Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year Olds

This came out in March 2005, but I missed it somehow. The Survey of media use amonsts 2000 3-12 graders reveals that over 83% of families own video game consoles; 24% report parents set rules abut time limits and 21% limit types of games. More at http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/Generation-M-Media-in-the-Lives-of-8-18-Year-olds-Report.pdf

Another Successful DDR Night At Walking Paper

Aaron Schimdt at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library spent last Friday night at the library co-hosting a Dance Dance Revolution Program - and lived to tell the tale. Get the details at http://walkingpaper.org/267

Video Game News, November 28, 2005

Game Theory: Video game reviewers need to convey how games bring people together
by Daniel Oppenheimer, Valley Advocate News 11/24/05
"To my mind, most of what is written about video gaming misses an essential part of the experience of playing video games: the social interaction it fosters among enthusiasts."

US Army Cuts Teeth on Video Game: Novice players master everything from driving to basic first aid
by Clark Boyd, BBC 11/25/05
"America's Army is one of the most popular computer games on the planet and like many games, it is a shoot-em-up, get-the-bad guys kind of affair. "

Violence Under the Tree: Family Media Guide Identifies Top 10 Ultra-Violent Video Games of 2005
Family Friendly Media Guide 11/28/05
"At the start of this year's holiday shopping frenzy, parents should be prepared to check their kids' gift lists very carefully. Because this year, some of the most ultra-violent video games ever created are being made available."

Serious Games in the Library

This paper by Katie Day gives a concise overview of the literature about gaming and offers a few suggestions for things libraries can do to understand this popular medium.

"Abstract: This paper explores how the growing phenomenon of video games has created a generational divide with major implications and opportunities for both the educational system and society. Gaming inherently involves a set of learning principles -- aside from content -- which are empowering "digital natives" or gamers with new literacies, attitudes, and experiences. Despite public concerns about violence, social isolation, and a bias towards males in gaming, the evidence does not support those fears. Instead sophisticated -- or "serious" -- games are increasingly being utilized in education and the future points to increased investment in games for the good of society."

Read it at http://libedge.blogspot.com/2005/11/teens-and-information-literacy-and.html

Video Game News, November 25, 2005

Video Games Popular With More Than Just Kids
by Venton D. Blandin, WCAV 11/23/05
"Topping many Christmas lists this year will be video games, and while you think kids are they only ones interested, think again. The future of video gaming is now, and it may just surprise you who is catching on."

Game for gaming? Quebec's video game industry still blowing up big
by Amy German Hour.ca 11/24/05
"After a visit to the crowded Montreal International Game Summit, there is no denying just how big the video game industry has become here in Montreal."

Many video games teaching the wrong lessons
by Silvio Laccetti and Nicholas Rehder, Asbury Park Press 11/25/05
"Ever since their escape from the arcades, electronic video games have claimed increasing shares of leisure time for teens and tweens (11-12 years old) from the tedium of homework, parental control and unfulfilling daily life."

When The Other Woman's An Xbox: Gaming Gripes Go Online: Group helps Kansas State University students suffering gaming-induced relationship heartache.
by Megan Hockman and Clinton Smith, MTV News 11.18.2005
"When Jake Walker upsets his girlfriend, Jaci Boydston, he might buy her flowers. When Jaci feels she owes an apology to Jake, she agrees to play a round of the Nintendo fighting game "Super Smash Brothers."

PRESS RELEASE: Nintendogs Cements Nintendo's Position As Leader Of Handheld Video Games
Games Press 11/25/2005
"25th November 2005 - Nintendo has always led the way in innovation, ever since it first entered the handheld gaming arena over 25 years ago."

PRESS RELEASE: Barbie Remains Top Toy for Girls, Video Games Top List for Boys
National Retail Federation 11/16/05
"Parents won’t have to guess too hard when it comes to buying the hottest toys for their kids this holiday season. This year, video games and game units will be at the top of many children’s wish lists. "

Video Game News, November 23, 2005

Video Games Blasting heir Way Into Classroom Curriculum: One Chicago school uses 'Civilization III' to teach history lessons
by Stephen Totilo, MTV News 11/22/05
" In the middle of the school day, in room 317 of Chicago's Roosevelt High School last month, freshman Pablo Salas took a break from playing the game "Civilization III" to explain what happened when he told his parents he was signing up for a history class that involved playing video games."

"The Escapist: Generation G" Now Available

This week's issue of the Escapist Magazine focuses on the family that games together! In "When Gamers Breed," Allen Varnay explains how gaming can be an effective parenting tool; Glenn Jarrell, a 41-year old parent, confesses to being a video game junkie (in moderation!) in "Hey, Who's the Old-Timer;" Spanner examines gaps between gamers generations in "The Third Generation;" and Dana Massey shares how games decrease sibling rivalry and promote sharing in "The Missing Link." Read it online at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/20

Video Game News, November 22, 2005

Video Games Are Their Major, So Don't Call Them Slackers
By Seth Schiesel, New York Times 11/22/05
"In recent years a small but growing cadre of well-known universities have started formal programs in video game design."

(For free access, use your library's databases or Bug Me Not)

Game Developer's Bill of Rights
Gamasutra, 11/21/05
"It is common knowledge among game developers that our industry is in something of a “creative crisis.”


In other news, I still don't have an XBox 360.

Holo-dek

Holo-Dek is a social, state of the art gaming venue that charges $6/hour for PC and Xbox gaming. They have a surround sound big screen theatre and a few cool toys like a gaming SPHERE. They do birthday parties, corporate team-building, and events, like competitions.

This is where our 15-25 clientele wants to hang out - we could be offering this kind of programming to our patrons to bring in new users. I do think their games are guy-heavy - where's the Dance Dance Revolution?

This is on my list of things to do this Thanksgiving weekend. If you're coming to the New England area and looking for something to cool to do on Saturday or Sunday, send me an email! Let's get a group together!

More information about Holo-dek at http://www.holo-dek.com/index.html.

I wonder if they have XBox 360's?

Video Game News, November 21, 2005

Microsoft applies for "adaptive agents" patent in video games
by Wolfgang Gruener, TG Daily 11/21/05
"Microsoft has filed a patent application that covers "adaptive agents" - game characters that learn based on the events within a video game. "

Cyberspeak: Personal Tech:Xbox 360 revives addictiveness of video games
by Edward C. Baig, USAToday 11/20/02
"I was a mean Pong and Pac-Man player in my day (never mind when), but that's about where my video game career ended."

XBox Delay

Ok, I rarely get really personal here, but I am angry. Yesterday night my husband got a call on his cell phone from an long distance number we didn't recognize. It turned out to be from GameStop. We are not getting an Xbox 360 until around JANUARY 2006. We ordered way ahead of time, pre-paid, and confirmed twice that we'd receive one in the first shipment. Apparently, they way, WAY oversold. We also pre-ordered, and prepaid for several games. Elder Scrolls most likely won't be out until March, which is fine... we also have a few games that came in and are available, but will not have a console to play them on.

I understand that Microsoft is having trouble keeping up with demand. I'm upset with the store, for taking preorders they couldn't deliver, and for getting their customers informed in such an inpersonal way, making me seriously reconsider the patronage we give them. A recorded call to deliver bad news is terrible customer service. Most likely they had so many calls to make, but I bet they didn't want upset customers screaming at them over the phone. It's downright cowardly.

