Why We Play Games, Part 2

Last week we started to get into the motivation of the gamer. We discussed challenge and its ugly stepsister competition, two of the most common motivators. Today, we look at two more on the way to forming an overall model for what moves us.

Perhaps less common than the first two motivators, creativity is nonetheless an important driving force in the gamer psyche. Though at first gaming doesn't seem like a particularly creative act, what with its formalized rules and structured systems, there is much more room for self expression than one might think. Some games play to this directly through unique presentations or artistic themes. Music games and many of the Sim titles are basically just expressive outlets that happen to be governed by a computerized system of rules. Other creatives find their outlet in multiplayer gaming. The modern MMORPG sports equipment and decorative combinations numbering well into the millions. The Creatively Motivated gamer takes pleasure in designing how their character looks as well as changing how they interact with their environment. Creatively Motivated gamers thrive when outlets are available. Anything involving a high degree of expression, decoration, or a large abstract component draws them. They wilt in gaming environments governed purely by numbers, and in those where presentation is extremely homogeneous.

Though we sometimes don't like to admit it, escapism is a motivation that lives in the heart of every gamer. By design, a game creates an inherently different world. Even games which have as one of their primary goals simulation of some aspect of the real world recast the player into some role they find more exciting than their own. Escaping into the role of adventurer, pilot, quarterback or even zookeeper provides motivation for nearly every gamer. Escapism Motivated gamers seek out games where the environment is rich, comprehensive, real. They thrive in worlds where suspension of disbelief is high, where they can lose themselves in the depth and complexity available to them. They gravitate toward role playing and simulation, environments where the world is rich and believable. They tend to avoid abstract games where the underlying reality is difficult to believe or understand. It is a strange sort of paradox that MMORPGS, with their incredibly deep histories and expansive worlds, are not as attractive to Escapism Motivated gamers as pure RPGs. This effect arises from the multiplayer aspect. Players talking in a public channel about out of game topics or, worse, about the mechanical and numerical aspects of the game world may well ruin the escapists experience and cause them to seek the company of non player characters or others who share their motivation.

Much has been made of the downside of escapism. A gamer who spends too much time in a world not their own can begin to lose touch. This sort of disassociation with reality can, and has, lead to all sorts of problems with work, school and personal relations. This does not mean, however, that escapism is itself an unhealthy thing. It is a basic part of the human experience. The reason we vacation, watch moves, enjoy sporting events or go camping is inherently escapist. As people, we are often unsatisfied with out lot in life. It's natural to seek out activities that allow us to experience something outside of our day to day. Gaming is no different. However, as gamers, we are an oft misunderstood community. We owe it to ourselves and to the world at large both to fight with information, by spreading the positive realities of gaming and gamer culture, and to fight internally against obsession. No matter how good a substitute for the real world a game may seem it is, in the end, only a pastime. Leave it once in a while.

Next week, we conclude with Social Interaction. Then, we'll move on to some sort of unified theory about all this.

Steve is a member of the GrandMatrix team. They provide a broad range of games, puzzles, articles and reviews. Read more articles, download and play the latest PC games for free plus enjoy thousands of user submitted puzzles, quizzes and word games at GrandMatrix Free Game Downloads

How to Write a Business Plan While Playing

BizTech 2.0 is an entrepreneur education program offering business assistance to students over 13. The program teaches business, information technology and life skills to young people via the Internet. It reinforces math learning, reading and critical thinking skills.

The program was launched by The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an organization located in New York City that was set up from the need for a program for preventing failure and dropout of disadvantaged students from low-income communities. It does this by helping them develop entrepreneurial skills and eventually enhance their economic productivity and improve the quality of their lives and their academic and business skills.

BizTech 2.0 is flexible, user friendly, utilizing the latest technology. It is built of 25 units divided into three levels: basic, intermediate and advanced. It allows on-line learning of how to develop your own business connecting students and teachers.

Students have the advantage of the interactive graphics that reflect the progress through each level.

The program is teacher-led and teachers are permitted to choose the most appropriate work mode for the class or student from: Full Curriculum Mode or BizPlan Only Mode. Both modes result in teaching kids how to write a business plan in a complex, well drawn manner.

What is really helpful and confers the program maximum productivity is the fact that it is designed in such a pleasurable manner that students learn valuable, complex business and entrepreneurship information and enjoy it, as it is known that kids learn most by playing and that's exactly what they do when working with BizTech 2.0.

The program partially answers the social problems of potential problem-children from low-income urban backgrounds who are usually prone to quitting school and finding ways that are not always "righteous" to make money. But not only this category of kids can benefit from such a program, as it was proven by a study that NFTE graduates possess 20 times more knowledge on basic business concepts and are 30 times more likely to start up their own business.

