Gamers or aspiring game developers can now create their own video games without the need for a technical background. The tool to use? Pixel Press.

This new Pixel Press tool lets anybody, young and old, to make their own video game levels. The only materials you will need are a pencil, graph paper and your iPad or iPhone.

Creator Robin Rath explained players can design their levels by hand and they can create any kind of traps for their avatar to hurdle. Avatars can climb five stories to reach their goal.

Rath said his tool also makes use of character recognition that allows the iPad or iPhone’s camera to convert the sketches to graphic elements. The next step is for the create to test his level, make further refinements and add skins to create a more polished game. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: building your world, mario-brothers, Metroid, Minecraft, Pixel Press, video game

Several studies have shown that playing video games has its benefits. One study has found that it helps relieve the pain suffered by children as it diverts their attention.

Another study has revealed that playing block-building games such as Tetris can help fix the lazy eye problem. Known as amblyopia, laze eye is a condition in which a person’s vision in one eye does not develop correctly. If not treated immediately, this can lead to sight problems as the brain will no longer correct the blurry images being experienced by that particular eye.

The traditional way of treating this vision issue is to cover the eye with the correct vision using an eye patch. This step will allow the weaker eye to exert more effort. The downside is that this type of treatment can take months to fix the condition. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: fix eye problem, tetris, video game

Whether you’re a casual or hardcore gamer, it’s always nice to have a space in your house set aside for gaming. If you have a basement, this is the perfect location, but another idea is to convert an unneeded formal dining room into a game room. Regardless of where you put the room, you’ll need to go through several steps to set it up with everything you need for a gaming paradise.

Pick the Right TV: You’ll be spending a lot of time looking at a screen, so you want one that’s best suited for gaming. We actually addressed this in another blog post recently, so read up on the type of TV to choose for your the best gaming experience.

Install Surround Sound: The image is only half of the experience when you’re playing a video game. You also have what you hear, which can significantly enhance the realism of the game and draw you into the world more fully. Don’t let those wimpy built-in speakers on the TV be your only source of sound, but instead, install surround sound in the room.

Add Comfortable Seating: When you’re sitting for hours, you want to be comfortable, so choose your seating carefully. A couch may be ideal if you often play multiplayer games. Otherwise, a gaming chair or beanbag may be more comfortable, especially if your TV is positioned lower. Keep your seating close enough to easily see the screen.

Get a Coffee Table: You’ll need somewhere to set down your controller, plus keep food & drink close at hand. A coffee table is the perfect height if you’re down on a gaming chair, and it’s also within reach of a couch. You may also want to consider matching end tables if you have a couch. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: controllers, game room, surround sound, tv

Video games are undoubtedly a popular form of entertainment particularly for kids. Many adults are also benefiting from it, though, such those the tech savvy ones.

But other than the entertainment it provides, these video games have been found very helpful in treating pain among children. In fact just recently, the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. introduced a new form of treatment for kids’ pains in its newly opened pain care complex. The facility is now using video games to treat the pain being experienced by young patients.

The games were specially designed for the purpose of eliminating pain and were created with the use of the Kinect technology of Microsoft. Through the games, the kids are brought into an intergalactic environment where they can play, paint and exercise while unknown to them, the doctors are analyzing their movements and other vital signs at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: children's chronic pain, Kinect technology, Microsoft, video games

The video game industry is a juggernaut. It has already outpaced the movie industry in terms of revenues – which is no small feat.

With video games now a part of mainstream culture, the number of games that are being released every year is growing –and of course, because of this the demand for video game professionals has also increased.

Video game related jobs are now considered one of the higher paying jobs in the job market. If you are interested in a career in the gaming industry then these are the jobs you should go for: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Game design, Game programmer, Game Studies, Game testing, games, video game, Video game development, Video game industry

Autism is an issue faced by many parents worldwide. And it’s not a simple issue that can easily be solved because most often, it requires a lot of patience and understanding and the process of improvement on the part of the child can take some time.

In the video gaming world, a new game has been developed that lets people into the world of children with autism. Called Auti-Sim, the game was created by a team from the Vancouver Hacking Health hackathon whose goal is to increase awareness on this hypersensitivity disorder and help people understand that this issue can result in a child’s isolation.

According to one of the game’s programmers, Taylan Kay, the concept of Auti-Sim was inspired by a documentary entitled Inside Autism. One excerpt there, he said, simulated the behavior of a person with autism as he goes through the major department store chain Walmart. Kay further explained that seeing the video clip made a great impact on him particularly in terms of coping with the behavior and how people with this issue could be misunderstood and mislabeled.

The initial demo of Auti-Sim elicited positive feedback with people suffering from this problem thanking the developers for sharing their real world with gamers. On the other hand, there were others who felt the game does not fully represent their experience with autism.

Auti-Sim is now in the process of being expanded to become a full game. The developers are considering adding more interactivity and environments as they continue to work with therapists as well as professionals in education and those advocating the autism campaign.

Photo via abcnews.go.com

Tags: auti-sim, autism awareness, new game

Gamers appreciate a crystal-clear image as much as other television users. That said, when it comes to choosing the right television for gameplay, there’s a lot more at stake than simply the crispness of the image. There’s been much debate over whether to choose a plasma, 3D or LED TV for gaming. Get behind the hype to see which type of television has the right features for serious gameplay.

LED TV

An LED television tends to offer incomparable sharpness when it comes to image display. While this can make it feel like you’re really there when watching travel documentaries or nature shows, there is a tradeoff to sharpness that can challenger gamers. LED models may not keep up with fast action sequences, causing gaming gaffes. Some gamers suggest turning off LED motion plus and processing settings when gaming; even fast-paced games like the Street Fighter franchise can translate well after this. LED TVs also perform better with brighter colors, so if you’re apt to play colorful games like LittleBigPlanet or the MarioKart franchise, you’ll appreciate the richness. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii

Did you miss the mutant turtles? If you haven’t been watching cartoons on TV or played their video games recently, you have something to look forward to this summer.

A new video game of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles subtitled Out of the Shadows will be released in a few months time. Players have a chance to be their favorite reptile character either as Donatello, Leonardo, Michaelangelo or Raphael. Developed by Red Fly Studios, the game involves four players and features a more realistic 3D gaming style unlike the cartoon series that you see.

The setting of the game is in New York City, the home of the ninja turtles. Developers are confident players will love the interactive environments and the adventures that they will have go through in this new and upcoming video game.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Nintendo, Out of the Shadows, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, video games

If you love Minecraft or like how it encourages players to get creative in the building aspect, you’ll surely like this new game called Brick-Force.

Published by Infernum Productions based in Berlin, Germany, this game is a first-person shooter type that lets you create the world and maps you’ve always dreamed of. And the best part is it’s free to play in your web browser. It can be played on either the PC or Mac.

Brick-Force features a map editor. It allows players to construct simple and more advanced maps using the voxels. These voxels are the big square bricks also used in Minecraft.

To design the landscape, players can use regular blocks and bricks made of fire and ice as well as turrets and detonation targets. The first update of this game was done in 2012 during which certain features such as zero gravity were added.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: brick-force, bricks and blocks, building game, first shooter game

A lot of young people who are so into computer games normally don’t expect their dads, moms much more their grannies to play their games. If there are parents or grannies who may be interested, they’re very few and far between. Most of them would say it’s just for kids or they’re too violent.

Surprisingly, there are PC games that even the oldies can play. We share a number of them here which you can recommend to your dad, mom, grandpa or grandma.

Plants vs. Zombies

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Tags: osmos, PC-games, plants vs. zombies, simcity