video games

opinion

Dec 12, 2009 1:26 PM CST

EA Can't Stick With Tiger Forever

Big problem, though: No other golfer will generate sales

(Newser) - Electronic Arts just may be the corporate sponsor most shaken up by the Tiger Woods scandal. It's put out no fewer than 12 titles under his name in the past decade, making it one of the top-selling sports games out there, writes Dean Takahashi at Venture Beat . The company says...

Video Games to Help
CSI Teams Solve Crimes

Nov 28, 2009 2:26 PM CST

Video Games to Help CSI Teams Solve Crimes

Gaming platform will recreate crime scenes

(Newser) - The real-life counterparts of forensics experts on all those CSI shows will soon be getting a helping hand from the world of video games. A team at North Carolina State University is adapting the platform behind games like FusionFall and VooDude to recreate crime scenes, allowing investigators to play out...

2009's Coolest Pop Culture

Nov 28, 2009 8:03 AM CST

2009's Coolest Pop Culture

Wired picks the year's best

(Newser) - This has been a vintage year for pop culture, say Wired writers listing their year's best in fields from film to video games to microsculpture.

Stephen Colbert's "hyper-real genius" made the year for Scott Thill, who believes "Earth’s most relevant living cultural critic" is long overdue for

...

Japanese Man Marries
Video Game Girlfriend

Nov 25, 2009 1:33 PM CST

Japanese Man Marries Video Game Girlfriend

But the wedding's probably not legally binding

(Newser) - A Japanese man pledged his undying love to a video game character last weekend, in a first-of-its-kind ceremony witnessed by dozens of gamers. The man, username Sal9000, had fallen in love with Nene Anegasaki, a virtual woman in the Nintendo DS dating simulator “Love Plus.” He “married”...

Online Gamers
a Cash Crop
for FarmVille

Nov 23, 2009 4:05 PM CST

Online Gamers a Cash Crop for FarmVille

Nonviolent, social game spreads like wildfire on Facebook

(Newser) - The latest video game craze sweeping America is a surprisingly cute Facebook application that doesn’t include even a single laser gun. FarmVille has attracted 60 million players, 22 million of whom still check in on their farms every day, harvesting crops, tending livestock, and helping their neighbors scare off...

'Naughty' Mickey Hits the Wii

Nov 5, 2009 11:14 AM CST

'Naughty' Mickey Hits the Wii

Disney dares to reimagine him for new generation

(Newser) - Mickey Mouse is going back to his papered-over roots as a mischief-maker as Disney reimagines its core property for a new generation, and perhaps a new revenue stream. The first vehicle is “Epic Mickey,” a video game for the Wii console in which players can choose to play...

Slumping Wii
Surprises
Nintendo

Oct 30, 2009 8:07 AM CDT

Slumping Wii Surprises Nintendo

Lack of hit games hits sales

(Newser) - With hit games few and far between, consumers aren’t exactly fighting in the aisles to get their hands on a Wii anymore. Nintendo slashed its full year sales forecast for Wii hardware 23% yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reports, and offered little hope of a swift turnaround. “Right...

Gaming Causes Joint Pain in Kids: Study

Oct 19, 2009 4:04 PM CDT

Gaming Causes Joint Pain in Kids: Study

Child scientist finds 60+ minutes of daily play may cause trouble

(Newser) - The repetitive motions involved in playing video games cause joint pain in children, according to a new study by a true expert—an 11-year-old gamer. Deniz Ince, with the help of his rheumatologist dad, studied joint pain among his fellow video game enthusiasts, aged 7 to 12. More than an...

Rock Band Hits the iPhone

Oct 19, 2009 12:01 PM CDT

Rock Band Hits the iPhone

The New Video Gamer Is a Chick

Females now constitute 40% of players

(Newser) - In 2001, women and girls constituted just 12% of video gamers; now, fully 40% of game players are female, and the gaming industry has taken notice. EA, Sony, Nintendo, and several other companies are rolling out new products catering to girls, from a dancing game to a Hannah Montana adventure...

