Gamertell

According to a recent article published in the SouthTown Star and written by GateHouse News Service, online gamers may have been wrongly stereotyped.

Of the 7,000 online gamers researchers interviewed who played EverQuest 2, a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game), they are not the overweight rotund teenage boys most people once thought they were…

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In the Los Angeles Times, writer Alex Pham reports that the San Fernando Library encourages youth to play video games and even invites them to be as loud as they like.

“It lets teens be more comfortable with the library and become familiar with librarians,” San Fernando librarian Lydia Harlan told Pham. “And it’s what kids are into these days.”

In the article, Pham reports that more libraries are turning to video games to connect with technologically savvy youth who might be losing interest in books and stories. In New York, the New York Public Library has even added a collection of books, films, music and maps about video games.

Click through for the full article and a list of recommended books…

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Two papers presented on August 5, 2008, at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in Boston, MA (USA), demonstrated that some videogames can help improve the ability to solve problems and dexterity.

In the first paper. titled Children’s Problem Solving During Video Game Play, Fordham University psychologist Fran C. Blumberg, PhD, and Sabrina S. Ismailer, MSED, presented the results of a study that examined the problem-solving skills of grade-school aged children while they played videogames.

Another paper titled Four Dimensions of Video Game Effects by psychologist Douglas Gentile, PhD, and William Stone, BS, described effects of game usage within high school and college-aged students along with a few professionals in the field of laparoscopic surgery…

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Independent research group NPD Group has releases its US video game sales numbers for June 2008.
A few games dominated the month, especially Lego Indiana Jones, which took four of the top 20 sales spots. Likewise, Guitar Hero titles took four spots (Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was three of them). Topping the chart was Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for PS3 at 774,600 units (not including games bundled with a system). May 2008’s top game, Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360, dropped down to 11th and its partner release, GTA4 for PS3, came in 19th after being fourth the previous month. Thirteen of the top 20 selling games in June were released that month.

The oldest game on the list is…

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Dan Laton, a Psychology graduate from Victoria University, recently conducted a study on the effects of games on social well being. Gamers tend to be thought of as a group of socially awkward, shy nerds. The purpose of the study was to find out whether or not that stereotype is actually true.

His study had shown that there are no clear links between shyness and gaming, since only one percent of his subjects actually suffered from shyness. The gamers that have been found to have problems socially end up being the players of MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Everquest. These findings have some implications for the American Medical Association (AMA) which will be readdressing whether or not video game addiction as a mental disorder by…

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We all know that the Wii has found extensive use as a fitness device besides being incorporated into rehabilitation programs world over. There have been a few researches to study its relationship with a player’s health and fitness but a deeper understanding of the subject can fashion a fitness revolution of sorts. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced grants worth $2 million for research on effects of video games on health through its Health Games Research program…

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A recent study has found videogames may be creatively galvanizing. Researchers around the world seem to be locked in a seesaw battle when it comes to video games as they draw conflicting inferences. But this is certainly not one of those studies that anti-game attorney Jeff Thomson can use to make his case against our first love.

The research was conducted by a group of media researchers led by…

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There have been scores of surveys and studies prejudicially elucidating the cons of video gaming in recent times. But like every other form of entertainment even video gaming has its pros which are incontrovertible. According to a report on The Evening Sun, a new research has found that video games can help the development of mental ability among kids that will be of great use during their adolescence, given that they don’t over indulge in gaming.

The study took stock of about 2,000 business professionals and found that those who grew up gaming had very different attitudes as compared to…

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There seems to be a general perception that the motion-registering Wii is a prime fitness device, with gamers being more physically involved in a Wii title as compared to other game platforms. But according to BBC News, experts in the UK don’t think too highly of the Wii as a fitness machine.

A British Medical Journal study has revealed that the energy released during a Wii Sports session is of a much lower intensity compared to actually playing the sport. Although Wii might not be able to substitute actual physical fitness programs, the study has found that it might still be able to help reduce obesity among kids.

There are plenty of reasons for you to play the Wii and it shouldn’t really matter if there is one less excuse – it’s probably time to break a real sweat on that rusting treadmill. However, Nintendo might not be too happy with these findings as it has been pompously hawking the console as a fitness machine, if Wii Sports and Wii Fit are anything to go by.

Read [BBC] via [Wii Blog]

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A recent Radio Iowa article on Iowa State University researcher and assistant Psychology professor Douglas Gentile confirms the need for parental guidance and supervision when it comes to video games. Gentile has stated that he believes parents and guardians should pay closer attention to the ratings on game boxes when buying video games for children based on his research at the Media Research Lab at Iowa State. His most recent research looking at the correlation between video games and violent behavior in adolescents has shown that aggressive behavior in even E-rated games can cause children to become more hostile. Through looking at the different games, he has determined that, at times, the amount of bloodshed is what determines a rating rather than interactions between characters.

Gentile also states that the ratings system as it is isn’t completely accurate, and that instead of six categories, there are really four. According to his research, he has found that the four real ratings categories for games are Everyone, Everyone 10+, Teen, and Mature. The official Entertainment Software Rating Board’s ratings for video games offers six categories, the four that Gentile suggests are most telling, Early Childhood and Adults Only.

The whole article is designed to act as a reminder to parents to keep an eye on their kids. Get involved in your kid’s lives if they play games. Play the games with them. Read about the game before you buy it for them. At the very least, ask a store clerk if it is appropriate for a child. All of this should be obvious though. Of course the ratings are there for a reason, they aren’t just a decorative accent. It is sad to think that parents would need to read another article like this to remind them to be active in their children’s lives.

Read [Radio Iowa] Also Read [Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace] Via [globeandmail.com] Site [Douglas A. Gentile]

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