Laura Ciocan writes for http://www.businessplanning.ws where you can find more information about what is a business plan
Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared.
Contact:lauracio@gmail.com

And The Winner is

The Winner of WE Competition
1st place Gea ( Manchester United )
2nd place Kuat ( AC Milan )
3rd place Diky ( Chelsea )

A Comparison Of the Next Generation Gaming Consoles (Part 2)

Arguably Microsoft can attribute a great deal of its success to the hugely successful online capabilities. The new Xbox 360 will continue with the online feature and develop it even further. Xbox 360 will offer two tiers of online function, silver and gold. With silver being a basic package for users to connect and play online, and gold offering other services such as additional downloads and content.

Microsoft has also provided additional resources for their new gaming console. The Xbox 360 will have the ability to operate as a general media centre, with the ability to stream media directory from a PC running Windows Media Player, as well as other portable devices which are supported by Microsoft.

Nintendo Revolution

No one really knows too much about the actually system. What will it look like? What kind of power will it "actually" have? What games are in development? Nintendo is, for the most part, keeping a lid on things. We don't even really know when the official release date will be. It has been reported that March of 2006 will be the "unofficial" date.

Living in an online world, it seems everyone has "the inside scoop" on the new console. Members of blogs and forums are saying everything from holographic imaging to new methods of image processing where a developer could create hyper realistic vistas at a fraction of the current processing cost. The bottom line is, with limited facts, speculation is rampid, which creates plenty of misinformation and hype.

Nintendo seems to be the least powerful out of the three systems, but it is expected to cost almost half as much compared to the Playstatin and Xbox.. It is also anticipated that the new Nintendo will be the final console to enter the market., which means they will have a lot of work to do to catch up.

A closer look

- The Playstation 3 seems to be the leader in processing power, offering a custom "cell" processor.

- The Xbox may boast less power than the Playstation, but hopes to make up ground in offering other appealing features such as the extended online multiplayer abilities as well as in impressive media center.

- Both the Xbox and Playstation are offering wireless controllers this time around which will appeal to all users.

- In terms of graphics capabilities both the Xbox and Playstation have done an impressive job in searching for a

Below is a comparison of the three systems. This information has been collected from various online resources. As a result, it could be wrong or could very easily change from now to the time of actual production. As previously noted, Nintendo has not released a spec sheet yet for the Revolution, so we can only add bits and pieces of what we "think" we know.

http://searchwarp.com/swa13746.htm

By the middle of next year, all three consoles will have been released. Since Microsoft is hoping to have their Xbox 360 released just in time for Christmas they will undoubtedly have the upper-hand. Sony and Nintendo will have a lot of work to to do to catch up to the momentum started by the Xbox 360.

Ultimately, what will make or break the new consoles are the game titles. Traditionally, Nintendo has appealed to the younger audience, while Microsoft and Sony have targeted a more adult oriented crowd. However with these new, more powerful system, each Company has the capabilities to produce exciting games.

The The Import game forum is a great resource for import games as well as domestic titles. our check out this great website promotion service

Halo 2 Multiplayer Tips for Beginners and Advanced players

Here are some general tips from an advanced player for all of you who are looking for an edge in this game. You may know some or all the things in this article depending on your skill level. Even if you are an expert player this article should help you remember the fundamental that make you a good player. This article focuses on individual fighting tips, perhaps a future article will address team strategy.

Weapon Combos:

From close range you can hit for a lot more damage when holding two weapons. From a distance, the battle rifle is the weapon of choice if you cannot get your hands on a sniper rifle. My favorite combo for quick kills is the plasma rifle/smg combo and the pistol/smg combo. If you aim at the opponents head and they don't aim at your head, like most people, they will be wondering how they died so fast. The plasma rifle combo is better against multiple opponents and the pistol is more effective against single opponents. This is because the pistol runs out of ammo quickly. If you can find a plasma pistol, the plasma pistol/smg combo is not bad, but it leaves you vulnerable if you miss the charged shot or if there are multiple opponents.

Plasma Pistol/Battle Rifle:

This in my opinion is the ultimate combo. If you are at close to medium range, hit them with the plasma pistol and shoot them in the head with the battle rifle. At long range, pick them off with the battle rifle. This is a frustrating combo to fight against when the opponent is good. This is one of the reasons you see a lot of Human Slayer games now.

Grenades:

This is one of the things that separate good players from weaker ones. It takes a lot of practice to become an expert with grenades, but it is one of the easiest ways to kill someone. Use common sense, throw the grenade where the player will be not where they are right now. If you see someone running towards you, backup behind a wall and throw a grenade in their path. If you are surrounded, try to get off two grenades and you will sometimes get several kills. If you hit someone with a frag grenade, and you hit them in the head with a battle rifle, they die in one shot.

Melee:

If you are shooting someone and you can walk up to them, melee them if you can. Sometimes it is better to back up rather than melee. For example if you are dual wielding and did not get the first shot off against a single wielder, back off so you kill him rather than get meleed. Don't forget that you lunge slightly when you melee, so use that to your advantage.

