Talk about people having nothing better to do! A group of researchers released a report regarding how game console branding affected the psychological responses of children. For boys, they compared the effects of Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation. For girls, they compared the effects of Barbie and Bratz dolls.

The results of their study showed that the Xbox affected the little boys more strongly in that they felt more empowered and self-confident. On the other hand, after viewing the Xbox system, the same boys also became more distrustful as compared to the boys who viewed the PlayStation. It was not disclosed if there was a difference between the Xbox, Xbox360, PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3.

The conclusion? Psychology plays a key role in branding and marketing. I was wondering, though. How would you translate these findings in the real world? Would boys who use the Xbox be really more confident in their daily activities? Would they also be really more distrustful of those around them? Another thing, I wonder what their findings would have been if they had the little girls play with the different consoles rather than the dolls? Last, I wonder how parents would react to these findings?

Oh by the way, these little boys and girls may not be little after all. The research group didn’t give any details as to their age group as well as to the number of subjects they carried out the study on.

This gives me an idea. Why don’t we try a little experiment on our own? Try playing with the Xbox and the PlayStation and see how they affect us?

Tags: consoles, PlayStation, PS3, Xbox

Pokemon may not be as red hot as it once was a few years ago but a big fan base still eagerly await any new Pokemon releases. Pokemon Emerald may have been released almost a year ago but this GBA game is still being played by many Pokemon fans because it is such a joy to play. Below you can find some secrets to the game that you can exploit: The Mystery Gift.

In order to get the mystery gift, visit the pokemon mart and press A on the paper that you will see on the counter. You should then try to insert the phrase “LINK TOGETHER WITH ALL.” You can press select in order to more easily locate the words. When you have done this the store lady will request to talk to you. She will tell you that the mystery gift has been unlocked.

Hatching eggs – how to make it go faster

This is pretty simple. All you need to do is to place a pokemon that possess the Flame Body or Magma Armor ability in your team. Do this and you can cut the number of steps that are required to hatch an egg.

Swarm’s second ability

Swarm is a pokemon ability that basically has two distinct effects. The first effect is to increase the Bug type attacks 150 per cent when the player has been weakened. What is new to Pokemon Emerald though is that it causes pokemon to cry in the background with more frequency.

Raising weak pokemon

There is an easier way of raising weak pokemons. Put the pokemon on the first slot. When there is a battle quickly choose that pokemon. When the battle finishes, the pokemon will get half of the experience points.

Tags: emerald, pokemon, secrets-GBA

Who wants to build a career in the video game industry? WHO DOESN’T? Seriously, anyone who spends hours and hours in front of the computer or TV playing games would want to actually do it for a living – make money out of it!

And that is what the people at George Mason University are trying to do. With their new program dubbed Computer Game Design, the educational institution aims to develop and nurture the talents and skills of young people who want to build their career around video games. It looks like their gamble is paying off. It is only 2010 and they already have about 200 students enrolled in the program. Their forecast was a little over a hundred by the year 2012! They’re even getting inquiries from people all over the world.

That is really not surprising as video games are becoming more and more popular – even if it’s hard to believe that that’s possible. From young kids to retired seniors, playing video games has become a past time. The development of new technology has contributed to this, plus the ever expanding kinds of video games.

George Mason University is not alone in offering this course, but it looks like its program is fast gaining the attention of enthusiastic students. Before long, we will probably see programs of this type in most major universities around the world. If I were you and I were just starting my university life, I’d definitely check this out!

Tags: George Mason University, university, video game design, video games

Remember my post about the Apple iPad being a potential catalyst in the world of mobile gaming? Back then, the iPad was recently launched, and people were already pondering on the implications. A couple of months have passed, and the pondering is quickly changing into anticipation.

Now that people have gotten their hands on the iPad, reviews are mixed – no surprise there, really. What is quite exciting is the fact that almost a thousand video games have already been developed for the iPad! For a mobile computing device, it is saying a lot that video game developers are already jumping to create various products.

If you think about it, the iPad is primarily meant to serve as a cross between a smartphone and a mobile computer. With the amount of attention being given to it by the video game sector, however, it seems that it is being seen more as a mobile gaming machine!