Video Game News, November 19, 2005

Man Sentenced for Selling Pirated Video Games
by Margaret Zack, Star Tribune 11/18/05
"A man who was selling pirated video games at the Mall of America received some face time as well as prison time when he was sentenced for criminal copyright infringement in federal court in Minneapolis on Friday."

Video Games
by Mike Musgrove, Washington Post 11/20/05
"One of the more odious holiday-season tasks in the modern era might be having to buy video games for kids (or adults) when you're a grown-up who couldn't care less about the annoying things."

Three New Video Games Are Designed to Make You Sweat
by Matt Segal, AP 11/18/05
"There's nothing too physically demanding about most video games. A few manufacturers, however, have decided the only proper way to enjoy one is to break a sweat."


Researcher Aims to Prove That Video Games Are Addictive
by Craig Morris, Heise Online 11/17/05
"Researcher Sabine Grüsser-Sinopoli of Berlin's Charité University Clinic presented images from games sequences to a group of gamers."

Industries Find Serious Uses for Video Games: Video games used for military, job training experience
by Mary Beth Lehman, The Ball State Daily News 11/17/05
"Video games aren’t just for fun anymore. The expanding genre of serious games can effectively help to train workers in some of the nation’s most important industries including defense, education, health care and marketing."

The Most Shocking Moments in Video Games
By Alice Hill, RealTechNews 11/16/05
"I am a sucker for these types of round-ups, which is why I loved finding The Most Shocking Moments in Video Games from a little blog called MyGadgetBag."

Video Game News: November 18, 2005

The Video Game Librarian: A Librarian's Look at the Xbox 360 Launch
by John Scalzo, Gaming Target 11/16/05
"With the Xbox 360 launching any day now it's time to give a look at how building a game collection from start with this new format would work. Like what are the strongest launch titles? What will be replaced with a more "next-gen" product in the future? And, like any video game launch, which titles will be relegated to the dustbin of history?"

The Matrix Online Adds Ads To Their Online World
GameZone 11/18/05
"Real-world advertisements will begin appearing on billboards around the Mega City after Update 38 goes live. Just like real-world billboards, they’ll change to feature new advertisements over time. (Don’t worry: Your favorite ads for Slumberil, The Sentinel, etc., will remain a part of the game.) These static advertisements will not affect game performance in any way."

Microsoft's Moore Refutes Xbox 360 Conspiracy Theories
Simon Carless, Gamasutra 11/18/05
"Talking to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Moore commented: "I've seen all of the conspiracy theories. Somewhere in Roswell, New Mexico, we have a hangar where we're stockpiling it, creating false shortages. No." He went on to indicate that the company is "...trying to get as many units to retail as we possibly can.""

MLA Conference

At the Massachusetts Library Association Fall mini-Conference yesterday, I participated in a Reader's Advisory Panel and talked about asking teens what games they played as a way to get a sense of the types of stories they like, in order to recommend books. Links to the audio, Powerpoint and handout follow!

New & NonTraditional RA for YA's: Books for Gamers, 13:15
Listen to Streaming Audio | Download MP3 Audio

Handout

PPT Presentation

Video Game News, November 16, 2005

Visa Olympic Video Games
GameShout 11/16/05
"As a part of its Olympic sponsorship, Visa has developed the online game, Visa Championships – Torino 2006, which takes the Olympic Games into cyberspace. The online game, Visa Championships – Torino 2006."

Violent Video Games Under Fire: Simulated killings causing a bit of a stir
Deutsche-Welle 11/16/05
"It's a given that plenty of people will find source for complaint in the new government's plans for the coming four years. Computer games enthusiasts could be among those doing the moaning."

Urban Video Game Academy Interview

by John Callaham, Gamecloud, 11/16/05
Co-founder Roderick Woodruff talks about getting more minorities involved in game devleopment at this website: http://www.gamecloud.com/article.php?article_id=2312

"The Escapist #19: Griefer Generation" Now Available

Issue 19, Griefer Generation, focuses on those gamers (and non-gamers) who like to make other people's lives miserable for their own amusement. David Thomas biographizes FL attorney Jack Thompson and explaines the meaning behind the term griefing in "You Don't Know Jack;" Mark Wallace chronicles the GriefSpawn that brought down Second Life on October 23 and examines virtual worlds as microcoms for RL, Greg Tito tries to understand the corpse-camping in WoW that combines cyber-bullying with hazing in "Dood, It's Part of the Game;" in "A Deadly Dollar," Jim Rossingol peeks at EVE Online's gaming griefers, scams and brutal strikes, and Laura Nenender shares an example of griefing for a higher purpose in "Griefing for the Greater Good." Read it online at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/19

Video Game News, November 15, 2005

Try Video Games Before Buying Them
by Nydia Han, ABC 11/15/05
"Video games can be expensive, anywhere from twenty to fifty-dollars. And sometimes you may find you don't like the game or you quickly get bored with it."

PRESS RELEASE: VOCEL and Prima Games Offer 'Strategy On The Go' Wireless Gaming Application to Verizon Wireless Mobile Web 2.0 Customers: VOCEL and Verizon Wireless bring instant access to "Codes and Cheats" for over 3,000 video games on Verizon Wireless Mobile Web 2.0-capable phones
PR Wire 11/15/05
"BEDMINSTER, N.J., and NEW YORK, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- VOCEL, one of the most exciting "push technology" companies in the wireless field, and Prima Games, a division of Random House Inc., and the leading publisher of video game guides, have joined forces to offer Verizon Wireless Mobile Web 2.0(SM) customers a first-ever opportunity to access Prima's extensive strategy gaming library directly from their Mobile Web 2.0-capable phones."

MTV GameORZ Week

MTV launched its first ever GameORZ Week beginning November 21 with new programming featuring a focus on hardware, new games, game development, lifestyle, competitions, and more.
A website at http://www.mtv.com/games/video_games/ has been developed, containing a game to celebrate the rich history of video games, video game music videos, lists of recommended games, features on gamers, and more!

Video Game News, November 14, 2005

Health care with video games
GameSHOUT 11/12/05
"The Health care industry has seen video gamers and geeks from around the world who have donated nearly a million dollars in toys, video games, and cash for sick kids in Children's Hospitals across the globe."

Electrtonic Arts Cuts Prices On Some Video Games: Titles cut by as much as 20 percent in an effect to spur sales
MSNBC 11/14/05
"Electronic Arts Inc., the world’s biggest video game publisher, has reduced prices on some titles by 20 percent to spur sales and thwart competition, an analyst said on Monday."

PRESS RELEASE: Video Games Explode onto MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV.COM, MTV NEWS, mtvU UBER and MTV Overdrive During First Ever 'GameORZ' Week: Gamers Takeover MTV On-Air, Online and On-Campus in an Unprecedented Multiplatform Assault of Video Game Related Programming During Week of November 20th
Yahoo! Finance. 11/14/05
"NEW YORK, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- MTV: Music Television today announced that video games would takeover MTV's various on-air and online platforms during the week of November 20th for the network's first ever "GameORZ Week."