Where to walk:

Try to flank people as much as possible. For example if you are on top of big base sniping and you see someone on the radar coming up, look through or jump through the hole behind you and take them out. On ivory tower, if you are at the top and see someone coming from dark side, jump down a level and flank them. Do not run into rooms with more than one enemy, let them come to you or weaken them with grenades first, it is much easier to kill them that way.

Summary: The #1 tip I can give you is to aim for the head no matter what weapon you are using, except the shotgun. You will kill them a lot faster. Other than that, learn the maps and the weapon combos that work best in different situations.

Tony James is a supporter of freeware games and runs (Freewaregames.net-free fullversion games) a well known freeware games resource

Winning Eleven Competition

Indonesian Language
Cd : WE10'4


Persyaratan:
Biaya Pendaftaran Rp 10.000,-
Hadiah Uang Tunai plus T-Shirt n Voc menarik dah
Juara 1,2,3 n harapan 1
Sistem gugur. Peserta boleh mendaftar lebih dr 1 Team, jk sampai babak 1/4fnl masih punya 2 team ato lebih harus digugurkan
Radar:off
Camera: wide
yang lain nyusul deh coba daftar aja ya ntar diterangin cape ngetiknya.
Winning Eleven Competition
WAJIB IKUT


Oke bOS Wajib Ikut

Popular Electronic Games - They Are Not Just For Kids Anymore

Superheroes battle monsters and space invaders in fast action games. Players take on the role of these superheroes in epic battles. In other games players race cars, boats, motorcycles, helicopters and planes against villains and even less evil opponents to win high stakes races.

Game titles such as Burnout3: Takedown, ESPN, NHL ? 2K5, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Terminator 3: The Redemption, Donkey Kong 3, and, Pokemon have joined the national lexicon as kids have flocked to the lure of electronic games.

Parents, teachers, preachers and politicians, have criticized and in some cases even banned electronic games. Electronic games have been blamed for poor grades, poor conduct and even poor health. If you listen long enough, electronic games are responsible for all of the problems our young people experience today.

One thing is certain. Kids love them. They buy and play them in ever increasing numbers. Electronic games are here to stay.

People have been trying to play games on computers almost since the days of the very first computer. As early as 1950, Claude Shannon, a mathematician and engineer, believed that computers could be programmed to play chess in competition with humans. He became intrigued with the concept of artificial intelligence. In pursuit of this idea researchers and scientists designed crude games that could be played on the huge and clumsy computers of the 1950s and 1960s.

The first actual electronic games as a consumer product were built as coin operated arcade games in the early 1970s. In 1971 Nolan Bushnell, Ted Dabney and Al Alcorn formed the first game company, Atari. Soon after they produced the first game console and their first electronic game, Pong, as an arcade game. Pong was immediately successful.

This success led Atari and other firms to begin work on home game consoles that could be hooked to TV sets. Atari released its first home console in 1977. Soon games were put on cartridges that could be changed at the whim of the player.

By 1979, the company, Activision, was formed by former Atari game designers. The purpose of this new company was to focus strictly on game software. They decided to leave the development of equipment to play electronic games to other people. This was the first company to build a business of developing and selling electronic games software.

In a short time a spate of game companies sprang up trying to develop software for the infant electronic game industry. The result was a glut of poorly conceived games hitting the market. Consumers turned away in droves and the home electronic game industry faded hit the skids.

By the early 1980s, electronic games were being developed for personal computers. Color graphics, flexible storage capacity and general purpose processors made games much easier to play on personal computers. The game console business was all but dead.

In the late 1980s, two Japanese companies introduced a new generation of game consoles that were technologically capable of handling the new electronic games being produced. These companies were Nintendo and Sega. These game consoles had graphics capabilities that exceeded those of most personal computers. Nintendo also offered a feature that let the console record the game action so a player could pause the action of a game.

Right behind Nintendo came Gameboy, a hand-held game console. Game consoles enjoyed a resurgence of popularity during the 1990s. A new, even more sophisticated generation of electronic games was introduced by 2001. These consoles included Playstation2 and Xbox. Electronic games continued to become more complex with more action and more graphics.

Electronic games, today, have achieved art form status. They are sort of a wonderful combination of board games and comic books all rolled up into one medium with spectacular graphics and compelling audio. Curiously enough, most electronic games are similar to board games. They have one of two central themes. The first is racing and the other is capturing area or opponents. Perhaps it is because of these similarities that electronic games have begun to capture a wider audience.

As electronic games have matured they have begun to attract more mature audiences. Initially these games were primarily toys for boys. The growth area in the game industry is no longer adolescent males. It is mature adults, both men and women. Many of the most popular board games have been adapted to electronic game formats. Where youngsters hooked game consoles to TV sets, adults are playing games on their PCs, often against other players across the Internet. Grandparents are playing electronic games with grandchildren. They are also joining game clubs to play electronic games on the Internet with other senior citizens in another state or half a world away. Many of the top game companies are betting that older adults are the new growth market for the game industry.