What is in store for the mobile gamer? Reuters reports:

With seven iPad games available at launch, ngmoco is taking advantage of the multi-touch screen by allowing players of games like “Godfinger” and “We Rule” to multitask by literally sliding small game windows aside so they can focus on the bigger playing field and then read the story progression or check out friends’ castles in between.

Johnny Coghlan, head of publishing for Chillingo, which has 14 iPad games available, said the Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities allows for all of its games, including “Super Shock Football HD” and puzzle game “Quantz HD,” to incorporate Crystal integration. This is the company’s social gaming network that enables players to compete against one another and tout high scores.

Then there’s Uno, Flight Control HD, and Tetris. Now who wants to play?

Tags: Apple iPad, mobile gaming, News

Ever heard of Legends of Zork? If not, then it’s about time that you did. GameStop recently launched its new online game – which, by the way, is FREE TO PLAY – and it is called Legends of Zork. The well known name in the gaming world has teamed up with Jolt Online (another upcoming name in gaming) to provide access to Legends of Zork.

In line with the launch of the online game, GameStop is also running a promo contest. Basically, what you have to do is go to any GameStop location in the United States and ask for a promotional card. Yes, believe it or not, it is also FREE.

You then have to register online at www.LegendsOfZork.com using the code found in the card. Upon doing this, you are qualified to join their sweepstakes. Here’s the great thing: the prize is one year’s worth of FREE video games. Now who wouldn’t want to win that???

I have to tell you, though, that you need to head on over to the nearest GameStop location NOW. The cards are free but they are being given away on a first come first served basis. With this kind of prize at stake, I will not be a bit surprised if the promotional cards run out.

Going back to the new game, I haven’t tried it; but, I think that I will at least give it a try. I like the name Zork and there are no download requirements for the game. Let me know if you get around to playing.

Tags: free games, GameStop, Jolt, Legends of Zork, online-games

What is the most expensive video game ever sold? No, it’s not an Xbox 360 game. Neither is it a PlayStation 3 game. Up till last year, the record holder is a cartridge of Nintendo Game Challenge, which was sold for $21,100. Just the other day, though, someone sold a sealed copy – the only one thought to be in existence – of the NTSC version of Stadium Events.

Guess how much it went for? A whopping $41,300!!! Now why would anyone pay that much for a game that you probably won’t be able to play today? Zergwatch tells us more:

There is a new Holy Grail of Rare Video Games, and it is Stadium Events. The auction on a factory-sealed NTSC version closed just minutes ago , and it was sold for $41,300, almost double the old record. Three days into the bidding the high offer had already eclipsed the record price ever paid for a rare game – $20,100 for a Nintendo Campus Challenge cartridge sold last fall by Denver entrepreneur J.J. Hendricks , who earlier in 2009 also paid $17,500 for a gold Nintendo World Championships cart. “I was pretty amazed at the price,” Hendricks told Kotaku. “This Stadium Events auction destroys the previous record and I think is a surprise to everyone in game collecting community. I just wish there was such a thing as a sealed Nintendo World Championships Gold.” Hendricks said he did not bid on the sealed Stadium Events box. “I thought about it briefly but the bidding quickly went beyond what I was willing to pay,” he said. “I’m not that into sealed game collecting.” Bidding surged in the final 18 hours of the Stadium Events auction, nearly doubling the price from $22,500 to its final amount. Much of that was attributable to a single user bidding it up unopposed 35 times in a 10-minute span early this morning – from $22,700 to $39,800 – before leaving the auction. In all, more than 100 bids were placed on the item.

If you’re shaking your head and saying it’s crazy, I am with you! It is crazy. But hey, you can’t put a price on some things, can you?

Tags: collectors items, Nintendo, NTSC, Stadium Events

And it’s pouring like cats and dogs out there! Ever since they announced the development of this video game, I have been looking forward to actually trying it out. Heavy Rain has created a lot of noise. At first glance, the plot does not seem to be much different from any other movie or show that you can see today. The central character is a serial killer that is caught up in the drama of his life. The brilliance of Heavy Rain is in how the creators blurred the lines between movies and video games. And with the power backing up gaming consoles today, I can just imagine how awesome the gaming experience will be!

