; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
This article is brought to you by BUY A USED COMPUTER.
Verdu, who led many of Zynga's studios and creative projects for over three years after a stint at Electronic Arts, announced his exit from the company behind 'Farmville' just three weeks after Chief Operating Officer John Schappert resigned.
Morale has suffered as Zynga's share price continued to stumble and revenue growth stalled, sources close to Zynga have said. Zynga closed Tuesday at $3.08, versus its $10 IPO price in December 2011.
But a source familiar with the situation told Reuters that Verdu's departure was motivated primarily by his desire to create a mobile gaming company.
'Being at Zynga in the early days reminded me of how much I love being an entrepreneur. After a lot of soul-searching, I have decided to go back to my roots and start a new company,' Verdu said in a blog post.
He thanked Zynga CEO and founder Mark Pincus for his 'leadership, friendship, and unwavering support.'
In a statement, Pincus said he was proud of Verdu's legacy and would be investing in his new company.
'Zynga will be on the ground floor with Mike on his next venture as an investor in his new start-up,' Pincus said.
Zynga shuffled its top management ranks after reporting a net loss in its second quarter. Schappert -- another former Electronic Arts' executive -- left shortly after Zynga said he had ceded many of his game development responsibilities.
Other media reports have said that some other executives have left the company in recent months but Zynga has declined to comment.
The company, one of several highly touted consumer Internet startups in late 2011, blamed its poor quarter on sudden changes to Facebook's algorithm and delays in its pipeline of new titles.
(Reporting by Malathi Nayak; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
This article is brought to you by BUY A USED COMPUTER.
Sanctions block Iran gamers from World of Warcraft
LONDON (AP) - An employee of the Activision Blizzard gaming company says U.S. sanctions are to blame for locking Iranian players out of the popular online fantasy role-playing adventure 'World of Warcraft.'
Iranians have spent much of the past week peppering the company's message board with complaints about how they are unable to connect to the massive multiplayer game, which boasts more than 9 million subscribers worldwide.
A message recently left on the forum by a Blizzard employee says that the company had 'tightened up its procedures' to ensure compliance with U.S. sanctions.
The post went on to explain that 'players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services.'
Repeated calls and emails to Jonnie Bryant, Blizzard's U.K. press representative, went unanswered Tuesday.
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Iranians have spent much of the past week peppering the company's message board with complaints about how they are unable to connect to the massive multiplayer game, which boasts more than 9 million subscribers worldwide.
A message recently left on the forum by a Blizzard employee says that the company had 'tightened up its procedures' to ensure compliance with U.S. sanctions.
The post went on to explain that 'players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services.'
Repeated calls and emails to Jonnie Bryant, Blizzard's U.K. press representative, went unanswered Tuesday.
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Pigs Invade Mars in 'Angry Birds Space: Red Planet'
It's official - space pigs have taken over Mars.
In a humorous but beneficial partnership to both parties, Rovio, the creator of the 'Angry Birds' series, has teamed up with NASA to provide something both fun and educational to players of all ages. 'Angry Birds Space: Red Planet' is now available for download on both iOS and Android devices, as an update to the currently released game.
With 'Red Planet,' NASA was able to introduce a familiar vehicle into 'Angry Birds Space' - the Mars Rover Curiosity, which recently made the trek to Mars, much to the delight of millions. Rovio has even found a way to include Curiosity in the game, as players have to track down three hidden Rovers throughout each level.
Long-time 'Angry Birds' fans will be pleased to know that the gameplay is still quite addictive, and along with the cool gravity-based elements from the original 'Space' game, you have a couple of new items to help you out.
Volcanoes scattered throughout each stage give off huge air gusts that shoot your birds in different directions, keeping them in play. You can also hit asteroids that explode on impact, meaning big trouble for breakable objects - and the pigs - alike. [Angry Birds in Space (Gallery)]
In addition to providing arcade-style fun, however, 'Angry Birds Space: Red Planet' also educates, as it features links to NASA web pages that discuss Mars in more detail, whether it's the recent Curiosity landing or prior visits to the Red Planet.
'Rovio is teaching huge new audiences about NASA's missions to Mars thanks to this collaboration,' said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a statement. 'It's a great way to introduce both kids and adults to the wonders of the planet in a fun and entertaining way.'
'Angry Birds Space' has even launched into actual space in the form of a plush toy bird that flew to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Once there, NASA astronaut Don Pettit used the toy and green balloons decorated as pigs to give a real-life demonstration of Angry Birds in space.
If you already own the game, the 'Red Planet' update is free of charge and available for download now. (If not, the game itself is on sale for $1.) Rovio has said that it will be coming to other platforms in the weeks ahead, though a timetable has not been set. Check out the YouTube trailers below for a funny little introduction to the pack, as well as the gameplay.
This story was provided by TechNewsDaily, sister site to SPACE.com.FollowSPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
This news article is brought to you by PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
In a humorous but beneficial partnership to both parties, Rovio, the creator of the 'Angry Birds' series, has teamed up with NASA to provide something both fun and educational to players of all ages. 'Angry Birds Space: Red Planet' is now available for download on both iOS and Android devices, as an update to the currently released game.
With 'Red Planet,' NASA was able to introduce a familiar vehicle into 'Angry Birds Space' - the Mars Rover Curiosity, which recently made the trek to Mars, much to the delight of millions. Rovio has even found a way to include Curiosity in the game, as players have to track down three hidden Rovers throughout each level.
Long-time 'Angry Birds' fans will be pleased to know that the gameplay is still quite addictive, and along with the cool gravity-based elements from the original 'Space' game, you have a couple of new items to help you out.
Volcanoes scattered throughout each stage give off huge air gusts that shoot your birds in different directions, keeping them in play. You can also hit asteroids that explode on impact, meaning big trouble for breakable objects - and the pigs - alike. [Angry Birds in Space (Gallery)]
In addition to providing arcade-style fun, however, 'Angry Birds Space: Red Planet' also educates, as it features links to NASA web pages that discuss Mars in more detail, whether it's the recent Curiosity landing or prior visits to the Red Planet.
'Rovio is teaching huge new audiences about NASA's missions to Mars thanks to this collaboration,' said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a statement. 'It's a great way to introduce both kids and adults to the wonders of the planet in a fun and entertaining way.'
'Angry Birds Space' has even launched into actual space in the form of a plush toy bird that flew to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Once there, NASA astronaut Don Pettit used the toy and green balloons decorated as pigs to give a real-life demonstration of Angry Birds in space.
If you already own the game, the 'Red Planet' update is free of charge and available for download now. (If not, the game itself is on sale for $1.) Rovio has said that it will be coming to other platforms in the weeks ahead, though a timetable has not been set. Check out the YouTube trailers below for a funny little introduction to the pack, as well as the gameplay.
This story was provided by TechNewsDaily, sister site to SPACE.com.FollowSPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- 5 NASA Inventions That Changed Our Lives
- Angry Birds in Space | Video
- 'Angry Birds Space' Is Out of This World
This news article is brought to you by PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Navy SEAL Author Is Also Cashing in on a Special Ops Video Game
There's more than one way to profit from your experience in the military. For Matt Bisonnette, the former Navy SEAL Team 6 member who wrote a book about killing Osama bin Laden, that includes offering consulting services to a big name video game maker.
RELATED: No Easy Week for Outed Navy SEAL Author
The Los Angeles Times' Alex Pham reports that Bissonnette is a consultant for Electronic Arts' upcoming Special Forces video game Medal of Honor: Warfighter. For video game sequences based in Afghanistan and elsewhere, the game's Los Angeles developers are putting a premium on authenticity, according to Pham, and are working closely with Bissonnette's consulting firm Silent R. "The team consulted with several special forces soldiers to make sure the settings, weapons and other aspects of the fighting within the game was realistic," reports Pham. "One of those consultants was Bissonnette."
RELATED: Fox News Outs Navy SEAL Team 6 Author
The news of Bissonnette's latest business endeavor comes as he receives a wave of criticism from current and former service members in the Special Ops community for writing No Easy Day, set for release September 11. "When you leave the compound, you leave the secrets there," said Don Mann, a former member of SEAL Team 6 speaking with the Daily Beast's Eli Lake. “As soon as bin Laden was killed, it was known I was a member. I got three lucrative offers. I told them, ‘What I know you would want to know, I am not going to let you know.'"
RELATED: Navy SEALs Have Turned into Celebrities, Sex Symbols
Roger Castens, a former Army Special Forces officer, expressed similar displeasure with the book's release. “I am on a few list-servs,” he told Lake. “This topic has been a heavy and heated discussion with almost everyone asking WTF?”
RELATED: No, the Ensign Scandal Is Not Like a 'Bad Romance Novel'
It should be said in Bissonnette's defense, his publisher Dutton says, "the majority" of proceeds from the book will go to "unnamed charities that support families of Navy SEALs killed in the line of duty." In addition, there's also the public interest argument that the story deserves to be told from a first person account, given the number of revisions there's been to the official White House account. As Bissonnette writes in the book, "it is time to set the record straight about one of the most important missions in U.S. military history."
RELATED: Spike Jonze and Olympia Le-Tan's Beautiful New Short
Others, however, are more skeptical about the book's likelihood to shed new light on the raid, like Politico's defense reporter Austin Wright:
Below, a trailer for Medal of Honor: Warfighter:
This news article is brought to you by ECONOMY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
RELATED: No Easy Week for Outed Navy SEAL Author
The Los Angeles Times' Alex Pham reports that Bissonnette is a consultant for Electronic Arts' upcoming Special Forces video game Medal of Honor: Warfighter. For video game sequences based in Afghanistan and elsewhere, the game's Los Angeles developers are putting a premium on authenticity, according to Pham, and are working closely with Bissonnette's consulting firm Silent R. "The team consulted with several special forces soldiers to make sure the settings, weapons and other aspects of the fighting within the game was realistic," reports Pham. "One of those consultants was Bissonnette."
RELATED: Fox News Outs Navy SEAL Team 6 Author
The news of Bissonnette's latest business endeavor comes as he receives a wave of criticism from current and former service members in the Special Ops community for writing No Easy Day, set for release September 11. "When you leave the compound, you leave the secrets there," said Don Mann, a former member of SEAL Team 6 speaking with the Daily Beast's Eli Lake. “As soon as bin Laden was killed, it was known I was a member. I got three lucrative offers. I told them, ‘What I know you would want to know, I am not going to let you know.'"
RELATED: Navy SEALs Have Turned into Celebrities, Sex Symbols
Roger Castens, a former Army Special Forces officer, expressed similar displeasure with the book's release. “I am on a few list-servs,” he told Lake. “This topic has been a heavy and heated discussion with almost everyone asking WTF?”