Claude Shannon believed that computers could be programmed to play chess. In a sense he was right. He certainly never imagined chess players reaching across cyberspace as they exercise chess strategies on computerized game boards. Nor could he have imagined video poker, Internet casinos and all of the other popular electronic games people of all ages are playing. Electronic games aren't just for kids anymore.

About the author: Royce Armstrong is a successful freelance writer with a business and banking background who believes consumers should get the best value for their money when shopping for toys such as electronic games, playstation 2, and game boy.

Why We Play Games?

There exists some ephemeral quality that separates gamers from the rest of humanity, some thing that makes us, us and them, not us. I've never been able to quite put my finger on it, but it is inescapably there. Today, in hopes of moving closer to that essential quality of gamerosity, we examine part of what makes us tick. In particular, we take a look at what draws different types of gamers to the hobby. Every gamer plays for different reasons, but there are common threads that tie the experience together.

Many gamers are motivated by the challenge a game can present. Success in a game may be governed by any of a wide variety of abilities. A First Person Shooter requires twitch reflexes, a steady hand and the ability to remain calm under pressure. A word puzzle game may require an extensive vocabulary and the ability to rethink the uses of old words, but no measure of speed. A sports simulation might well require an in-depth knowledge of the topic, in addition to arcade skill, but is unlikely to have terribly much concern for linguistic acumen.

The common thread is that all of the games challenge some subset of a player's abilities. This challenge can be a powerful motivator. The Challenge Motivated gamer is drawn to a game that tests their skills, preferably one that tests them to their limits. The gamer may also be motivated by the natural improvement that comes from working at peak. They are driven then, not only to excel, but to improve. Challenge Motivated Gamers thrive whenever a game pushes their skill set of choice, but may be disinterested in games that fall too far away from the target.

Competition is a close cousin of challenge. Many gamers are driven by the need to prove they are the best, to be pitted against their fellows and come out on top. Competition minded gamers range from those looking for a challenge in a fair fight to the sort of win-at-all cost leet speaking infants that give us all a bad name. Competition can be easy to take too far. There is nothing inherently wrong with being driven by competition. To some extent, competition is merely challenge taken to the extreme. It is only when it leads to mistreating your fellow player that it begins to become less a motivation and more an unfortunate personality quirk. Competition Motivated players thrive on those games where they are pitted against one another with the outcome dictated by skill at playing the game. They will often wane in those environments that either require cooperation, such as many MMORPGs, or in games where skill plays a much smaller role, such as in less sophisticated card or dice games.

Next week we will take a look at some other common gamer motivations, including Creativity and Escapism.

Steve is a member of the GrandMatrix team. They provide a broad range of games articles and reviews. Read more articles, download and play the latest PC games for free plus enjoy thousands of user submitted puzzles, quizzes and word games at GrandMatrix Free Game Downloads

Fix Your Own Defective Guitar Hero 360 Controller

Did you get stuck with one of the defective Guitar Hero II controllers for Xbox 360? You can fix it yourself with a relatively light bit of poking around.

If your guitar has one of the model numbers 95065 or 95055, it might have a defective whammy bar. Opening up the case and slightly adjusting the position of the sensor inside seems to do the trick.

If that doesn't work, or if you'd rather not take the risk, you could always visit Red Octane's official support page.

Faulty Guitar Hero II Controller Fix [All About The Games]

Posted by Chris Kohler 5:44:46 PM in Hacks

Downloadable Game Review: Diner Dash

Playvue.com Editor's Rating: 8.0

Storyline

Diner Dash brings us the story of Flo, an office lackey fed up with the monotonous, unchanging pressures of everyday life and work in the big city. Thus she hucks everything out the window and runs off to find something better to do with her life. As it turns out, that is starting a restaurant chain in suburban America.

We are taken right into her quest as a restaurateur as Flo herself; an energetic, enthusiastic owner who fulfills every role from hostess to server, bartender and busboy (thankfully, cooking is provided by a overworked dark figure behind the counter).

Beginning with her very first diner, and ending with an upscale surf and turf joint, we take on Flo's every activity; seating her guests, handing out menu's, delivering breadsticks, taking and delivering orders (not to mention cocktails), clearing tables, and seating the next guests. All this in the pursuit of money with which to improve her existing restaurants or even open up a new one!

Navigation

The navigation is easy enough to pick up on the first try; it's point and click (click on a dirty table, she runs over and clears it, click on table awaiting their food, she delivers it from the counter). This does get quite challenging in the later levels where it becomes necessary to click on other activities while Flo is executing the current one (the game creates a queue of activities which Flo will execute one by one until they are complete).

Ease of Use

In terms of ease of use, this game is fantastic. I wasn't surprised when I was able to pick it up rather quickly, however I was surprised when my grandmother was flying through at a faster pace then I managed to muster. While easy to get going, it does require a master's touch to reach the highest scores at the end of the levels where constant motion is a must. But this just adds to the playability, and is a welcome change to contemporary games which prove easy to complete with no added challenges.

