Platform & Adventure Games

A platform game is a game in which you have to lead your character through a world of platforms. You have jump from place to place and most likely collect some sort of special thing. Platform games are some of the oldest in the word of video games. The most well known example of a platform game is Mario. Platform games have come a long way since then. The best platform game of all time is most definitely Crash bandicoot. Specifically the second one, cortex strikes back. This is the game I grew up on and I still live it. There are no large interactive worlds from you to prance around in. The way the game works is that your character, Crash Bandicoot, is placed in a warp room which has several levels. Each level has one rout which you follow. At the end you collect a crystal. When you collect all the crystals you face a boss and then move to the warp room on the next floor. This type of game is sort of basic but it is very fun for those who enjoy a little nostalgia and simplicity. The other Genre that beets all the rest is action and adventure games. What makes a game good for me is a good story line. The jack and Daxter games are the best adventure games out there. Its more than going around and shooting your friends, it’s both a platform game in the sense that you have to get from here to there by jumping and punching your way through the level. What makes this game so good is that the story line, especially in the third game, is very well written. Also you get to enjoy a huge world stock full of vehicles and missions. The only disadvantage to platform games is that once you beat the game and collect all the extra stuff you can’t really come back and play it again and again. The solution is to get a new game and beat it. Then wait a couple weeks or months and when you remember that you had this game play it again. It will be just as fun as before if not better.

Women and Gaming

When it comes to video games it’s known as a guy thing right?

Well not exactly. A lot of women are into games just as much as guys are. Some women are so good the guys that they beat actually are surprised or even mad, because they just got wooped by a girl, (news flash girls are good at video games). Just the other day I was talking to a friend of mine about what games he plays and then when I brought up the fact that I play them too. He was shocked (it was pretty funny). He asked to me: “You play video games?” I told him that a lot of girls do and that I’m probably better than him for all he knows. I love video games, but I just don’t play them as much as a regular fiend would lol.

On the other hand when it comes to genres, the people who realize that girls do play games they think that they only play a specific genre that fits the stereo type of “sugar, spice, and everything nice” (in other words the girly girl). The typical girl games for example BRATZ, Barbie, etc. I don’t really know and I’m a girl. A lot of girls like to play shooter or sports games like: Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto, or Madden ’09. Girls can play all genres and they do

Remember those days when you saw tree houses or your brother’s fort would have “no girls allowed” signs on them? Today guys are still like that with a lot of things, especially when it comes to games. Me personally I have a lot of boys in my family and for a while they were like “oh the girls can’t play; she can’t play this with us she’s a girl.” Now women have all girl gaming groups and clubs. They play every genre of game and they play live and sometimes they just play each other. These groups are known as female gaming communities.

If you really think about it the games that are made for you to play, the games that you love, your favorite games, who makes these games? Do women create games too? The answer is yes they do and probably some of the games you think a women would never play a woman created.

Totaka's Song

Kazumi Totaka was born on August 23, 1967. He is a Japanese composer who has worked on many Nintendo games, like Animal Crossing and Pikmin 2. Totakeke, a dog in Animal Crossing, was apparently based on Totaka. Totaka has also done the voice of Yoshi on occasions. However, there is one accomplishment many gamers do not know about. That is “Totaka’s Song”, a short tune that is hidden in every game Totaka has ever worked on. The first appearance was found in “X”, which was the first game Totaka composed. In some cases days have been spent searching for this elusive tune, despite being less than 20 notes long.

To date, Totaka has worked on 21 Nintendo games. Five of those games are still being searched for the song. Wave Race 64 has held its secret the longest, Totaka’s song has not been found since the game’s release in 1996. That’s twelve years of checking every possible scenario. This in Wave Race would be something like, “play as Ryota, score 0 points, wait 10 minutes at score board”. That same scenario would have to be tested multiple times using different scores. Three games are only as old as the Wii, one younger. The most popular of these games is Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

8.1 million copies of Brawl have been sold worldwide and no one has found it yet. Some people think that the song is not in brawl and that Totaka is leading people on a wild goose hunt. The more common belief is that the song is hidden so well that the only way to find it is to take the code apart. An important bit to note: these are worldwide sales. In Link’s Awakening, the song is hidden differently in different countries. If the same strategy was used to hide Totaka’s Song in Brawl than that would mean that some attempts to find it might not work here but maybe they would in Germany or Japan.

