My Games Planet

When professional soccer players and coaches learned that the 2022 World Cup would be held in Qatar, they immediately began to wonder about how they would survive 90 minutes of game time in the sweltering heat. Some have asked officials to move the event to a country with milder climates, but others believe that there is a more realistic solution in the works. Enter video games. Yes, professional soccer players may end up playing a video game to decide the winner of the 2022 World Cup. As zany as it sounds, this is not the first time that technology has been used to come to a decision over a sports dispute.

The simulated soccer game would be broadcast in the arena, where spectators would be able to see their favorite players score goals, virtually of course. What makes this plan so strange is the fact that players might be forced to train on the couch rather than on the fields. Some even fear that a crop of new players will represent teams in 2022. Instead of drafting college soccer players that have been honing their skills, teams might be looking to hire professional gamers.

Of course, this is all still speculative since FIFA hasn’t made an official announcement, but sources close to officials believe that this story might be broken soon. FIFA officials might need to come up with a way to prevent teams from gaming the system, both literally and figuratively. Aside from hiring professional gamers, teams might also be tempted to use cheat codes.

The results are in, and more than 50% of all gamers are women. Although there are plenty of female main characters in games, they really aren’t representative of the gamers themselves. Sure, the same can be said for male protagonists. There’s not a lot of shy, wimpy characters in game, but at least there is some variety. Video game developers still have their eye out for promising female designers, but it seems like they aren’t listening to their suggestions.

On both fronts, women’s voices aren’t being heard in the gaming world. Per capita, women have more buying power, so it would actually be in the best interest of game makers to start creating more well rounded titles that cater to female audiences. There’s something about video games being associated with nerdy, anti-social male teens that makes some women not even want to admit that they play games. There’s absolutely no reason for female fighting characters to wear little more than loin cloths, but the titles sell well despite it all.

There’s sexism everywhere in the world, but in the gaming industry, women are unseen and unheard. Unless game developers decide that they need a little eye candy, or a damsel in distress to motivate gamers, they pretty much assume that it’s a man’s world. There are a few games that break all barriers, but they are few and far between. Maybe in a few more years when more female developers start to rise in the ranks that gamers will finally get the balance that they are desperately seeking.

There are really two categories of gamers. First, there are hardcore players that rack up a few hours of play time before they can go on with the rest of their day. Then, there are gamers that might not play everyday or even every week for that matter. In the case of ‘Portal 2,’ avid gamers might get bored quickly with the features and storyline. The original game, ‘Portal,’ was released in 2007 and barely got more than a glancing mention in gaming review publications. That was okay with Valve, because it just gave the company more time to wow fans in the future. The funny part is that ‘Portal’ was awarded high honors by several organizations.

Based on the popular video game title ‘Half-Life 2,’ ‘Portal 2′ picks up right where it left off. The main character is a robot with a weird sense of humor. Not surprisingly, ‘Portal 2′ takes place more than 100 years after the original game. The player’s objective is to shoot a lot of stuff and do some critical thinking in between. There are plenty of games that take advantage of artificial intelligence, but ‘Portal 2′ does no such thing. You won’t be able to get anywhere in the game if you can’t think on your feet and learn the principles of ‘portal making.’ Basically, you’ll be given a ray gun and then it will be your job to figure the rest out. For gamers that want to get into the action right away, ‘Portal 2,’ might not have all of the eye catching graphics needed, but for occasional gamers, this title will more than suffice.

While it is true that some married adults enjoy playing video games more than they do spending time with their spouses, a new study shows that excessive gaming can actually lead to divorce. According to a recent study, both married men and women are more likely to “escape” their lives by playing popular games such as ‘World of Worldcraft.” When these married couples start to have trouble, instead of heading to counseling, one or both parties go to separate rooms and play video games.

It is estimated that 15% of all divorces are caused by excessive gaming. Some people might assume that playing video games is all bad news, but there is a big difference between playing video games as a hobby and being a full blown addict. Mental health researchers say that gaming addicts are unable to concentrate on job related tasks or fulfill their familial responsibilities without taking several breaks to play video games.

Modern therapies for excessive gaming are still in the experimental phase. Because this generation is so defendant on electronic gadgets and devices, it is impractical to ask gaming addict to quit cold turkey. Although obsessive gaming counts more than 1 out of 10 divorces, it is likely that the divorce rate would be the same if video games did not exist. People with obsessive personality traits will find just about anything to obsessive over. If it wasn’t video games it might be drugs, gambling, high risk sexual activities or any number of other self gratifying behaviors.

Parents, teachers and even researchers have long believed that long term exposure to violent video games cause children to become desensitized to reality. Playing video games that involve shootings, gang violent and graphic adult content does not cause kids to respond to real life acts of violent any differently, a new study shows. The study asked two different groups of children and young adults that played games and did not to talk about past negative experiences. Surprisingly, the two test groups showed that playing video games did not cause them to downplay tragic news events or even real life situations.

Several recent research studies show that playing violent video games is akin to watching violent horror movies. Although children are not permitted to watch movies that are rated R without being accompanied by an adult, exposure to adult content does not make them want to reenact or glorify violence. The study took place at the University of Toronto and more than 120 study subjects were asked to provide their opinions on their opinions on video games in general as well as their perceptions.

Although the two researchers that conducted the study, Julia Spaniol and Holly Bowen, believe that violent video games in an of themselves do not cause children to view real life violence any differently they do believe that more conclusive evidence must be produced. In the future more long term studies may be conducted to see how children react to violence in the present versus how they view these events in the future.