Playability

I found myself wanting to complete this game all the way through the first time I played it; which would worry me as to whether the game would hold my interest a week or even a month later. However, these worries are relieved with the Endless Shift feature: a score building endless level which "keeps 'em comin'" and provides extras like super ovens, bobcat-fast tennis shoes, and a super podium 3000 to help you along the way.

Full Version Features

The free trial includes unrestricted access and allows you 60 minutes of play; which just got me started. The full version includes 40+ levels of gameplay, 4 different chains, 5 different types of customers, two modes of play (Career and Endless Shift) and high score tracking. At only 10MB, it's not a hard drive buster, nor will it clog up your dialup line for too long. And at $19.99 its not a wallet buster either: cheap enough to warrant casual play throughout the year.

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Appeals to the rest of us (non-hardcore teen gamers)
• High repeat playability
• Easy to use, navigate

Cons:

• No multiple player support
• Little high score competition (score posting available on publisher's website)

Bottom Line

A busy restaurateur provides a nice change of pace to card and puzzle games for those of us who aren't interested in shooting up aliens, goblins, or terrorists for 12 hours on end. Definitely high repeat playability, even after beating the Career portion of the game. Low price and download size are a real plus. Lacks in competition and multiple player support, however this only matters if you're interested in such things. One of my top 10 games of the year.

Editor's Rating:

Storyline: 8 Ease of Use: 9 Playability: 7
Overall: 8

Game Specs:

• Publisher: PlayFirst
• Full Version Price: $19.99
• Download: 10 MB
• Windows 98/2000/Me/XP
• Processor: PIII 600 MHz
• 128 MB RAM
• Free hard drive space: 12MB
• Video Card
• Sound Card

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

Download/More Info: http://www.playvue.com/pv/downloadablegames/casual/dinerdash/

Keith Blake is a Featured Editor at Playvue.com, an up-and-coming online games website specialing in providing online games, game downloads, and multiplayer games in a rich, immersive, one-of-a-kind environment.

Source: http://www.playvue.com

The Future of Video Games

I've recently been thinking about where video games could be going in the future. I'm hoping to work in the game industry one day after I've finished university study and I've been wondering about it a lot. What do I want to see happen in the future? Well I may not have too many answers right now, but I have come up with a few ideas that I think may come into 'play' in the not too distant future.

Firstly forget Virtual Reality, as we know it. They've tried VR goggles and they made a lot of people sick in doing so. It's probably never going to work very well in its current form. They're still around and you can still buy them but they really don't seem to be taking off. It will probably take a lot to get people totally immersed and involved in a new form of game play. It's threatening to lose touch with the outside world and the people around you aren't going to appreciate it much either. The Sci-fi neural implants are also both a long way off and not likely to be accepted by a majority of the general populace without some severe marketing and luck. I for one am not planning on going through brain surgery just to have a computer attached to my head. In fact I never want anyone to able to plug into my brain.

A technology that was brought to my attention by a zealous presenter at the local 'Science and Technology Centre' (a sort of science museum aimed at making science fun for children and juvenile adults such as yours truly) is that of 'Augmented Reality'. Augmented Reality is essentially the overlaying of virtual elements onto the real world, such as a pair of transparent glasses that can display certain elements over the top of what is actually there. I agree with the presenter in that this could indeed have some awesome potential. Forget all the socially beneficial applications such as workmen being able to view underground pipes before digging, think about it from a games point of view. This technology could provide gamers with the ability to run around looking like complete idiots shooting at things that aren't actually there and that no one else can see, kind of like in the film 'They Live!' The upside to this is that it would be a lot of fun. A group of people from the University of South Australia created the 'ARQuake' project, http://wearables.unisa.edu.au/projects/ARQuake/www/, merging the classic shooter Quake with this Augmented Reality technology. Again, this technology may not ever become overly popular, but it would be entertaining to play with.

Technology has driven the games industry for a long time with new games always trying to keep one step ahead of the competition. It started way back at the dawn of technology and it continues to this day. 2D graphics gave way to 3D and 3D is becoming ever better. Graphics are starting to lose the ability to impress like they once did. The step between Quake 2 and 3 was amazing, but DOOM 3 while being visually very impressive isn't leaps and bounds ahead of its competitors in the same way new games used to be. 2D graphics encountered a similar problem; there comes a point where you just can't do much more with graphics technology. It is this that turns graphics from striving for technological achievement to becoming art. It is my hope that we will start turning away from tech demos and return to game play and making great entertainment. Games such as Zelda: The Wind Waker or The Sims that strive to show greater depth of character through simplifying the game enough to portray emotions will hopefully become more common (and more fun? but that's just one person's view?). Technology plays a certain part in the conveying of emotions and story but it's quite hard to focus on everything at once. When technology is easier and less essential to game sales we'll hopefully see an increase in games that cast a lasting impression.

