I am sure that you heard of the PSP God of War bundle when the news about it first came out. I think that was about several months ago, wasn’t it? I didn’t receive an e-mail from Gamestop till about a couple of weeks ago, though. I have been waiting for this to be released but now, I do not have the $199 to get it so I thought I would wait.

Yesterday, though, we were out at the mall just looking around and, lo and behold, we saw a solitary box of the bundle! You have to understand, in my neck of the woods, special edition packages are not easy to come by. Of course, you can always order them on the Internet but somehow, the feeling is different when you actually see the product on the shelves.

So anyway, we took a look at it. It is really a beauty! The color is blood red and Kratos’s face printed on the back definitely adds points. The PSP is a slim edition already and it was very very light – especially compared to the original PSP, which is what I have.

More than that, the extras that come with the package would really make the purchase worth it. It comes with the Chains of Olympus game, a UMD movie (Superbad, which by the way is a very funny movie), a memory stick (4G, I think) and some other stuff. I was not able to look through everything because we decided against buying it yesterday due to the fact that they didn’t have a zero percent option for my credit card and I didn’t really want to make the purchase.

Anyway, you should check it out for yourself.

Ever since the talk about Sony releasing PSN cards came out, PS3 fanboys have been waiting for the time that they could actually get their hands on one. Well, it seems that the time has arrived! According to Kotaku, someone has spotted price stickers for the PSN cards in a local US store:

Reader Josh was doing a spot of shopping in his local Meijer the other day and came across a couple of price stickers - for the long-awaited PlayStation Network pre-paid card - sitting in the aisle of the gaming section. No cards, just the stickers. The one pictured is for a $20 card, while Josh says there was also a sticker up for a $50 card as well. Sony are still quiet on a precise release date for these, but with this information heading out to retailers they hopefully won’t be too far away.

When I first read other blogs and news reports on the PSN card, I thought that someone had actually gotten his hands on one. Apparently, news becomes a bit different unless you go back to the original source. Anyhow, price stickers must mean that the product will be on the shelves pretty soon, right?

For those who are unsure as to what the implications of the PSN card are, it is basically a cash card which you can use to purchase downloads from the PlayStation store. This is perfect for those who do not have credit cards – yes, not everyone has one – and for those who are in other countries and cannot use their credit cards for the store.

Aha! Now wouldn’t kids love to read that headline! I know that we have heard about the benefits that video games can bring to our kids but of course, many parents and even educators have had their own share of doubts. This is even truer when it comes to video games that have, let us say, controversial content. But let’s not focus solely on the controversial. That does not always result in productive discussion.

Anyhow, a group of researchers from the University of Central Florida conducted a study on educational video games and their effects, specifically, on the math scores of the subjects. Take note that the video games used in the study are labeled educational.

So what did they find out? Students who played the game (DimensionM – pity I have not even heard of this game) over a period of 18 weeks showed considerable improvement in their math scores as compared to those students who did not play the game. The report from the Orlando Business Journal notes:

The results support previous studies which have found that interactive games are more effective on cognitive gains than traditional classroom instruction alone, says Ntiedo Etuk, CEO and co-founder of Tabula Digita, an educational video game company whose DimensionM game series was used in the study.

Again, I think it does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out BUT having solid scientific proof is always a good thing, isn’t it?

Photo courtesy of Kimblahg

Are you into movies as well as video games? If so, then this piece of news would certainly make you happy. Everyone knows the name Atari – people my age would remember growing up trying to gain control of the joystick over other siblings. Atari is a legend, there is no doubt about that.

People of the younger generation would definitely know who Leonardo DiCaprio is. The Beach, The Aviator, and Catch Me If You Can are only some of the more popular movies that he has made. He has definitely made his mark in the movie industry and tons of screaming women would testify to that.

So where does the commonality lie? A movie dubbed Atari will be made – I don’t know when – and DiCaprio is slated to take on the role of the founder of Atari. Though not many might know much about him, Nolan Bushnell has made an impact on many lives. He started out as an engineering student (don’t they all?) and a video game lover – perfect combination, I should say. He used to repair broken down pinball machines and then went on to start his own company, which we all know as Atari. From the engineering student that he was, he went a long way. His company is now a household name all over the world and he sold his company to Warner Communications for a whopping $28 million!

I do not know much about the life of Bushnell but if this movie project pushes through, that would surely change.

I thought I’ve heard every possible use there is for video games – until I read about Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s recent speech. Based on what I have read online, the former Supreme Court Justice thinks that video games can get the youth interested in politics – with the ultimate aim of initiating change.

MTV’s Multiplayer blog says:

While O’Connor will probably never play “Halo,” she explained that she came into the digital world after noticing how increasingly difficult it is to receive impartial judgments from serving judges who face mounting political pressure and partisan attacks. She feels that the only way to combat this is with video games about civics education. Yes, that’s right: video games.

O’Connor is spearheading a joint venture with Georgetown Law School and Arizona State University called “Our Courts,” an online civics education project aimed at 7th, 8th and 9th grade students. The free website will allow young people to step into the shoes of a judge, legislator or executive and debate and analyze governmental problems and issues.

The “Our Courts” website is up now, but O’Connor said she hopes that by September it will have the curriculum for classroom use. Gee’s interactive contributions are slated for September 2009.

What can I say? This sounds like a good thing. What do you think? Is this indeed a good move or is it another gimmick that does not really mean anything?