War Games
Help Vets
Cope With
PTSD

Sep 29, 2009 9:02 AM CDT

War Games Help Vets Cope With PTSD

Psychologists say virtual reality allows vets to confront and overcome trauma

(Newser) - Using realistic war games to re-create the sights, sounds, and even smells of combat is helping veterans overcome post-traumatic stress disorder in several clinical trials. Games like Virtual Iraq—modeled on Full Spectrum Warrior—help psychologists bring patients back to traumatic events and break down mental barriers. Researchers say the...

Nintendo Cuts Wii to $200
in Price War With Sony

Sep 24, 2009 8:24 AM CDT

Nintendo Cuts Wii to $200 in Price War With Sony

Console maker slashes price at opening of Tokyo Game Show

(Newser) - Nintendo is slashing the price of its Wii console by 20% worldwide, bringing the US price to $200—a cut announced just as Sony was beginning its presentation at the annual Tokyo Game Show. The prices of Sony's Playstation and Microsoft's Xbox were both dropped to $300 lately as the...

Army Recruiters'
Video Arcade
Draws Fire

Sep 11, 2009 5:26 PM CDT

Army Recruiters' Video Arcade Draws Fire

Simulations ignore 'reality of war itself:' Pulitzer winner Chris Hedges

(Newser) - The Army Experience Center in Philadelphia—a sort of video arcade/recruiting center—has numerous detractors, and those opponents have an influential ally. “This is just a new version of an old attempt” at recruiting, Pulitzer Prize winner and former New York Times war correspondent Chris Hedges tells dscriber. The...

Guitar Hero 5
Uses Cobain's
Image Illegally: Love

Sep 10, 2009 4:58 PM CDT

Guitar Hero 5 Uses Cobain's Image Illegally: Love

Nirvana frontman's widow threatens to sue Activision

(Newser) - Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, says she plans to sue Activision for allegedly including the Nirvana frontman’s image in its Guitar Hero 5 without permission, MTV reports. “For the record this Guitar Hero shit is breach of contract on a Bullys part and there will be a proper...

Stones Legend
Bashes Guitar Hero

Sep 9, 2009 4:54 AM CDT

Stones Legend Bashes Guitar Hero

Real instruments gathering moss, Wyman complains

(Newser) - The growth of video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band means fewer real guitar heros in the future, complains former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. Playing the games "encourages kids not to learn, that's the trouble. It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and...

Rock Band Matures
With Beatles Edition

TECH REVIEW

Sep 7, 2009 5:06 PM CDT

Rock Band Matures With Beatles Edition

Game is good, clean cross-generational fun

(Newser) - The Beatles: Rock Band successfully brings the winning music-game formula to one of rock’s biggest names, writes Elizabeth Landau for CNN. Designed to be played by as many as six, the game "does make for a great time and will probably be a hit at parties." Meanwhile,...

Playing Tetris
Boosts Brain
Power

Sep 2, 2009 6:15 AM CDT

Playing Tetris Boosts Brain Power

Study claims game has building blocks for better grey matter

(Newser) - Playing Tetris leaves people's brains better-equipped to deal with more than just an onslaught of falling blocks, according to a new study. Researchers—funded by the video game's makers—took brain scans of adolescent girls before and after three months of daily Tetris playing and found that some parts of...

Iran Launches Islamic
Video Games

Aug 21, 2009 5:54 AM CDT

Iran Launches Islamic Video Games

(Newser) - Video game developers are in Cologne for one of Europe's biggest gaming conventions, and one booth is standing out: the Iranian National Foundation for Computer Games, which is trying to get a foothold in the West. The games have a decidedly nationalist slant, reports the BBC. One game is a...

Video Games: The New Prozac

Aug 18, 2009 10:26 AM CDT