Somewhat unfortunately the rise of the 'Casual Gamer' will probably lead to more simplistic games being released. While personally I would love to see depth of story and characters, there are a significant number of players out there who want to pick up a game for twenty minutes or so, have a bit of fun, and then put it down until another time. These gamers are generally less interested in the latest greatest technology and more interested in a 'fast food' kind of entertainment that satisfies the moment, despite the lack of quality or the lasting effects. Hopefully the two game types can co-exist peacefully although recently it has been seen that some developers are cutting down on some of the planned depth of a title in order to accommodate the more casual gamer.

As technology pushes forwards boundaries are slowly being broken down between systems. We saw the Bleemcast a few years back enabling the running of Playstation games on the Dreamcast, and the PC is able to run almost anything given the right emulation software. Consoles are able to emulate other consoles and new consoles are being announced that promise the ability to play PC games. The Xbox 2 is reported to have a model in planning that comes in a PC case and with the ability to run both PC software and Xbox software. Macs can emulate Windows software and vice-versa. We'll probably start seeing less of a distinction between consoles and PCs as the price of technology continues to drop and consoles continue to become more and more powerful and able to compete with the more expensive computers. Ideally we'll see a single platform come into prominence so that everything can be run without purchasing a copious number of different machines, although that does have a downside in that it can establish a monopoly for one particular company.

The technology price drop and increase in power has also lead to more powerful hand-held machines than before. Real games, not just simple toys are now available for the portable market. The advent of PDAs and mobile phones with the ability to play games raises awareness of portable gaming and new competitors are starting to get in on the field that was once primarily dominated by Nintendo's GameBoy. There is a new product, the gp32, that can run many different emulators and hence, many different system's games (including some PC games).

I can't say for sure what's going to happen but these are just a few ideas that I've had recently. Hopefully the games industry will continue to strive towards new heights with new and interesting game play, stories, characters and ideas. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next few years.

Improving Spelling with Games

You got it! You can do just about any type of learning for a child or an individual learning a second language through the use of various computer games. You are sure to find something that will fit with their needs. You are also able to find a game that will keep them interested. Let's take spelling as an example.

Many kids struggle each and every year at school with that dreaded Friday spelling test. It doesn't get any easier because chances are good that the words just keep getting harder. For many parents, spelling is often a challenge to teach as well. The English language is nothing simple. But, what if you could teach them through the use of a PC game? That would be excellent, wouldn't it?

Think about this. The next time your child comes home with that awful list of twenty words they just have to know, you can easily say to them, "Why not go play a game on the computer." Yes, you can do this!

There are a number of games that are just perfect for teaching children the art of spelling. For example, you might want to try a word puzzle game like Beesly's Buzzwords. Or, if Spiderman happens to be your child's favorite character, you have games like Spider-Man 2: Web of Words. In this game, you child can advance through the levels by correctly spelling words. Its fun, rewarding, and most of all, it will help to improve their spelling capabilities.

The spelling games are not boring, dull, and difficult. To the opposite, these games will hold your child's attention so that they can get the knowledge they need. That is what makes these games different. If you are thinking back to your school days and those boring computer programs you were allowed to play and wondering how your technology loving child is going to play with something like that, don't worry. These games are much different. They are made to stimulate your child's knowledge without even allowing them to realize that they are. To them, they are simply playing a Spider Man game.

The value of these games is huge. In fact, there are more than just spelling games, as we will see down the line. They are great ways to feed your child the knowledge that they need without boring them. When it is fun, it will get played more often. The more that it gets played, the more they can learn from it.

So, then, what is the bottom line? You can easily allow your child to play some computer games but of course, you still need to monitor their usage. And, yes, you may have to practice those specific spelling words each week, but it may just get easier as time goes on. Here's a thought. Replace their favorite computer game with one of these for a week. They still get computer time and they still get to play a fun game. But, you get the satisfaction of knowing that they are playing an educational game as well. All in all, we think these games may be a great way to boost confidence and knowledge. Consider them for any age of child. You'll be happy that you did.

Steve is a member of the GrandMatrix team. They provide a broad range of games, puzzles, articles and reviews. Read more articles, download and play the latest PC games for free plus enjoy thousands of user submitted puzzles, quizzes and word games at GrandMatrix Free Game Downloads

TOP 5 GAMES on my RENT

For PS2:
1.Winning Eleven 10
2.Grand Thief Auto
3.Guitar Hero 2
4.Bully
5.Naruto (konoha spirit)

For Xbox 360:
1.Saints Row
2.Winning Eleven X
3.Gears of War
4.Ffifa 2007
5.Fight Night Round 3

For Ps3 not much wants to play this console, because I just have 4 games.

A Look at the Sony PlayStation 3

At the recent E3 gaming Convention, Sony gave the world a first look at the new Playstation 3, Sony's contribution to the next generation gaming consoles. Much like the news surrounding the Nintendo Revolution, the Playstation 3 has been immersed in mystery and controversy for the last several years.

Due sometime in spring 2006, the PlayStation 3 will out perform it's predecessor in every way imaginable. Powered by the "Cell" processor, which Sony proudly claims makes the machine 35 times more powerful than the PlayStation 2, tops the list of the new incredible features. So, what else can we expect from Sony this time around? What we know?

