It may seem surprising, but the number of queer characters in videogames has increased dramatically over the last decade. A key influence of this is “media convergence”, that is, the flow of subject matter…
The supposed link between videogames and violence is riddled with holes.
Rudy Lara
Is there an explicit link between playing violent videogames and becoming a deadly killer? If we are to take seriously a new study published in the journal Communication Research, there seems to be. Cue…
The fact a pleasurable behaviour is done to excess does not necessarily mean it’s an addiction.
PhotoCatcher
I am a Warcraft widow, an affectionate term given to those who have “lost” a partner to World of Warcraft (WoW) as a result of excessive game-playing. I have first-hand experience of the way games such…
The boundary between the military and everyday life is being eroded by videogames.
gelle.dk
The ongoing trial of Norwegian right-wing extremist Anders Breivik has generated a great deal of media coverage, public debate and analysis. Much of this has focused on claims made by Breivik that he used…
Playing violent games didn’t make Anders Breivik a mass-murderer.
alessio.sartore
“Violent videogames cause people to become violent in real life”. It’s a familiar refrain for anyone who has read a newspaper in the last 15 years. Today, the media reporting surrounding the trial of accused…
Is the search giant’s foray into augmented reality an exciting or daunting vision of the future?
Google
Earlier this month, Google released a video (see below) announcing Project Glass: the development of a pair of glasses with a real difference. Google’s augmented reality eyewear (or “eyeware”) will provide…
Sure, gesture-based gaming can be fun, but is it really “better” than using a button-based controller?
Ludovic Maillard
Researchers at Baylor University in the US have conducted a study that reportedly shows players get more pleasure from videogames that use motion and gesture controllers (such as the Nintendo Wiimote…
People have always sent each other letters, but now they can be worth “triple words”.
Brandice Schnabel
They are everywhere: people in cafés or supermarket queues, staring at their smartphones with determined concentration, occasionally shuffling yellow tiles of letters to use all of them in a killer move…
Do confusing videogame controllers prevent you from gaming? They shouldn’t.
Jeff the Trojan
To the uninitiated, videogames have a bit of a reputation for being a difficult media form. A control pad, for such people, can be a cold and grey device covered with alien buttons, intimidating and unwelcoming…
Games have come a long way … as has our understanding of how games affect us.
gseven
Just like rock music in the 1950s, Dungeons & Dragons in the 1980s, and death metal in the 1990s, videogaming has been demonised by parent groups. For decades, gamers were portrayed as obese social…
Late last week Federal Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare introduced a bill to parliament that takes Australia one step closer to an R18+ classification for videogames. No sooner had the classification…
For many years, the Australian videogame industry has been trying to carve a niche for itself internationally. There have been moments of success and moments of decline, but the sector’s true potential…
Is it time to take your working life to another level?
Holly Ford Brown
A white paper was released this week stating that “Gen Y” employees could be better engaged and motivated by applying “game dynamics” to the workplace. Bunchball, the company behind the paper, would say…
Should battlefield rules apply to war-based videogames?
reway2007
“There is [a worldwide] audience of approximately 600 million gamers who may be virtually violating International Humanitarian Law,” read the Daily Bulletin of the 31st International Conference of the…
Teens who frequently play video games have larger reward centres in their brains than those who play less often, according to a study published today in the journal Translational Psychiatry. The researchers…