RELATED: No, the Ensign Scandal Is Not Like a 'Bad Romance Novel'
It should be said in Bissonnette's defense, his publisher Dutton says, "the majority" of proceeds from the book will go to "unnamed charities that support families of Navy SEALs killed in the line of duty." In addition, there's also the public interest argument that the story deserves to be told from a first person account, given the number of revisions there's been to the official White House account. As Bissonnette writes in the book, "it is time to set the record straight about one of the most important missions in U.S. military history."
RELATED: Spike Jonze and Olympia Le-Tan's Beautiful New Short
Others, however, are more skeptical about the book's likelihood to shed new light on the raid, like Politico's defense reporter Austin Wright:
Sorry, but this whole thing is just too much: The publisher leaks word of this book with less than a month to go before publication -- sparking headlines because DOD and the White House haven’t “vetted” it. The author tries to keep anonymous but doesn’t -- which revives the whole OPSEC arglebargle, and we’re all wondering how it’ll affect the presidential race. It’s brilliant marketing -- so good that publisher Dutton would have been incredibly foolish not to have already given this book a super legal-scrub for anything potentially “secret.” Why imperil this investment in buzz by taking the risk DOD could interfere with publication? This raises the question of how much juicy stuff it’ll actually contain. Our guess: Not much.Another point worth making is that Bissonnette would also be immensely foolish to reveal classified details given the potential for Justice Department prosecution. Some might speculate that he was banking on hiding behind his anonymity when he wrote the book, a plan that was unexpectedly torpedoed when Fox News outed him yesterday. But that doesn't really add up, given the number of details he discloses about himself in the book, as The Guardian's Glenn Greenwald notes:
According to the NYT account, he provides ample biographical information that should make the process of identifying him extremely easy, including discussions of "his childhood in Alaska", the fact that he "has completed 13 combat deployments since" the 9/11 attack, and that he "retired within the past year". The book also includes accounts of "his other previously unreported Seal missions".All that said, it is in the publisher's interest to reveal as much juicy details as possible to ensure big sales. Will it make a big splash? Since the White House, CIA, and the Pentagon say the book wasn't vetted by them, the only people that know the answer are Dutton employees and Bissonnette.
Below, a trailer for Medal of Honor: Warfighter:
This news article is brought to you by ECONOMY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
NASA, 'Angry Birds' Team Up to Explore the Red Planet
There is life on Mars -- and it's out for revenge against some nasty pigs!
[More from Mashable: This 'Angry Birds' Pigs Dessert Will Taunt Your Taste Buds]
Angry Birds creators Rovio announced a new chapter to Angry Birds Space will come out Thursday. The update is titled 'Red Planet', and will send players to the fields of Mars for more bird-on-pig rivalry.
NASA helped Rovio create the trailer by giving them footage taken by the Mars Rover Curiosity from the planet's surface. In addition, the additional levels will include NASA vehicles as part of the architecture.
[More from Mashable: Watch the Mars Curiosity Rover Press Conference Here [LIVE VIDEO]]
'Rovio is teaching huge new audiences about NASA's missions to Mars thanks to this collaboration,' said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 'It's a great way to introduce both kids and adults to the wonders of the planet in a fun and entertaining way.'
It's not the first partnership between the two. When Angry Birds Space debuted in March, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit demonstrated the physics behind Angry Birds -- while in space.
'We're huge NASA fans, and we were all cheering the Mars Curiosity rover as it touched down,' said Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer of Rovio Entertainment. 'So, working together on the Mars update was a perfect fit.'
Players can download the updates for the iOS [iTunes link] and Android [Google Play link] versions right now.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
[More from Mashable: This 'Angry Birds' Pigs Dessert Will Taunt Your Taste Buds]
Angry Birds creators Rovio announced a new chapter to Angry Birds Space will come out Thursday. The update is titled 'Red Planet', and will send players to the fields of Mars for more bird-on-pig rivalry.
NASA helped Rovio create the trailer by giving them footage taken by the Mars Rover Curiosity from the planet's surface. In addition, the additional levels will include NASA vehicles as part of the architecture.
[More from Mashable: Watch the Mars Curiosity Rover Press Conference Here [LIVE VIDEO]]
'Rovio is teaching huge new audiences about NASA's missions to Mars thanks to this collaboration,' said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 'It's a great way to introduce both kids and adults to the wonders of the planet in a fun and entertaining way.'
It's not the first partnership between the two. When Angry Birds Space debuted in March, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit demonstrated the physics behind Angry Birds -- while in space.
'We're huge NASA fans, and we were all cheering the Mars Curiosity rover as it touched down,' said Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer of Rovio Entertainment. 'So, working together on the Mars update was a perfect fit.'
Players can download the updates for the iOS [iTunes link] and Android [Google Play link] versions right now.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Xbox Kinect sensor drops to $109
A $40 price cut has been administered to the Xbox 360's voice and motion sensing device, the Kinect, with similar drops due in Latin America, Asia Pacific and Australasia.
The Kinect sensor, introduced in November 2010, works with bespoke Kinect-only titles such as The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout, the Just Dance and Dance Central series, Kinect Disneyland Adventures, and Fruit Ninja Kinect, and offers additional functionality in many games designed for traditional control pads (Mass Effect 3, Skyrim, Binary Domain, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 and the upcoming Angry Birds Trilogy).
The cut can be seen as preparation not just for the end-of-year shopping season, but also for the arrival of Nintendo's new console, the Wii U -- just as Sony is getting behind the Wii U-like capabilities of a PlayStation Vita and PS3 combo.
This article is brought to you by AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS.
The Kinect sensor, introduced in November 2010, works with bespoke Kinect-only titles such as The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout, the Just Dance and Dance Central series, Kinect Disneyland Adventures, and Fruit Ninja Kinect, and offers additional functionality in many games designed for traditional control pads (Mass Effect 3, Skyrim, Binary Domain, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 and the upcoming Angry Birds Trilogy).
The cut can be seen as preparation not just for the end-of-year shopping season, but also for the arrival of Nintendo's new console, the Wii U -- just as Sony is getting behind the Wii U-like capabilities of a PlayStation Vita and PS3 combo.
This article is brought to you by AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Sony's PlayStation 4 to support 4K resolution
Sony's (SNY) plan to introduce an 80-inch XBR LED television set with 4K resolution is said to be the start of a larger scheme to push 4K on consumers, much like 3D was a huge push in the industry a couple of years ago. Since 3D isn't gaining much traction, Sony (and we'd assume the rest of the industry) is betting on 4K as a way to get consumers to upgrade their home entertainment devices. Sony is already selling 4K Blu-ray players for $200, and the company's next-generation PlayStation 4 will indeed support 4K resolution playback as well, a source tells us. Like the PlayStation 3 did with Blu-ray, Sony is betting that by including the ability to support 4K resolution media - games and movies - consumers will have an incentive to upgrade to new 4K television sets.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
EA's mobile games unit PopCap cuts North American staff
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - PopCap, a social and mobile gaming arm of Electronic Arts , cut about 12 percent of its North American workforce and is evaluating the viability of its Dublin studio as it copes with a rapidly evolving social and mobile gaming market.
EA acquired PopCap, known for 'Bejeweled' and 'Plants vs Zombies,' for $1.3 billion in 2011 to expand beyond its traditional videogames slate into casual and mobile games, and taking on the likes of Zynga Inc.
PopCap laid off 50 of about 380 staff members in its Seattle and Vancouver studios, spokesman Garth Chouteau said on Tuesday. PopCap also employs a staff of about 40 in San Francisco.
In Ireland, the company is re-examining the future of its Dublin studio, which has roughly 90 employees, Chouteau said.
Seattle-based PopCap makes easy-to-play games for Facebook and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.
'The change in consumer tastes requires us to reorganize our business and invest in new types of games on new platforms,' said PopCap co-founder John Vechey in a blog post.
Vechey said the growing popularity of the free-to-play model in social and casual games calls for a new strategy that would involve managing costs and reorganization.
Some publishers have said they are seeing slower growth in social gaming on platforms like Facebook, versus the proliferation of games on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
Electronic Arts' executives, in an earnings call with analysts last month, warned that PopCap is currently up against 'a little bit more of a headwind' in the social gaming space.
'The decision to reorganize was 100 percent made by us, with no pressure from EA,' Vechey said.
PopCap also has a studio in Shanghai with 95 employees, and a total global workforce of about 600.
(Reporting By Malathi Nayak; editing by Gunna Dickson and M.D. Golan)
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
EA acquired PopCap, known for 'Bejeweled' and 'Plants vs Zombies,' for $1.3 billion in 2011 to expand beyond its traditional videogames slate into casual and mobile games, and taking on the likes of Zynga Inc
PopCap laid off 50 of about 380 staff members in its Seattle and Vancouver studios, spokesman Garth Chouteau said on Tuesday. PopCap also employs a staff of about 40 in San Francisco.
In Ireland, the company is re-examining the future of its Dublin studio, which has roughly 90 employees, Chouteau said.
Seattle-based PopCap makes easy-to-play games for Facebook and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.
'The change in consumer tastes requires us to reorganize our business and invest in new types of games on new platforms,' said PopCap co-founder John Vechey in a blog post.
Vechey said the growing popularity of the free-to-play model in social and casual games calls for a new strategy that would involve managing costs and reorganization.
Some publishers have said they are seeing slower growth in social gaming on platforms like Facebook, versus the proliferation of games on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
Electronic Arts' executives, in an earnings call with analysts last month, warned that PopCap is currently up against 'a little bit more of a headwind' in the social gaming space.
'The decision to reorganize was 100 percent made by us, with no pressure from EA,' Vechey said.
PopCap also has a studio in Shanghai with 95 employees, and a total global workforce of about 600.
(Reporting By Malathi Nayak; editing by Gunna Dickson and M.D. Golan)
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
PlayStation's Cross-Buy incentive confirmed for NA and EU
Buy it on one console, get it free on the other -- that's the idea behind Cross-Buy, the Sony scheme that means PlayStation 3 and Vita owners can download the same game for either or both consoles.
Announced during Sony's August 14 presentation at Gamescom, Cologne, the program has now been confirmed for North America and European regions by Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony Computer Entertainment's Worldwide Studios branch.
He was speaking via his Twitter account (@yosp), and clarified Cross-Buy's status as being 'not decided for Japan yet.'
Sony announced a brand name for its Cross-Buy promotion along with three further supported titles at the Gamescom conference: party punch-up PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, plus action adventures Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault (aka QForce).
Time-trial racer Motorstorm RC and clever audio action mashup Sound Shapes already support the feature, while Need for Speed: Most Wanted's admission to Cross-Buy is said to be a possibility, however remote.