Initially, even the name of the new gaming console was still very much unknown. With teasers, billboards and misleading posters with the very recognizable font "Prepare for Chang3," advertisement had gamers guessing. However at the E3 convention, it was announced that the name of the new console would in fact be "Playstation 3;" much to the dismay of many online blogers and game forum members.

Sony also confirmed the PlayStation 3 will use Blu-ray discs as its media format. The discs can hold up to six times as much data as current-generation DVDs. This will essentially open the doors for game developers to produce higher quality games without having to worry about disk size limitations.

Sony also unveiled the PS3's graphics chip, the RSX "Reality Synthesizer," which is based on Nvidia technology. The GPU will be capable of 128bit pixel precision and 1080p resolution, (some of the highest HD resolution available anywhere). The RSX also has 512MB of graphics render memory and is capable of 100 billion shader operations and 51 billion dot products per second. The new Playstation 3 graphics chip also has more than 300 million transistors, larger than any processor commercially available today. Below is a full "official" spec breakdown of the new Playstation 3.

Playstation 3 Specs
CPU
Cell Processor
PowerPC-base Core @3.2GHz
1 VMX vector unit per core
512KB L2 cache
7 x SPE @3.2GHz
7 x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs
7 x 256KB SRAM for SPE
* 1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy
total floating point performance: 218 GFLOPS

GPU
RSX @550MHz
1.8 TFLOPS floating point performance
Full HD (up to 1080p) x 2 channels
Multi-way programmable parallel floating point shader pipelines

Sound
Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell- base processing)
Memory
256MB XDR Main RAM @3.2GHz 256MB GDDR3 VRAM @700MHz

System Bandwidth
Main RAM 25.6GB/s
VRAM 22.4GB/s
RSX 20GB/s (write) + 15GB/s (read)
SB<>

System Floating Point Performance
2 TFLOPS

Storage
Detachable 2.5" HDD slot x 1

I/O
USB Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
Memory Stick standard/Duo, PRO x 1
SD standard/mini x 1
CompactFlash (Type I, II) x 1

Communication
Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x 3 (input x 1 + output x 2)
Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)

Controller
Bluetooth (up to 7)
USB 2.0 (wired)
Wi-Fi (PSP)
Network (over IP)
AV Output
Screen size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI: HDMI out x 2
Analog: AV MULTI OUT x 1
Digital audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1

Disc Media
CD PlayStation CD-ROM, PlayStation 2 CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-DA (ROM), CD-R,
CD-RW, SACD, SACD Hybrid (CD layer), SACD HD, DualDisc, DualDisc (audio side), DualDisc (DVD side)
DVD: PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM, PlayStation 3 DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-ROM,
DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
Blu-ray Disc: PlayStation 3 BD-ROM, BD-Video, BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE

As you can see the new Playstation 3 is going to be an incredibly powerful system, offering stunning graphics with the new Nivdia chip, as well as incredible multiplayer potential with up to seven Bluetooth controllers. With enormous horsepower, stunning graphics and a slew of multimedia elements, the Sony Playstation 3 is going to revolutionize the way we play games. The only issue that needs to be addressed now is, how much will the system cost?

Ron is the CTO for Dice Ventures Inc an internet holdings and development company. For more great gaming information and discussion visit our Video Game Forum for more more informatino on the Nintendo Revolution visit http://www.nintendorevolution.ca

Review: Samurai Jack -- Code of the Samurai

Fans of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Samurai Jack," which wrapped last year on the Cartoon Network, enjoy the quirky storytelling and stunning visuals, also the martial arts sequences. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the online gaming industry turned the time-traveling samurai's adventures into video games.

I haven't tried any of the games available for gaming console systems, confining my efforts instead to Cartoon Network's own Web Site. Its Games section features six games based on "Samurai Jack," including "The Way of the Warrior," in which the young samurai trains through several simulations for his eventual battle with the shape-shifting evil sorcerer Aku (deliciously voiced by veteran actor Mako in the series and console games).

The other games invariably feature Jack battling Aku's minions--robots, beetle insects, and the like. Two of the games feature a final showdown with Aku.

"Code of the Samurai" was a tie-in with a Samurai Jack marathon, so when you access the game, the interface asks you "Enter Code or Play." I advise pushing Play since the original marathon was two years ago.

Once you get into the game, you have to fight through three treacherous levels before you even get to Aku.

The first level features crumbling ledges, motorized spikes, machine-gun fire as you ride rock lifts up mountains, and of course, the inevitable baddies waiting to attack you. Tip: When riding the rock lifts, duck and jump to avoid the machine gun fire. Seize the opportunity when the second lift descends or ascends close to the lift you're on, otherwise you'll have to avoid the gunfire until the lift comes back within reach. The level features two lift challenges, all with a computerized attacker waiting at the top of the cliff.

The creatures on all three levels are adversaries that fans of "Samurai Jack" will recognize: zombie warriors, Terminator-style robots who look like they have baskets on their heads, and Aku's minions that turn into vapor when you attack them.

