The Entertainment Software Association

Military uses virtual therapy to help troops heal wounds
Stars and Stripes — By Geoff Ziezulewicz
6/29/2009

The military is turning to the virtual world to treat traumatized veterans of the Iraq war, giving troops a high-tech way to confront and overcome mental war wounds.

Virtual Iraq uses electronically re-created Iraqi environs that look like a video game, as well as the sounds and smells of deployment, to help those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder revisit the events that affected them so profoundly.

It is a joint venture of the Air Force, Navy and Army, along with the University of Southern California and Virtually Better Inc. The visual environs created for the therapy are based on the video game "Full Spectrum Warrior."

"We help them confront the memory of the trauma," said Dr. Barbara Rothbaum, psychologist and director of Atlanta’s Emory University’s Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program. Rothbaum is a pioneer of virtual reality therapy who co-founded Virtually Better. "Sometimes it’s hard to get at it. What we think is the virtual reality can help create a more potent exposure. ... It puts the person back there."

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‘Just one more game'
Suffolk News-Herald —
6/26/2009

There was a time, not all that long ago, when the sight of a teenager sitting in front of a television with his concentration welded to the images flashing by on the screen and his hands clutched around a video game controller seemed to be further proof of the decline of Western civilization. For years now, Americans have heard about the evils of video games and the damage that even the most innocuous of them could do to the average teen’s ambition and drive.

That was then. Now, though, and into the foreseeable future, video games are where the action is, and not just the onscreen action. Even during the midst of the recession last Christmas, sales of video games, consoles and accessories grew by 9 percent, according to the market research firm, NPD Group. That monthly gain was somewhat off the incredible 19-percent increase in the video game sector for all of 2008.

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Video games that let you play with your news
Christian Science Monitor — By Amy Farnsworth
6/25/2009

Two weeks after the first swine flu case made headlines, video-game developers Jude Gomila and Immad Akhund unleashed a viral outbreak of their own: an online game poking fun at the much-hyped “epigdemic.”

Their game, “Swinefighter,” lets players send a doctor, armed with a massive syringe, around the world to take on flying green pigs. It’s a silly spin on the news, but the game’s popularity has grown quickly. Since its release in April, “Swinefighter” has been played more than a million times, thanks to fans spreading the word through social-networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

“Swinefighter,” is just one of many online or mobile games inspired by current events. This increasingly popular genre, often called news games, has played off topics as diverse as rebuilding the economy, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s successful landing of Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, and the Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at President George W. Bush.

“Games like these generate buzz,” says Kate Connally, vice president of AddictingGames, an independent gaming site that has developed numerous news games including “Hero on the Hudson,” which reenacts Mr. Sullenberger’s landing. “While these games are entertaining, they also inform, and in some cases, educate.”

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Health games become serious business
Reuters — By John Gaudiosi
6/25/2009

Videogames were once blamed for rising obesity rates but are now being championed by the medical industry and for use by government departments for their health benefits.

Games like Electronic Arts' "EA Sports Active" and Nintendo's "Wii Fit" have got players of all ages moving -- and game developers and investors looking for hot new titles to cash in on this booming segment of the market.

Big John Games' upcoming "Butt Kicker" Nintendo DSi game will provide an action-based environment in which players fight against cigarettes and "Karate Bears" for Wii teaches players real karate routines using the Wii's motion-sensor controllers.

With interest in health games rising, the fifth annual Games for Health Conference in Boston expanded to 390 people this year from 100, including developers, investors and medical experts, while numbers at many other conferences are down up to 40 percent.

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Treating Lazy Eyes With A Joystick
ScienceDaily —
6/22/2009

Four percent of all children suffer from amblyopia, better known as "lazy eye syndrome." Traditional treatment for the condition requires the use of an eye patch, often for months at a time, before the eye is corrected. This can lead to social stigma during a formative part of childhood, and worse, it's not 100% effective.

Now Tel Aviv University's eye and brain specialist Dr. Uri Polat of the Goldschleger Eye Research Institute has developed a computer therapy that could spare kids from the ugly eye patch, letting them enjoy themselves during therapy. The treatment, currently available for adults only, corrects the activity of the neurons in the brain, the main operator of eye function.

