ESA ENGAGES AUDIENCE THROUGH ONLINE VIDEO SERIES
 This month, the ESA launches ESA TV, an online video blog series that provides audiences with compelling, creative and informative content about the computer and video game industry. The first video of the series brings to life ESA's 2009 Essential Facts. The videos are viewable online at www.theesa.com/esa-tv.
SOME CAMPS ARE JUST FUN AND GAMES
It's summertime and technology camps devoted to teaching students the ins and outs of computer and video game design and production are becoming increasingly popular across the nation. From California to New York, leading businesses, organizations and universities are dedicating their time and resources in attracting the next generation of entertainment software industry professionals through summer camps.
Over a decade ago, a family in Silicon Valley saw a need for technology education among kids and teens. Internal Drive was born and has since offered week-long iD Tech Camps for students 7-17 years old at more than 60 universities across the country. The camps focus on game design, programming, film and graphic arts. At each camp, six instructors teach up to forty students how to operate key programs developed by Adobe, Apple, Canon, HP and Microsoft.
Microsoft Corporation recognized a similar need for technology education, particularly among the female demographic and developed a program called DigiGirlz. The camp gives high school girls the opportunity to learn about careers in technology, connect with Microsoft employees and participate in hands-on computer and technology workshops. The project's goal is to increase interest and enrollment in technology-related degree programs.
DigiGirlz now includes a series of one-day events held at multiple Microsoft locations worldwide, as well as a High Tech Camp for girls, a two-day program held in several cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis. Both efforts work to dispel stereotypes of the high-tech industry by teaching campers how to create databases, design games and make movies. Attendees hear from distinguished speakers, participate in technology demonstrations, network with other participants and obtain hands-on learning through various workshops.
A similar program aimed at both boys and girls took place earlier this summer at the University of Texas at Dallas. The school's Arts and Technology (ATEC) program hosted its first Summer Game Design Camp for three weeks in June where graduate students taught high school students how to design and program video games. The ATEC program saw this as an opportunity to utilize its laboratory space, provide graduate students with teaching experience and give back to the community. Campers also heard from school alumni who currently work in the video game industry.
Further west in Abilene, Texas State Technical College recently hosted a Rezíd Gaming Camp tailored to students who will be entering the school's program this fall. Teams competed by developing a module and making presentations to a panel of judges. The program was aimed at preparing students for the upcoming semester and gave them a taste of what's to come.
The trend of video game camps is growing across the country this summer and, based on this year's success, will only get bigger next summer. The result of this trend will come 10 years from now, when this year's campers will be designing the video games you purchase in stores.
FEEL THE BURN: VIDEO GAMES GET KIDS UP OFF THE COUCH
Scientific evidence now suggests that playing active video games is just as beneficial to children as moderate exercise, according to a study by researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. The study's findings were published in the Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
While the researchers maintain that playing video games should not be substituted entirely for traditional exercise, the benefits of active games are easy to recognize. To test the theory, they measured children's heart rate, exertion and energy expenditure while playing Konami's Dance Dance Revolution, Nintendo's Wii Boxing and Nintendo's Wii Bowling. Then, these levels were compared with those taken while children watched television and while they walked on a treadmill.
If you have ever played one of these games, you would not be surprised to find that the games burned two to three times as many calories as watching television. Wii Boxing and Dance Dance Revolution (on the Level 2 difficulty setting) got the kids moving the fastest and burned as many calories as walking at 3.5 miles per hour, making it a good complement to a comprehensive fitness routine. The researchers also noted that because of the entertainment value of video games, children were more likely to enjoy expending energy while playing than other forms of exercise, which is a crucial motivational factor.
More and more games are designed to take advantage of video games' ability to get people up and moving around and create true workout regimens. Nintendo's Wii Fit and Electronic Arts' EA Sports Active personalize workouts for the user by taking advantage of balance board peripherals and setting weight and calorie milestones.
By keeping kids active, video games are providing a safe and fun way to get kids on the healthy track.
LIFTOFF! ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE REACHES FOR THE STARS
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Neil Armstrong uttered his famous line 40 years ago last month when he became the first man to walk on the moon. From blockbuster movies to science fiction novels, this historic achievement and space exploration in general has played a significant role in our popular culture and collective imagination.
The computer and video game industry has taken it one step further in providing people the opportunity to explore the universe through an innovative multiplayer experience. A far cry from the iconic Space Invaders video arcade game, Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond is an online video game created by NASA Learning Technologies that allows for "first-person exploration," touted as an innovative new form of gameplay.
NASA tapped three game development studios to create the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game - Virtual Heroes, Project Whitecard and Information in Place. According to studio sources, the game will emphasize "player cooperation to master both harsh space environments and complex machinery." Players will have the opportunity to assume various astronaut roles such as a space geologist, astrobiologist or mechanical engineer and will be able to choose their own mission to explore space, interact with other players and build settlements on other worlds. NASA will employ a scientifically accurate vision of a near-future universe in 2035, adding a uniquely scientific element to the game.
The team at NASA is not the only group joining the space-themed video game market. The National Science Foundation is developing The Virtual Astronaut Learning Platform, which will provide middle school children with an engaging environment for learning Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics content. The current version of the game is set in the year 2063 with students colonizing the planet Mars.
Both of these virtual online games embody or nation's interest in space and illustrate how the intersection of gaming technologies and learning can benefit students in a profound way. It is now entirely possible that tomorrow's space explorers may develop their passion for the unknown in a virtual world. |