Tip: Try whenever possible to hit the targets with a good quick thrust of Jack's katana. The game says other weapons are available to Jack, but for some reason you only see him use his katana. Go slow and time your attacks so that the targets can't hit you first.

Jack gets five "lives," and you can see the red meter slowly shrink as he is bombarded with digital mayhem. Try to at least hold on to the fourth "life" when getting to the second level. After you clear each level the "life" you're currently on is replenished (Jack must have been drinking his trademark green tea.) When you get to the third level, try to keep at least three "lives," although you can get away with two. You need at least two to have a chance during the final skirmish with Aku.

At the end of the first two levels you do battle with a giant adversary more powerful than the others: a skeleton warrior on the first, a basket-head warrior on the second. The good news is you can watch its "life" meter and track your progress on defeating it.

The second level is filled with gears running amuck to mow you down, blades slashing at you, and on all three levels you run the risk of falling in slime or on sharp spikes, which make you lose a life. Tip: Time your jumps to avoid the gears, but don't get too jumpy, otherwise you fall into the slime.

The third level features spikes, moving platforms and even wider jumps, if that's possible. Tip: The vapor demons can appear anywhere and are more poweerful than the adversaries in the first two levels. But this workout is just practice, flexing your muscles for the clash with Aku.

The final stage features ledges that sink into lava--you have to jump fast before you fall in. The computerized Aku is quite impressive, and just as in the series, flies off several times before Jack can deliver the final blow. But be brave, be steadfast, be victorious, and you, gamer, will defeat the evil scourge! The conclusion to the game is satisfying and delivers the anticipated emotional payoff.

Play your destiny now at http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/games/adventure/samjack/codeofsamurai/index.html

Movie reviewer/screenwriter Kristin Johnson composes personalized poems, speeches, toasts, vows, and family memories. Visit http://www.poemsforyou.com to order your personalized memories. She is also co-author of the Midwest Book Review "enthusiastically recommended" pick Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadablemedia kit is available at our Web site, http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com

A Comparison Of the Next Generation Gaming Consoles (Part 1)

It's been about 5 years since we have seen a new video game console. By spring of next year all three major companies will have released their new systems. At this point, both Sony and Microsoft have released the full specs of their systems, while information on the nintendo revolution continues to be secretive. This article will take a look at all three systems and give a basic comparison of what we know. However, until the systems are actually released, we can only speculate on design and performance.

Design and Appearance.

All three companies have taken pretty much the same approach with their systems. All are small compact units with sleek exteriors. Microsoft has also added interchangeable faceplates which owners can change to match their needs. The Sony Playstation is expected to come in a rainbow of colors allowing gamers to choose a unit that fits their décor. And the Revolution is expected to be the smallest, being the size of 3 DVD covers.

Under the hood

Looks are nice, but what really counts is how the system will perform. Of course until the systems are actually released we can still only speculate on overall performance. Especially since the boys at Nintendo are keeping most details to themselves for the time being. First of all lets have a look at each console individually.

Sony Playstation 3

Sony confirmed the PlayStation 3 will use Blu-ray discs as its media format. The discs can hold up to six times as much data as current-generation DVDs. This will essentially open the doors for game developers to produce higher quality games without having to worry about disk size limitations. Sony also unveiled the PS3's graphics chip, the RSX "Reality Synthesizer," which is based on Nvidia technology. The GPU will be capable of 128bit pixel precision and 1080p resolution, (some of the highest HD resolution available anywhere). The RSX also has 512MB of graphics render memory and is capable of 100 billion shader operations and 51 billion dot products per second. The new Playstation 3 graphics chip also has more than 300 million transistors, larger than any processor commercially available today.

Microsoft Xbox

The look of the new console is fine and dandy, but what is under all that cool looking plastic? Microsoft has developed an impressive system capable of amazing processing power never seen before in a home video game console. As well as new IBM PowerPC-based CPU running at 3.2GHz, and over a half a gigabyte of RAM, the Xbox 360 will showcase a new ATI video card capable of advanced antialiasing and shader effects. What this means to gamers is 720p and 1080i wide-screen HDTV, almost double the resolution of the original Xbox which maxed out at 480p The system will also support up to four wireless controls.

The The Nintendo Revolution is a great resource for import games as well as domestic titles. our check out this great website promotion service

We r' OpeN nOw

we\'r open now

Have you ever wondered if what you know about Game is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on Game.



Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you're fully informed about Game, keep reading.

For all gamers in Indonesia specially Jakarta gamer. We are open game station console (Rental Ps2, Xbox360, nPs3).

Location: Jl.Anggrek Nelimurni VI-A no 17 Kemanggisan Jakarta Barat (in front of Golkar office)

In this blog I will share my knowledge all about game console (gameplay, cheat etc). I don’t know much so, I am very2 appreciated your info

As your knowledge about Game continues to grow, you will begin to see how Game fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.