A leading expert in lazy eye syndrome recently assessed Dr. Polat's invention and found that twenty hours in front of Dr. Polat's computer treatment had the same effect as about 500 hours of wearing an eye patch. The review was published recently in Vision Research. Dr. Polat's research group has also reported the new treatment's efficacy in a number of scientific publications, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

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Video game surgery: Houston hospital builds surgical simulator
KHOU-TV, Houston, TX — By Dave Fehling
6/22/2009

Surgeons at Houston’s Methodist Hospital are using technology from video games to prepare for delicate operations. In a low-light room they liken to a cave, doctors use an Xbox controller to manipulate video images of patients’ livers, colons, even brains, looking for the best ways to do life-and-death procedures.

“This is a patient who has colon cancer that has spread to his liver,” explained Dr. Thomas Aloia as he showed 11 News a full color, 3-dimensional computer video of a patient’s internal organs.

The challenge for Dr. Aloia is to determine exactly what part of the liver to remove so that at least 25 percent of the organ is left intact. If not, Dr. Aloia said, “He is likely to go into liver failure and have complications.”

Previously, Dr. Aloia would have used 2-dimensional images from a CAT scan.

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Top 10: The architecture of computer games
The Architects’ Journal — By Riya Patel
6/19/2009

The Architects’ Journal selects the finest architecture from the worlds of computer and video games

10. Marioland

Clearly influenced by the work of London architectural practice FAT, Marioland takes the layering of patterned facades in bright colours to another level. The visual vibrancy is further conveyed by the use of rounded forms, echoing the ‘blobitecture’ of Zaha Hadid’s Dubai Opera House.

9. Castle Wolfenstein, Return to Castle Wolfenstein

How can one set foot in the gemutlich Castle Wolfenstein without being transported into a medieval fairytale? This Bavarian gem, with its pretty Romanesque keep, is marred only by the hordes of (sometimes zombified) Nazi stormtroopers. Currently home to a high-security prison, the schloss is situated high on a mountain so access is only via a Where Eagles Dare-style cable car. A glance at the floor plan reveals a curiousity: the medieval architect - thought to be Hans Grosse - committed himself to a near-endless iteration of the swastika motif.

8. Tetris

Tetris can teach us all a lesson in dimensional co-ordination and rotational symetry. Featuring just seven standard building components as the basis for construction, it takes a radical approach to reducing waste material. Tetris has an aesthetic charm too: its combinations of solid and void have proved inspirational for a range of architects including Slovenian architecture studio, OFIS.

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Video game makes HIV awareness fun
New Scientist — By Ewen Callaway
6/15/2009

Like many video games aimed at teenagers, Pamoja Mtaani features a thumping hip-hop soundtrack and vivid street imagery. Where it differs from other action games, such as the Grand Theft Auto series, is its goal: HIV prevention.

Developed in a collaboration between media giant Warner Brothers and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Pamoja Mtaani is being deployed in youth centres in Nairobi, Kenya, with the goal of encouraging teens to practice safer sex and know the risk of acquiring HIV.

Already 3000 teens have played Pamoja Mtaani – or "Together in the 'Hood" – since its launch in December 2008, and a team of researchers at Emory University in Atlanta is conducting a study to determine whether the game is actually effective.

Through surveys of players and people in communities where the game is available, researchers will determine whether teens that play Pamoja Mtaani are more aware of risky sexual behaviour and more likely to practice safe sex, than those who don't play.

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Virtual Heroes, HopeLab team up for video game to fight cancer
WRAL-TV (NC) — By Rick Smith
6/12/2009

Being a cancer survivor, The Skinny can certainly identify with the need for a new video game being developed by RTP-based Virtual Heroes.

Jerry Heneghan, a former Apache helicopter gunship pilot, and his crew are teaming up with the appropriately named HopeLab for “Re-Mission 2.” It’s designed to help young cancer patients deal with the challenges they are going to face in combating the disease.

They learn that their mission - to beat the killer in their body - is not impossible.

The new version is backed by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, whose namesake is a testicular cancer survivor and the world’s premier bicyclist. Also lending financial support are the Annenberg Foundation and Vivendi. Pam Omidyar, wife of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, launched HopeLab.

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Game lets dental students brush up on skills
Augusta Chronicle — By Tom Corwin
6/11/2009

Dental implants and fun are not concepts normally associated together but Roman Cibirka and colleagues at Medical College of Georgia believe they have pulled it off.

Dr. Cibirka helped to develop the Virtual Dental Implant Training program, which is essentially a video game to guide dental students through diagnosing, designing and putting in a dental implant. Dr. Cibirka, associate provost for academic affairs at MCG, will present data from early reviews of the game today at the Games for Health Conference in Boston.