Video Game News: November 12, 2005

Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility list
by John Scalzo, Gaming Target 11/12/05
"Right now, Microsoft has confirmed that 213 Xbox games will work on the 360. More will be added all the time to the master list at Xbox.com and you must own a hard drive to download the Emulation Profiles for each game you attempt to play."

Xbox 360: Did You Say April?
by Jonathan Miller, IGN 11/11/05
"The rumors, apparently, are true. According to retailers in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Miami and Houston, there will be mass shortage of Xbox 360 units on the targeted launch date of November 22."

Trials of Obi-Wan refunds offered
by Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot 11/11/05
"To appease some of those angered by the reworking of Star Wars Galaxies, Sony Online and LucasArts are offering refunds to anyone with a Galaxies account in good standing who purchased the Trials of Obi-Wan before November 3."

Video Game News, November 10, 2005

Judge Blocks Restriction on Sales of Violent Video Games
by David Ashenfelter, Detroit Free Press 11/10/05
"A federal judge in Detroit issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday preventing Michigan from implementing a tough state law that prohibits retailers from selling or renting ultra-violent video games to customers 17 and younger."

Be Heard Over “Deafening” Video Games
by Victoria Olivadoti, Gazette Newspaper 11/10/05
"Ailment: Video Game Temporary Deafness or Selective Hearing and Inattentiveness"

Censor Has Sights on Video Games
New Zealand Free Press 11/10/05
"Chief Censor Bill Hastings wants a review of the labelling and classification of computer games in New Zealand."


PRESS RELEASE: HDNet and World Cyber Games Spark New Era of E-Sports Entertainment
Games Industry Biz, 11/10/05
"DALLAS, TX and SEOUL, KOREA - Nov 10, 2005 - Move over, poker. Competitive video gaming, known as "e-Sports", is poised to become the next spectator sport when it debuts on HDNet this week."

Video Game News, November 9, 2005

Violent Video Games Tackled at Forum
by Tara Tuckwiller, Charleston Gazette 11/9/05
"Should kids be playing violent video games like The Godfather?”

Attention deficit disorder? Try video games
by Stefanie Olsen, CNET News.com 11/8/05
"When her 11-year-old son was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder last year, Janet Herlihey warmed up to an unthinkable solution for his problem: video games."

Pixar for the People: Better than an adaptation: Movies made inside classic video games
by Julian Dibbell, The Village Voice 11/8/05
"It's one of the more unforgettable moments in recent film history: The opening shot tracks slowly up a cliff face, so tight you can't tell what exactly you're looking at, until it reaches the top and reveals two sci-fi soldiers clad in futuristic armor standing at the edge of the precipice, laconically discussing the eternal question 'Why are we here?'"

Jack Thompson Removes Himself from FL Lawsuit
Gamasutra 11/8/05
"Jack Thompson, the attorney from Florida who was representing the families of murdered police officers in a Fayetteville, Alabama civil suit against video game manufacturers and distributors including Sony, Take-Two, and Wal-Mart, has removed himself from the case. "

"The Escapist Issue #18: Otaku" Now Available

The new issue of the Escapist Magazine centers on Otaku - "self-professed, obsessed, garden variety geek[iness]." Pat Miller examines labels and cultural gaming differences in I Can't Believe it's Not Gaming; Allen Varney explores the strange and wonderful world of Asian games in The Asian Weird and tries to figure out how degrees of authenticity make or break strange games, then paraphrases Bruce Sterling in advising game designers to get weird; John Szczepaniak reviews Mother/Earthbound games (Japanese series that imitates American life) ; John Tynes just doesn't get Nintendo, contrasting popular Nintendo titles with smoother Japanese games from Sega and Playstation. Read it at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/18

Eight-year-old physics genius enters university

I wonder what video games this child plays.

Video Game News, November 7, 2005

Study adds proof that too much TV, video games detrimental to kids' development
by Lisa Bremen, The Post-Star 11/6/05
"Oh, Big Bird, how could you? All these years, parents have -- apparently mistakenly -- believed that the overgrown avian was helping their kids learn. "

Video Games Grow Up
by Paul Hyman, Game Biz Daily 11/7/05
"Titles such as "Spend The Night" -- described as a "virtual fantasy-based date" -- seek to tap older gamers with more mature content."

Everything Bad Is Good For You

by Steven Johnson 4/05
About six months ago, Steven Johnson's book, Everything Bad Is Good For You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter, started out with the idea of videogames. The above link is an excerpt from his blog about games.

Video Game News, November 5, 2005

The Hottest Video Games
Action News/ABC 11/5/05
"If you have kids, chances are a lot of your money is spent on video games."

Obesity a Thing of the Past at Youth Fitness Facility
CNW Group 11/5/05
"Holly Bond opened Bulldog Interactive Fitness to get kids interested in being healthy and exercising without the fear of being bullied."

Video Game News, November 4, 2005

DaVinci Code Unlocked for Video Games
by John Gaudiosi, Hollywood Reporter 11/4/05
"'The Da Vinci Code,' Ron Howard's film adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling novel, is not content to limit itself to two media."

"The Escapist #17 Women in Games Now Available

The new issue of the Escapist Magazine examins girls and gaming. Chris Crawford gives a history lesson of the evolution of men and women to justify why women prefer social reasoning games; Bonnie Ruberg writes about heroic women and damsels in distress in the survival horror genre; Pat Miller interviews Rachel Chai about working at Gamestop and the pressure of having to justify and prove one's worth as a girl gamer; M. Junaid Alam addresses stereotypes in gaming and challenges designers to stop "the age-old denigration of women that's marred gaming for years;" and Danielle "Sanchant" Vanderlip waxes nostalgiac about her involvement in gaming "since its inception," and how her experiences have shaped what she will instill in bher gamer daughters. Read it online at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/17

Gaming Symposium in Illinois!

The Metropolitan Library System in IL is presenting a symposium on gaming and libraries December 5-6 2005! Details at The Shifted Librarian's October 19 post.

Register online at http://www.mls.lib.il.us/calendar/CalendarManage.cfm?ID=1024 .

Video Game News, November 2, 2005

Next-gen video games put real world in play: Players could be asked to go to specific places, similar to a treasure hunt
Hollywood Reporter 11/2/05
SAN FRANCISCO - Video games that allow players to interact with reality, long a staple of science fiction, are about to become fact.

Video Games Are Facing Soft Demand
by Matt Richtel, New York Times 11/2/05
"Electronic Arts yesterday became the second major video game maker this week to warn that it was seeing soft demand from retailers as it heads into the holiday season."

EA signs deal for "The Simpsons" video games
Reuters 11/2/05
"Electronic Arts Inc., News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox Television and Gracie Films on Wednesday announced a long-term deal granting EA exclusive rights to develop multiple video games based on the Fox television series "The Simpsons."

Violent Toys and Video Games Can Be Destructive
Newswise, 11/2/05
"Forget what the neighbors’ kids play. Be wary of the social-emotional risks of certain toys. Many send a violent message that could lead to destructive behavior."

