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What’s In Store for Game Writers in The Coming Years?

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Gaming is sure to remain popular among kids and adults going into the future. Whether using mobile devices or computers, people will continue to enjoy and get entertained with video games of all types.

But more than just the graphics and playing the game, the plot, dialogues and characters also play a very vital role. And major credit here goes to the creative video game writers who come up with unique stories and settings for various types of gaming platforms such as the PlayStation, PCs, mobile, Xbox, tablets and social networking sites.

game designers at work

Movies continue to be a big influence in many video games. However, top game writers would prefer to see games being influenced by other forms of media such as books, theater, comics and real-world events. Comics, for instance, has been revived in the movie business in recent years such as Iron Man, Blue and Ghost World. …

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Make Way for the New Gaming Console OUYA

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In recent years, the gaming consoles that became well known were the PlayStation 2, PSP Go and Vita, the Wii and Xbox. The tablet has also entered the scene as a popular gaming device these days. Now, a new gaming console is out and it’s called OUYA.

ouya-console

The device went on sale this week in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Priced at $99, it reportedly sold like hot cakes and was sold out Tuesday on Amazon. Other sites that sell the device include Best Buy, Target, Gamestop and GAME in the U.K.

OUYA is an open gaming console that any user can develop for or even hack as they find necessary. Launched on Kickstarter last year, the device underwent improvements as the company developing it received feedback from gamers, developers and backers. In fact, the 2012 launch enabled Kickstarter to set a record for its funding that reached a total of $8.6 million.

This Android device has been getting flak from people but Kickstarter developers explained they’ve done a lot of tweaking to the console in recent months before its release. The device now has a better store interface and playlists while each game page features large screenshots. …

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Video Games Effective in Treating Kids’ Pain

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gaming.saloncom

Video games are undoubtedly a popular form of entertainment particularly for kids. Many adults are also benefiting from it, though, such those the tech savvy ones.

But other than the entertainment it provides, these video games have been found very helpful in treating pain among children. In fact just recently, the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. introduced a new form of treatment for kids’ pains in its newly opened pain care complex. The facility is now using video games to treat the pain being experienced by young patients.

The games were specially designed for the purpose of eliminating pain and were created with the use of the Kinect technology of Microsoft. Through the games, the kids are brought into an intergalactic environment where they can play, paint and exercise while unknown to them, the doctors are analyzing their movements and other vital signs at the same time. …

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Five In-Demand Gaming-Related Jobs

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m for mature

 

The video game industry is a juggernaut. It has already outpaced the movie industry in terms of revenues – which is no small feat.

 

With video games now a part of mainstream culture, the number of games that are being released every year is growing –and of course, because of this the demand for video game professionals has also increased.

 

Video game related jobs are now considered one of the higher paying jobs in the job market. If you are interested in a career in the gaming industry then these are the jobs you should go for:…

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PC Games Ideal for the Oldies

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A lot of young people who are so into computer games normally don’t expect their dads, moms much more their grannies to play their games. If there are parents or grannies who may be interested, they’re very few and far between. Most of them would say it’s just for kids or they’re too violent.

Surprisingly, there are PC games that even the oldies can play. We share a number of them here which you can recommend to your dad, mom, grandpa or grandma.

Plants vs. Zombies

plants vs zombies
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Cosplayer Asked to Play Her Favorite Game Character

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It’s true that a person’s dedication to what he or she loves to do can really pay off in the end. When you do something out of passion, sometimes the rewards come unexpectedly.

Just take the case of this Russian cosplayer named Anna Moleva who resembles closely Elizabeth, the female character in the game Bioshock Infinite. Although Anna has played several characters already, it is the character Elizabeth that’s very similar to her physical appearance and which has become her favorite. In fact, she has been reported to be in her Elizabeth costume oftentimes.

Elizabeth (left) and Anna Moleva (right)

And not only did Anna Moleva observed this close resemblance because even the creators of Bioshock Infinite led by creative director Ken Levine also agreed. They were actually so amazed by the Russian youngster’s dedication and similarity to Elizabeth that they communicated with her to ask if she’d be interested to portray the video game character in their box and upcoming TV advertisement.

Anna Moleva claims to be a big fan of the first two Bioshock games and has been closely following Infinite’s promotion campaigns. She said it was observing the close resemblance between herself and the
character of Elizabeth that she decided to focus on this new character despite the fact that she still has very little knowledge about her.

Other video game characters that Anna has portrayed are Poison Ivy from Batman:Arkham City, Alice from Alice: Madness Returns and Mass Effect 3.

BioShock Infinite is the third versieon of the Bioshock series and is set to be released in February next year. It stars Booker DeWitt as a former detective who was hired to save Elizabeth from Columbia, an American floating city as a way to make up for his past debts. The original Bioshock was considered to be one of the best games a decade ago but had a different setting which was underwater. The second version, unfortunately, was not a hit.