The game, developed with a $6.2 million grant from Nobel Biocare, will be sent to 23 major universities worldwide, from China to South America and Saudi Arabia, and will be used to train thousands of students, Dr. Cibirka said. It could be just the start of what might eventually become a whole new way to train students through virtual reality, available on the Web at any place or time, even on mobile phones, a "classroom without walls," Dr. Cibirka said.

"This is the early development of health care virtual simulation," he said. "And I see it just becoming more and more sophisticated and more and more mainstream in health care delivery education."

The game allows the user to assess a patient in the chair and ask questions, decide on a course of treatment, pick and design the implant and restoration, and shifts to a close-up inside the mouth to do the actual treatment.

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Camp combines computers, fun
Richmond Register — By Tinsley Carter
6/10/2009

Local students discovered learning can be fun as they participated in a technology camp this week at Madison Central High School.

The two-day camp has classes for elementary, middle and high school students.

On Tuesday, students used a tutorial to create a “Catch the Clown” game and a scrolling shooter game.

“The goal of offering Video Game Design Curriculum is to embed the requirements of the computer science curriculum into game design courses which highly engages students as they learn to appreciate gaming as producers rather than consumers,” said Dr. Tina Sartori of Turning Technologies of Youngstown, Ohio.

Students also were given a scenario of working for a software company, in which they are asked to create a new, exciting game for a large company. They were asked to come up with a story line packaging sound effects, graphics, game, manual, help file, promotional video clip, CD label and point of sale material, Sartori said. Students also had to manage resources and cash flow to make the project commercially viable.

Today, the students will create the basics of their video game using Game Maker Pro, an open source video game software. The students also have the option of taking an online class where they can continue their learning by creating multi-player games.

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Software designed to make older drivers sharper
San Francisco Chronicle — By Deborah Gage
6/8/2009

One of the games used by Allstate is Jewel Diver, in whic... One of the games used by Allstate is Jewel Diver, in whic... One of the games used by Allstate is Jewel Diver, in which...

Earlier this year, a car ran a red light at an intersection in Pittsburgh and narrowly missed smashing into the driver's side of W. Larocca's car.

Larocca, 57, was able to stop in time. He believes what saved him was the 40 minutes a day he spent using brain fitness software that supposedly improves reaction time and peripheral vision.

The program was part of an experiment run by Allstate Insurance and Posit Science, a San Francisco software startup.

"I was thinking it was just like the (software) game," he said, remembering his near-miss. "I was looking straight ahead - I didn't expect this car on the left. I can't prove it, but I'm 100 percent convinced that if I hadn't taken the course, I would have been hit."

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Playing along with video games' growth
The News & Observer — By Alexander Macris
6/6/2009

According to a recent business survey by the Milken Institute, the Triangle area isn't even ranked in the top 10 high-tech hubs in the United States and Canada.

While one can argue with the survey's methodology, our region's low ranking should serve as a wake-up call to North Carolina's lawmakers that they cannot simply assume the Triangle will always be a technology leader. Sustained leadership in the coming decades will require that lawmakers continue to support to high-growth tech sectors in the region. The video game industry would be a good place to start.

The Triangle is a prospering hub for video games. The seeds of the game development industry in the area originate from the graphics programs at N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill in the 1960s. Those graphics programs spawned companies, such as NDL and Virtus, local pioneers in video games.

In the decades since, the area has grown to become one of the largest centers of game development companies in the country. More than 30 game companies are located in the Triangle. Through the innovations of companies like Epic Games, Emergent Game Technologies and Vicious Cycle, the region has become the game engine capital of the world, and innovators like Virtual Heroes have created a "serious games" industry that deploys immersive technology for defense, education and health care.

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Video Games Are Helping Doctors View The Body - Using The Nintendo Wii To Interpret Radiology Exams
Medical News Today —
6/4/2009

The popular Nintendo Wii videogame system is helping radiology students reach new levels! Faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College have coupled the motion-sensitive Wii remote with the same computers used to analyze scans, and have found that the Wii remote makes examining CT and MRI images more ergonomic, heightens the interactivity during classes, and may potentially improve the ability to interpret scans.

"The remote is very intuitive -- cycling through the scans is a matter of rotating your wrist," explains Dr. George Shih, a radiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and assistant professor of radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College, who, along with his colleagues, helped develop the system that links the Wii remote to the diagnostic computer. Their research was presented recently at the 2009 American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) Annual Meeting in Boston, Mass.

