AnandTech: Inside Microsoft’s Xbox 360
What a cool review of the next Xbox 360 – it’s guts! Well worth a look – this is a decent and fully functional PC that is spreading like wildfire. How many homes have xn Xbox 360 but don’t have a home pc? or have an older model than the guts of the xbox? Where exactly is that digital divide??!
The Escapist – When Gamers Breed
Parenting activists lobbying, marketing and supporting research for a better gaming world…hard to go wrong there.
Couldn’t come at a better time – if Miami CSI thinks that gaming provides a good backdrop:
Episode 409: Urban Hellraisers
First aired on Monday, 21st November 2005
Delko witnesses a bank robbery and the CSIs soon discover that the culprits are playing out the action from the videogame “Urban Hellraisers” on the streets of Miami. As they score points for each crime committed, the CSIs must discover what consists of getting to the next level in the game in order to stop the culprits before they strike again.
Dubious Quality: Xbox Live Marketplace: I Stop Being Stupid
Bill Harris talks about an XBox theory where Microsoft uses the XBox currency and it’s online marketplace to address hacks of Xbox systems….
It’s not a bad dialogue to have with your older gaming kid. If you collected points in game, and the marketplace for spending your points existed online – in an enviroment controled by the creator of the game itself – why couldn’t they enforce software rules to enforce obedience?
“Thou shall not hack thy system, or thy reputation and wealth is lost. LOST, I Say!”
What a great talking point to discuss how software and systems can be used to encourage or discourage user behavior!
And why talk about that with your kid?
1. Get them to THINK and not simply be passive players being entertained by the game.
2. This is a great little example, but history is full of governments using economics to encourage or discourage behavior. Just look at interest rates over the past few years….
This is a blog run by Dan Matkowsky, Adjunct Professor in Westwood College’s Game Software Development Program. Great content over there…
He does a great job of talking to you about the console systems – are they designed with your young ones in mind? Plenty of reviews too…go check it out…
My kids are already creating lovely illustrated lists with grandiose color coding schemes to inform me of each toy’s priority and suggested gift giver. Not that I asked, but I now have lists I could pass out to everyone in the family.
One of the best stocking stuffers this year has to be the collectable card game, Pirates of the Spanish Main. I supposed ‘constructable card game’ applies too; you actually build a little ship out of each card. They are made of a nice plastic stock and are very well produced. Upon creating your little armada, the game begins.
We’ve only got a few decks, and currently play the intro rules – but the advanced rules look very good and I expect that post-Christmas will bring a large enough navy to properly play.
Your local comic or game store likely has tournaments, but we’ve bought ours at Target.
They followed up the Spanish Main collection with “Pirates of the Crimson Coast” and “Pirates of the Revolution”
WizKids – Pirates of the Spanish Main
or more immediate shopping at
None
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
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