Gamertell

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With today’s technology getting better each year, its no wonder that games like Spore developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts, can wow players and developers alike. In an article posted in the Rocky Mountain News, if EA so chooses, it could license out Spore technology to other interested developers as an “engine…“

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The notion that dedicated consoles will eventually become obsolete is beginning to gain some support. The logic behind this belief is simple: video games are going to be available on umpteen devices and in forms never imagined before in the not-so-distant future. Sandy Duncan, former VP of Xbox Europe also is among those who subscribe to the game console extinction theory.

He told That Video Game Blog that in the next 5-10 years video game consoles will cease to exist…

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The 2008 Engineering & Technology Emmys were award this past Monday (January 7, 2008) at CES in Las Vegas, NV.

The big - and second consecutive year - winner was Nintendo with several nods for the Nintendo DS and a wink to the Wii. Linden Labs also won a pair for Second Life.

Other notable winners include the Atari Lynx for the screen development (so nice to see that system finally get some respect), Mattell’s Football handheld game (which helped maintain my sanity during many long bus rides in high school), and a couple big-name games including World of Warcraft, Havok and Quake.

As you may recall last year’s awards had a bit of extra excitement generated by Sony, though this year Sony doesn’t have an award to brag about.

Award presenters included Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and Peter Price, president and CEO of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Chairman of the Gaming Committee Seth Haberman and Variety’s Chief Marketing Officer Madelyn Hammond.  Peter Price, President and CEO of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. told press:

“For the first time in our 59 year history, not all winners will be presented with an Emmy statuette at this year’s ceremony due to litigation with the Hollywood-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. We are in court aggressively fighting for the right to recognize the talents and achievements of these companies and individuals without whom our industry would not be the world leader it is today. Once victorious, we plan to present each winner from tonight’s event with their own Emmy.”

Click through for the complete list of winners for Engineering & Technology for Creation and Implementation of Video Games and Platforms…

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It’s refreshing to hear that there are gamers in the community using their gaming knowledge towards a positive, educational experience that benefits students.

That is what one teacher in Trenton, New Jersey did when he took his favorite pastime and created an after school program that challenged as well as exercised all the skills an average fifth grade student learned throughout their school year.

“I have been playing video games since I was four years old (so I guess that means 20 years now),“ said Giancarlos Alvarado, a Parker Elementary School fifth grade teacher and the founder of the Video Game Design Institute after school program, during an exclusive Gamertell interview. “I have owned most of the major video game systems with the Sega Saturn being my all time favorite!“

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With technology expanding and luring youth away from school, the British are trying to use technology to lure students back to school. One such way is through the upcoming BETT technology fair at Olympia in London starting January 9, 2008.

The goal of this event is to bring together the global teaching and learning community for four days of innovations and inspirations. Some of those inspirations stem from current gadgets children may already own, which is why Sony is getting involved in this technology fair with a few ideas of its own.

Sony, famous for its video-game consoles, came to the event to offer educators a way to reach children who play games and to help make learning fun using the PSP. The handheld was first made available in Europe on September 1, 2005, allowing children to play their favorite games on the go.

Since the recent upgrades and added capabilities such as being able to download videos,  the handheld system could be used for educational purposes. Using the latest models, Stimpfig suggests that teachers could create video lessons their students can download and review wherever and whenever they like by simply downloading them to their PSP and watch it later.

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In a rather interesting gesture, Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has unveiled her likeness in the virtual world, Second Life, during the National Innovation Summit held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati November 26, 2007. She as joined by members of the Department of Science, Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro, IBM Executive Vice President for the Innovation and Technology Department Nick Donofrio.

Arroyo’s intent was to show her country that she is not opposed to change and innovation.

During the summit, with a theme from TV series Battlestar Galactica playing in the background, the president got her first glimpse of her Second Life avatar.

“Preparing our growth sectors of the future enables us to tap the opportunities of the 21st century.We will promote fast-growing industries where high value jobs are plentiful…let us declare that technology is the foundation of future economic development,” the President stressed in a speech given in July 2001 prior to hosting the summit to introduce a program that is designed to strengthen the country’s competitiveness in the global knowledge-based economy and transform the Philippines into a technology hub in Asia.

Creating a Second Life avatar is the first step to creating a virtual Philippine Embassy in the game. The virtual embassy will be largely used by IBM for global conferencing with many of its executives regularly meeting with the use of their own avatars.

“We believe that innovation is key to our national competitiveness,” Arroyo said during the summit.

Read [Inquirer.net] Also Read [Hackenslash] Site [Phillippine Government]

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IBM introduced a new game for university students and young professionals today. The game is called Innov8, a “serious game” available free to those interested in the information technology career field.

“The best kept secret in the world of computer and video games is the rise of a movement - now in the thousands --= of gamers, universities and corporations dedicated to applying games to serious challenges such as education, training, medical treatment, or better government,” said David Rejeski, director of the Serious Games Initiative. “IBM has established itself as a pioneer in serious gaming by enabling universities to educate students using the gaming medium they understand, enjoy and embrace.”

Available to more than 2,000 universities located around the world, students can download the game from IBM’s website for use in the classroom. IBM created the game as part of its “serious game initiative” to reach students who grew up gaming and is designed to teach gamers how to compete in the IT business market.

“IBM views serious gaming as a new and exciting way to develop the skills that are required as business and IT become more closely aligned,” said Sandy Carter, vice president, IBM SOA and WebSphere strategy, channels and marketing. “Innov8 was designed to address this specific skills shortage while also helping universities realize the benefits of using serious games as a powerful tool for teaching today’s students.”

The 3D educational game can also help business leaders and IT teams function better as an organized team to provide quality service to their customers. Innov8 is based on advanced commercial gaming technologies, in the game players can see how technology and technology related businesses use their strategy and how it affects their performance by exploring “‘what if” scenarios before a technology is deployed.

Read [Game Daily] Site [Innov8]

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