MIT’s video game simulator lets you learn MBA management skills for free.
Thanks to “Platform Wars,” a video game simulator, you can learn MBA management skills and strategies for free. It was created by MIT’s Sloane School of Management and anyone can learn elements of a business school education by portraying an executive at a video game console manufacturer online.
Continue reading… “Platform Wars – MIT launches free online video game simulator”
Violent video game play has a long-term effect on brain functioning.
There could be something to that link between violent video games and aggression. Researchers have bantered back and forth for years with findings that support and then debunk such a link. But Indiana University School of Medicine researchers in Indianapolis found signs via functional magnetic resonance imaging that the brain is affected by violent games.
Continue reading… “Violent video games alter brain function”
Can heavy gaming be considered an addiction?
Some children’s brains could be hard-wired to spend hours playing video games, according to a study which reignites the debate over whether the habit should be considered an addiction. Researchers found that children who spent an excessive amount of time playing the games had an enlarged area of the brain which is the main hub of the reward system.
Art is an integral part of video games. But the debate continues whether video games are a work of art.
Continue reading… “Growing demand for artists in the video game industry”
Are your kids turning into a fountain of four-letter words? Blame it on TV.
A new study has found a link between foul-mouthed inner-city children and profanity-ridden shows and video games.
Continue reading… “Profanity on TV and video games linked to foul-mouthed kids”
Rather than violent crime rates soaring when new violent video games are released, they actually drop as gamers are too busy at home playing the games.
Video games such as Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto – where gamers rack up points or cash for killing or savagely attacking victims – are routinely blamed for a rise in violent crime. But experts claim violent video games may actually reduce crime as aggressive players are “too busy” shooting virtual enemies to cause trouble in the real world.
Model of a protein as seen in Foldit
In an experiment called CASP9, scientists were struggling to map the structure of M-PMV, a protein involved in a virus that causes a form of simian Aids. In that experiment and others, the search had been going on for more than a decade. But the solution was not found by a laboratory but the players of an online puzzle game.
Total video game sales fell 20% from $855.3 million in July 2010 to $687 million last month.
Video game sales have been dropping monthly. But, between June 2010 and June 2011 the drop in video game sales has been really big.
Continue reading… “Video game sales drops 20% in July”
Visa-owned PlaySpan with research firm VGMarket have released a new study on how and what gamers are spending on virtual goods. Nearly one-third of the general gamer population has used real world money (as opposed to virtual currency) to purchase virtual goods, according to the study. Console games with online play account for the majority (51%) of virtual purchases using real world money, with social networking games (30%) coming in at second.
Continue reading… “A third of gamers use real world money to buy virtual goods”
Jane McGonigal
Game designer Jane McGonigal, came up with the idea for “SuperBetter”, after she got a concussion. In interviews with Jane, she has described how she struggled to retrieve her focus until she decided to treat her recovery like a game: setting a series of progressive challenges, levels of achievement, with small prizes along the way. Users will be able to pick from a list of challenges—quit smoking, lose weight, recover from heartbreak—and try to accomplish them. Friends or family who have also signed up can act like Toad in the classic game “Super Mario Brothers 3”, and nudge you along.
Continue reading… “SuperBetter – online game promotes self-improvement”
Researchers discovered several small regions in online addicts’ brains shrunk.
There are more internet and gaming addicts in China than in any other country. China also conducts more research on the issue than anyone. Chinese researchers think that excessive gaming and internet use can permanently alter brain function, according to a new study.
Continue reading… “Addictive internet use rewires the brain: study”
Wii U
For the majority of their console generation, Nintendo has been content to play its own game. Now it’s ready to take the fight to Microsoft and Sony. (video)
Continue reading… “Nintendo Officially Unveils the Wii U”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.