Gmail is at it again. In the past, you could get stickers from them or have them send someone a holiday postcard. Now, they have a game based on Gmail. Galactic Inbox is an HTML5 game designed by Google Creative Technologist Paul Truong which allows you to control a Gmail envelope which shoots such hazards as trash, spam, and old email systems which only limited you to a 2 MB inbox. Galactic Inbox is perfect for a very brief afternoon diversion and also as an exploration of HTML5. To play the game, you will need to be using a browser that supports HTML5, such as Google Chrome.
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Tampilkan postingan dengan label Video Games. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Video Games. Tampilkan semua postingan
Fun Friday: Pac Man Turns 30
To honor the 30th anniversary of Pac Mac, argueably the most popular early video arcade game, Google has turned its logo into a playable, mini-Pac Man game.
Just go to Google, click the "insert coin" button and start to play. For the real effect, make sure your sound is turned up.
Post your high score below. (Mine was 6810. But hey, I am at work, of course!)
(Update: Double click on the "insert coin" button and you can play Ms. Pac Man. Google says the game will be available for 48 hours.)
Just go to Google, click the "insert coin" button and start to play. For the real effect, make sure your sound is turned up.
Post your high score below. (Mine was 6810. But hey, I am at work, of course!)
(Update: Double click on the "insert coin" button and you can play Ms. Pac Man. Google says the game will be available for 48 hours.)
Death in Physical World Doesn't Mean Death in Virtual World
With the rise of virtual worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft and social networking sites such as Facebook, people today often have two sets of acquaintances. When a person dies, it is relatively easy to track down real world friends and family.
However, how do you contact that persons "virtual" friends, people who may only know the person through "tweets" or as a character in a virtual world? The Associated Press, in an article called Death of Gamers Leave Their Online Lives in Limbo discusses this growing problem.
However, how do you contact that persons "virtual" friends, people who may only know the person through "tweets" or as a character in a virtual world? The Associated Press, in an article called Death of Gamers Leave Their Online Lives in Limbo discusses this growing problem.
Play Rock Band with the Beatles -- Soon!
In case you ever dreamed of backing up John Lennon and Paul McCartney:
According to Rolling Stone, MTV, Harmonix and the Beatles’ Apple Corps, Ltd.. announced that they will partner to create a video game for Rock Band, based on the music of the Beatles, to be released in 2009.
The game will take the player on a musical journey of the Beatles music, from Please, Please Me to Abbey Road. It is the first time that Beatles music has been presented in an interactive, video game format.
It is not clear at this point whether Beatles content would be available for Rock Band or whether the game would feature avatars of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
According to Rolling Stone, MTV, Harmonix and the Beatles’ Apple Corps, Ltd.. announced that they will partner to create a video game for Rock Band, based on the music of the Beatles, to be released in 2009.
The game will take the player on a musical journey of the Beatles music, from Please, Please Me to Abbey Road. It is the first time that Beatles music has been presented in an interactive, video game format.
It is not clear at this point whether Beatles content would be available for Rock Band or whether the game would feature avatars of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Video Gaming in Libraries Under Investigation
With video game sales topping $21 billion last year, and video games becoming a major entertainment source for everyone from children to senior citizens, one wonders why officials in Nebraska wanted to investigate librarians for buying and learning to play video games so that they could run video game programming in their library.
Libraries today must respond to the needs and wants of their community, and today offer not just books, but also many other entertainment options, from DVDs, CDs, downloadable materials such as e-books and e-audiobooks, and yes, video games. Even the American Library Association last year sponsored a National Gaming Day @ Your Library.
You can find video games and video game programming available at the Troy Public Library by searching our catalog or by clicking on the "Sign up for exciting classes and programs" link on our website.
Libraries today must respond to the needs and wants of their community, and today offer not just books, but also many other entertainment options, from DVDs, CDs, downloadable materials such as e-books and e-audiobooks, and yes, video games. Even the American Library Association last year sponsored a National Gaming Day @ Your Library.
You can find video games and video game programming available at the Troy Public Library by searching our catalog or by clicking on the "Sign up for exciting classes and programs" link on our website.
Wii Cool
Now this is very cool: The Wii meets Google Earth. This is what happens when technologies marry into something completely new.
It doesn't take much imagination to realize that we're not far off from virtually skiing down slopes from any mountain right in the comfort of your living room. For now you'll just have to be satisfied with surfing the planet. So cool.
It doesn't take much imagination to realize that we're not far off from virtually skiing down slopes from any mountain right in the comfort of your living room. For now you'll just have to be satisfied with surfing the planet. So cool.
[Via andrewsullivan.com]
Video Game Sales Top $21 Billion in 2008
Despite the slumping economy, one sector of the U.S. economy remains strong: video games.
According to a recent story in The New York Times:
According to a recent story in The New York Times:
"Americans bought $21.33 billion worth of video game systems, software and accessories [in 2008]. This is a big jump from the previous year's roughly $18 billion... "While industry growth has not continued at the blistering pace we saw during the second and third quarters, December's 9% increase over last December brings the year in 19% ahead of last year, and sets a new record for total industry sales," said market researcher NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier.
"December marked the first time that the gaming industry's revenue topped $5 billion in a single month, she noted. In comparison, it took all of 1997 to hit industry sales of $5.1 billion."
Playing Tetris Wipes Away Bad Memories After Trauma
More good news about video gaming, this time from Lifehacker.com:
“According to researchers at Oxford University, playing the popular, classic puzzle game Tetris after a traumatic experience could significantly reduce emotional scars. Apparently Tetris — which requires serious brain power on your part — blocks your brain from storing those bad memories. The catch: It needs to be played immediately following the traumatic event, so break out your old Game Boys and stick 'em in your emergency kit.”
