Archive for May, 2010

Do you love video games? Do you spend hours playing on your new X-Box 360, or PS-3? Do you believe you have a great idea, and can develop the best game to hit the industry till date? In that case, you should consider becoming a video game designer.

Video gaming has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry over the last two decades. And with a number of people buying games, even at $50 a game, apart from the consoles, this industry has seen tremendous growth. Coupled with the advancement in computing technology, games have evolved a lot from the black and white games of the 70’s and early 80’s.

Today, games are lot more interactive, and creative using all the latest graphics, and real looking images and scenes. So much so that certain games do not look animated anymore, but seem like an extension of real life. This has increased the demand for more creative games, based on highly interactive and creative plots. This has seen a surge in demand for video game designers with numerous opportunities within various game companies, and studios.

While there are various things that go into the making of a good game designer, the most basic thing is the love for video games. The most eligible candidate would be one who has a passion for games and plays every type of game. He or she should also be among the first to complete and follow the games religiously. The person should be able to recognize the game by just listening to its background track.

After all, with so many people being hard core fans of the games, the game publishing companies would hardly be excited by a candidate that hardly plays any games, and has no exposure, and doesn’t know the intricacies of the gaming industry. Such a candidate should also show aptitude for quick problem solving, and must be able to work under pressure, maintaining tight deadlines.

The reason being that though the quality is very important, the video game industry is very volatile with something or the other is releasing every other day. So to stay ahead of competition, one has to act very fast.

A video game designer is compared to the director of the movie. A person aiming to become a video game designer, should be creative, and have a flair for writing with loads of experience. Video game designers are often people who have studied in related fields like literature etc. To be able to write huge volumes that will define the game, covering every minute detail is a big task, and hence usually experienced people are preferred.

The video game designers industry is so big its expected to beat the hollywood industry in a few years. Find out more about video games, video game rentals, cheats and more.

The debate over the prevalence of violence in children who play violent video games versus those who do not has been raging for as long as violent video games have been in existence. Who is really to blame for children who become increasingly violent? Is it really all the fault of video games or is there more to it than placing the blame on an inanimate object?

While children who play violent video games may have more exposure to “active” violence than those who do not is it really fair to place the blame on the game itself? Where do parents come in on all of this? Isn’t it the parent who hands the child the game in the first place? Isn’t it the parent who sits their child in front of a video game console for babysitting purposes whilst they are elsewhere catering to their own lives? When you take a look at potential contributing factors in children who show a tendency towards violence it really is doubtful that video gaming is to blame…or at least it is not the only thing to blame. With the many contributing factors of parental guidance (or lack there of,) Newspaper stories, News broadcasts, Books, Videos, DVD’s, Societal interaction and DVD and TV productions it is extremely unlikely that violent video games are the only reason that children often become aggressive.

The primary factor in determining a child’s moral guidelines in my personal opinion is the regulation of that child’s behavior by parents or guardians. With the lack of parental guidance children are not put on the right path, nor are they taught what is socially acceptable as far as behavior. Children who are never taught to act in a way that is socially responsible can hardly be expected to know how to do so by sitting down in front of the television or a video game to learn how to interact. If a child is taking social cues from video games and movies of course they are going to pick up their behavioral patterns from those things as opposed to the vacant parental figures. Even though these behavior patterns may be imprinted from video games, it is not the fault of the games themselves for imprinting the child; it is the fault of the parent for not imprinting their own child with the correct sequences of socially acceptable behaviors in the first place. A child who has been taught right from wrong and behaviors that are socially acceptable is a child who can identify these unacceptable behaviors when they are viewed in various forms of media.

It is perfectly accurate to say that children can pick up violent tendencies from playing video games and watching various forms of violent media; however, the assumptions that these behaviors are the fault of the game are absolutely ludicrous. Violent behaviors from media sources are going to stick only when the correct “programming” as it were has not been instilled in a child. When a child is unsure of what is expected of them in certain situations he or she can hardly be blamed for taking cues from his/her surrounding environment and experiences.

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Gaming has taken root and there are no signs of the popularity abating. Children as well as adults are all hooked to computer and video gaming in a big way. And, the internet has added a dash of excitement into gaming as players can now not just play online but compete online.