I think Totaka’s Song is in Brawl’s code with no way to access it except though hacking the game.

Game Genres

My favorite game genres are shooting, sports and fighting. These are my favorite game genres because they are the most competitive when playing with other people. When playing shooting games you can play alone or on teams. On teams you have to work together to complete the assigned objective to beat the other team. When alone you have to take care of yourself. Some of My favorite shooting games are Call of Duty, Gears of War, and Halo. Sport games are fun because I like the competition and beating people one on one. In Sport games I like how realistic the games are and look. In sports games you have to use strategy and your skills to win. Sport games I enjoy playing are the Madden NFL and NBA 2K series. Fighting games are fun because you can beat people up. Some good fighting games are street fighter, Tekken, Fight Night, and Mortal Kombat.

Female Gamers

Now in days there are a small number of female gamers and tons of male gamers. Females are less targeted than the males, because how many females can be targeted with shooting games? A low number of females enjoy shooting games, and majority is that males will purchase the game. Games that are created now are for male teenagers, because companies know that they are bound to make money off of the teens than targeting females. It was said by Dona Bailey and Ed Logg that Pac-man was what drew in female gamers, because the concept of the game was easy. There were no ugly, big scary characters and all you had to do was move around Mr. Pac-man or Ms. Pac-man and eat up all of the pellets. If they made the games more catching for females rather than only catching male’s attention then the more female gamers there will be. All most all of the games out there seem complicated and doesn’t catch much of my attention. If the game seems hard then I rather not purchase it because I know it will take me years to understand what I am doing. These war games such as Gears of Wars 2 look cool on the commercials but it looks so complicated so I just pay not mind after that. With other games like The Sims seems cool and it looks so easy to understand so I get attracted to it more. Since the majority of the games advertised on television are games that gain more of the attention of the males that explains why there are few female gamers. With every game, people take ideas and try to create upcoming games that will target a wide amount of people, not just one gender or age group. For example, Guitar Hero World Tour it was created for a large number of people not just targeted to one specific gender or age. There is both female and male protagonist and the concept of the game is not difficult; it is easy once you get the hang of what you are doing. I know for sure all types of people, ages, and genders play Guitar hero, because my 10 year old brother, 34 year old dad, 33 year old mother and me a 16 year old female teen play it. Getting an audience that wide is how all over the world, the game was selling like crazy; therefore, more games will attract female gamer’s as much as male gamers in the near future.

Game Addiction

Game addiction is not your average addiction. It is often confused with playing a lot or being passionate about gaming, but there are limits. Some people would rather sit in front of a computer or video game console instead of giving themselves the proper necessities, which include food and water, using the bathroom, and taking care of personal hygiene. Some may think that this is not a serious matter and there is no such thing as game addiction, but there are some situations where people have not fulfilled their most important abilities. There have been reported cases of people that were so wrapped up in their games that they neglected their children.
Mrs. Iana Straw and a Mr. Michael Straw were charged with child neglect when they allowed themselves to sit and play “Dungeons and Dragons” on the computer instead of feeding their young children. When police came to the house, they found the children were malnutrition’s to the point of death because of their parent’s addiction to games. Mrs. Straw and Mr. Straw faced up to twelve years in prison and where they were going, they wouldn’t be playing; they’d be in a dungeon with no dragon.
In multiple countries, game addiction has become a big problem in their civilizations. In China, for example, they have made it so that minors were not allowed to play MMO’s (MMOG, MMORPG or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) for more then three hours a day. Also, players are required, by law, to register using their real names and country ID number (like a social security number). China says that according to their numbers, 60% of under-18 gamers like this system.
Also in China, a mister Xian Cai, a 23-year-old male tried to commit suicide for the fourth time by swallowing small fragments of a steel blade. His uncle said that he believes that his nephew became addicted to games about three or four years prior when a girl betrayed him online and he’s been devastated ever since. Xian Cai was said to have been speaking about parts in the game and reciting quotes about his two favorite games (WoW and Starcraft) in the Beijing hospital. His current condition is unknown.
In Canada, a fifteen year old boy died after running away from home and falling out of a tree because his parents decided to confiscate his Xbox 360. They believed that he either ran away to join a professional gaming league or was abducted by a player that he met on Xbox. Brandon (the young boy) was an avid player of the game Call of Duty 4.
These are just a few cases of game addiction and although most cases are not this serious, it still is a big problem. In Amsterdam, Germany, there is an institute where people teenagers and young adults go to admit their addictions to video games. This is for the extreme gamers. The center is called the Wild Horses Center. They try to take people out of the fantasy world and into the real world by taking them into therapy sessions and bringing them into group discussions.
I am not a doctor, but there are a few symptoms that one should think about when they think about game addictions. These symptoms are different for both children and adults.