“According to researchers at Oxford University, playing the popular, classic puzzle game Tetris after a traumatic experience could significantly reduce emotional scars. Apparently Tetris — which requires serious brain power on your part — blocks your brain from storing those bad memories. The catch: It needs to be played immediately following the traumatic event, so break out your old Game Boys and stick 'em in your emergency kit.”
Video Gaming Among Adults
The latest study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project reports on video gaming by adults:
Click here for the complete .pdf report, Adults and Video Games.
More than half -- 53% -- of all American adults play video games of some kind, whether on a computer, on a gaming console, on a cell phone or other handheld device, on a portable gaming device, or online
Age is the biggest demographic factor in game play by adults. Younger adults are significantly more likely than any other game group to play games, and as age increases game play decreases. Independent of all other factors, younger adults are still more likely to play games.
Among older adults 65+ who play video games, nearly a third play games everyday, a significantly larger percentage than all younger players, of whom about 20% play everyday.
Age is also a factor in determining an individual's preferred game-playing device. Gaming consoles are the most popular for young adults: 75% of 18-29 year old gamers play on consoles, compared with 68% who use computers, the second most popular device for this age group.
Out of all the gaming devices, computers are the most popular among the total adult gaming population, with 73% of adult gamers using computers to play games, compared with 53% console users, 35% who using cell phones, and 25% using portable gaming devices.
Click here for the complete .pdf report, Adults and Video Games.
Gaming at the TPL
A couple of weeks ago, our Technology Librarian John Robertson reported that the Troy Library had launched our new video game collection.
We've now added a link on our web site, which takes you to a list of the games and platforms we have. Go to our web site at www.libcoop.net/troy, and click on Video Game Collection in the center of the page. Or click here.
Suggestions for games? Email our Teen Services Librarian Judy Franklin at j.franklin@troymi.gov.
We've now added a link on our web site, which takes you to a list of the games and platforms we have. Go to our web site at www.libcoop.net/troy, and click on Video Game Collection in the center of the page. Or click here.
Suggestions for games? Email our Teen Services Librarian Judy Franklin at j.franklin@troymi.gov.
Video Games Now Available at the Troy Public Library
The Troy Public Library is pleased to announce that we now offer video games for checkout. We have titles available for the following systems: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, and Xbox 360. Games have a $5.00 fee, and can be checked out for 2 weeks.
Feel free to come in and browse the shelves or search our catalog to see what titles we offer. In our catalog, click on Power Search (under the Search for box), limit the library to Troy Public Library and the type to Video Game.
Feel free to come in and browse the shelves or search our catalog to see what titles we offer. In our catalog, click on Power Search (under the Search for box), limit the library to Troy Public Library and the type to Video Game.
More Good News for Gamers
According to a study done by Ipsos MediaCT and IGN Entertainment -- cited by blogger and SirsiDynix Vice President of Innovation, Stephen Abram -- the myth of the gamer as an antisocial Comic Book Guy is wrong:
- 55% of gamers polled are married;
- 48% have children;
- more than 75% of videogamers play games with other people either online or in person;
- the average gaming household income ($79,000) is notably higher than that of nongaming households ($54,000); and
- gamers are twice as likely to go out on dates as nongamers in a given month.
Teens, Video Games, Civics, and the Library
For many adults, video games conjure up images of blurry-eyed, caffeine-addicted, young people in dark, damp basements, squandering their precious youth.
However, a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project – which surveyed 1,102 12- to 17-year-olds – suggests that teens who play video games may be more likely to be engaged in positive civic activities, such as following politics and current events, persuading others how to vote, contributing to charities, volunteering, or attending protests.
This is especially true of teens who play games with others in-person, and those who are actively engaged in the game, through such things as commenting on game websites or discussion boards.
Most interesting, teens in this sample were equally likely to report having civic experiences regardless of race, age, or income. This is in contrast to findings about teens’ civic experiences in high schools, which tend to be unequally distributed, with higher-income, higher-achieving, and white students experiencing more civic opportunities than their counterparts.
To view the entire Pew report, go to Teens, Video Games, and Civics.
Speaking of video games, the Troy Library will launch our own video game collection in October. Games across different platforms will be available for two weeks. For more information about this collection, contact Judy Franklin, the Library’s Teen Librarian, at j.franklin@troymi.gov.
The Library also sponsors free, monthly video game days for youth and teens. To register, go to our schedule of events.
However, a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project – which surveyed 1,102 12- to 17-year-olds – suggests that teens who play video games may be more likely to be engaged in positive civic activities, such as following politics and current events, persuading others how to vote, contributing to charities, volunteering, or attending protests.
This is especially true of teens who play games with others in-person, and those who are actively engaged in the game, through such things as commenting on game websites or discussion boards.
Most interesting, teens in this sample were equally likely to report having civic experiences regardless of race, age, or income. This is in contrast to findings about teens’ civic experiences in high schools, which tend to be unequally distributed, with higher-income, higher-achieving, and white students experiencing more civic opportunities than their counterparts.
To view the entire Pew report, go to Teens, Video Games, and Civics.
Speaking of video games, the Troy Library will launch our own video game collection in October. Games across different platforms will be available for two weeks. For more information about this collection, contact Judy Franklin, the Library’s Teen Librarian, at j.franklin@troymi.gov.
The Library also sponsors free, monthly video game days for youth and teens. To register, go to our schedule of events.