The gaming world realizes that if they are to sustain a multi-billion dollar business they must care not just for the gamers but their parents too. The Entertainment Software Rating Board or ESRB has issued video gaming tips as a guide for parents. The ESRB is the one that tests video games and rates them so that parents can select suitable games for children of different age groups.

1. Parents must check the ratings and examine the rating symbol on the front of the package as well as read the content descriptor at the back when buying a game. The ESRB site http://www.esrb.org has in depth information about games rated by them.

2. Never depend on advertisements, always talk to parents and older children to get an holistic view of the game you intend to buy.

3. Be a friend to your child and play the games with him or her. There is nothing like a hands on experience.

4. Beware of online gaming as very often the game has unrated components. Online gaming also has features like chats and exchange of ideas and information. Parents must teach their kids especially very young ones about the dangers lurking on the internet.

5. Learn all about downloadable mods that alter the content of games. Mods can change the appropriateness of the game for young players so parents must be vigilant.

6. Always invest in video game consoles and handhelds that have parental controls. This will enable you to limit the gaming content your children can access. Using parental controls will ensure that the children only play games that are appropriate to them.

7. Know your child’s nature and buy games that will nurture the child’s holistic growth. Games are known to have many benefits, us them to your advantage.

8. Know the games your kids play by reading their reviews online and joining gaming blogs and forum. Read game reviews and watch game trailers and demos.

9. Make time to interact with your children. Play games with them and teach them that gaming is not harmful if played right. Win their confidence so that they are open with you and share their fears and joys.

10. Take the kids to game expos and exhibitions. Learn all about the gaming world. Keep one step ahead at all times and your kids will be able to play games without any problems.

The World Wide Web is a great information highway that has information about all games new and old. Make use of the knowledge to monitor your children’s gaming world.

Timothy Rudon is a writer for Online Video Games , the premier website to find video games, video games play, free video games, online video games, free online video games, new video games, play online video games and many more.

Just as in every new technology or field of endeavor it is always a bit muddled as to who actually was first. Technology, in particular, is a field where small incremental changes come about and the field evolves. As to who make the first video game we will take a look at different stages of video games from the first game played on a cathode ray tube to the first mass produced arcade game and finally the first console game system that was sold to consumers. All three of these steps were important developments that brought video games to where they are now.

The absolute earliest and first game to be played on some type of a cathode ray tube, and use some type of computer, was a missile simulator type game played on circular screen that looked much like the old radar screens used during World War II. This game was created by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann in 1947. The creation of this game was significant because it marks the beginning of a new age of cathode ray tube and what they can be used for. Up until this point any display like this was simply used as something to be seen. With this game a player could look at it and make changes to what happened on it. It was interactive!

In 1952, what many consider to be the first graphical game was created by A.S.Douglas and it was a tic-tac-toe game called OXO. Over the course of the next two decades between the 1950’s and 1960’s a variety of other rudimentary games started to make appearances with the use of large computers that were tube based. One of the most notable was the game Tennis for two which was created by William Higinbotham in 1958. This game was played on an oscilloscope display.

Video games start to become more sophisticated and take on more realism in the 60’s and the first game to do this was a game called Space War. It was created for a Digital Equipment Corporation computer and it was two spaceships (players) that engaged in a shootout on a starry background. One of the significant things about this game was that the ships were in a gravity well that affected how they moved and how the player had to operate them. This game has been recreated and copied in many different arcade and home versions like Galaxy Wars and in variations like Asteroids.

The First Publicly Released Game

The first game released to the mass public was called Computer Space. It was based on the Space War game and it was a coin operated arcade style game created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was released in 1971. And in 1972 they released the arcade game Pong which was a big success. These games were the beginnings of the Atari Company.

Video Games Move onto the home Television Set

The very first console video game system that could be played on a television set at home was the Magnavox Odyssey. It was designed by Ralph Baer and it was first released to the public in 1972 and It only met with limited success. In 1975 the real revolution in video games for the home began with the release of the home version of Pong by Atari. Atari landed an exclusive contract for 175,000 units with Sears who would market it and sell It in their stores. The game was a smash success for the 1975 Christmas season. One of little thought about revolutions about this game was that all the discrete wiring was designed into a single chip which was the most advanced consumer electronics chip ever made until then. This opened up a whole new world of computer games.

Video games have had an interesting history with a lot of different people contributing to their success. They have come a long way and there are no doubt many more interesting and exciting developments to come.