N.B. to crack down on violent video games: Mandatory ratings designed to keep games featuring sex, violence, course language out of children’s hands
by Mary Moszynski, Times & Transcript Staff 11/2/05
"FREDERICTON - The province will soon introduce legislation cracking down on the availability of violent and realistic video games, says Public Safety Minister Wayne Steeves."

Computer Gaming to Enhance Computer Science Curriculum
Gamasutra 1/2/05
"This interesting lecture, presented on the first day of Serious Games Summit 2005, was led by Bryan Barnett, lead program manager, External Research Programs, Microsoft Research..."

Video Game News , October 31, 2005

Football Basics 101: A guide to football video games basics
by Jason Rybka, About.com 2005
"It is football season for the video game industry."

Football Games 201: Learning the more advanced football video games plays
by Rich Reed, About.com 2005
"In Football Video Games 101 the basic tips were written to help those new to Football video games enjoy the experience more."

Event Wrap Up: 2005 Nokia Games Summit
by Iain Simons, Gamasutra 10/28/05
"The summit involved 190 delegates, made up of Forum Nokia developers, publishers, and game industry press from around the world, all invited to participate in this annual forum directly addressing mobile games development."

A 'Serious' Direction for Video Games
ABC News 10/28/05
"In this week's "Cybershake," we take a look at how video games are being developed for more than just fun and entertainment."

University of Illinois Develops Bioterrorism Serious Game
Gamasutra 10/27/05
"A video game that simulates biological, chemical, radiological and natural disasters in a major metropolitan area, developed by a team from the University of Illinois at Chicago, will be used to prepare public health workers and emergency responders for real life emergencies, according to a press release from the university."

Florida Bill Aims to Curb Violent Video Games
Reuters 10/27/05
"A Florida state senator has introduced a bill that would ban the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, an aide to the lawmaker said on Thursday."

MP Attacks School Bullying Game: "A video game featuring school bullying must be treated in the same way as a violent film, an MP has said.
BBC 10/26/05
"Former Labour minister Keith Vaz urged the government to refer Bully, which has a pupil fight scene, to the British Board of Film Classification."

Sex is here to stay in video games: But industry is trying to figure out how to deal with it.
by Renuka Rayasam, Austin American Stateman 10/27/05
"With the commotion over illicit content in video games still simmering, about 150 members of the game industry talked sex Wednesday evening at the Women's Game Conference in Austin."

Man Shot While Playing Video Games
Ohio News Network, 10/27/05
"Authorities said a Dayton man was rushed to a local hospital being shot while playing video games."

Video Game News, October 26, 2005

Video games go all warm, fuzzy: Nintendogs takes out some bite for players turned off by violence.
Stephen Kiehl, the Baltimore Sun 10/26/05
"For years, Shigeru Miyamoto says, women in his Tokyo neighborhood didn't like him. He's a charming guy, sure, but he's also the chief video-game designer for Nintendo. That makes him Public Enemy No. 1 for those who think video games are too violent and pornographic."

Warner Bros. Reorganizes, Creates New Unit
AP 10/25/05
"Warner Bros. Entertainment has reorganized its home video and digital distribution efforts, creating a new group that will encompass games, wireless, Internet strategy and anti-piracy efforts. "

Video Game News, October 25, 2005

Informa Predicts 58.4 Billion Game Industry by 2007: Next generation consoles to lead biggest ever revenue spike
by Paul Loughrey, Games Industry Biz 10/25/05
"Informa Telecoms and Media has revealed details of its fifth Dynamics of Games report, suggesting massive growth for the games industry - spearheaded by next generation consoles and broadband gaming."

The State of Serious Games
Gamasutra 10/25/05
"With the second annual Serious Games Summit in Washington D.C. nearly here, it seems a good time to take stock of ‘the state of serious games."

Playing around: Couples can use video games to press one another's buttons
Elina Furman Tango.com 10/25/05
"It can happen in an instant. One minute, you're holding hands in the park, feeding each other sushi at sidewalk cafés, and dressing up for nights on the town. The next, you're sprawled in front of the TV in dingy sweats, boasting about who's going to kick whose ass."

"The Escapist, Issue 16:Import/Export" Now Available

The new issue of the Escapist magazine examines the effects of modern commerce on the gaming industry. Allen Varnay reviews a breakthrough first person shooter from Croatia, backing up his assertation that it's a cutting edge game with a history o Croatian game design; Mark Wallace discusses virtual business in MMORPGs and what happenes when a game experience becomes work; Spanner looks at knock-off consoles and states that gamers don't care about hardware and corporations don't care about software, using the Brazilian video game industry to prove his point. Jack Thompson and Penny Arcade made the News Bits this week. Read it online at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/16

'Game Studies vol 5 #1" now available

Game Studies is an academic online journal on video games. Papers in the current issue examine consumer beta-testing, game design, an interview with Raph Koster, and a review of MMOG Star Wars: Galaxies.

Video Game News, October 24, 2005

ESPN Playing Zodiac Games
Reed Business Information/News MultiChannel 10/24/05
"Zodiac Gaming and its Zodiac Branded Gaming unit will develop and distribute ESPN-branded sports games for digital set-tops under terms of a deal announced Monday."

Law Restricts Sales to Minors
by Daniel Scmozak, Echo Online 10/21/05
"GameStop, Wal-Mart, Target and other stores that sell video games will have to start being extra careful. "

Feature: Gearing Up for Next-Gen: Cliff Bleszinski Chats About The Epic Future
Gamasutra 10/21/05
"In today's main Gamasutra feature, Brandon Sheffield sat down at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show to informally interview Epic Games' Gears Of War lead designer Cliff Bleszinski..."

G4 TV to Air Special Report on Violence in Video Games

"G4 traces the evolution of violence in videogames and examines all sides of this hot-button issue in this one-hour special."

Video Game News, October 22, 2005

Video games: The next national pastime?
by Mike Hoban, Northwest Indiana Times 10/22/05
“'You’re spending way too much time playing those stupid video games. The last time I looked in the want ads, there weren’t many job openings for professional video game players!' - Sarcastic 1980s speech from exasperated parents of teens everywhere."

Video Game News, October 21, 2005

Giving video games a second chance at life: Online services hope game fans will want to play them again
by Mike Musgrove, The Washington Post 10/21/05
"It's a part of modern lore that the video-game industry makes more money than Hollywood —but, alas, it really is just lore."

Playing video games all day can be hard work
by David Sheets, St. Louis Post-Dispatch 10/21/2005
"The typical office workspace is about five feet wide. Christopher Baynes’ workspace is about five inches long."

The Art and Craft of Game Writing - 1st Annual Game Writers Conference
by nForcer, NFHQ 10/20/05
"Does story matter in video games?"

Video Games Are Not the Devil
by Ryan Briomser, it! 10/20/05
"Jack Thompson has become a household name for anyone who follows news in the video game world."

Video Game News, October 19, 2005

Schwarzenegger, henchman respond to gaming lawsuit: Protect kids from violence, says musclebound star of violent movies
by Marc McEntegart, The Inquirer 10/19/05
"Leeland Lee, author and sponsor of the California bill which prohibits the sale of violent games to minors has responded to the lawsuit against the bill."

Kids and parents alike enjoy video and online games
by Debra Mayeux, AP 10/19/05
"Benjamin Vought, 17, of Durango, Colo., spends three hours a week in a magical land, where he strategically plans wars and battles mystical creatures."