Traditionally, radiologists might spend hours at a time, with only short breaks, reading scans using a typical mouse and keyboard. Many of the movements are repetitive and require precise mouse-clicking and scrolling, which can be taxing on the body and may lead to repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

"The easiest way to avoid injury is to change positions," says Dr. Shih, and that is exactly what using the Wii remote allows. By simply holding the remote in their hand and rotating their wrist, radiologists can gradually inspect the scans, while sitting in any position they find most comfortable.

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Video Games Growing As Family Affair
Investor’s Business Daily — By Patrick Seitz
6/3/2009

Video game industry officials say their field is doing better than other consumer businesses in the recession because families see games as low-cost entertainment that they can enjoy together.

"We have seen in recent months that, as families look to limit spending, video games present an attractive option for fun, affordable entertainment," said Michael Gallagher, chief executive of the Entertainment Software Association, producer of the E3 video game conference.

Families see video games as a better value than cinema, sporting events and amusement parks, Gallagher said in a speech at the three-day E3 show in Los Angeles, which ends Thursday.

Video games can entertain families for many hours and have great replay value, Gallagher said.

Game consoles are also providing video and social networking services, he said.

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Can Games Save the News?
New York Observer — By Gillian Reagan
6/2/2009

News junkies are gamers.

Ask your friends a question about the latest news tidbit—say, where President Obama and the First Lady went on their dinner date this weekend. Then watch them whip out their iPhones, flip open their laptops, racing to find the right answer. Within seconds, they’ll emerge from the scrolling sea of Google results, triumphant and shouting: “Blue Hill!”

Our constant (okay, seemingly neverending) search for the right piece of news or information is a daily, even minute-by-minute challenge, providing a small, satisfactory triumph on blogs, Twitter and in comment sections, and even in bars and at dining room tables with our BlackBerrys.

New York Times junkies can even get their own Times IQ as high as 200… on Facebook. Every weekday morning, the users of the New York Times News Quiz application are faced with five multiple choice questions based on the day’s top news stories (as regarded by the editorial staff). Yesterday, for example, users were asked where George Tiller was shot (Wichita) and who was Robin Soderling’s opponent in the big tennis upset at Roland Garros (Rafael Nadal). After they click away the quiz and submit their answers, they receive a Times IQ ranking, based on their answers. They can challenge their Facebook friends and compare their news knowledge to all users across the platform. A cheat sheet of links to the Times’ latest news articles is provided after they take the day’s quiz.

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Interactive video game offers innovative way to garner lessons about history
Orlando Sentinel — By Etan Horowitz
6/2/2009

Students who have trouble staying awake in history class now have a new way to learn about the Civil War and other topics: an interactive video game where they try to stop a band of evildoers from changing the past.

The game, called Conspiracy Code, was jointly developed by The Florida Virtual School and 360Ed, an Orlando company that makes education video games and software. The game officially launched Monday, although the two companies have been testing it with students and teachers since earlier this year.

"They are not memorizing facts, they are experiencing history," said Andy Ross, vice president of Global Services for the Florida Virtual School, which is based in Orlando and provides online courses to more than 60,000 students. "It's a different way of learning, and it's really engaging a lot of elements that kids look at today."

In the past couple of years, schools across the country have been incorporating video games and multimedia tools into lesson plans, using technologies students are familiar with the engage and entertain them.

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Titans of the big screen hope to conquer a smaller screen: video games
Los Angeles Times — By Alex Pham and Ben Fritz
6/1/2009

The Hollywood moguls behind such films as "The Dark Knight," "Watchmen" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" are looking for their next blockbuster in a new realm: video games.

An increasing number of big shots from the movie business are seeing new opportunities in the $50-billion global interactive entertainment industry. Power producers such as Jerry Bruckheimer and Thomas Tull, as well as hot directors such as Gore Verbinski and Zack Snyder, have all recently dived into the still-growing game market.

The hordes descending on Los Angeles this week for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the annual trade show known as E3, testify to the industry's growing cultural and financial clout. The Hollywood players are diving into games for new creative challenges but also because consumers are continuing to snap them up during the recession even as they cut back on some other media such as movie DVDs.

"We're in the entertainment business," said Bruckheimer, producer of such action films as "Top Gun" and "National Treasure." "We will entertain you in the theaters, on TV and on your game platforms."

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