SFGate describes the game in words that I just cannot shake off:

The PlayStation 3 title, which goes on sale Tuesday, invites players to step inside a beautifully crafted interactive movie, playing four characters as they grapple with moral and emotional choices that spill out from the story.

There are no points, gunbattles or traditional challenges found in video games. Instead there is a propulsive story with clear consequences to every action, including death for any of the main characters.

For some reason, I think of a modern and hi-tech version of Choose Your Own Adventure. The game is obviously very much focused on the story, making it quite intelligent, in my mind. I like to think of it as you creating your own movie but using the video game format. Now that I can get my hands on it, I just might be holing myself in for the weekend.

Tags: Heavy Rain, New Games, playstation3

Anyone who has had at two or three gaming consoles at the same time will know how irritating it can be to have to deal with all the wires associated with these toys. You also have to consider the game controllers. While the new gaming consoles have wireless controllers, the mere idea of having to buy different controllers for different consoles is not that attractive. We have no choice at the moment, however.

If Sony’s patent application is going to become a reality, though, we just might be able to use one gadget to play games using various consoles. Think PlayStation, Xbox, and the Wii. I think that they’ve also mentioned compatibility with Atari and Sega!

How is this going to work? According to the patent application, the controller will make use of an LCD screen – touch sensitive of course. This screen will display the various buttons and controls that we currently find in game controllers. Obviously, this means that the experience will not be tactile at all. It’s much like the touch screen phones and tablets in the market today. The controller will be able to store 3 different controller configurations but will display only one configuration at a time.

I can easily see how advantageous one controller for all consoles can be. However, I am not so sure about the disappearance of buttons that you can actually feel. I think the tactile experience is part of gaming, and the touch screen idea might not be well-received. Then again, that’s what many said about the iPhone.

Tags: game-controllers, gaming consoles, sony, universal remote

Everyone is talking about Apple’s latest product: the Apple iPad. Never mind the name – it IS kinda lame, I have to admit – but people all over the world are raving about this cute little thing. Having a screen size that’s even smaller than the smallest netbook around and a very light tag price, the iPad is certain to capture many hearts.

The question that concerns me right now, however, is whether or not the iPad will be the next big thing in mobile gaming, as some people are claiming. Peter Moore of Electronic Arts has already showed the world where he stands. He said that “If it’s got a great screen, some buttons, you can turn it on and it connects to the Internet, it’s got the ability to be a games machine.” From what I have seen, it seems to me that the iPad meets all those qualifications. And if you are shaking your head thinking that a gadget has to have more than that, think of the iPhone. Now that is one gadget that has truly changed the face of mobile gaming. Indeed, a lot of people that I know with the iPhone love it best because of the ability to download apps (a LOT of them games).

Now go back to the iPad. It has more computing power than the iPhone but it can download the same kinds of apps. For sure, more apps will be developed in the months to come. Now imagine GAMES galore on the iPad…I’ll leave you to dream of the gaming potential of this little baby.

Tags: Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, mobile gaming

Well, at least when it comes to becoming successful at gaming. That’s what some researchers are saying now; so if, for example, you find yourself struggling with certain kinds of video games, it may be your brain size that is to blame.

According to the findings published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, certain parts of the brain may be larger than the others; so much so that the proportions are totally out of whack. This disproportion may explain why some individuals are better at certain tasks than others.

More on the research and the findings from BBC:

MRI scans showed participants with a larger nucleus accumbens, which is part of the brain’s reward centre, outperformed others in the first few hours, perhaps due to the “sense of achievement and the emotional reward” accompanying achievement in the earliest stages of learning, the team speculated.

But those players who ultimately performed best on the game in which priorities changed had larger sections deep in the centre of the brain, known as the caudate and putamen.

So it’s not just gaming overall that is affected. It is also the kind of task that you have to achieve throughout the game!

If you’re tempted to be fatalistic and give up on gaming, don’t be. The researchers say that the brain is “fairly plastic,” meaning that it can be trained to change and perform much better. More so, they say that at the end of the day, it is what you do with your brain that counts. Yep, brain size is a factor but it is something that can always be overcome!

Tags: brain, research, science