Study finds, sometimes, kids get addicted to video games

Image: Adapted from 86/365 Xbox Clones by Mike Poresky under a CC-BY license.

American psychologists who conducted a study of about 3,000 children in Singapore have concluded that for about 9%, gaming is a problem, indeed, an addiction.

The researchers found that members of this elite 9% are not simply turning to gaming as a means of escaping other problems, but that the gaming itself is part of the problem. Games for these kids were linked with anxiety, depression, and interference in “real life.” Grades and relationships were shown to be affected.

Meanwhile, in the realm of stock photos, CNN used a shot of a teenage boy gripping an N64 controller like it was on fire in their coverage of this story. The kid is also grinning like mad and drenched in a green glow. At first, I thought this moment might have taken place during a round of Perfect Dark while Joanna had her night vision goggles on, but he appears to be using the d-pad, so that can’t be it.

10 Ways to Improve The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for 3DS

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is frequently referred to as the greatest video game of all time, and rightfully so. Ocarina brought Hyrule to life with stunning polygonal graphics and revolutionary controls. Now, nearly 12 years since its release, comes word that this beloved game is being remade for the Nintendo 3DS.

With the madness of E3 2010 receding into the past, it’s time to take a hard look at Ocarina of Time in its original form, assess the hints we’ve been given so far with regards to its 3DS remake, and ponder the possibilities. What follows is my wishlist for the upcoming 3DS version of Ocarina of Time.

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X-Box 360 finally gets a game worth playing

After years of patient waiting, tiding themselves over with graphically sophisticated but ultimately shallow gameplay experiences, X-Box 360 owners finally have something of real value to play. That’s because today, March 17, 2010, St. Patrick’s Day, marks the relaunch of Rare’s classic N64 shooter Perfect Dark on the 360′s XBLA service.

This revision of Perfect Dark includes the rich list of features already familiar to fans of the N64 game, but takes care of the numerous problems that plagued the original, namely a shaky framerate and shoddy controls.

360 owners have endured one of the worst software line-ups in video game history, tricking themselves into believing bald-space-marine marinated, linear, gray-brown coloured shooters were actually good. Now they’ll be able to see what a good shooter looks like, full of actual colour, bots in multiplayer, and female characters.

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Internet allows blind man to experience life’s greatest joy: playing Ocarina of Time

The Worldwide Leader in News, CNN, has just broken the story that blind gamer Jordan Verner has been able to beat the second greatest game ever, Ocarina of Time, with help from some internet friends. CNN, apparently aware of the transcendent experience that is OoT, correctly decided the story was worthy of publishing in the most prominent portion of their site.

The story begins with one of Verner’s internet assistants, Roy Williams, demonstrating what it’s like to play the N64 classic without sight. He then quickly admits that such a task may seem “ultra nerdy,” but it is quickly revealed that his efforts are for a truly grand cause. Williams, along with two others, spent two years writing explicit instructions for every move required to beat Ocarina without being able to see. Verner took their instructions, and had his computer read them out to him, so that he might experience the glory of what Huffington Post affectionately refers to as “the Zelda.”

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Shameful Human of the Week: Tony Hawk

Tony Hawk is a seriously famous dude, but it’s a sort of fame that’s come about in an odd way. Alright, he is a professional skateboarder, and in 1999 he did a 900 degree spin, but it’s not really those things that made him a household name. No, Tony is one of those cultural icons, like Lara Croft, that grew out of the success of the PlayStation. Sure, those original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games came out on the N64 as well, but they were really for those PS1 playing jerks.

Tony’s game franchise hasn’t been able to keep up with today’s gaming trends. His newest game, Tony Hawk: Ride has received negative reviews, and the general consensus is that its plastic board accessory is flawed. Finally, the rest of the world understands what I’ve known all along: Tony Hawk games are terrible and the only people who like them are biased PlayStation promoters.

Now, The Hawk is getting angry, recently stating of gamers “I think that they’re just not giving it a fair shake. And I think a lot of them came into it with an attitude that it’s going to suck.”

Well, Anthony, I think you’re completely wrong! Gamers would never give an unfair shake to something they had paid $120 for! Instead, we would save our money and bitch about the game on message boards having given the game no shake whatsoever! Not unlike myself, having never played your other games!

Yeah, I know, he’s actually a pretty nice guy.

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