Game WX

Online video game streaming services may be old news, but Capcom has managed to make a big impression on consumers with its partnership with Gakai. A few months ago EA Games forged a similar deal with Gakai, offering gamers a way to play their favorite games online without needing to download bulky software. Other companies such as Walmart are looking to Gakai to keep their video game servers online as well as create new titles for customers.

Other services may appeal directly to consumers, however, Gakai has proven itself to be a powerful force for game companies and retailers. First movie streaming services such as Netflix put major companies like Blockbuster out of business, and now Gakai looks to take over the video game industry. Gamestop is already look to cash in on this new trend, but they have also been able to make considerable profits with used video game trade in programs.

For now, Capcom and Gakai will be offering a limited number of video titles online via the video game streaming service. Consumers that like to play games on their consoles rather than their computers might want to stick to the Play Station Network, Xbox Live and Wii U. In recent years, Capcom, a company which dominated the arcade sector, has been struggling to sell the same titles directly to consumers. Now, they are giving them the opportunity to play their games conveniently from home, without obligating them to make a full commitment. Gakai will continue to look for new video game developers to partner with.

While members of the video game industry are blamed for many of society’s woes, they are also given a laundry list of excuses. Now, it seem that game developers are not only being told that they need to give women more prominent placement in their titles, but they should also come up with a way to make teen boys want to grow up. Now that video games are accessible via the web, most teens are able to get away with playing video games for hours without being noticed. It is still the responsibility of parents to know what their children are up to at all times, however, online gaming is making it easier for young men to goof off.

The same could be said for social networking and even video streaming website. If a teen wants to spend more time relaxing than being responsible, well then that’s an entirely personal choice. Even if video game consoles were banned from the home, and gaming websites were blocked, teenage boys would just resort to doing things the old fashioned way – going outside. If parents don’t know what their kids are doing while they are in the next room, then the gaming industry should not even be part of the equation. Things will continue to go this way for as long as people look at a group of statistics and then promptly identify a scapegoat. Long before gaming existed, teen boys were driving hot rods, wearing leather jackets and goofing of while in class.

The month of May brought mixed news to the gaming community. Microsoft Xbox 360 sales were way up, but video game retailers had one of the worst months they’ve seen in four years. As far as hardware sale go, Microsoft made up approximately 34% of all sales. What’s more impressive is that the Xbox Kinect is still going strong.

Sony was finally able to make a big impression with the PlayStation 3. For months, Microsoft and Nintendo have continually beat out Sony with the sale of the Xbox 360 and the Wii. Unfortunately for Nintendo, the Nintendo 3DS didn’t sell as well as the company first anticipated, but it did manage to move 80,000 units.

Video game titles are still selling at a snails pace. With the exception of ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops’ and a handful of other titles, game developers are struggling to remain in the black. Several video game publishers have called it quits since the beginning of 2011. With Redbox set to offer video game rentals, companies such as Gamestop are trying out different strategies.

Video game makers are hoping that they can post better number toward the end of the year. With the holidays fast approaching, and back to school shopping season around the corner, buyers will be turning out, but the real question is, will they be buying video games? Even though Sony had one good month, the company has been suffering amid the security breach crisis. Hopefully, Sony will be able to keep up the good work now that the worst has passed.

In the original “American McGee’s Alice,” gamers were bombarded with images of death, destruction and melee – all staring their favorite childhood character, Alice. More than 10 years later, and EA has managed to do it again. “Alice: Madness Returns” is based on the original Alice character, but she is a few years older and much more twisted. After several movie studios expressed an interest in creating a film adaptation of the original game, EA began to toy with the idea of releasing a sequel.

Again, the sequel has been rated ‘M’ for mature, but fans have failed to receive “Alice: Madness Returns” with the same level of excitement. There are many new characters, weapons and features for gamers to explore, but the storyline is pretty stale. Alice has again been living in an asylum, and she is still trying to figure out what caused the fire that killed her family. It is clear that EA wants to cash in on the ‘twisted’ Alice in Wonderland craze, but they have failed to push the plot to its limits.

If you are a fan of the original and you already own the Xbox 360, you might want to pick up a copy of “Alice: Madness Returns” just for curiosity’s sake – just don’t get your hopes up. All of the original characters like the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat have returned, but they are only a shell of their former selves. The gore is still there and the soundtrack is thrilling, but that’s about all there is to say about “Alice: Madness Returns.”

Each new generation of video games comes with better graphics and more features to meet the growing demands of consumers – except for mobile games. Although most smart phones are equipped to handle complex graphics engines the majority of mobile games are incredibly simplistic. From ‘Angry Birds’ to the classic ‘Tetris,’ it seem like mobile game players are looking for an escape rather than an all encompassing gaming experience. This trend has caused game developers to think about whether or not graphics are as important as they used to be. Sure, consumers still have high expectations of game developers when it comes to creating state of the art titles for their consoles, but it appears that the time, money and skill put into some of the most successful games released in the last few years would have done just as well if they were more basic.

The mobile gaming industry has literally exploded with the released of the Android and the iPhone 4. While smart phone users want their mobile Internet browsers to provide real time results, play videos and download content, it appears that they are more responsive to game titles that allow them to get away from it all. This means that they want games that will load quickly. They also want to play games that don’t require them to expend a lot of energy. The upcoming Xperia Play may appeal to hardcore gamers that want to save their games and play against opponents, but casual gamers just want to use their mobile games to take a break.

Medical Students Excited About Video Game Based Training

The CIA has long been using video game based training to educate new recruits on how to handle high stress situations, but few other industries have been as enthused about embracing the technology. Recent study results show that medical students believe that video games will help them to care for patients more effectively, however, these students have high demands. Many people believe that medical school is boring, but most interns, medical students and residents would disagree. After two family care practitioners, Michael Fetters, M.D and Frederick Kron, M.D asked medical students what they wanted out of medical training video games, the overwhelming majority necessitated that they be as entertaining as they were educational.

As more industries begin to use games to provide cost effective training, it appears that the medical industry will need to develop video games that appeal to all of the senses. Interestingly, medical students seem to think that a multi-player online game would be the best medium they could use to train them how to handle emergency situations. Perhaps a video game that simulates triage or even how to treat combat injuries would help medical students without risking the safety of real patients. More than 217 medical students from across the US expressed their opinions and concerns about the idea of including video games during the course of their studies. Not only did these students say that they already play video games in their spare time on a regular basis, but many also stated that they would be excited about testing out their previously learned gaming skills in a more constructive environment.

In the field of scientific research on video games, many new studies are beginning to suggest that such games may actually have a range of positive side effects for patients of all sorts of debilitative and even potentially life threatening diseases across a range of medical fields. Even those who are attempting to quit smoking may be able to benefit from such games, researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara are now saying. The concept is quite simple: the games will be designed to teach people about ways that they can manage their own health in their daily lives. By studying the principles of solid game design, the researchers are seeking to find out what can be done to help people learn while still being entertained. The professor and director of Health Games Research at the university, Debra Lieberman, has been putting to use the research, funding by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, giving out more than $4 million to 21 different projects to develop such games and test their results in a real world setting.

According to Lieberman, all games feature some sort of main point that they are trying to get across to the player and require a certain approach in order to advance and eventually win the game. To Lieberman, this suggests a ‘curriculum’ that is teaching players how the game world operates. By rehearsing skills, gamers learn to play and if they were rehearsing positive health habits, Lieberman believes they would end up carrying away positive benefits for their every day lives.