Futureplay Announces ame Exhibition and Competition Results
10/15/05
"The FuturePlay Game Exhibition and Competition was held Friday, October 14 during a lively wine & cheese reception sponsored by Ageia Technologies. The event allowed academic, independent, experimental, and student developers to gain recognition for their game-related work in a peer-reviewed setting."

"The Escapist, Issue 15: Gamers Get Game" Now Available

Games aren't just for geeks anymore - now the cool kids are playing too. This week's issue of The Escapist magazine finds connections between gaming and hip hop culture. Thomas Wilburn examines influences and partnerships with icons such as Snoop Dog to determine if the portrayal of gang life in games is accurate, and finding games, mostly made by white developers, lacking; Jonathan Hayter introduces The Matrix Online as a cutural berakthrough that brought together hip hop culture in a MMORPG; Pat Miller investigates crossovers usch as nerdcore rap and rap games; and Whitney Butts argues that hip hop has been the most successful at closing the gap between gaming and music, giving props to Wu-Tang clan for their 1999 game debut Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style. Read it online at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/15

Video Games News, October 18, 2005

Group Sues Californor Over Minor Video Game Ban
Reuters 10/08/05
"Two industry trade groups sued the state of California on Monday after the state passed a law barring the sale of violent video games to minors."


International Game Developer's Association Releases Game Developer's Demographics Report
IGDA 10/18/05
The first of its kind, "Game Developer Demographics: An Exploration of Workforce Diversity" answers the question, “who makes games?” by examining the demographic makeup of the development community."

McDonalds to Offer Free Wifi For Video Games
by David Sheets, St. Louis Post-Dispatch 10/08/05
"Soon, McDonald's restaurants will have much more than burgers, shakes and fries on the menu; they’ll serve up wireless video games, too."

Still Further Proof that Jack Johnson is a raving loon

Why are you here, when it's Tuesday? Penny Arcade posted new cartoon. And you can check out the latest on the Jack Johnson/Penny Arcade thing. Apparently, the man hates gamers, as well as violent games.

Gabe & Tycho are my new heros.

Video Game News, October 15, 2005

Video Games Out, Education Is In
by Daniel Altman, New York Times 10/15/05
"Video games on flights were a novelty when airlines like Virgin Atlantic introduced them about a decade ago, perhaps to distract passengers from the fact that their knees were pushing up against each others' backs."

Video Game News, October 14, 2005

EA, Spielberg to Develop Three New Video Games
by Lisa Baertlein, Reuters 10/14/05
"Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg and Electronic Arts Inc., the world's biggest video game publisher, said on Friday they are teaming up to develop three original video games."

GameBuzz Podcast: Getting More Women to Play Video Games:
by Mike Fuchs, News and Record 10/14/05
"Microsoft's promotion efforts include trying to get more women interested in its next-generation console, the Xbox 360. A bright idea or not worth the effort? Listen to find out."

Video Game News, October 12, 2005

No new news. Just more about California crackin' down on sale of games to minors, and Michigan State U's 13 person study that shows "there is a causal link between playing the first-person shooting game in our experiment and brain-activity patterns that are considered as characteristic for aggressive cognitions and affects," in males of a certain age.

So, I give you instead a LINK! to an online history of video games site: http://www.worldhistory.com/wiki/T/Timeline-of-video-games.htm

Further Proof Jack Thompson is a Raving Loon

Everyone that plays video games knows the name Jack Thompson. Mr. Thompson has raised a new ruckus in his fight against the "murder simulators" that the rest of us know as video games. Thompson has pledged to donate $10,000 to the favorite charity of Paul Eibeler, CEO of Take Two Interactive, if any game company accepts Thompson's proposal for a new game.

Thompson's proposal is as follows:

"Osaki Kim is the father of a high school boy beaten to death with a baseball bat by a 14-year-old gamer. The killer obsessively played a violent video game in which one of the favored ways of killing is with a bat. The opening scene, before the interactive game play begins, is the Los Angeles courtroom in which the killer is sentenced "only" to life in prison after the judge and the jury have heard experts explain the connection between the game and the murder.

Osaki Kim (O.K.) exits the courtroom swearing revenge upon the video game industry whom he is convinced contributed to his son's murder. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" he says. And boy, is O.K. not kidding.

O.K. is provided in his virtual reality playpen a panoply of weapons: machetes, Uzis, revolvers, shotguns, sniper rifles, Molotov cocktails, you name it. Even baseball bats. Especially baseball bats.

O.K. first hops a plane from LAX to New York to reach the Long Island home of the CEO of the company (Take This) that made the murder simulator on which his son's killer trained. O.K. gets "justice" by taking out this female CEO, whose name is Paula Eibel, along with her husband and kids. "An eye for an eye," says O.K., as he urinates onto the severed brain stems of the Eibel family victims, just as you do on the decapitated cops in the real video game Postal2.

O.K. then works his way, methodically back to LA by car, but on his way makes a stop at the Philadelphia law firm of Blank, Stare and goes floor by floor to wipe out the lawyers who protect Take This in its wrongful death law suits. "So sue me" O.K. spits, with singer Jackson Brown's 1980's hit Lawyers in Love blaring.

With the FBI now after him, O.K. keeps moving westward, shooting up high-tech video arcades called GameWerks. "Game over," O.K. laughs.

Of course, O.K. makes the obligatory runs to virtual versions of brick and mortar retailers Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, and Wal-Mart to steal supplies and bludgeon store managers and cash register clerks. "You should have checked kids' IDs!"

O.K. pushes on to Los Angeles. He must get there by May 10, 2006. That is the beginning of "E3" -- the Electronic Entertainment Expo -- the Super Bowl of the video game industry. O.K. must get to E3 to massacre all the video game industry execs with one final, monstrously delicious rampage."

It's possible all of this is hot air in retaliation to Rockstar Games' (a subsidary of Take Two) parody of Jack Thompson's rants on the website for Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.

It gets weirder when Penny Arcade's Mike Krahulik emailed Thompson to inform him that their Child's Play charity received over half a million dollars in donations of cash and games from gamers around the world last December. Thompson replied back by calling Krahulik, screaming at him for several minutes and telling him that he would "regret it".

I don't think many people would view gamers as the violent ones in this increasingly strange tale.

"The Escapist, Issue 14: The Firm" Now Available

This week's issue of The Escapist focuses on EA Games. All Hail Electronic Arts! Allen Varnay reveals the history of Origins and EA's acquisition of Origins; Jason Smith explains how EA created the modern gaming industry from packaging to game designer credits to bringing in experts to assist designers; JR Sutich romaticizes his long term relationship with his favorite video game company, and Mark Wallace cleverly compares video game productions to classic films. Check it out at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/14

Video Game News, October 11, 2005

Press Release: Violent video games lead to brain activity characteristic of aggression, MSU researcher shows
Michigan State University 10/11/05
"A Michigan State University researcher and his colleagues have shown that playing violent video games leads to brain activity pattern that may be characteristic for aggressive thoughts."

Video Games More Than Simple Fun: A nationally known researcher on computer gaming and its relationship to children's learning dispels myths about electronic games
by Jonathan Pillow, Collegiate Times 10/11/05
"To many members of Generation X, computer and console gaming is a mysterious concept associated with violence, social isolation and other negative influences on today’s youth."