Photo via joystiq.com

New Gaming Tablet Set for October Release

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The world has already seen so many game consoles that have entertained both kids and adults through the years. But as time moves on, more are being developed.

In recent years, you’ve seen the Portable Sony Playstation (PSP) as well as the Nintendo DS and Wii. Now brace yourself for the latest one set to be launched in a little over a month.

This new device is called the Wikipad Gaming Tablet, considered to be the first combination and game controller. It will be officially launched on October 31 just in time for Halloween and will be sold at a retail price of $499.

Compared to the handheld gaming devices, this unit that weights 1.23 pounds is best suited for those who have issues with their vision and who prefer a wider screen. Its HD display size is 10.1 inches wide and the best part is that the screen utilizes a scratch-resistant glass.

The Wikipad will run on Android and is wi-fi capable. Other features include a 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, a Micro SD slot, 2-megapixel front camera and 8-megapixel rear unit with autofocus and flash. Not to worry about storage space because if you’re about to reach the 8GB limit, you can always use Micro SD card to extend the storage size for up to 32GB.

As for games, this Wikipad gaming tablet can play all games developed for Android. But there’s good news for Sony PlayStation fans worth mentioning here. The tablet is actually PlayStation certified and what this means is that it will be able to play PS games as well. Now, how about that?

If you’re a gaming fan who seek a more convenient device, this new Wikipad may be just the one fit for you.

Photo via gadgets.ndtv.com

Halo’s UNSC Mistakenly Flashed by BBC

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It is not uncommon to see big name games like Halo in the news. In fact, you’ll see them plenty enough when launches are announced and reviews are given during tech and gaming segments. This time though, Halo managed to make it to the headlines, albeit mistakenly.

BBC showed just how much they are (un)familiar with the Security Council and Halo’s fictional agency when they flashed a picture of the United Nations Space Command in place of the UN Security Council logo. I guess some researcher must have been feeling pretty lazy that day and entered “UNSC” instead of UN Security Council while googling for an image sample, since it is Halo’s UNSC’s logo that comes up first in the search results. Go ahead, look it up!

Of course BBC issued a statement after viewers drew their attention regarding the error. According to BBC’s spokesperson, “BBC News makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all images broadcast. However, very occasionally mistakes do happen. Unfortunately an incorrect logo was used during a segment on last week’s News at One bulletin and we apologise to viewers for the mistake.”

Hey BBC, lighten up. It’s ok, errors like this one actually make gamers like us smile.

In case you want to watch the news clip, you can view it here on YouTube.

Razer Naga Hex

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Some really cool new gadgets were displayed during the CES 2012 as expected, so it’s probably a bit funny that I’ll be zoning in on a mouse of all things. This mouse is, however, no ordinary mouse. In fact its a mouse that any gamer who is seriously into action-RPG and MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games.

The Razer Naga Hex, which is obviously from Razer, the same company that gave us the Razer Blade, has six weird honeycomb-style “mechanical thumb buttons to bind all the necessary spells, skills, and items to take down the competition and complete every quest victoriously.” This obviously reduces the clicks you have to make, making you far more efficient during battles and quests.

It is not the shortcut buttons that make this mouse stand out though. When it comes to tracking precision, you can say that it is as precise as you’d like it to be with its 5600dpi laser sensor designed specially for accuracy and precision. Hands-on reviews have also praised it for comfort, which anyone who has spent hours on end gripping a mouse know is just as important as any performance metric.

Aside from the buttons, precision tracking and comfort, anyone who takes a second to glance at the Razer Naga Hex will be immediately drawn to the alienish green mouse. So if you’re looking for the perfect mouse for the Razer Blade, this is it. You don’t have to wait much longer for it to come out either because its coming in stores next month.

 

Image via Razer

Gaming Fun with Gametel’s Gamepad for Android Phones

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Fructel, a Swedish company, has developed a slide-out gamepad that will turn any Android (2.2 and up) phone or tablet into a really nice handheld game console.

The gamepad, called Gametel, is not yet available in the market although PocketGamer has been able to get their hands on a pre-release version of the device. It is supposed to be pretty easy to set up with its spring-loaded rubberized clamps that can hold standard smartphones in place and a free downloadable driver from the Android Market. You also don’t need to worry about using any wires since the controller connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth.

If you’re tired of your phone’s small screen though and your phone sports an HDMI out, then you can play games on your TV and enjoy a 2-player game with a friend who also owns a Gametel. Again, no wires needed other than the HMDI cable connecting your phone to the TV screen.

The Gametel’s battery is supposed to last for 9 hours (while gaming), which means that you’ll just have to wait and see whether your phone or the controller will run out of juice first.

The controller is due to be released this December and will be sold at £49.95 each. So if you don’t fancy giving your kid a new expensive handheld this Christmas, and they happen to have an Android smartphone, then you might consider getting him a Gametel instead. Of course, be warned that this might prompt your kid to ask you to upgrade his phone to an Xperia Play for a better gaming experience with his new Gametel!

 

Photo courtesy of Gametel