Four other schemes tie into Cross-Buy. Cross-Play lets PS3 and Vita owners hop into the same multiplayer game, Cross-Save allows game progress to be transferred between PS3 and Vita systems, Cross Goods means extra content can be shared between the two, and Cross-Control means the Vita -- with its additional touch screen and camera -- can be used as a PlayStation 3 controller.
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Announced during Sony's August 14 presentation at Gamescom, Cologne, the program has now been confirmed for North America and European regions by Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony Computer Entertainment's Worldwide Studios branch.
He was speaking via his Twitter account (@yosp), and clarified Cross-Buy's status as being 'not decided for Japan yet.'
Sony announced a brand name for its Cross-Buy promotion along with three further supported titles at the Gamescom conference: party punch-up PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, plus action adventures Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault (aka QForce).
Time-trial racer Motorstorm RC and clever audio action mashup Sound Shapes already support the feature, while Need for Speed: Most Wanted's admission to Cross-Buy is said to be a possibility, however remote.
Four other schemes tie into Cross-Buy. Cross-Play lets PS3 and Vita owners hop into the same multiplayer game, Cross-Save allows game progress to be transferred between PS3 and Vita systems, Cross Goods means extra content can be shared between the two, and Cross-Control means the Vita -- with its additional touch screen and camera -- can be used as a PlayStation 3 controller.
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Can a Video Game Tackle Alcoholism Without Being Preachy?
This news article is brought to you by DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Sony gears up for PlayStation Mobile launch this fall
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc will roll out its PlayStation Mobile cross-platform gaming service starting this fall, offering application software and other content across devices like the handheld PlayStation Vita and Xperia smartphones and tablets.
The unit of Sony Corp said on Tuesday its service will be available in nine countries including Japan, United States and Canada, with other countries to follow.
Previously branded the PlayStation Suite, it will provide a platform for third-party software developers and publishers to create new content like games for portable devices.
Makers of iOS and Andriod devices depend on content to boost hardware sales and a community of developers to generate application software content. Sony did not fully elaborate on its PlayStation Mobile plans in terms of costs and revenue projections, but it has pinned its long-term growth on mobile and gaming devices.
Asustek Computer and Wikipad Inc will also join Sony's PlayStation Certified license program, the company said. This partnership will provide users of Asus and Wikipad handheld devices access to PlayStation Mobile content.
New Chief Executive Kaz Hirai has sketched out a revival plan for the ailing Japanese corporate standard-bearer that stakes Sony's future on mobile devices such as the Xperia smartphone, gaming and digital imaging, while developing new businesses such as a medical unit.
(Reporting By Malathi Nayak)
This news article is brought to you by CELEBRITY GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The unit of Sony Corp said on Tuesday its service will be available in nine countries including Japan, United States and Canada, with other countries to follow.
Previously branded the PlayStation Suite, it will provide a platform for third-party software developers and publishers to create new content like games for portable devices.
Makers of iOS and Andriod devices depend on content to boost hardware sales and a community of developers to generate application software content. Sony did not fully elaborate on its PlayStation Mobile plans in terms of costs and revenue projections, but it has pinned its long-term growth on mobile and gaming devices.
Asustek Computer and Wikipad Inc will also join Sony's PlayStation Certified license program, the company said. This partnership will provide users of Asus and Wikipad handheld devices access to PlayStation Mobile content.
New Chief Executive Kaz Hirai has sketched out a revival plan for the ailing Japanese corporate standard-bearer that stakes Sony's future on mobile devices such as the Xperia smartphone, gaming and digital imaging, while developing new businesses such as a medical unit.
(Reporting By Malathi Nayak)
This news article is brought to you by CELEBRITY GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
LG Sony gears up for PlayStation Mobile launch this fall
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc will roll out its PlayStation Mobile cross-platform gaming service starting this fall, offering application software and other content across devices like the handheld PlayStation Vita and Xperia smartphones and tablets.
The unit of Sony Corp said on Tuesday its service will be available in nine countries including Japan, United States and Canada, with other countries to follow.
Previously branded the PlayStation Suite, it will provide a platform for third-party software developers and publishers to create new content like games for portable devices.
Makers of iOS and Andriod devices depend on content to boost hardware sales and a community of developers to generate application software content. Sony did not fully elaborate on its PlayStation Mobile plans in terms of costs and revenue projections, but it has pinned its long-term growth on mobile and gaming devices.
Asustek Computer and Wikipad Inc will also join Sony's PlayStation Certified license program, the company said. This partnership will provide users of Asus and Wikipad handheld devices access to PlayStation Mobile content.
New Chief Executive Kaz Hirai has sketched out a revival plan for the ailing Japanese corporate standard-bearer that stakes Sony's future on mobile devices such as the Xperia smartphone, gaming and digital imaging, while developing new businesses such as a medical unit.
(Reporting By Malathi Nayak)
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The unit of Sony Corp said on Tuesday its service will be available in nine countries including Japan, United States and Canada, with other countries to follow.
Previously branded the PlayStation Suite, it will provide a platform for third-party software developers and publishers to create new content like games for portable devices.
Makers of iOS and Andriod devices depend on content to boost hardware sales and a community of developers to generate application software content. Sony did not fully elaborate on its PlayStation Mobile plans in terms of costs and revenue projections, but it has pinned its long-term growth on mobile and gaming devices.
Asustek Computer and Wikipad Inc will also join Sony's PlayStation Certified license program, the company said. This partnership will provide users of Asus and Wikipad handheld devices access to PlayStation Mobile content.
New Chief Executive Kaz Hirai has sketched out a revival plan for the ailing Japanese corporate standard-bearer that stakes Sony's future on mobile devices such as the Xperia smartphone, gaming and digital imaging, while developing new businesses such as a medical unit.
(Reporting By Malathi Nayak)
This news article is brought to you by GADGETS NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sesame Street Parodies Popular Video Games in New DVD [EXCLUSIVE]
Sesame Street is turning 8-bit educational with Elmo's Alphabet Challenge, a new home video that includes spoofs of seven of our favorite video games.
[More from Mashable: Google+ Hangouts Get Better Audio With Studio Mode]
Classics like Super Mario Bros. and new mainstays like Angry Birds and Guitar Hero will get the Sesame Street treatment in the new film, which Warner Home Video will release on Tuesday.
Created by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the hit children's show, Elmo's Alphabet Challenge focuses primarily on early literacy skills. The content emphasizes helping children recognize the names of letters and their corresponding sounds.
[More from Mashable: Does More Tech in the Classroom Help Kids Learn?]
'Children will also learn about task persistence and overcoming obstacles as they stay focused on a task until completion,' Sesame Workshop said in a press release. 'Additionally, kids will learn about self-confidence and friendship as the video focuses on the positive and supportive interaction between Telly, Abby, and Elmo. The characters encourage one another and praise each other during the different challenges.'
SEE ALSO: Latest 'Angry Bird' Isn't All That Angry [VIDEO]
Elmo, Abby Cadabby and the rest of the gang find themselves trapped inside the video game world of A. B. C-more, a mischievous elf with a passion for the alphabet. The only way they can return to Sesame Street is by defeating him in various video game challenges that test their alphabet know-how.
In addition to the video game spoofs, Elmo's Alphabet Challenge features five new songs of that catchy Sesame Street variety. The DVD also comes with special bonus materials including a free poster, 26 alphabet storybook animations, parenting tips and activity pages.
Check out a preview of Super Mustachio above, and Happy Words below. Is there a game that you hope to see a spoof of on this children's DVD? Let us know in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This article is brought to you by BUY AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS.
[More from Mashable: Google+ Hangouts Get Better Audio With Studio Mode]
Classics like Super Mario Bros. and new mainstays like Angry Birds and Guitar Hero will get the Sesame Street treatment in the new film, which Warner Home Video will release on Tuesday.
Created by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the hit children's show, Elmo's Alphabet Challenge focuses primarily on early literacy skills. The content emphasizes helping children recognize the names of letters and their corresponding sounds.
[More from Mashable: Does More Tech in the Classroom Help Kids Learn?]
'Children will also learn about task persistence and overcoming obstacles as they stay focused on a task until completion,' Sesame Workshop said in a press release. 'Additionally, kids will learn about self-confidence and friendship as the video focuses on the positive and supportive interaction between Telly, Abby, and Elmo. The characters encourage one another and praise each other during the different challenges.'
Elmo, Abby Cadabby and the rest of the gang find themselves trapped inside the video game world of A. B. C-more, a mischievous elf with a passion for the alphabet. The only way they can return to Sesame Street is by defeating him in various video game challenges that test their alphabet know-how.
In addition to the video game spoofs, Elmo's Alphabet Challenge features five new songs of that catchy Sesame Street variety. The DVD also comes with special bonus materials including a free poster, 26 alphabet storybook animations, parenting tips and activity pages.
Check out a preview of Super Mustachio above, and Happy Words below. Is there a game that you hope to see a spoof of on this children's DVD? Let us know in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This article is brought to you by BUY AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Teens and Video Games: How Much Is Too Much?
The gamer community had a near-miss this week in Ohio, when a 15-year-old boy collapsed after playing 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3' for up to five days straight.
The Columbus teen was rushed to the hospital with severe dehydration, where he recovered, according to a report from TV station WCMH on Aug. 7.
Players who delve too deeply into their electronic worlds can face various health risks, ranging from deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots, to severe dehydration.
For instance, in July, a Taiwanese teenager was found dead after sitting for 40 hours in an Internet cafe playing 'Diablo 3.' At the time, doctors speculated he died from a heart attack caused by a blood clot that formed during the long session.
And last summer, a 20-year-old man from the U.K. died from a blood clot after spending 12-hour sessions on his Xbox. His father told 'The Sun' newspaper, 'He lived for his Xbox. I never dreamed he was in any danger.' [10 Easy Paths to Self Destruction]
While these are extreme cases, they are a reminder that sitting at a computer or console for days, whether it's for 'World of Warcraft' or for work, isn't healthy for anyone. But psychologists who study video games and kids say parents needn't worry about the amount of time spent gaming, unless screen time starts to affect school, health or social life. (And, of course, a stint of tens of hours gaming is likely to negatively affect schoolwork and lead to social woes.) That said, researchers remain concerned about the effects of violent content in video games, which have been linked by many studies to aggressive behavior.
Too much screen time?
These days, screens of one kind or another occupy youth for 50 hours a week, a 2010 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation reports. 'It's a full-time job plus 10 hours of overtime, and that's the average,' said Douglas Gentile, a psychologist and director of the Media Research Lab at Iowa State University.