There has been a quiet battle ensuing behind the scenes between smart phone developers and the makers of your favorite hand held gaming devices. Companies such as Nintendo DS have long been making some of the world’s most beloved class titles, but when it comes to hard hitting graphics and story lines that have an impact, Sony is the clear cut winner. The Xperia Play promises to give gamers what they have always wanted – a smart phone with a full range of Internet capabilities along with a cutting edge gaming device. The device is not due out until March, but the industry is already buzzing about how the Xperia Play will fit in. Apple has a huge portion of the smart phone industry wrapped up with the iPhone and Nintendo fans are quick to snatch up every available title. This means that Sony will need to find a way to virtually steal away consumers that are already largely satisfied with their electronics.

Sony does have an advantage because there is currently no smart phone maker that allows consumers to purchase free standing titles. While it is more convenient for consumers to download their video games, if anything every happens to their device it will be difficult to get back all of their data. If Sony sells the Xperia Play alongside a range of exciting titles then there is room for this hand held gaming console in the industry. Gamers will have to wait for Sony to release prices, but at least they have a little bit of time to save up.

Its been more than a decade since feminists protested the oversexed image of Lara Croft of ‘Tomb Raider,’ game develops have yet to introduce a female character that is favored because she is strong and intelligent alone. Although the majority of gamers are younger males, these frequently one sided games haven’t exactly been flying off of the shelves lately. Since gaming consoles like the Nintendo Wii have begun to appeal across a much larger audience, the gaming industry should really start to focus on titles that feature more three dimensional female characters in order to appeal to the masses.

There is a new generation of gamers that are growing up with images of scantily clad female video game characters that may have a super power or two, but they also lack real subsistence. All it will take is one innovative company to bring this issue to the forefront, but until it happens there will continue to be the same female video game character model that appears for the sole purpose of being eye candy. Since there will be more women entering the gaming industry it may actually take a woman’s touch to produce the world’s first female character that actually gets to keep her clothes on while becoming a fan favorite. There are plenty of popular franchises such as the ‘Final Fantasy’ series that can easily introduce a powerful female lead that will captivate audiences the world around. It may be several years before the gaming industry catches on, but when it happens the face of gamers may change forever.

‘LittleBigPlanet 2,’ is truly one of a kind. Instead of creating a game that boxes gamers into a finite corner, game developer Media Molecule has made it so that gamers are the ones that are creating the games. There has been a lot of talk about user created content in the gaming industry. The popular Sims game series has been able to keep gamers entertained for years by encouraging them to create their own items and then share them with other players. In, ‘LittleBigPlanet 2,’ things are a little different. The developer spent more time cultivating the tools that gamers can use to create puzzles, RPGs and shooting styled games. Part ethereal but 100% cerebral, this game is going to spawn a new generation of gamers that really think outside of the box.

By keeping the main game simple, players are able to spend more time coming up with their own virtual titles. You can only play, ‘LittleBigPlanet 2,’ if you own a PlayStation 3, but if you are able to connect to the Internet then you can explore user created worlds on a whim. All in all, ‘LittleBigPlanet 2,’ is not a game that everyone will enjoy, but if you like to express your creativity then you will love the fact that the options in this game are boundless. The gaming industry is always on the lookout for new and innovative thinkers, and if they can manage to wait until these gamers have honed their skills a bit, they they will have easy access to a fresh crop of programmers and designers.

If you think that video games are not already regulated enough then you might get your wish soon. Congress is currently trying to figure out new ways to keep violent video games that are meant for mature audiences out of the hands of young consumers. Most game retailers make it a point to ask for ID, but many titles still manage to slip through the cracks. There is no conclusive evidence that shows that young and impressionable gamers are at a higher risk when exposed to violent video games, but parents have been lobbying for tightened restrictions for years. What is truly remarkable is the fact that these same parents aren’t trying to force the music or movie industry to do the same thing. Children regularly see movies that are rated R in theaters, and the parental advisory stickers that appear on CDs with graphic language are almost always ignored. Somehow, someway the youth is able to see, play and listen to what they want to even if their parents disapprove.

Instead of coming down in the gaming industry perhaps these parents should try monitoring what their own children are doing at home. It is likely that their own family members are buying the same video games that they have banned from their homes. If a child is intent on playing a game, he or she will find ways to get access to it. At the end of the day, their parents will probably never find out and their children will grow up to be productive citizens.

Although a 19 year old South Korean gamer played a popular first person shooter game for more than 12 hours just before collapsing at in an Internet cafe, it is not known if the game itself had anything to do with his death. Health experts warn against prolonged gaming and parents frequently keep tabs on the amount of time that their children spend in with their gaming consoles, but gaming centers are becoming an epidemic in South Korea. The government there has already placed heavy restrictions on where gaming center can be built, but highly motivated gamers will travel for miles in order to play video games for days on end.

On the day that the Korean teen died, he played video games for more than 10 hours straight and then returned home briefly to eat. After returning to the gaming center, the victim identified as ‘Moon’ continued to play until his untimely death a few hours later. It is likely that the teen had an underlying medical issue that was exasperated by prolonged gaming. While Moon was legally an adult, he probably started to visit South Korean gaming centers as a child.

The gaming center that Moon visited for his 12 hour gaming marathon is part of a popular franchise known as ‘PC Bang.’ There are around 20,000 individual PC Bangs in South Korea, and many of it’s visitors are regular patrons. These gaming centers serve as a convenient place for video game fanatics to meet up, socialize and play new games, but many gamers in South Korea are spending a considerable portion of their lives behind computer monitors.