Video Game News, October 8, 2005

Press Release: California Prohibits Sale of UltraViolent Video Games to Kids: Schwarzenegger Signs Yee’s Bill to Protect Children from Harmful Video Games
California State Assembly 10/7/05
"Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Los Angeles) today signed legislation authored by Assembly Speaker pro Tem Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/Daly City) to prohibit the sale of extremely violent video games to children, making the nation’s most populous state and home to the $31 billion video game industry, the latest to pass such a bill."

Video Game News, October 7, 2005

Debate Flares Anew Over Violence in Video Games: State lawmakers try to regulate the sale of some titles, but the industry contends such efforts amount to censorship.
by Alex Pham, LA Times 10/5/05
"As the video game industry gears up to release a new generation of consoles that allow even sharper graphics and more realistic action, lawmakers nationwide are considering bans on the sale or rental of violent titles to minors."

The Escapist, Issue 13: Why Haven't They Made This?

This week's issue of The Escapist presents a look at good ideas whose time has come. Kris Naudus introduces the concept of an American Girls Doll video game that would make for interactive history; Allen Varney wants to know where a game about the space race and moon colonization is (Maxis dropped it); John Tynes attacks sequelization of games that is nothing more than "features creep;" and Joe Blancato wishes for a massive version of Uplink. Read it online at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/13

Video Game News: October 6, 2005

'Virtual' Virus Sheds Light on Real-World Behavior
by Laura Sydell, All Things Considered (NPR Audio File)
"A recent outbreak of a "plague" in a popular online game has scientists considering how the virtual world may provide clues to what people would do in real-world pandemics. In the role-playing game World of Warcraft, a "corrupted blood" spell killed characters and affected players in unexpected ways."

More on this story can be found at Slashdot

Nintendo outlines American Wi-Fi plans
by John Scalzo, Gaming Target 10/6/05
"A day after unveiling some big DS news in a Japanese press conferece, Nintendo has revealed how that new information will affect us in the States."

Video Game News , October 4, 2005

Handheld Video Games for Multiple Players Find Ways into Kid's Backpacks
by Levi Buchanan, Chicago Tribune 10/3/05
"Rejoining the school landscape usually spells less time for video games -- unless you've cleverly convinced Mom and Dad that throwing the perfect touchdown pass in "Madden NFL" is a good way to study geometry and Newton's laws of action and reaction."

Georgia Aims for New Games: Web pioneer dreams of making state center for video game development
by Justin Rubner, Atlanta Business Chronicle 10/2/05
"Some government and business leaders are banking that Georgia could become a major player in the $9.9 billion U.S. video game industry."

Super Mario Brothers Teaches Physics

Adorable and educational. I didn't know NewGrounds hosted content of redeeming quality.

Video Game News, October 3, 2005

The People VS Common Sense
by jkdove, GamerGod.com 10/3/05
"It is illogical that video games would be treated more harshly than R-rated movies or music CDs with parental warning labels, both of which can be legally viewed and sold to minors. How can you treat a video game based on James Bond any different than a book or movie based on the same subject matter?"

Strategy First lets gamers try before they buy
by Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot 10/3/05
"Strategy First Games is embracing a try-before-you-buy model of publishing, as the company today announced that more than 20 of its PC games are available for free trial downloads through its official Web site."

Video Game News, October 2, 2005

Best Buy Testing Sales of Used Video Games
Reuters 9/30/05
"Electronics retailer Best Buy Co. Inc. has begun testing the sale of used video games in a handful of its stores, Piper Jaffray analyst Anthony Gikas said in a client note on Friday."

Can Netflix Model Work With Video Games?
by Julie Tamaki, Los Angeles Times 10/1/05
"Sean Spector was sitting in his darkened bedroom at 2 a.m., engrossed in a marathon session on the video game "Halo," when he caught an entrepreneurial opportunity in his cross hairs: Why not do for gaming what Netflix had done for movies?"

New Video Games Mimic User's Moves and Boast Sharper Images
by Kensuke Nonami, The Asahi Shimbun 10/1/05
"At the Tokyo Game Show 2005, which closed on Sept. 18, major video-game developer Nintendo Co. released its next-generation remote-control device, which allows its operators' physical position to influence what they see on screen."

Hollywood's Bad Influence
by William Vitka, CBS 9/30/05
"GameSpot Senior Editor Jeff Gerstmann shares his woes and warnings with GameCore. "

Video Game News, October 1, 2005

Big News - My proposal for a book on video gaming in libraries was approved! Woo-hoo! So if you are interested in showcasing your idea, collection or program, send me an email.

AND I can now play most songs in DDR Ultramix on the Standard setting. Yeah baby!

I realize that what you are all really waiting for is the video game news from around the world, not from my personal list. I would post some right now, but I am leaving in 10 minutes to go see Serenity. Next update on Monday. I really do try to get here six days a week to do it, and thanks to John for beating me to the punch last week.

Video Game News, September 29, 2005

US Government Uses Video Games, Posters to Promote Healthy Eating
by Roland Waite, Earth Times 9/29/05
"To curb growing obesity among American children, the US government's Department of Agriculture unveiled the first food pyramid for 6- to 11-year-olds."

Forget Video Games
by Maria Sanchez-Traynor, Greeley Tribune 9/29/05
"There is something more fun than video games."

Video Game News, September 27, 2005

Video Games that Get Kids Attention Enhance Learning; Children put on helmets linked to sensors that monitor their brains
by Benjamin Pimental, San Francisco Chronicle 9/26/05
"Like many parents, Janet Herlihey tried her best to keep her kids away from video games."

To Tune In, Or Tune Out?
by Michelle Quinn and Mike Antonucci, A+E Interactive, 9/27/05
"...Anyone who keeps a kid on a media-free diet is committing a form of child abuse,'' says Henry Jenkins, a literature and media professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

Lawmakers Cracking Down on Video Games
by Lauren O. Kidd, Granite State Bureau 9/27/05
"Two New Jersey lawmakers don't think minors should be able to rent or purchase video games adorned with phrases such as "you'll have to rob, steal and kill just to stay out of serious trouble."

Video Games Can Actually Be Good For
by Mike Snider, USA Today 9/27/05
"Several times a week before dinner, Janet and Jim Herlihey of West Chester, Pa., remind their sons Michael, 12, and Paul, 10, to get in a good half-hour of video game time before eating

Save Money by Renting Video Games Online: This new game is kinder to your wallet
by Jim Robbins, CBS 2 Chicago 9/27/05
"Video games seem to be a staple in lots of homes and gamers know it can get expensive to buy them. But as Jim Williams reports, a cheaper alternative is just a few mouse clicks away."

"The Escapist, Issue 12: Whatever happened to..." Now Available

The Escapist's newist issue focuses on the lost: Max Steele hunts down designer Chris Crawford for an interview, Spanner's exposee on the back of the arcade recalls the "real gamer" days of yore, Joe Blancato writes about a game whose production fizzled out, and ADS interrupt the formerly seamless reading of this great online magazine. Read it all at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/12

Video Game News: September 26, 2005

Unshelved Adds Video Games
by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, Unshelved 9/26/05
The popular library webcomic Unshelved has started a plotline about adding video games to their shelves.

