Games credited with crime reduction - Study - News at GameSpot. All too often, psychological researchers publish papers that link violent video games to aggressive and other antisocial behavior. However, a new study suggests that games--both violent and nonviolent--actually help reduce violent crime. The study, titled "Understanding the Effects of Violent Video Games on Violent Crime" was performed by researches from Baylor University, the University of Texas at Arlington, and the Center for European Economic Research's Information and Communication Technologies Research Group. On one hand, it did support the findings of prior studies linking violent games and aggression. On the other, though, it found that games actually reduced violent crime by keeping potential offenders off the street and out of trouble. The notion that games could reduce criminal activity is gaining traction.
Filed under: PlayStation Portable Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Nintendo Wii Nintendo 3DS PlayStation Vita Wii U. Coin-OpEd: Used games are not the same as used underwear - Features at GameSpot. When I buy my underwear, I buy it new. There are reasons for this, of course. Argue how you might, but I firmly believe that soap does not hold complete dominion over cloth. Permeability is a clear and present danger here, is what I'm saying, and that is compelling reason enough for me to buy new. Personal germaphobia notwithstanding, there are plenty of other things people buy that just don't translate well to the secondhand market. Fruit. Fruit is an excellent example of something that should not be bought used. On the other hand, lots of things do work really well the second time around. Games are also eminently reusable. Whether or not GameStop's value proposition is equitable to gamers is a question for another time. To be sure, the secondhand games market runs counter to fundamental consumerism, which deemphasizes reconsumption in favor of paying top dollar for the new hotness.
West's attack on the secondhand market is far from an isolated occurrence. What can be said? Fable III. Coin-OpEd: Pity the hitmakers - Features at GameSpot. Despite making less money, indies apparently had a rosier perspective on the state of the industry. According to the survey, independent developers were more likely to hold the view that the industry was "more fertile and innovative than ever.
" Salaried game makers, however, were more inclined to feel that the state of traditional game development was "frustrating" and that "larger studios are 'trimming talent' and crunching harder. " That paragraph above? I wrote that on Wednesday as part of an article titled "US game devs average near $81,000 in 2010 - Survey. " I wonder if the article would have gotten more attention if I had titled it: "US game devs make good money, hate their jobs - Click 4 boobies.
" In a much-publicized study published in 2010, Princeton economist Angus Deaton and psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that money can buy happiness, or at least, companies can buy their employees' happiness. A day later, Bilson clarified that Twitter post with another: Why It Matters: The Art of Villainy - Features at GameSpot. Like basket weaving and towel origami, video game villainy is becoming a lost art form. There is no shortage of villains, but there is certainly a shortage of memorable ones in recent memory. In even the simplest narrative, the hero needs an obstacle to overcome, and that obstacle is most frequently provided by an individual (or individuals) who seeks to impede the hero.
For every thesis, there is an antithesis; for every action, there is reaction. It's classic storytelling: The protagonist contends with an opposing individual or force, and the struggle leads to ultimate triumph or tragedy. Even the simplest video games represent this classic arc. The Space Invaders are descending to earth, so you must destroy them. Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde are tailing you, so you must gobble them up before they gobble you. What, then, makes for a good villain? Humanity Nene (Blue Dragon) Nene seeks world domination. Motive Reapers (Mass Effect 2) Here's what we know: The Reapers are coming. Mystery. Adf87a1283162881610.jpg (JPEG Image, 852x1398 pixels) Why It Matters: Storytelling - Features at GameSpot. Games are more than just a bunch of parts cobbled together to make a whole--they are entire experiences that touch different parts of our psyche using the various tools developers have at their disposal.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are very different experiences, yet both succeed at what they attempt to do because the pieces and parts come together to make a cohesive whole that effectively communicates a single vision. Part of my job as a critic is to tell you whether or not something is good and why. But a review can only go so far; I could spend page after page analyzing and dissecting various aspects of different games and comparing them to other games that attempt to create similar things with greater (or lesser) success. It's something I wish we saw more of: clear-headed thoughts on what makes one game better than another and how the pieces of those games add up to a successful (or unsuccessful) work of art and entertainment.
Filed under: Coin-OpEd: The great PSN PR debacle - Features at GameSpot. Here's a secret I've been harboring that may give some of you cause for concern: I read your comments on my stories. Now, I say that not to make any of you out there self-conscious or to give you cause to repress some urge to engage in the conversation, profanely or otherwise. Actually, I fully endorse the expression of first thought in that Ginsbergian way. And over the course of the past couple of weeks, you all have certainly had a lot to say on this whole PlayStation Network quagmire.
Should I provide a recap of what's been going on over at Sony? Will a link work? I think a link will work. Here. Our quaint reporting on the matter notwithstanding, GameSpot user comments number in the tens of thousands. Of course, having been dubbed GameSpot's resident troll (apologies to Tom Mc Shea), I'm drawn to those of you whose first thoughts skew toward the obtuse and asinine. My personal favorites, of course, go something like, "i dont understand?
At around 9:30 a.m. One such update?