Video-gaming consumed nine weekly hours for teens, the Kaiser survey found, while a Harris Poll conducted for Gentile during the same period reported 13 hours a week spent gaming on computers and consoles.
While some kids can shoot 'em up for hours, for others, too much time gaming leads to poor school performance. Recent studies have finally linked the cause and effect, showing that gaming displaces after-school academic activities such as homework and reading. A 2010 study from researchers at Denison University in Ohio, published in the journal Psychological Science, compared two groups of boys that had never owned gaming systems. They gave one group a system right away, but withheld games from the other group for four months. Boys who received the video-game system first had more teacher-reported learning problems and significantly lower reading and writing scores than the other boys.
Problems in school are relatively easy for parents to fix: Limit screen time - of course, if you can get the controller out of his or her hands. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours per day in front of any electronics.
Violent games and aggression
What's harder to control is violent content in video games. The Pew Research Center reported in 2008 that more than 90 percent of games rated as appropriate for children 10 years or older contained violence, including games rated 'E' for everyone. (Most researchers define violence as the ability of a player to intentionally harm others in a game.)
Now most researchers will agree that video games can help as well as harm. For example, educational games boost learning, and action games can improve vision and spatial skills. Video games have also been used successfully to teach children self-care skills for asthma and diabetes.
And then there's the primary reason people play video games: They're relaxing. Gentile thinks the flickering screen and varying sound levels trigger a primitive brain response. 'One of the reasons I think we find television and video games so relaxing is they provide the attention for you. It forces you to orient to the media. You don't have to work to pay attention like you do in [a] classroom lecture,' said Gentile.
But a preponderance of evidence links violent video games to an increase in aggressive behavior in teens. The behavior wasn't violent crime, like school shootings, but small yet hurtful offenses like teasing, name-calling, rumor-spreading and fist fights. In a review of 130 studies of kids and teens, Iowa State University researchers found that violent video games increased the likelihood of aggression and decreased empathy. The meta-analysis appeared in 2010 in the journal Psychological Bulletin. [5 Ways to Foster Self-Compassion in Your Teen]
Which teens are vulnerable?
Of course, repeated exposure to violence in any environment has a deleterious effect, Gentile noted. 'Seeing violence anywhere increases the risks that a child might become involved in aggression, whether as a perpetrator or a victim,' he said. But video games are phenomenal teachers. Players get immediate feedback and rewards for punishing competitors. And not only do games reward hostility, they train your brain to respond to real-life problems with aggression, research indicates.
In fact, games can prime teens to react to slights with name-calling or pushing, instead of choosing to avoid confrontation. 'So when I get bumped in the hallway, I don't assume it's an accident anymore,' explained Gentile. 'What comes to mind first is to retaliate in some way. Those aren't the only options you have, but we never think of them because what we see over and over in the media is 'You killed my monster, now you must die.''
But psychologist Patrick Markey's research suggests just some teens are susceptible to these effects. Markey found people with certain personality traits - those who are highly neurotic, less agreeable and less conscientious - are those more likely to become hostile from gaming. The 2010 study appeared in the journal Review of General Psychology.
'The truth of the matter is that most people can handle this media, but for some people with a select predisposition, these people might be a little more aggressive, more prone to an argument here and there,' said Markey, a professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.
'The most interesting part is there is really no research that suggests video games have a different effect than TV or movies. It has empirically never been shown,' said Markey. 'Any media is supposed to engage us emotionally, and video games are a form of media, a form of art even.'
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
This news article is brought to you by ADVANCED DATING ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
The Columbus teen was rushed to the hospital with severe dehydration, where he recovered, according to a report from TV station WCMH on Aug. 7.
Players who delve too deeply into their electronic worlds can face various health risks, ranging from deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots, to severe dehydration.
For instance, in July, a Taiwanese teenager was found dead after sitting for 40 hours in an Internet cafe playing 'Diablo 3.' At the time, doctors speculated he died from a heart attack caused by a blood clot that formed during the long session.
And last summer, a 20-year-old man from the U.K. died from a blood clot after spending 12-hour sessions on his Xbox. His father told 'The Sun' newspaper, 'He lived for his Xbox. I never dreamed he was in any danger.' [10 Easy Paths to Self Destruction]
While these are extreme cases, they are a reminder that sitting at a computer or console for days, whether it's for 'World of Warcraft' or for work, isn't healthy for anyone. But psychologists who study video games and kids say parents needn't worry about the amount of time spent gaming, unless screen time starts to affect school, health or social life. (And, of course, a stint of tens of hours gaming is likely to negatively affect schoolwork and lead to social woes.) That said, researchers remain concerned about the effects of violent content in video games, which have been linked by many studies to aggressive behavior.
Too much screen time?
These days, screens of one kind or another occupy youth for 50 hours a week, a 2010 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation reports. 'It's a full-time job plus 10 hours of overtime, and that's the average,' said Douglas Gentile, a psychologist and director of the Media Research Lab at Iowa State University.
Video-gaming consumed nine weekly hours for teens, the Kaiser survey found, while a Harris Poll conducted for Gentile during the same period reported 13 hours a week spent gaming on computers and consoles.
While some kids can shoot 'em up for hours, for others, too much time gaming leads to poor school performance. Recent studies have finally linked the cause and effect, showing that gaming displaces after-school academic activities such as homework and reading. A 2010 study from researchers at Denison University in Ohio, published in the journal Psychological Science, compared two groups of boys that had never owned gaming systems. They gave one group a system right away, but withheld games from the other group for four months. Boys who received the video-game system first had more teacher-reported learning problems and significantly lower reading and writing scores than the other boys.
Problems in school are relatively easy for parents to fix: Limit screen time - of course, if you can get the controller out of his or her hands. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours per day in front of any electronics.
Violent games and aggression
What's harder to control is violent content in video games. The Pew Research Center reported in 2008 that more than 90 percent of games rated as appropriate for children 10 years or older contained violence, including games rated 'E' for everyone. (Most researchers define violence as the ability of a player to intentionally harm others in a game.)
Now most researchers will agree that video games can help as well as harm. For example, educational games boost learning, and action games can improve vision and spatial skills. Video games have also been used successfully to teach children self-care skills for asthma and diabetes.
And then there's the primary reason people play video games: They're relaxing. Gentile thinks the flickering screen and varying sound levels trigger a primitive brain response. 'One of the reasons I think we find television and video games so relaxing is they provide the attention for you. It forces you to orient to the media. You don't have to work to pay attention like you do in [a] classroom lecture,' said Gentile.
But a preponderance of evidence links violent video games to an increase in aggressive behavior in teens. The behavior wasn't violent crime, like school shootings, but small yet hurtful offenses like teasing, name-calling, rumor-spreading and fist fights. In a review of 130 studies of kids and teens, Iowa State University researchers found that violent video games increased the likelihood of aggression and decreased empathy. The meta-analysis appeared in 2010 in the journal Psychological Bulletin. [5 Ways to Foster Self-Compassion in Your Teen]
Which teens are vulnerable?
Of course, repeated exposure to violence in any environment has a deleterious effect, Gentile noted. 'Seeing violence anywhere increases the risks that a child might become involved in aggression, whether as a perpetrator or a victim,' he said. But video games are phenomenal teachers. Players get immediate feedback and rewards for punishing competitors. And not only do games reward hostility, they train your brain to respond to real-life problems with aggression, research indicates.
In fact, games can prime teens to react to slights with name-calling or pushing, instead of choosing to avoid confrontation. 'So when I get bumped in the hallway, I don't assume it's an accident anymore,' explained Gentile. 'What comes to mind first is to retaliate in some way. Those aren't the only options you have, but we never think of them because what we see over and over in the media is 'You killed my monster, now you must die.''
But psychologist Patrick Markey's research suggests just some teens are susceptible to these effects. Markey found people with certain personality traits - those who are highly neurotic, less agreeable and less conscientious - are those more likely to become hostile from gaming. The 2010 study appeared in the journal Review of General Psychology.
'The truth of the matter is that most people can handle this media, but for some people with a select predisposition, these people might be a little more aggressive, more prone to an argument here and there,' said Markey, a professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.
'The most interesting part is there is really no research that suggests video games have a different effect than TV or movies. It has empirically never been shown,' said Markey. 'Any media is supposed to engage us emotionally, and video games are a form of media, a form of art even.'
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- 10 Facts Every Parent Should Know about Their Teen's Brain
- Fight, Fight, Fight: The History of Human Aggression
- 7 Personality Traits That Are Bad For You
This news article is brought to you by ADVANCED DATING ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Job vacancy ad says new Xbox within 18 months
A Microsoft job posting has given yet further creedence to the expectancy that a new Xbox will arrive by the end of 2013, specifying an eighteen month timeframe for various products including another Xbox branded console.
'Over the next eighteen months Microsoft will release new versions of all of our most significant products including Windows (Client, Server, Phone and Azure), Office and Xbox' read the advertisment, since removed from the Microsoft website's careers section.
Earlier in the week, attention was drawn to an interview with a general manager at the company, who said that 'the new Xbox' was part of a new product line-up including Windows 8, Office, and Windows Phone.
Microsoft then clarified his statement, saying that the reference was to a fall update for the current Xbox.
Despite the lack of official acknowledgement, a codename for the next Xbox has long been identified as 'Durango,' and an announcment (if not retail launch) is still expected in 2013.
Still, with the important and lucrative holiday season approaching, Microsoft cannot afford to divert attention from its current Xbox 360, Kinect motion sensor, and suite of movie and music apps until the new year.
Nintendo launches its Wii U later in 2012, date and price to be determined, while a PlayStation 4 announcement from Sony is anticipated during 2013.
For a helpfully preserved screenshot of the job ad, please see thesixthaxis.com/2012/08/09/microsoft-new-xbox-in-next-18-months/
This article is brought to you by BUY A USED COMPUTER.
'Over the next eighteen months Microsoft will release new versions of all of our most significant products including Windows (Client, Server, Phone and Azure), Office and Xbox' read the advertisment, since removed from the Microsoft website's careers section.
Earlier in the week, attention was drawn to an interview with a general manager at the company, who said that 'the new Xbox' was part of a new product line-up including Windows 8, Office, and Windows Phone.
Microsoft then clarified his statement, saying that the reference was to a fall update for the current Xbox.
Despite the lack of official acknowledgement, a codename for the next Xbox has long been identified as 'Durango,' and an announcment (if not retail launch) is still expected in 2013.
Still, with the important and lucrative holiday season approaching, Microsoft cannot afford to divert attention from its current Xbox 360, Kinect motion sensor, and suite of movie and music apps until the new year.
Nintendo launches its Wii U later in 2012, date and price to be determined, while a PlayStation 4 announcement from Sony is anticipated during 2013.
