Gaming posts

The next console needs to get here quickly for Nintendo. The game hardware company announced its first annual operating loss of 37.3 billion yen ($459.54 million) from 2011 to 2012. They anticipate a turnaround in numbers at the same level in the positive this year as a next generation console is expected. Price cuts to their systems weren’t enough to keep sales from dropping 36.2%. Nintendo intends to sell the 3DS “below cost” soon, following strong sales after a substantial price cut last year. Still, they weren’t anywhere near the numbers of the original DS, selling 13.53 million 3DS devices…

As Sony continues to get pounced on by gaming aficionados over the poor roll out through improper marketing and bad initial titles, Playstation is moving onward and upward with Mortal Kombat to give it another boost in sales following recent success. To do it, they have turned to arguably the most popular character in the series: Kitana. The female killer should get some attention for the launch of the game on May 1st. It needs to. Another failure may be enough to send even the most hardcore Playstation portable gaming fans to other platforms. Here’s the trailer: …

It’s hard to walk through an airport or a coffee shop without seeing someone playing Angry Birds. The game is on millions of mobile devices and even desktops as an oddly-addictive distraction from the rest of the world. In it, one is tasked with taking a powerful slingshot and launching birds with various attributes at bricks and structures in hopes of killing pigs. Anyone who hasn’t played the game will probably think that sounds weird. Those who have played will see nothing wrong with the concept. That may be the problem. This infographic comes via Los Angeles Chevrolet and offers some insight…

When you mention “classic games” to anyone over the age of 30, there’s a good chance that the first thing that pops in their mind is Pac-Man. The icon of gaming has been spun on its head from the original Namco days to become a nano-polymer-based weapon of the US government hidden for testing under the deserts of Nevada. The Polymorphous Autonomous Compound Manipulator can consumer hazardous targets like oil spills and reactor leaks, but prefers cherries. …

We’ve all heard the horror stories about how hardcore gaming makes us anti-social and possibly even homicidal. There are politicians, activists, and shrinks around the world who say gaming is the way to the dark side, that it’s a path to evil, that Anakin Skywalker became a sith because he was a closet gamer, and that every mass murderer in the last 20 years can be attributed to being a gamer. What if the exact opposite is actually true? That’s the thought behind this infographic by Psychology Degree. In it, they discuss the social benefits of gaming, giving hope to millions of mothers who think their…

Movies have been made into video games since Atari, while video game have been turned into movies for nearly as long. The successes of both types of adaptation are debatable, but now we’re seeing the start of a new type of gaming adaptation: the television show games. There have been others in the past with CSI, ER, and other popular shows getting the platform and PC treatment, but the latest batch of games may break down the walls that have made television series games something that only the most dedicated fans consider buying. “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones” are the two most recent that…

The debate has raged for decades as many politicians, scientists, and educators believe that gaming contributes to such things as increased violence and emotional detachment, while many studies show that there are distinct positive reactions to gaming that can actually help people achieve higher mental states and improved cognitive abilities. Regardless of which side of the fence someone is, one thing is clear: gaming affects our minds. Here’s how: Via: Online Universities Blog…

Anyone with kids (and many adults, for that matter) are aware that achievements garnered through performing certain activities in games are sought after despite being relatively worthless. They can rarely be “cashed in” on anything. They aren’t broadcast. In many ways, these achievements and progressions are very personal though they do add bragging rights amongst friends. How can this mild obsession with rewards and achievements be translated into education? The fact that it’s a question is sort of sad; this could easily become the cornerstone of an education system that goes beyond grades…

When Rovio CMO Peter Vester appeared at a ball last December, his wife, Teija Vesterbacka, came in a dress that awkwardly “paid homage” to their top-selling game, Angry Birds. This wasn’t just any ball in any venue; it was the highly-exclusive annual Presidential Independence Day reception at the Finnish Presidential Palace. Whether it was her idea or his is unclear, but the “stunning” gown was designed to make an impression. What that impression was, we have no idea….

If you ask a non-gamer about steam, they’ll describe boiling water or the stuff that comes out of an iron. If you ask a gamer about Steam, there’s only one thing that comes to mind – cheap and accessible enjoyment. With over 40 million steam accounts, there were more people signed in to Steam during last year’s holiday sales than there were people watching the streamed royal wedding. It is a huge success for valve and a resource universally used by gamers worldwide. How did they get here and where are they going? That’s the question answered in the infographic below. Distribution models come and go,…