The Video Game Librarian: The Novel Approach
by John Scalzo, Gaming Target 9/26/05
"If publishers took a trip down to their local library they could find hundreds of titles that would translate into great games."

Literary Games
by Aleks Krotoski, Guardian Gamesblog 9/12/05
"While computer games pilfer (and are pilfered for) the annals of Hollywood, there are scant few games in the vast library of interactive entertainment which take their inspiration from novels, pulp fiction, high-brow literature and other variations of the written word."

The Video-Game Novel Also Rises
by Clive Thompson, Wired 9/12/05
"When you wander into any Barnes & Noble, there are shelves groaning under the weight of books written from Resident Evil, Halo, Tomb Raider and MechWarrior. Consider it the ultimate port: cutting-edge digital entertainment delivered via a media platform that's 200 years old."

Video Game News September 25, 2005

Video Games Not Just for Players Anymore
by Peter Svennson, AP 9/25/05
"Is "frags per round" going to be the batting average of the 21st century? Professional computer gamers certainly hope so."

Video Game News, September 24, 2005

Conference Explores Medical Use of Video Games
by Chris Landers, Fox News 9/23/05
"Perched on a rocky outcropping, Phil Feldman took careful aim and shot David "Bart" Bartlett once in the head with his sniper rifle. Bartlett shrugged it off — he had a situation to deal with nearby."

Video Game News, September 22, 2005

WWE Superstars No Longer Allowed to Play Video Games Backstage
by Tim Brown, 24 Wrestling.com 9/21/05
"The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that yet another strange rule has been recently added to the long list that WWE has been putting together lately."

Shoe Companies Aligning With Video Games
by Darren Rovell, ESPN 9/20/05
"Hoping to catch the eye of their young sports-minded target audience, the battle for athletic shoe supremacy has spilled over into video games."

"The Escapist, Issue 11: StateCraft" Now Available

This week's issue of the Escapist tackles government and games. Jason Della Rocca makes a convincing case for his governemnt as Jekyll and Hyde argument, with hypocritical governments supporting game development than mandating ratings that deter purchase or even ban said games; Dave Thomas learns from a soldier why the US Government has spent billions of dollars to develope America's Army; Matthew Hector, Esq provides in-depth coverage of the Illinois Safe Games Act, paired with Nova Barlow's recap of other successful attempts to regulate sales of media to minors; and Mark Wallace examines virtual economies in terms of real-world money and warns that it's only a matter of time before in game economies butt heads with terms of service. Access the full issue online at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/11.

Video Game News, September 20, 2005

Avoiding Pokemon Seizures from Video Games, TV: Rapidly Flashing Lights May Trigger Rare Seizures, Experts Report
by Miranda Hitti, WebMD 9/20/05
"The Epilepsy Foundation has issued new guidelines to help avoid rare cases of seizures triggered by flickering lights from TV and video games."

Political Battles Against Video Games Heating Up Across the Nation:Michigan outlaws sale of violent, explicit games to minors; California may be next
by Stephen Totilo, MTVNews 9/19/05
"With the legal momentum against violent and sexually explicit video games picking up steam across the nation last week, some gamers may be wondering why so many politicians are picking on them these days."

Teens Play Violent Video Games
NewzTalk ZB 9/19/05
"Parents are being told to wake up to not only what their children are watching, but also playing."

Gamasutra Presents Notes from Tokyo Game Show 2005

News, interviews and editorials about gaming and game development in Japan.

Video Game News, September 19, 2005

Video Games May be Homework for Career
by Lisa M. Sodders, LA Daily News, 9/19/05
"Seth Arnold recalls playing "Super Mario Bros." and "Duck Hunt" for hours on end after getting his first Nintendo video-game system when he was 8 years old. Now 20 and a college student, Arnold still spends hours hunched over a video-game console - not only entertaining himself, but training for his career."

Anime: Spiky Haired Games
by Lou Kesten, AP 9/19/05
The popularity of animé, that uniquely Japanese form of animation, can be traced directly to the growth of video games, especially the Final Fantasy series and other role-playing epics like Dragon Warrior."

Video Game News, September 15, 2005

Granholm Cracks Down on Violent Video Games
by Kirk Yuhnke ABC12 9/15/05
"Gov. Jennifer Granholm is getting tough when it comes to underage children buying violent and sexually explicit video games."

Video Game News, September 14, 2005

Five Ways to Save Video Games
by Sidney Shuman Games.Net 9/14/05
"It's time for video games to move forward, but designers (and publishers) seem to be dead-set on keeping them stuck firmly in the past. Here are five ways they can turn the tide."

Popular Anime-based Games

by AP News, CNN 9/14/05 "After decades on the fringes of American culture, anime -- that uniquely Japanese form of animation -- is everywhere."

Video Game News, September 13, 2005

Californai Game Bill Passes
by Chris Playo, PSP Advanced Media Network 9/9/05
'Yesterday, the often contested Assembly Bill 1179 successfully passed through the California legislature. The controversial bill passed through the house with a vote of 65 to 7."

"The Escapist, Issue 10: Join or Die" is now available

This week, the Escapist looks atMassive Multiplayer Online Games, or MMOGs. Mark Wallace addresses the corporation building themed Eve's eerie similarity to gangster Brooklyn in the early nineteenth century and the commonalities between gangs, groups, clans and guilds with anaologies like newbies as immigrants to a foreign landscape; M. Junaid Alam looks at how single-player warfare games evolved into MMOG campaigns and compares artificial intelligence (computer generated) vs. human (playing against real people); Joe Blancato writes about socialism, Utopia. and Machiavellian political rivalries in Shadowbane; Sean "Dragons" Stalzer argues that guilds are a staple of MMOGs, and the Syndicate, one of the largest and longest running online guilds is a prime example; and Laura Genender examines of the benefits and disadvantages of guilds. Check it out at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/10

Serious Games Summit - Oct 31-Nov 1 Washington DC

This two day event features 40 sessions that examine nontraditional video games for education, training, health therapy and other uses beyond entertainment. Is anyone in the library field attending?

Innovate Live Announces September Webcast Schedule - Video Games!

The following webcasts are a great example of how to conduct online continuing education, and the topics are of interest to libraries in a digital age.

Innovate-Live webcasts offer an opportunity to synchronously interact with the authors of the articles in the August/September 2005 issue of Innovate. These webcasts are produced as a public service by our partner, ULiveandLearn. If you wish to participate in the webcasts, please register at http://www.uliveandlearn.com/innovate/

All times are Eastern Time zone. You may use the world clock at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ to coordinate the time with your time zone.

The schedule for the September Innovate-Live Webcasts is provided below.