For a helpfully preserved screenshot of the job ad, please see thesixthaxis.com/2012/08/09/microsoft-new-xbox-in-next-18-months/
This article is brought to you by BUY A USED COMPUTER.
Online accounts for Blizzard video games hacked
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) - The maker of video games such as 'Diablo' and 'World of Warcraft' is warning players that hackers have gained unauthorized access to some online accounts.
Blizzard Entertainment says it has no evidence that the intruders acquired credit card information, billing addresses or players' names.
But hackers were able to access other data, including email addresses and answers to players' personal security questions. Blizzard says it doesn't believe such information alone is enough for anyone to gain access to its Battle.Net online accounts, which let people play with others around the world online.
The company also says hackers took encrypted versions of passwords. As a precaution, it's recommending that players change their passwords.
Blizzard, which is a division of Activision Blizzard Inc., didn't say how many accounts were affected.
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Blizzard Entertainment says it has no evidence that the intruders acquired credit card information, billing addresses or players' names.
But hackers were able to access other data, including email addresses and answers to players' personal security questions. Blizzard says it doesn't believe such information alone is enough for anyone to gain access to its Battle.Net online accounts, which let people play with others around the world online.
The company also says hackers took encrypted versions of passwords. As a precaution, it's recommending that players change their passwords.
Blizzard, which is a division of Activision Blizzard Inc., didn't say how many accounts were affected.
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
US video game sales drop for 8th straight month
LOS ANGELES (AP) - U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell for the eighth straight month in July as the industry continued to look ahead toward the release of new equipment to cure the industry woes.
Overall sales fell 20 percent to $548.4 million, according to research firm NPD Group.
Sales of consoles and portable software - the video games themselves - fell 23 percent from a year earlier to $278 million.
Sales of hardware fell 32 percent to $151 million. Accessories sales rose 8 percent to $137 million.
Yet even with the anticipated launch of Nintendo Co.'s Wii U later in the year, NPD predicted full-year sales will be $14.5 billion, down from $17 billion last year.
This article is brought to you by BUY A NEW COMPUTER.
Overall sales fell 20 percent to $548.4 million, according to research firm NPD Group.
Sales of consoles and portable software - the video games themselves - fell 23 percent from a year earlier to $278 million.
Sales of hardware fell 32 percent to $151 million. Accessories sales rose 8 percent to $137 million.
Yet even with the anticipated launch of Nintendo Co.'s Wii U later in the year, NPD predicted full-year sales will be $14.5 billion, down from $17 billion last year.
This article is brought to you by BUY A NEW COMPUTER.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
How to Lose Your Job as Zynga's COO
The first casualty of Zynga's disastrous second-quarter earnings report has been identified, and it's chief operating officer John Schappert. Was it the plummeting stock price, or a recent lawsuit filed against the company that did him in?
RELATED: Nintendo Is Killing Itself
News broke this evening that Schappert was stepping down as COO and as a member of Zynga's board of directors, effective immediately. Schappert took a beating after the second-quarter report was a huge disappointment, and drove the company's stock down. In the aftermath, Bloomberg reported Schappert was stripped of his role overseeing game development in an effort "aimed at reviving growth and making more money from mobile services." David Ko, head of Zynga's mobile operations, and Steve Chiang, executive vice president of games, were ordered to report directly to CEO Mark Pincus. Where did that leave room for Schappert? Well...
RELATED: Is Zynga's Standalone Site Bad News for Facebook?
AllthingsD's Tricia Duryee says the move may be Zynga trying "to shore up investor confidence in the company as it scrambles to recover from a disastrous second quarter and 2012 outlook." But, she also notes, it's surprising because Schappert was one of the company's biggest poaches from Electronic Arts. They paid out the nose for him, to the tune of a $10 million dollar signing bonus and a $42.8 million compensation package.
RELATED: Facebook Is Delaying Its IPO Because It Can
It's worth noting that Zynga and Electronic Arts are fighting, and Schappert's name is in the middle of the conflict. EA filed a lawsuit last week alleging their Sims Social game, a Facebook version of the popular Sims franchise, was ripped off by Zynga's The Ville. As Business Insider's Matt Lynley noted, the lawsuit directly mentions Schappert as EA's mobile games division directly reported to him while he was the COO of EA. He "had detailed, internal strategic plans and development information related to EA's efforts The Sims franchise to Facebook," the lawsuit alleges.
RELATED: The Week's Top Twenty in Social Media
All in all, it hasn't been a good two weeks for Schappert. Internally he lost a huge chuck of his responsibility, and immediately after that he was named in a lawsuit from his former employer. It seems as if he had no where to go but out.
RELATED: Facebook Apps Have Created 182,000 Jobs in U.S. Economy
Zynga is still suffering, though. Their stock price went all the way down to $2.95 at close today, and Schappert's departure hasn't done it any favors in after hours trading. It's down another $0.05 right now. Here's Zynga's six month stock chart, just for kicks:
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
RELATED: Nintendo Is Killing Itself
News broke this evening that Schappert was stepping down as COO and as a member of Zynga's board of directors, effective immediately. Schappert took a beating after the second-quarter report was a huge disappointment, and drove the company's stock down. In the aftermath, Bloomberg reported Schappert was stripped of his role overseeing game development in an effort "aimed at reviving growth and making more money from mobile services." David Ko, head of Zynga's mobile operations, and Steve Chiang, executive vice president of games, were ordered to report directly to CEO Mark Pincus. Where did that leave room for Schappert? Well...
RELATED: Is Zynga's Standalone Site Bad News for Facebook?
AllthingsD's Tricia Duryee says the move may be Zynga trying "to shore up investor confidence in the company as it scrambles to recover from a disastrous second quarter and 2012 outlook." But, she also notes, it's surprising because Schappert was one of the company's biggest poaches from Electronic Arts. They paid out the nose for him, to the tune of a $10 million dollar signing bonus and a $42.8 million compensation package.
RELATED: Facebook Is Delaying Its IPO Because It Can
It's worth noting that Zynga and Electronic Arts are fighting, and Schappert's name is in the middle of the conflict. EA filed a lawsuit last week alleging their Sims Social game, a Facebook version of the popular Sims franchise, was ripped off by Zynga's The Ville. As Business Insider's Matt Lynley noted, the lawsuit directly mentions Schappert as EA's mobile games division directly reported to him while he was the COO of EA. He "had detailed, internal strategic plans and development information related to EA's efforts The Sims franchise to Facebook," the lawsuit alleges.
RELATED: The Week's Top Twenty in Social Media
All in all, it hasn't been a good two weeks for Schappert. Internally he lost a huge chuck of his responsibility, and immediately after that he was named in a lawsuit from his former employer. It seems as if he had no where to go but out.
RELATED: Facebook Apps Have Created 182,000 Jobs in U.S. Economy
Zynga is still suffering, though. Their stock price went all the way down to $2.95 at close today, and Schappert's departure hasn't done it any favors in after hours trading. It's down another $0.05 right now. Here's Zynga's six month stock chart, just for kicks:
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
Zynga's COO quits as stock continues slide
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc's chief operating officer John Schappert has resigned, the company said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday, a move that was foreshadowed by a recent management shakeup at the game publisher.
The resignation from Schappert, a former Electronic Arts executive, did not arise from 'any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company's operations, policies or practices,' the filing said.
But it came as no surprise to Zynga's followers after the social gaming company behind Facebook-based hits like 'FarmVille' said earlier this month that Schappert had ceded many of his game development responsibilities while Zynga shuffled its top management ranks after reporting a net loss for its second quarter.
Zynga elevated David Ko, its chief mobile officer, and Executive Vice President of Games Steve Chiang, to top positions overseeing game development alongside Chief Executive Officer Mark Pincus.
The company did not immediately name a replacement for Schappert on Wednesday.
'John has made significant contributions to the games industry throughout his career and we appreciate all that he has done for Zynga,' Pincus said on Wednesday in a statement. 'John leaves as a friend of the company and we wish him all the best.'
Zynga reported a net loss for its second quarter in late July and cut its full-year earnings per share forecast, news that sent shares down roughly 40 percent and attracted shareholder lawsuits accusing the company of misguiding investors.
The company blamed its poor quarter on sudden changes to Facebook's algorithm, and delays in its pipeline of new titles.
Zynga is one of several Internet startups that debuted with fanfare in late 2011.
In May 2011, Zynga hired Schappert from competitor Electronic Arts with a cash and stock package worth more than $42.7 million. The package included a base salary of $300,000 last year.
Schappert, a respected gaming industry veteran and former COO at EA, was also mentioned in a lawsuit filed last week by his former employer against Zynga.
EA accused Zynga of copying key elements of 'The Sims Social' title, alleging that Zynga obtained confidential development information by hiring three of EA's top employees, including Schappert, on the eve of that game's launch.
Zynga responded that EA's lawsuit showed 'a lack of understanding of basic copyright principles.'
Zynga closed on Wednesday at $2.95 and slipped further in after-hours trade. Its stock debuted in December at $10.
(Reporting By Gerry Shih; Editing by Bernard Orr and Carol Bishopric)
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE CRITIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The resignation from Schappert, a former Electronic Arts executive, did not arise from 'any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company's operations, policies or practices,' the filing said.
But it came as no surprise to Zynga's followers after the social gaming company behind Facebook-based hits like 'FarmVille' said earlier this month that Schappert had ceded many of his game development responsibilities while Zynga shuffled its top management ranks after reporting a net loss for its second quarter.
Zynga elevated David Ko, its chief mobile officer, and Executive Vice President of Games Steve Chiang, to top positions overseeing game development alongside Chief Executive Officer Mark Pincus.
The company did not immediately name a replacement for Schappert on Wednesday.
'John has made significant contributions to the games industry throughout his career and we appreciate all that he has done for Zynga,' Pincus said on Wednesday in a statement. 'John leaves as a friend of the company and we wish him all the best.'
Zynga reported a net loss for its second quarter in late July and cut its full-year earnings per share forecast, news that sent shares down roughly 40 percent and attracted shareholder lawsuits accusing the company of misguiding investors.
The company blamed its poor quarter on sudden changes to Facebook's algorithm, and delays in its pipeline of new titles.
Zynga is one of several Internet startups that debuted with fanfare in late 2011.
In May 2011, Zynga hired Schappert from competitor Electronic Arts with a cash and stock package worth more than $42.7 million. The package included a base salary of $300,000 last year.
Schappert, a respected gaming industry veteran and former COO at EA, was also mentioned in a lawsuit filed last week by his former employer against Zynga.
EA accused Zynga of copying key elements of 'The Sims Social' title, alleging that Zynga obtained confidential development information by hiring three of EA's top employees, including Schappert, on the eve of that game's launch.