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It was more than a decade ago when both Sony and Nintendo dominated the video game industry. It used to be both Sega and Nintendo that dominated the industry, but that was before Sony entered the picture, and quite literally knocked out Sega as a video game hardware manufacturer, leaving them with creating software titles only.

It was because of that incident that led many to believe that the industry was only capable of holding just two major consoles, tops. That changed, however, when Microsoft entered the scene in 2001 with their Xbox. That just proved that the industry was capable of holding more than two gaming systems. This changed everything.

Once this happened, more video games were being created than ever before. So the options, in terms of software titles, had expanded for the consumers. So, the industry was starting to expand. More and more people started to play video games.

Fast forward to today, and we have three gaming consoles to choose from - the great thing is that each system has something different to offer. We have the Xbox 360, which has solid online gaming, with more and more people joining the online community. We have the PS3, which is a really powerful console, and has some really good exclusives. Then, we have the Nintendo Wii, which offers motion-based controls, and has many software titles that the whole family can enjoy.

Because the gap, in terms of hardware, between each new console release has decreased, this means that the consoles of previous generations will still be legit for many people. This means that there is still a lot of life left for those consoles. This is really good for consumers, because now, you can buy a system of interest for very cheap prices. On top of this, the software titles for those specific systems can also be found for very cheap prices. This doesn't even include the used game sections of your local gaming retailers.

So, what is the state of the video game industry? By the looks of it, it's looking really healthy. Also, if you look at the statistics for the past five years, it shows an industry growth, as more and more people are starting to play video games, and people that used to play and stopped, are now re-entering. It's not far from when video games will be looked at as a legit form of entertainment.

Andre Garcia is a fan of the video game industry and has been keeping track of it for over a decade. Check out his guide on How to Mod Your Xbox You can also find out if it's possible to make money playing video games by visiting become a video game tester

The wireless headset allows video gamers the ability to chat with other players while playing their video games on-line without ever having to worry with another troublesome wire getting in their way of play. This makes the interactive video gaming experience take on a much more extreme level for gamers all over the world.


Purchasing a wireless headset for any video gaming system will add to your gaming experience and give you the ability to chat with other players all over the world. A wireless headset also keeps your hands free to concentrate solely on the video game itself. Be sure to choose a wireless headset that will be comfortable, because as any serious gamer knows once they start playing a video game it is truly hard to stop.


Many wireless headsets that are being manufactured for the market today have an ergonomic design so that the headset can easily be switched from one ear to the other. This is highly important during long periods of play so that one ear does not start bother the gamer during game play. Most of these wireless headsets also come with at least two sizes of ear grips, which will assist the wireless headset in fitting much more securely.


Another wonderful aspect about these wireless headsets are that they can be used during game play over long periods of time before having to be recharged. In fact, some wireless headsets will allow gamers to play for up to eight hours straight before having to be recharged and then it will only take four hours to completely recharge it. So far designers have not created a wireless headset that can be charged while being used, so that is a down side to these wireless headsets. These wireless headsets will also loose their charge when they are not in use, so it is important to keep them plug up when not using them.


The video gaming industry is constantly growing and manufactures, developers, and designers are constantly trying to discover what will make the video gaming experience more entertaining to video gamers. The wireless headset has become one of the most popular accessories on the market for any video gaming system thanks to the wonderful quality of these wireless headsets that are being produced. Many of the wireless headsets being manufactured for the market today have superior audio quality so video gamers to not have to worry about static when communicating with other gamers.


Wireless headsets give video gamers the ability to interact with other players with wonderful advancements in technology. Some video gaming systems have the capability to handle up to four wireless headsets connected to their console at any given time, which is important when friends get together to play each other in hand to hand combat in some type of war game or go toe to toe in against one another on the track. What ever the passion of the gamer is the wireless headset makes playing video games more exciting by far.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, dolls, and video games. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, dolls, and used video games at these sites for kids toys, dolls, and wireless headsets.

One of the best video gaming system accessory on the market today has to be the wireless controller, which is available for most video gaming systems no matter which one you own. With a wireless controller, video gamers no long have to worry with troublesome wires getting in their way during game play.