Game-Informed Learning: Applying Computer Game Processes to Higher Education
Michael Begg, David Dewhurst, and Hamish Macleod
September 13th, 2005 - 12:00pm ET

The Design of Advanced Learning Engines: An Interview with Clark Aldrich
Joel Foreman and Clark Aldrich
September 13th, 2005 - 1:00pm ET

simSchool: The Game of Teaching
Melanie Zibit and David Gibson
September 14th, 2005 - 1:00pm ET

Epistemic Games
David Williamson Shaffer
September 20th, 2005 - 12:00pm ET

What Can K-12 School Leaders Learn from Video Games and Gaming?
Richard Halverson
September 20th, 2005 - 2:00pm ET

Changing the Game:! What Happens When Video Games Enter the Classroom?
Kurt Squire
September 20th, 2005 - 4:00pm ET

Everyone who registers for the webcasts can interact with authors by typing questions/comments in the chat area of the screen. If you would like to interact with the authors using audio, you can do so but you will need to have the proper equipment and training to use the Macromedia Breeze conferencing program. Please go to http://www.uliveandlearn.com/innovate for details.

f you cannot attend a webcast, note that it will be archived within the features section of the article itself shortly after the webcast.

Video Game News, September 12, 2005

Video Games Take Mind Off Country's Troubles
by Doug Elfman, Boston Herald 9/11/05
"My family barely escaped Hurricane Katrina. They were on the road out of New Orleans when the storm began to destroy the city."

Granholm signs laws restricting minors' access to explicit video games
AP Detroit Free Press, 9/12/05
"Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation that would make it illegal to sell or rent adult-rated video games to those 17 and younger."

Boseman Hopes Video Games Bill is Back in Play Next Session
by Mark Schreiner Star News Online (North Carolina) 9/12/05
"Sen. Julia Boseman, D-New Hanover, got almost everything she wanted out of the 2005 session of the General Assembly."

Converting Virtual to Real Cash Donations for Katrina

According to BBC News, the virtual worlds of Second Life and There, are letting players donate to those affected by Katrina by converting their virtual cash into the real thing. Gamers Relief is also starting a donation fund.

When Gamers Become Parents: How those in the industry cope with issues of sex and violence

By Tom Loftus, Columnist,MSNBC 9/10/05
"Steven Rechtschaffner remembers the day his two sons, ages 17 and 13, discovered the copy of “Grand Theft Auto” he had stashed away in his Vancouver home. “It was weird at first,” Rechtschaffner recalled. “But it forced us to talk about the game. It was me asking, what did you think?”

Video game insiders discuss how they treat games like other media - check the ratings, limit gameplay, and make it clear to kids that there are games for children, and games for adults. Communication is key.

"The Escapist, Issue 9: Gamemasters" Now Available

This week's issue, available at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/9, covers the rich roleplaying foundation the video game industry was built upon. Greg Costikyan follows up his attack on the game industry with solutions for improvement: new business models, distribution models, and sales models; Allen Varney backtracks to disseminate the history of tabletop gaming's evolution from pen and paper to computer text to graphics heavey MMOGs, while John Tynes talks about the transitions from tabletop designers making the leap into the video game market with varying degrees of success; and Joe Blancato reviews Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of the Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic by Brad King and John Borland (McGraw Hill/Osborne Media, 2003).

Video Game Reviews... in your local newspaper?

Gwinette Daily Post of Gwinette COunty GA and the Washington Post both popped up with video game reviews this week - and I suspect they are not the only ones. More proof that video games are going mainstream!

Dream a Little Dream
comparison of Darkwatch and Dungeon Seige

Old Time Pinball Flops as it meets Modern Video Games
REview of FlipNic: Ultimate Pinball (CapCom)

Video Game News, September 9, 2005

Parenting and Video Games: One Dad's Tips: Game professional offers tips on navigating the video game minefield
by Tom Loftus, MSNBC 9/9/05
"Matthew Ford has made games professionally for 12 years working on such projects as Asheron's Call, Citizen Zero and Mythica."

World CyberGames Finals Underway: Field of 184 compete in 8 games to win a share of $34,00, right to represent America at worldwide Grand Final Competition
by Brendan SInclair, Yahoo!News 9/8/05
"The action is under way at the World Cyber Games US Finals, which is taking place through Sunday at New York City's historic Hammerstein Ballroom."

Ignore Video Games, Tech's Still On
by James J. Cramer, Real Money 9/8/05
"You know I like tech, and yet some of you may be dissuaded from buying because of Take-Two or because you don't know Intel yet. But Texan sure seemed to deliver according to this release just out."

The King of Halo: Born to play games: Matt "Zyos" Leder turns his passion for video games into a full-time job
by Eyder Peralta, Houston Chronicle 9/8/05
"As soon as he finished eating his steak — on a cardboard plate with a can of soda — Matt Leto picked up his cell phone. "Hey, what's up?" he asked, and before his friend Fonzi could answer he continued, "Is there a chance you can get online so we can game?"

Video Game News, September 8, 2005

Conquerer in a War of Virtual Worlds
by Seth Schiesel, New York Times 9/6/05
"Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment wanted to make a big splash in the video game world back in March when it introduced Matrix Online, a massively multiplayer online game based on the once-hot film franchise."

Top 10 Video Games
by William ONeil, CNET 9/8/05
"If one thing is true, it's that video games have come of age in the past 10 years."

Video Game News, September 7, 2005

Survey Shows Parental Attitudes Towards Video Games
by David Jenkins, Gamasutra 9/7/05
"A new survey commissioned by VTech Electronics and performed by research firm Compas has gauged parental attitudes to video games, by interviewing Canadian parents with children aged three to eight."

Some Video Games Force Players Off the Couch
by Lou Kesten, Business Week Online 9/7/05
"Every article about America's obesity epidemic seems to mention video games."

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Video Game News, September 6, 2005

Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables - and Play Video Games
The Technology Suits, 8/26/05
"The continued battle of the “games are good” “games are bad” war plays on with a recent article in Discover Magazine that examines the growing body of research suggesting that video games exercise the mind similar to the way physical activity exercises the body."

Class on Games is Coming to Teens
by Eric Gwinn, Chicago Tribune 9/6/05
"Big news for Chicago-area high school kids hoping for behind-the-scenes careers in the video game industryA"

Video Game News, September 3, 2005

Blizzard Wins Lawsuit on Video Game Hacking
by Declan McCullah, CNet News 9/2/05
"A federal appeals court has ruled that computer programmers do not have the right to reverse-engineer Blizzard Entertainment's video games to improve their playability."

Video Game Rentals Easy on Wallet
the Arizona Republic 9/2/05
"If car manufacturers did business the same way as makers of video game platforms, you could buy a Ford Explorer for $2,000. However, specially formulated Ford gas, the only kind to work in your vehicle, would be $150 per gallon."

Ninendogs Game Sell 250,000 units in first week
Reuters 9/1/02
"Nintendo Co. Ltd. (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday its new puppy training game "Nintendogs" sold 250,000 units in its first week, making it the hottest-selling title in the United States."

Video Game News, September 2, 2005

Online Video Games Pose Addiction Risk for Kids: Treatment is available, but many gamers are in denial that their behaviour is unhealthy
MacLeans 8/2/05
"All around the world, more and more kids are becoming online video game addicts."

Dinner Comes with a Side of Games
by Rachel Mesh, Wired News 6/3/05
"Pong creator and Atari founder Nolan Bushnell thinks adults just want to have fun. In fact, he's banking on it. Bushnell and his company, UWink, are preparing to open a video-game-themed restaurant aimed at adults in Los Angeles this fall."