Zynga responded that EA's lawsuit showed 'a lack of understanding of basic copyright principles.'
Zynga closed on Wednesday at $2.95 and slipped further in after-hours trade. Its stock debuted in December at $10.
(Reporting By Gerry Shih; Editing by Bernard Orr and Carol Bishopric)
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE CRITIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Zynga chief operating officer leaves the game
Zynga's chief operating officer folded his cards on Wednesday, leaving the social games company just as heavyweight Amazon.com steps into the ring and rival Electronic Arts (EA) takes it to court.
John Schappert, who ran daily operations at the San Francisco firm behind hit games including 'CityVille' and 'Zynga Poker,' left his post and the board of directors 'effective immediately,' according to Zynga.
'John leaves as a friend of the company and we wish him all the best,' Zynga founder Mark Pincus said in a release confirming Schappert's departure.
'John has made significant contributions to the games industry throughout his career and we appreciate all that he has done for Zynga.'
Zynga shares slid slightly less than two percent to $2.90 in the wake of the news.
Online retail colossus Amazon on Tuesday launched its first online social game in a challenge to Zynga and announced the creation of a Game Studios team actively seeking new talent.
The 'Living Classics' title was tailored for play at leading social network Facebook, where Zynga rose to stardom.
Amazon has the capital and the online clout to 'disrupt' the social games industry from small startups to established titans such as EA, according to Douglas McIntyre of investment website 247Wallst.com.
California-based Electronic Arts on Friday revealed that it had filed suit claiming Zynga's game 'The Ville' introduced in June illegally copied 'The Sims Social.'
The Sims Social is among the life-simulation games from Silicon Valley-based EA.
Zynga vowed to fight the lawsuit.
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
John Schappert, who ran daily operations at the San Francisco firm behind hit games including 'CityVille' and 'Zynga Poker,' left his post and the board of directors 'effective immediately,' according to Zynga.
'John leaves as a friend of the company and we wish him all the best,' Zynga founder Mark Pincus said in a release confirming Schappert's departure.
'John has made significant contributions to the games industry throughout his career and we appreciate all that he has done for Zynga.'
Zynga shares slid slightly less than two percent to $2.90 in the wake of the news.
Online retail colossus Amazon on Tuesday launched its first online social game in a challenge to Zynga and announced the creation of a Game Studios team actively seeking new talent.
The 'Living Classics' title was tailored for play at leading social network Facebook, where Zynga rose to stardom.
Amazon has the capital and the online clout to 'disrupt' the social games industry from small startups to established titans such as EA, according to Douglas McIntyre of investment website 247Wallst.com.
California-based Electronic Arts on Friday revealed that it had filed suit claiming Zynga's game 'The Ville' introduced in June illegally copied 'The Sims Social.'
The Sims Social is among the life-simulation games from Silicon Valley-based EA.
Zynga vowed to fight the lawsuit.
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Zynga COO John Schappert leaves
NEW YORK (AP) - John Schappert, the chief operating officer of online game maker Zynga, has left the company.
Zynga Inc. says in a regulatory filing that Schappert's departure is effective immediately.
Zynga lured Schappert away from video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. last year. He was COO there, too.
Zynga declined to say whether it's replacing Schappert. The company says Schappert's resignation is not related to any disagreement with the Zynga on any matter relating to the company's operations, policies or practices.
Zynga's games are played mostly on Facebook. They include 'FarmVille,' ''CityVille' and 'Mafia Wars.'
This news article is brought to you by STOCK MARKET BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Zynga Inc. says in a regulatory filing that Schappert's departure is effective immediately.
Zynga lured Schappert away from video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. last year. He was COO there, too.
Zynga declined to say whether it's replacing Schappert. The company says Schappert's resignation is not related to any disagreement with the Zynga on any matter relating to the company's operations, policies or practices.
Zynga's games are played mostly on Facebook. They include 'FarmVille,' ''CityVille' and 'Mafia Wars.'
This news article is brought to you by STOCK MARKET BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Ohio teen collapses after 4-day Xbox marathon
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A four-day Xbox gaming marathon apparently was too much for one 15-year-old Ohio boy.
WCMH-TV (http://bit.ly/N3Ugln ) reports that the Columbus teen collapsed and was hospitalized Tuesday after becoming severely dehydrated. His mother says he emerged from his bedroom during the four days only to pick up snacks or take a quick shower.
The boy was so engrossed in playing Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox that he made himself sick.
He's expected to be OK - but his mom has taken away the Xbox.
Dr. Mike Patrick, an emergency physician at Nationwide Children's Hospital, recommended that gamers use some common sense: Get plenty of food and fluids, take breaks for physical activity and get some sleep.
___
Information from: WCMH-TV, http://www.nbc4i.com
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
WCMH-TV (http://bit.ly/N3Ugln ) reports that the Columbus teen collapsed and was hospitalized Tuesday after becoming severely dehydrated. His mother says he emerged from his bedroom during the four days only to pick up snacks or take a quick shower.
The boy was so engrossed in playing Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox that he made himself sick.
He's expected to be OK - but his mom has taken away the Xbox.
Dr. Mike Patrick, an emergency physician at Nationwide Children's Hospital, recommended that gamers use some common sense: Get plenty of food and fluids, take breaks for physical activity and get some sleep.
___
Information from: WCMH-TV, http://www.nbc4i.com
This news article is brought to you by TECHNOLOGY NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
How Gesture Control Could Transform Video Games
LOS ANGELES - Gaming has been looking a little different lately. People are punching in the air at their TVs and tilting their tablets back and forth during their morning bus commute. They're playing motion-controlled game systems, which use depth cameras, accelerometers and other sensors to detect movements beyond the button-pushing that traditional video game controllers require.
Some researchers here at SIGGRAPH, a conference about interactive technologies hosted by the Association for Computing Machinery, think such motion-controlled systems are the future of gaming and other industries, too, offering a more intuitive way to play games, learn certain skills and more. 'I think 10 years from now, it's going to seem antique to have a game that doesn't have some kind of natural user control, whether it's voice or motion,' said Joseph LaViola, a computer scientist at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. [Beyond the Touch Screen: The Future of Computer Control]
At the conference Aug. 5, LaViola and four other motion control researchers offered a glimpse of what that future might look like. They looked at several ways the field may grow, what still needs to improve and whether motion control will one day supplant handheld devices.
A new kind of game
The best days for motion control may still be ahead. Motion control may work best with entirely new technologies that aren't necessarily like the video games of today, two panelists said.
Motion control may find its way into the TVs, computers and other control screens of the future, said one panelist, Keith Steury, a psychologist who leads game design research at Microsoft Game Studios. The technology will be especially helpful for controlling 3D interfaces and 'television screens the size of an entire wall in your home,' he said. With such screens, a remote control might feel too small and limited, he explained.
Meanwhile, the best video games will be designed with the technology in mind, said Richard Marks, senior scientist in Sony's video game research and development department. Simply adding motion control to existing games that were made for traditional controllers doesn't work as well, he said.
Steury agreed. 'I think the content that will take off is content that comes from a very different direction,' he said.
Beyond gaming
While many of the audience members at the SIGGRAPH panel were gaming enthusiasts, even those less attuned to the video gaming world may see motion control in their schools, workplaces or doctor's offices. LaViola studies video games for training soldiers and teaching physics. One audience member said he develops motion control programs for physical therapists to use with their patients.
Whether entertainment, healthcare, the military or another industry will develop motion control the fastest depends on which industry is able to see the biggest potential profits, Steury and Brian Murphy, design lead at Microsoft Game Studios, said in response to a question from InnovationNewsDaily.
The motion-sensing device Kinect has shown Microsoft that there's money to be made in gaming. 'So the investment there is obvious,' Murphy said.
At the same time, specialty applications can charge their customers much more than Sony or Microsoft can charge people who buy video games, Steury said. A hospital may be willing to pay thousands of dollars for a motion-controlled physical therapy aid, for example, he said. So specialty companies' motion control technology may be several years ahead of the gaming industry's technology.
What needs to improve
The motion-detecting controllers of today aren't quite ready for that future yet, however. The Microsoft Kinect, Sony Playstation Move, Nintendo Wii and other motion-controlled systems are still less accurate and have a longer lag time than systems that use traditional controllers. [Motion Gaming Review: Kinect vs. Nintendo Wii vs. PlayStation]
Panelist Amir Rubin, CEO of Sixense Entertainment, talked about the technical specs that motion control still needs to improve on. Motion controllers should work without a calibrating step, he said, and they should be able to detect several people in a wide area in front of the TV screen, so people can move around without worrying about leaving the 'sight' of the controller. They should also be more precise, work without lag and be easy for developers to write games for, he said.
Such improvements may help spread motion controllers among more hardcore gamers, LaViola said. Motion control games have come under fire from some more dedicated video game fans, including Stephen Totilo, editor-in-chief of the gaming news website Kotaku. In July, Totilo published an editorial arguing that the best video games still use traditional controllers. Because people can't control their movements in a video game as precisely using motion control, the technology might be best for young kids and for friends playing together at a party, who might be a little intoxicated, he wrote.
'Maybe in five years, we'll be able to see some of these motion-controlled games be more applicable and more appropriate for the hardcore gaming market,' LaViola said.
The end of the button?
As motion control improves, will future games eschew handheld controllers entirely in favor of jumping, pointing and arm-flapping? 'I don't think that's the right question, really,' Marks said. Instead, he said, people should think about what kind of games they're making.
While some games will work well when entirely motion-controlled, others might benefit from a handheld device, he said. It might be fun to hold a plastic sword during a sword-fighting game, for example, or a baton that appears to be magic wand on-screen. 'A magic wand feels good to hold in your hand,' he said.
Steury thinks some technologies we have today may also have arrived at the best way to do what they do. For the TV screens of today, for example, he thinks the traditional remote control works well and won't be supplanted by simply pointing a finger.
Rubin disagreed, believing that motion control will replace traditional TV remotes. 'It's the most natural evolution of things,' he said.
Whether or not motion control is the future for every device, most of the panelists expect it to have an increasing role in their industry in the next five years. 'It'll be a seamless part of what we do,' Marks said.
This story was provided by InnovationNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. You can follow InnovationNewsDaily staff writer Francie Diep on Twitter @franciediep. Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on Facebook.
Some researchers here at SIGGRAPH, a conference about interactive technologies hosted by the Association for Computing Machinery, think such motion-controlled systems are the future of gaming and other industries, too, offering a more intuitive way to play games, learn certain skills and more. 'I think 10 years from now, it's going to seem antique to have a game that doesn't have some kind of natural user control, whether it's voice or motion,' said Joseph LaViola, a computer scientist at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. [Beyond the Touch Screen: The Future of Computer Control]
At the conference Aug. 5, LaViola and four other motion control researchers offered a glimpse of what that future might look like. They looked at several ways the field may grow, what still needs to improve and whether motion control will one day supplant handheld devices.