Most wireless controllers have an off and on switch built right in, which enables the gamer to turn their video gaming system off and on where ever their controller is. The majority of the wireless controllers being produced have a range of thirty foot so that gamers can move away from the console to answer the door or phone if needed. Also, the majority of these wireless controllers require two AA batteries in order to work and will last for up to forty hours. The advanced hardcore gamer really needs to be prepared to either buy extra batteries or to go ahead and put the extra money into their effort and purchase rechargeable batteries. One great feature with most of these wireless controllers is that they have a built in feature to let gamers know when the batteries are getting low, which allows the gamer time to pause the game they are playing and change out the batteries.


These wireless controllers are designed to fit the gamers hands much more comfortably and the buttons are easier to use as well. Most wireless controllers have the capability to plug in a headset, which allows the gamer to communicate vocally with other gamers throughout the world. Most video gaming systems have the capability to allow up to four wireless controllers to be connected to one gaming console at one time. When gamers get together and play each other in a video game battle, most the time they get in a big mess with their wires getting tangled up together. However, the advantage of using wireless controllers is that gamers never have to worry with getting their wires tangled up together again.


Some wireless controllers that are being produced may seem bulky and heavier than others due to having to put batteries into the controller itself. When gamers decide to purchase a wireless controller there are several on the market to choose from. Some wireless controllers have vibration feedback that the gamer can adjust, which can give the batteries a longer life time. When the vibration is adjusted the gamer will have the ability to feel a car as it slides across the track or flips over and over. These wireless controllers can be purchased at any local video gaming supply store, most toy stores, and on-line at a variety of web sites.


With a wireless controller, gamers no longer have to worry about getting too excited while playing their video games and pulling their video gaming console system off the shelf or the controller itself out of the video gaming console. Now gamers will have the ability to sit down, lay down, stand up, or jump up and down if they desire while playing their video games and never ever have to worry again about damaging their video gaming console system when getting overly excited.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, dolls, and video games. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, dolls, and used video games at these sites for kids toys, dolls, and wireless controllers.

If you have ever wondered why subscribing to a video game rental service online is a better choice rather than your local storefront, then wonder no more. In this article, I will present to you three major factors that will hopefully convince you which one is better. Specifically, I'm going to talk about convenience, games in stock, and customer service. These are important factors that need to be considered. After reading this article, you will now be able to make a good decision on which choice is better for you.

CONVENIENCE – What are your choices if you happen to live in a rural area? Have you ever tried hopping in your car and driving downtown just to rent a few games for the week? That's something that you won't have to endure again when you subscribe to an online video game rental service. The games you want to play are delivered straight to your door, so you don't have to drive to a local store yourself.

Even if you live in the city, it's more convenient to use an online video game rental service. What are the odds of you living next door to a video game rental shop? Let's not forget the fact that there's nothing to beat the pleasure of having your games delivered to you everyday. You won't ever have to go out and walk (or drive) to your local store just to rent some games, plus imagine the luxury of getting your games even while just being dressed in your bathrobe or pajamas.

GAMES IN STOCK – Have you tried renting video games in your local store? How many game titles did you see, around 50 or a hundred? Even the biggest stores like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video only carry stocks of 50 to 100 games at a time, on average. You might think that that's not bad, except when you hear that online video game rentals can offer you thousands of games to choose from.

The smallest online store in the industry carries an approximate 2,000 games, with the biggest companies carrying around 6,000 titles. These online stores are also stocked up better on both old and new games, so you are more likely to find the exact game you want, as compared to your local storefront.

CUSTOMER SERVICE – How about irritable employees, crowds, and long lines? Would you like to experience that? When you sign up for a subscription at an online video game rental store, you practically eliminate all of these nasty problems at once. There will be no more irritable employees to deal with. No crowds to jostle and fight, plus no more waiting in lines! You get to browse and order your favorite games in the comfort and privacy of your own home, without ever having to endure the experience mentioned above.

If ever you have a problem with your games or with deliveries, a quick email to their customer service department will fix that problem. And you know what? Some of the bigger sites in the industry are now offering phone support, too! Try to beat that with having to go out and travel to your local store to complain about a problem.

Mawe Barrios is part of the team at ConsumerReporter.Net. We are an authority site specializing in products and services reviews for consumer information.