I came across a short article by Christopher Dawson over at ZDNet posing the question “Do game consoles have a place in primary education?” His rationale is as follows:

However, the new game, Cosmic Family, is a slick game filled with puzzles and animation. While the puzzles are engaging, the Wii itself, with it’s motion-sensitive Wiimotes, takes a remarkable amount of coordination and sensitivity to operate.

As I watch the kindergarten teacher work to develop just this sort of skill, I have to wonder if there might not be a place for systems like the Wii (with a limited selection of appropriate software, of course) in early elementary education, just as there is for desktop or laptop computers.

It seems to me that the Wii could be a great tool for developmental work, as well as occupational or physical therapy for particular students with identified needs in these areas. The parent in me feels a knee-jerk sense of horror at the thought of Nintendos in classrooms or gymnasiums. However, the technologist in me sees some new tools that just might take us beyond technology for the sake of technology.

I understand how a parent can feel that sense of “horror” at the thought of video games in school. But then again, it really depends on your perspective. If you see video games as a tool to enhance your children’s educational experience, it would probably be a sense of elation and not horror that you would feel.

I think the bottom line here is control and discipline. Just like any other school subject, the idea of using video games for educational purposes should be monitored and guided strictly. I think that it is a perfectly good idea to expose young children to technology - learning and fun together, don’t you think so?

Sony is coming out with a new game for the PS3 but it is quite unlike the run of the mill games that PS3 fan boys have come to expect. Dubbed Shiki-tei, this new PS3 game seems to be nothing more than having a garden on your PS3. Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against gardening. In fact, I have tried my hand at it for more times than I can count. The problem is that plants – and anything remotely resembling a plant – do not seem to like me. If there is such a thing as a black thumb, or a brown thumb, then I have one!

The basic idea of the game is to create your own garden. You plan flowers, trees, and other shrubbery. You can also set stones and other ornaments that you would like to be present in your garden. Then you watch it grow. You can even set your own music – anything that you have in your PS3 – to play as you watch your creation bloom. That should make for a relaxing time, I think.

Anyway, this new video game is set for release only in Japan. The chances are that the rest of the world is not going to get their hands on this PS3 game but then again, since when has that stopped anyone from getting anything they wanted? I suppose the question is whether or not Shiki-tei will be fun enough to entice the countless PS3 fan boys all around the world.

Who said that video games were for kids only? You only have to look at the statistics and you will see that a lot of gamers are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. Yet did you know that now, even senior citizens are getting into gaming?

Indeed, the older generation has discovered this activity that so many of the younger generation hold dear. In fact, even doctors are looking into the possibility of the existence of the health benefits of video games on senior citizens. An article on Newsday features this topic. It seems that casual games and Wii games are the most popular with the senior citizens. They have discovered a way to pass time and exercise both the body and the mind as well.

I have no doubt about the benefits that these games provide to senior citizens. After all, I am a firm believer in the benefits of video games to other age groups – why exclude the older generation? More so, I am observing first hand this kind of experience. My parents are retired – have been so for many years – and they just stay at home most of the time. My dad goes out and does odd jobs here and there but for the most part, when they are at home, their favorite pastime is to play casual games on the computer. I know how this activity makes them feel more relaxed and less bored.

Maybe the next step is to get them a Wii so they can have actual physical exercise?

No one can deny it – social networking sites are one of the most popular things on the Internet today. Heck, even the head of my company has a Facebook account! In fact, he got one way before I got mine! Indeed, social networking sites are something else AND casual gaming companies are not slow to catch on to that fact.

We all know that casual games are not in anyway losing momentum with gamers. From age 5 (I have even heard of 3 year olds playing casual games!) to 65, casual games have become a hit and will continue to do so in the future. This kind of gaming is definitely strong in the market today. Yet with the connections that the casual gaming sector are making with the social networking sites, they are set to experience more success.

Mike Snider of USA Today reports:

By playing nice with social networks such as Facebook, expected to hit 100 million users by year’s end, the casual game category can only increase the stakes, says CGA President Jessica Tams. “The introduction of platforms which create opportunities for accessible and family play have raised the awareness of the fact that games are played by everyone, everywhere,” she says.
In the past two months, two new online gaming hubs, Cafe.com and Mytopia, have launched with features that let players connect with friends on the Web and through various social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, as well as Bebo and Hi5.

Ahh, I could name more than a few friends who would be happy to know that more casual games would be available on Facebook!

We have to admit, stereotype dictates that gamers are mainly male. As with most stereotypes, however, it is not really an accurate depiction. Ask the people in Australia – it seems that the number of girls playing video games is on the rise out there. I don’t really need a formal report to believe this – I have always been a firm disbeliever of that stereotype – but for those who want hard proof, check out the article which was recently published on Digital Life.

The report says:

The average gamer in Australia is now 28 years old, up from 24 just two years ago. And despite being largely ignored by the game industry, 41% are female.

Women and older Australians are the fastest-growing audience for computer and video games and if trends continue, by 2014 the average age of Australian gamers will be the same as non-players - 42 - with an equal number of male and female players.

Trends are similar in the US, where 38% of gamers are female, spending an average 7.4 hours a week playing, according to the Entertainment Software Association.

Do you need more proof? I surely do not. This comes as no surprise, really. If you take into account casual gaming and other types of video games, you would see that many of them are targeted towards the female population. And even those games that are not really for females (from whose perspective, I don’t know) attract them. From the sports video games to GTA IV – I know quite a large number of females who love playing these games.