For children:
• Most of non-school hours are spent on the computer or playing video games.
• Falling asleep in school.
• Not keeping up with assignments.
• Worsening grades.
• Lying about computer or video game use.
• Choosing to use the computer or play video games, rather than see friends.
• Dropping out of other social groups (clubs or sports).
• Irritable when not playing a video game or on the computer.
For adults:
• Computer or video game use is characterized by intense feelings of pleasure and guilt.
• Obsessing and pre-occupied about being on the computer, even when not connected.
• Hours playing video games or on the computer increasing, seriously disrupting family, social or even work life.
• Lying about computer or video game use.
• Experience feelings of withdrawal, anger, or depression when not on the computer or involved with their video game.
• May incur large phone or credit bills for on-line services.
• Can't control computer or video game use.
• Fantasy life on-line replaces emotional life with partner.

There are even physical symptoms that may point to addiction:
• Carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Sleep disturbances
• Back, neck aches
• Headaches
• Dry eyes
• Failure to eat regularly or neglect personal hygiene

Xbox vs. PS3

One of the biggest rivalries since the Yankees and Red Sox, Celtics and Lakers, and Bruins and Canadiens is Microsoft and Sony. The main gadget that represents both companies are the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. The Xbox 360 debuted with a price at about $400. It came with a wireless controller, detachable hard drive, a headset, and high definition A.V cables. Also Xbox has one of the best online services called Xbox Live where you play with people around the world! The Xbox 360 has sold about 29 million units since its release. The Playstation 3 sold at a starting price of about $600 at its launch. This is an overwhelming price to deal with especially if you want to see the unnecessary Blu-ray effect you would have to spend at least $1500 for a 1080p resolution television, and it does not come with high-definition cables as opposed to the 360 which does comes with hi-def and normal cables. The Ps3 came with a Sixaxis wireless controller, and an Ethernet cable. Not much right? Didn’t think so. Now, although the Ps3 has free online Playstation Network (PSN), the quality of Xbox Live is much better. Xbox Live has less lagging, and you can communicate while playing your game as opposed to Ps3 which you have to be in your Playstation Home to communicate online. Almost every title for Xbox 360 is Xbox Live compatible. What happened to Playstation being the jump-off of the video-gaming world? Well, in our opinion, Xbox 360 is better because it offers more options and better quality to the player than Playstation 3 but we can let the decision up to you.

Ups & Downs of Resident Evil 5

The game takes place in a little town called in Kijuju in Africa the two main characters in the game are Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar. Chris is working for BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) He is sent to Kijuju to capture Irving a Bio technology seller to terrorist. Upon arrival Chris meets sheva another BSAA agent but before they begin to search for Irving they find that the citizens of Kijuju are possessed by the Uroboros Virus. Through the game you play as Chris while sheva can be played by another person or the computer takes over and they are both used to help the player get through puzzles and find hidden areas of the game and reach new levels.

Ups- even thought there is a lot to improve on the aiming the weapon upgrades make even the weakest pistol in the game into a powerful weapon capable of taking down most enemies. There is quite a diverse collection of weapons in this game that you could spend hours or even days trying to unlock and upgrade. There is also infinite ammo for every gun which can come in handy for those big boss levels. The graphics on this game are the best out of all the resident evil series. The levels provide diverse environments for intense battles against possessed hordes of enemies. The enemies drop treasure which can help you buy new weapons.