A new kind of game
The best days for motion control may still be ahead. Motion control may work best with entirely new technologies that aren't necessarily like the video games of today, two panelists said.
Motion control may find its way into the TVs, computers and other control screens of the future, said one panelist, Keith Steury, a psychologist who leads game design research at Microsoft Game Studios. The technology will be especially helpful for controlling 3D interfaces and 'television screens the size of an entire wall in your home,' he said. With such screens, a remote control might feel too small and limited, he explained.
Meanwhile, the best video games will be designed with the technology in mind, said Richard Marks, senior scientist in Sony's video game research and development department. Simply adding motion control to existing games that were made for traditional controllers doesn't work as well, he said.
Steury agreed. 'I think the content that will take off is content that comes from a very different direction,' he said.
Beyond gaming
While many of the audience members at the SIGGRAPH panel were gaming enthusiasts, even those less attuned to the video gaming world may see motion control in their schools, workplaces or doctor's offices. LaViola studies video games for training soldiers and teaching physics. One audience member said he develops motion control programs for physical therapists to use with their patients.
Whether entertainment, healthcare, the military or another industry will develop motion control the fastest depends on which industry is able to see the biggest potential profits, Steury and Brian Murphy, design lead at Microsoft Game Studios, said in response to a question from InnovationNewsDaily.
The motion-sensing device Kinect has shown Microsoft that there's money to be made in gaming. 'So the investment there is obvious,' Murphy said.
At the same time, specialty applications can charge their customers much more than Sony or Microsoft can charge people who buy video games, Steury said. A hospital may be willing to pay thousands of dollars for a motion-controlled physical therapy aid, for example, he said. So specialty companies' motion control technology may be several years ahead of the gaming industry's technology.
What needs to improve
The motion-detecting controllers of today aren't quite ready for that future yet, however. The Microsoft Kinect, Sony Playstation Move, Nintendo Wii and other motion-controlled systems are still less accurate and have a longer lag time than systems that use traditional controllers. [Motion Gaming Review: Kinect vs. Nintendo Wii vs. PlayStation]
Panelist Amir Rubin, CEO of Sixense Entertainment, talked about the technical specs that motion control still needs to improve on. Motion controllers should work without a calibrating step, he said, and they should be able to detect several people in a wide area in front of the TV screen, so people can move around without worrying about leaving the 'sight' of the controller. They should also be more precise, work without lag and be easy for developers to write games for, he said.
Such improvements may help spread motion controllers among more hardcore gamers, LaViola said. Motion control games have come under fire from some more dedicated video game fans, including Stephen Totilo, editor-in-chief of the gaming news website Kotaku. In July, Totilo published an editorial arguing that the best video games still use traditional controllers. Because people can't control their movements in a video game as precisely using motion control, the technology might be best for young kids and for friends playing together at a party, who might be a little intoxicated, he wrote.
'Maybe in five years, we'll be able to see some of these motion-controlled games be more applicable and more appropriate for the hardcore gaming market,' LaViola said.
The end of the button?
As motion control improves, will future games eschew handheld controllers entirely in favor of jumping, pointing and arm-flapping? 'I don't think that's the right question, really,' Marks said. Instead, he said, people should think about what kind of games they're making.
While some games will work well when entirely motion-controlled, others might benefit from a handheld device, he said. It might be fun to hold a plastic sword during a sword-fighting game, for example, or a baton that appears to be magic wand on-screen. 'A magic wand feels good to hold in your hand,' he said.
Steury thinks some technologies we have today may also have arrived at the best way to do what they do. For the TV screens of today, for example, he thinks the traditional remote control works well and won't be supplanted by simply pointing a finger.
Rubin disagreed, believing that motion control will replace traditional TV remotes. 'It's the most natural evolution of things,' he said.
Whether or not motion control is the future for every device, most of the panelists expect it to have an increasing role in their industry in the next five years. 'It'll be a seamless part of what we do,' Marks said.
This story was provided by InnovationNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. You can follow InnovationNewsDaily staff writer Francie Diep on Twitter @franciediep. Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on Facebook.
- Top 10 Movie Computer Interfaces
- INFOGRAPHIC: Computer Interface Technology Through the Ages
- 10 Technologies Poised to Transform our World
Monday, August 6, 2012
Amazon Launches Game Studio, Gives Zynga Competition
Amazon is entering the social gaming market with the debut of its new department, Amazon Game Studios.
[More from Mashable: Oreo's Facebook Salute to the Mars Landing Will Make You Hungry]
In a blog post, the ecommerce retailer says the studio will be developing 'innovative, fun and well-crafted games.'
Amazon cites the popularity of social games among its customers as the reason for its foray into the market.
[More from Mashable: YouTube Live Streams Lollapalooza Music Fest [VIDEO]]
'We know that many Amazon customers enjoy playing games -- including free-to-play social games -- and thanks to Amazon's know-how, we believe we can deliver a great, accessible gaming experience that gamers and our customers can play at any time,' the post said.
The Seattle-based company debuted its first major release, titled Living Classics, on Monday. In the game, a family of foxes come across colorful animated scenes from their favorite books, including Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and King Arthur. Players must help the foxes reunite by finding moving objects.
The game includes other features as well, such as visiting other gamers (or 'friends') and sharing rewards that have been earned. Check out the video below to watch the Living Classics launch trailer.
Amazon has reached out to gamers on social media, with a Facebook fan page that currently has a little more than 150 likes. You can also play the game on Facebook, for free, here.
Amazon's new game studio may spell more trouble -- and competition -- for Zynga, the embattled social game development company. Late last month, Zynga's stock fell nearly 40% in just a few hours, after the company released its second quarter earnings report.
Amazon and Zynga not immediately respond to requests for comment.
SEE ALSO: How Zynga Can Save Itself: Better Games, Not Gambling
What do you think of Amazon launching a game studio? Do you think Zynga has some stiff competition here? Tell us in the comments below.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by SAVING MONEY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
[More from Mashable: Oreo's Facebook Salute to the Mars Landing Will Make You Hungry]
In a blog post, the ecommerce retailer says the studio will be developing 'innovative, fun and well-crafted games.'
Amazon cites the popularity of social games among its customers as the reason for its foray into the market.
[More from Mashable: YouTube Live Streams Lollapalooza Music Fest [VIDEO]]
'We know that many Amazon customers enjoy playing games -- including free-to-play social games -- and thanks to Amazon's know-how, we believe we can deliver a great, accessible gaming experience that gamers and our customers can play at any time,' the post said.
The Seattle-based company debuted its first major release, titled Living Classics, on Monday. In the game, a family of foxes come across colorful animated scenes from their favorite books, including Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and King Arthur. Players must help the foxes reunite by finding moving objects.
The game includes other features as well, such as visiting other gamers (or 'friends') and sharing rewards that have been earned. Check out the video below to watch the Living Classics launch trailer.
Amazon has reached out to gamers on social media, with a Facebook fan page that currently has a little more than 150 likes. You can also play the game on Facebook, for free, here.
Amazon's new game studio may spell more trouble -- and competition -- for Zynga, the embattled social game development company. Late last month, Zynga's stock fell nearly 40% in just a few hours, after the company released its second quarter earnings report.
Amazon and Zynga not immediately respond to requests for comment.
SEE ALSO: How Zynga Can Save Itself: Better Games, Not Gambling
What do you think of Amazon launching a game studio? Do you think Zynga has some stiff competition here? Tell us in the comments below.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
This news article is brought to you by SAVING MONEY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
What Mitt Romney's VP App Learned from Zynga
The genius of the new Mitt Romney VP app is a lot like the genius of an addictive, yet simple, Zynga game, but instead of convincing you to keep tapping for FarmVille corn, this app asks you tap to get a politician's name. Like the games we have gotten ourselves addicted to, Romney's app plays on our mental desires. When you fire up Mitt VP, the purpose doesn't exactly jump out at you. And you might be underwhelmed by its lack of functions. It seems to be designed to do just one thing: tell users Romney's VP pick "first" -- whatever that means, since everyone who gets the app will be "first," and in order to get the news first from the app you would have to have it open at just the right moment before the headline "X is selected as Mitt Romney's vice president" doesn't blare at you from every other media device. Why would anyone use it at all? But, after spending time with the app and talking to a few app experts, that's sort of the function: convince you to keep using it long enough to get other people to use it. Every page of Romney's app does something for the campaign. Unlike Barack Obama, who has essentially had three years to prepare for this election, and has released a much more full-featured campaign app, Romney hasn't had as much time. But his app designers do appear to have learned what's worked from the Zyngas of the world in building an app whose main purpose is to replicate itself.
RELATED: The Government Steps in on App Privacy
Home
RELATED: IRS Refutes Report of Nikki Haley Being Investigated for Tax Fraud
The first thing you notice with the Mitt VP app is that to get access one has to sign in. This is very much on purpose a way to get people's information. "It’s a pretty clear copy of what Obama did in 2008 with text us to be the first to know the VP and they got, somewhere like over a million new contacts in their sms data base by doing that," said Clay Schossow Co-founder and Partner at New Media Campaigns, a web design, development, and marketing firm with a specialization in politics that has worked with over 100 campaigns. "He’s encouraging people to give him more data by downloading the app." he continued. What kind of data, exactly? The sign-up part asks for a full name, e-mail address, telephone number and zip code. People can lie about these things, but the option to connect through Facebook gives the Romney campaign at least e-mail information and probably a phone number, which is mandatory for those who use the Facebook iPhone app. Many people put their location on there, too. Most people don't lie about their information on Facebook, so that provides the campaign with a more guaranteed contact point.
RELATED: Most Voters Care At Least Somewhat About Romney's VP Pick
Follow
RELATED: Romney-Santorum 2012? Santorum Says 'Of Course'
While this part seems like a throw away, put in there to make the app seem like it does more things, it does have an interesting function. Not only does it lets users follow @MittRomney, but it also has a tweet function. It's not exactly a retweet function, as we learned when playing around with it. The tweets don't look like retweet of @MittRomney, but rather, as if the Tweeter had written a Romney campaign slogan themselves, which is kind of weird if you don't normally make political proclamations on your Twitter account. The Romney doctrine gets spread along with links that bring more people into the Romney campaign site.
