Tag: violence in video games

Mario turns 30! How playing video games can be good for us (sometimes)

Super MarioHappy Birthday Mario! The large-nosed plumber, famous as Nintendo video game character who jumps down pipes and collects mushrooms, has just turned just turned thirty*. And he now the iconic video game star has a real reason to jump for joy. Research is increasingly showing us that video games could be good for us, which means all of us could benefit from a bit of Mario-time every once in a while.

Originally a tiny 130 pixel graphic, the mustachioed 1985 superhero went on to spawn a franchise worth over $10 million and in 1993 inspired the first Hollywood movie to feature a video game. (Called Mario Bros. it stared Bob Hoskins, but was awful.) Today’s photorealistic games are a far cry from these early days and are no longer the preserve of closeted teenage boys. People of all ages play computer games in their front rooms, often together. This hasn’t stopped parents and doctors being concerned, however, and photorealistic action games tend to cause the most controversy. Read more

Xbox ‘Kinect’, Playstation and Wii: Is playing Video Games bad for you?

Have you decided what to buy for Christmas yet? In the UK, we spent over £2 billion on video games most households have at least one games console. Chances are that someone you love will want a video game for Christmas this year. Oh how things have changed….

I used to spend hours playing a Commodore 64! The 10 minute loading times taught me patience...
Video gaming to be all about sweaty teenage boys spending hours alone in darkened bedrooms: It isn’t anymore! Over the last few years; thanks to the family-friendly Nintendo Wii, and ‘serious’ adult games, playing video games has gone from a geeky pleasure to a socially acceptable pastime for all ages.

But should we be worried? By getting video games for kids are we stopping them developing social skills? Do action games make us more violent people?

Today’s blog will explain how the ‘Xbox Kinect’: the new console that can apparently spy on you and will try to get some truth about the nation’s new favourite hobby Read more