Downs – now the game can be a little fun but then again there are some problems with it the whole aiming system is lacking the running is pretty slow the enemy’s are pretty slow when it comes to fighting them it can get a little boring. When your about to beat a level swarms or possessed people and mutant spiders would come out of nowhere. If you don’t have another person playing with you it gets a little bit annoying the computer would control sheva then it gets pretty stupid she would not react fast enough to help you or she would just run around and get separated. For a game that came in 2009 with a good story and nice graphics the game play are ok but there still some things they could do to improve.

World at War vs. Call of Duty Modern Warfare

In my own opinion, I would prefer to play World at War rather than Modern Warfare. The reasons for this is that World at War storyline is following actual events that had happened in World War II and it also shows the side of the Japanese war along with the Nazi Germany war. Although in Modern Warfare, the storyline is pretty good, but it switches from one story to another from two sides fighting against the same threat. When playing World at War I felt that the controls with the weapons felt easier to me than Modern Warfare, but the controls started to feel the same as they did in World at War. Plus in World at War, you can be able to summon dogs to your help in the multiplayer mode, but in Modern Warfare, you can summon a helicopter to also help you out too. Even though in World at War you use old school guns and in Modern Warfare you use modernized guns; the guns do not take an influence in my pick since it is about the fun you have and both of these games provide that fun for me. The aiming capabilities in World at War is okay, but in Modern Warfare, it is kind of better since its zoom function goes directly at the person making it easier to shoot; but the highest difficulty in Modern Warfare is ridiculous since you can die in an instance when spotted, but the highest difficulty setting in World at War is about the same, but it’s a little bit easier. Also, in World at war, you can be able to use vehicles online and use flamethrowers to make it more of an enjoyable experience playing online or with friends. There are many differences that make both games greater than the other, but I find that both are great games, but my favor falls over to the World at War side just a little bit.

Do Video Games Make You Smarter?

Video game cartridges come with warning labels - Mature audiences only, or Violence inappropriate for children. I propose a new label for video games : Caution this may make you dumber.

Mindless video games can negatively affect a young person’s future by affecting their grades and reading level from college to elementary school.

Before you dismiss this argument completely read the National Bureau of Economic Research findings on college students who brought a console to school and received .241 less points ( 4.0 scale ) in the first semester of their college G.P.A. This is could be the difference between academic probation and going home for students who need to maintain their G.P.A. for scholarships.

Additionally, University of Texas researchers published their study on the affect of video games on adolescent gamers (ages 13 to 17). Adolescent gamers spent 30 percent less time reading and 34 percent less time doing homework versus non-gamers. Could it be that gamers do not need more time to do homework? Are adolescent gamers more efficient at doing homework or reading just due to playing video games? I think not.

In a separate University of Minnesota study elementary school students who spend less time reading (15 minutes as compared to 40 minutes) were found to have on-average a decrease in reading achievement which included lower reading level and processing of words per minute. No significant difference was found in students who already had low achievement levels. These results show that for at risk youth with low reading level spending time on video games will not increase their reading level. So as their counterparts (non-gamers) are reading more and increasing their reading skills, gamers are being left behind. Interesting, for students who have worked hard to improve their reading spending time on video games instead of reading negates their gains and drops their reading skills.

On the other hand, video games have also been created for the purpose of increasing math and logic skills. These games however, are often designed and marketed as such in order to introduce older populations to gaming. for example, the Nintendo DS Brain Training Games (Smith, 2008). Although this game is designed from research done by leading brain expert Dr Kawashima no definitive studies have been published confirming the IQ increases as the game claims.

Smith, Jeremy, Playing the Blame Game, Greater Good Magazine, Spring 2008, p.24 - 29

Bennallack, Owain, April 24, 2006 Accessed April 16, 2009 BBC News Brain Games Aim To Boost Your IQ www.news.bbc.co.uk

Samuels, S., Wu, Y., How the Time Spent on Independent Reading Affects Reading Achievement: A Response to the National Reading Panel, University o Minnesota, 2002


Stinebrickner T., Stinebrickner, R., The Causal Effect of Studying on Academic Performance, National Bureau of Economic Research, August 2007