RELATED: Reince Priebus Says Harry Reid Is a 'Dirty Liar'
VP
This is the main function of the app and it doesn't do anything until the one day it does, and until then this page is more of a command than a function: "There's no telling when the announcement will be, so check back often." Yet, this is the genius behind the offering. "Research shows that if you promise someone something -- even if that thing doesn’t seem valuable -- then people are much more likely to download the app," explains Schossow. This is the reason anyone would sign-up in the first place. It's a strategy that the campaign borrowed not only from Obama's 2008 similar texting initiative, but also corporate apps that entice people to download things to win prizes or money. As Schossow noted, the genius here is that Romney's campaign didn't give up anything too valuable for your data. But, people will sign up because of their curiosity.
Donate
This isn't even a page. The link at the bottom redirects to a webpage on your phone's browser. It's pretty telling that a campaign app wouldn't prioritize the giving money part.
This news article is brought to you by WOMEN'S BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
RELATED: The Government Steps in on App Privacy
Home
RELATED: IRS Refutes Report of Nikki Haley Being Investigated for Tax Fraud
The first thing you notice with the Mitt VP app is that to get access one has to sign in. This is very much on purpose a way to get people's information. "It’s a pretty clear copy of what Obama did in 2008 with text us to be the first to know the VP and they got, somewhere like over a million new contacts in their sms data base by doing that," said Clay Schossow Co-founder and Partner at New Media Campaigns, a web design, development, and marketing firm with a specialization in politics that has worked with over 100 campaigns. "He’s encouraging people to give him more data by downloading the app." he continued. What kind of data, exactly? The sign-up part asks for a full name, e-mail address, telephone number and zip code. People can lie about these things, but the option to connect through Facebook gives the Romney campaign at least e-mail information and probably a phone number, which is mandatory for those who use the Facebook iPhone app. Many people put their location on there, too. Most people don't lie about their information on Facebook, so that provides the campaign with a more guaranteed contact point.
RELATED: Most Voters Care At Least Somewhat About Romney's VP Pick
Follow
RELATED: Romney-Santorum 2012? Santorum Says 'Of Course'
While this part seems like a throw away, put in there to make the app seem like it does more things, it does have an interesting function. Not only does it lets users follow @MittRomney, but it also has a tweet function. It's not exactly a retweet function, as we learned when playing around with it. The tweets don't look like retweet of @MittRomney, but rather, as if the Tweeter had written a Romney campaign slogan themselves, which is kind of weird if you don't normally make political proclamations on your Twitter account. The Romney doctrine gets spread along with links that bring more people into the Romney campaign site.
RELATED: Reince Priebus Says Harry Reid Is a 'Dirty Liar'
VP
This is the main function of the app and it doesn't do anything until the one day it does, and until then this page is more of a command than a function: "There's no telling when the announcement will be, so check back often." Yet, this is the genius behind the offering. "Research shows that if you promise someone something -- even if that thing doesn’t seem valuable -- then people are much more likely to download the app," explains Schossow. This is the reason anyone would sign-up in the first place. It's a strategy that the campaign borrowed not only from Obama's 2008 similar texting initiative, but also corporate apps that entice people to download things to win prizes or money. As Schossow noted, the genius here is that Romney's campaign didn't give up anything too valuable for your data. But, people will sign up because of their curiosity.
Donate
This isn't even a page. The link at the bottom redirects to a webpage on your phone's browser. It's pretty telling that a campaign app wouldn't prioritize the giving money part.
This news article is brought to you by WOMEN'S BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Australian police chief attacks violent video games
One of Australia's top police officers on Monday criticised violent video games that glorify rape and murder, after a spate of high-profile knifings by young people.
Andrew Scipione, the police commissioner for the state of New South Wales, said the violence adolescents were exposed to via films and console games only needed to affect a small minority of disturbed people.
'How can it not affect you if you're a young adolescent growing up in an era where to be violent is almost praiseworthy, where you engage in virtual crime on a daily basis,' he told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
'You get rewarded for killing people, raping women, stealing money from prostitutes, driving cars crashing and killing people.'
The police commissioner said he was concerned that brutal games may encourage some people to re-enact the screen violence.
'That's not going to affect the vast majority but it's only got to affect one or two and what have you got?' he said.
'You've got some potentially really disturbed young person out there who's got access to weapons like knives or is good with the fist, can go out there and almost live that life now in the streets of modern Australia.'
Scipione's comments came after three teenagers were stabbed in separate attacks in western Sydney in one week last month, which followed a 22-year-old apprentice chef being fatally knifed on July 8.
They came in the wake of an 18-year-old being fatally punched in Sydney's notorious Kings Cross area the same month, a crime that sent shockwaves through the city and put pressure on police to curb youth violence.
'The thing that's concerning me is the prevalence of people who are at this stage not just prepared to carry a knife, but prepared to use it,' the police commissioner said.
'That has increased significantly.'
Scipione has previously pointed the finger at Australia's love affair with alcohol and said it was a serious concern that young people were able to get drunk despite the legal drinking age being 18.
'They go and get plastered and then they want to fight the world,' he said.
This news article is brought to you by ANIMALS AND PETS - where latest news are our top priority.
Andrew Scipione, the police commissioner for the state of New South Wales, said the violence adolescents were exposed to via films and console games only needed to affect a small minority of disturbed people.
'How can it not affect you if you're a young adolescent growing up in an era where to be violent is almost praiseworthy, where you engage in virtual crime on a daily basis,' he told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
'You get rewarded for killing people, raping women, stealing money from prostitutes, driving cars crashing and killing people.'
The police commissioner said he was concerned that brutal games may encourage some people to re-enact the screen violence.
'That's not going to affect the vast majority but it's only got to affect one or two and what have you got?' he said.
'You've got some potentially really disturbed young person out there who's got access to weapons like knives or is good with the fist, can go out there and almost live that life now in the streets of modern Australia.'
Scipione's comments came after three teenagers were stabbed in separate attacks in western Sydney in one week last month, which followed a 22-year-old apprentice chef being fatally knifed on July 8.
They came in the wake of an 18-year-old being fatally punched in Sydney's notorious Kings Cross area the same month, a crime that sent shockwaves through the city and put pressure on police to curb youth violence.
'The thing that's concerning me is the prevalence of people who are at this stage not just prepared to carry a knife, but prepared to use it,' the police commissioner said.
'That has increased significantly.'
Scipione has previously pointed the finger at Australia's love affair with alcohol and said it was a serious concern that young people were able to get drunk despite the legal drinking age being 18.
'They go and get plastered and then they want to fight the world,' he said.
This news article is brought to you by ANIMALS AND PETS - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Electronic Arts sues Zynga, says it copied "Sims" game
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc sued Zynga Inc on Friday, accusing the social gaming company of copying key elements of EA's 'The Sims Social' game in Zynga's 'The Ville.'
The lawsuit alleges that 'The Ville,' a recently released game for Facebook Inc, 'copied and misappropriated the original and distinctive expressive elements' of EA's title. The complaint was filed in the District Court for the Northern District of California.
In its lawsuit, EA said 'The Ville' is 'an unmistakable copy' of 'The Sims Social.'
'Zynga's design choices, animations, visual arrangements and character motions and actions have been directly lifted from 'The Sims Social.' The copying was so comprehensive that the two games are, to an uninitiated observer, largely indistinguishable,' Lucy Bradshaw, head of EA's Maxis label, said in a statement.
'The Sims Social' game, which allows players to create their own customizable characters and interact in a fictional town, was launched on Facebook in August last year.
Zynga announced its Facebook offering 'The Ville,' which allows users to dress their avatars, build homes and interact, in June as part of its 'Ville' franchise.
'It's unfortunate that EA thought that this was an appropriate response to our game, and clearly demonstrates a lack of understanding of basic copyright principles,' said Reggie Davis, Zynga's general counsel.
EA: ZYNGA HAD 'PRIVATE' INFORMATION
The lawsuit alleges that Zynga obtained 'private' information about 'The Sims Social' development plans after hiring three of EA's top employees shortly before the game's launch.
In 2011, Zynga hired EA's chief operating officer, John Schappert, to take on a similar role at Zynga at a time when ''The Sims Social' was in its final stages of development and EA was preparing its rollout,' the lawsuit said. It said other EA employees with knowledge of 'The Sims Social' that followed Schappert to Zynga included Jeff Karp, now Zynga's top marketer, as well as Barry Cottle, a business development executive.
'By early 2012, Zynga had targeted and hired away three of EA's top executives who had access to the most sensitive design, development, and strategic information about 'The Sims Social,'' EA alleged.
EA shares were up 4.5 percent at $11.89 and Zynga shares were up 3.3 percent at $2.79 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.
(Reporting By Malathi Nayak and Gerry Shih; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and John Wallace)
This news article is brought to you by ANIMALS AND PETS - where latest news are our top priority.
The lawsuit alleges that 'The Ville,' a recently released game for Facebook Inc, 'copied and misappropriated the original and distinctive expressive elements' of EA's title. The complaint was filed in the District Court for the Northern District of California.
In its lawsuit, EA said 'The Ville' is 'an unmistakable copy' of 'The Sims Social.'
'Zynga's design choices, animations, visual arrangements and character motions and actions have been directly lifted from 'The Sims Social.' The copying was so comprehensive that the two games are, to an uninitiated observer, largely indistinguishable,' Lucy Bradshaw, head of EA's Maxis label, said in a statement.
'The Sims Social' game, which allows players to create their own customizable characters and interact in a fictional town, was launched on Facebook in August last year.
Zynga announced its Facebook offering 'The Ville,' which allows users to dress their avatars, build homes and interact, in June as part of its 'Ville' franchise.
'It's unfortunate that EA thought that this was an appropriate response to our game, and clearly demonstrates a lack of understanding of basic copyright principles,' said Reggie Davis, Zynga's general counsel.
EA: ZYNGA HAD 'PRIVATE' INFORMATION
The lawsuit alleges that Zynga obtained 'private' information about 'The Sims Social' development plans after hiring three of EA's top employees shortly before the game's launch.
In 2011, Zynga hired EA's chief operating officer, John Schappert, to take on a similar role at Zynga at a time when ''The Sims Social' was in its final stages of development and EA was preparing its rollout,' the lawsuit said. It said other EA employees with knowledge of 'The Sims Social' that followed Schappert to Zynga included Jeff Karp, now Zynga's top marketer, as well as Barry Cottle, a business development executive.
'By early 2012, Zynga had targeted and hired away three of EA's top executives who had access to the most sensitive design, development, and strategic information about 'The Sims Social,'' EA alleged.
EA shares were up 4.5 percent at $11.89 and Zynga shares were up 3.3 percent at $2.79 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.
(Reporting By Malathi Nayak and Gerry Shih; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and John Wallace)
This news article is brought to you by ANIMALS AND PETS - where latest news are our top priority.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)