 

Video games have often been criticized as detrimental to our children’s health, mental to be specific. In fact children with learning handicaps attributed to video game addiction are branded as Vidiots. If we really have their best interest in our hearts there are ways we could make this video games work to their advantage. Here are some ground rules you should lay before allowing your kid to while away his time playing with the vidiot box:

 

·         For the little ones who are still in the pre-learning process, make it a point to start them off with educational video games. There are a lot of these in the market nowadays since educators have become aware of the fact that these video games can be a good medium for learning.

 

 ·         Put down a house rule for playing time and playing limits. You can adapt it to your time, either when it is your busiest or during your resting hour. 

 

 ·         From time to time, be there to guide them in the learning process so that they will not lose interest in case things get beyond their comprehension. Once they get the hang of it they will be able to manage the games on their own and you can go back to doing your chores as usual.

 

 ·         You will have much to talk about with your kid during moments when he or she is not playing with the video console. Drill her with what she learned from the game, like alphabets and numbers until she gets to memorize them. Soon enough even at a tender age of three you can start teaching her how to read.

 

 ·         Make them interested about the words that appear on the screen as they play. Word such as: Go, Stop, Play, Level, Round, Win, Lose and many others which frequently appear on the screen. Through a repetitive process they will recognize these words and will learn to read them through visual recognition.

 

 ·         As they progress lay down another ground rule. Impose a study schedule which should be done before they are allowed to play their video boxes. To avoid any resistance, give them enough pep talks on how too much video and too little knowledge can make vidiots out of them.

 

 ·         Focus their study on reading; follow the patterns of the words that they already recognize. An example will be: Go, introduce new words by replacing the letters into No or So then slowly progress by affixing another letter God, cod, nod, sod.  As the child recognizes how words gets to be formed, replace each letter or add another letter with the ones she can already read. As soon as you have tapped their interest in reading they will initiate the reading process on their own.

 

 ·         As they get to advance with their games, they will encounter new words which you will help them to read. Later, make it a point to have them read the game instructions on their own to promote their comprehension skills.

 

 ·         The more words the child learns to read and comprehend, the more fascinated they will be with their reading ability. Words will no longer be limited to the video games but they will begin to explore the words they find on cereal boxes, groceries, detergents and the commercial ads they see on tv.

 

 ·         As they get to discover more things, their interests will expand into something more, to books, to word puzzles and everything that present challenges on their reading ability. In fact they will easily lose interest on games that tend to be repetitive and boring and will seek for something more challenging.

 

As a parent you will reap the benefits of the advantages that they developed through the use of the video boxes. It may entail some form of resistance at first but remember that it is only a matter of your will as a parent or their will as an innocent clashing here. Try not to be soft but don’t be too hard either. Just remember that it is first and primarily for their own good. Soon enough, they will be out of your hair but this time in more productive ways.   

 

 

The author is an active freelance writer at GetAFreelance.com(GAF). She has ghostwritten numerous articles,blogs, e-books, e-reports, product reviews and press releases.She is likewise active in her career as a CPA in the Philippines, her native country.

Is your video game collection getting stale? Are you tired of playing those same old games that you've beaten at least a thousand times before? Would you like to add a few new titles to your video game collection, but your pocketbook doesn’t support the idea? If that's the case, you are in luck! This article will tell you how you can beef up your video game collection without putting an additional strain on your wallet!

Believe it or not, there is a way to beef up your video game collection and play the latest games for free! You heard right, and the best part, it is 100% legal and totally free! Are you interested? I thought you might be.

There are tons of companies online that allow you to try their games for free. Most of them allow you to test their games for a free trial period. Usually, you can test out a video game for a period of 10 days or so. Companies offer these deals hoping that you will fall so deeply in love with their service or product that you won't be able to part with it and will remain a loyal customer.

And you can exploit that. To get your hands on the newest games, sign up with one of these companies and make sure you cancel your subscription just before the trial period ends. During the trial period, most companies will let you choose one or two games. Then, sign up with another company. You can do this over and over with different companies. But, don’t try to sign up with the same company more than once a year. Most companies will only allow you to get one trial subscription per year.

And, if you do happen to fall in love with their service and decide to keep it, so be it. And if you decide to go this route, you can sample your video games before you buy them. That way, you won't get stuck with those video game dogs that sit in the box after you play it once.

This is a great way to try the newest video games for free and companies actually love it when you participate in these programs. To take advantage of this idea, you can sign up with your first free subscription at: <a rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://tryfreevideogames.com">Try Free Video Games!</a>

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