Looks like video games as well as masturbation can make you blind. Ok maybe not the latter, but video games can make your eyes tired according to doctors.
According to the Minnesota Optometric Association, hardcore gamers are at heightened risk for Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), a condition marked by a variety of symptoms including “eye irritation, dry eyes, headaches, pain in the eyes or surrounding facial muscles, squinting, excessive blinking, increased sensitivity to light and difficulty focusing.”
My eyes get tired form playing video games but typically its because I have stayed up way too late playing games.
Alas, CVS is caused by strain from constant eye movements, often due to long hours in front of a monitor or television screen. By way of lengthy gaming sessions, gamers in particular are susceptible to developing problems, but non-gamers should also be wary of how long they watch. A survey by the American Optometric Association found that 82 percent of Americans frequently work at a computer and that 41 percent of its respondents have suffered from eyestrain.
Interesting statistics that 82% of Americans are behind a screen and of that half of them suffer from eyestrain. I never used glasses until I started using the computer hardcore, now I cant see road signs, I think I should sue Microsoft!
[Via Yahoo]
So apparently if you play video games you are one step closer to being qualified to run for mayor in Oklahoma?
Like any red-blooded American teenager, John Tyler Hammons digs rock music, fast cars, video games and…fiscal planning?
Apparently so. The AP reports that the University of Oklahoma freshman trounced 70 year-old Hershel McBride to become the mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma, making it the first city in the nation to be governed by a self-admitted gamer.
It is an interesting turn of events that a young guy could crush the older veteran opponent and openly admit that he plays video games. The people of Muskogee backed the younger gamer candidate because he had no affiliations and was a fresh new face with no political ties or agendas. A step forward for all video gamers of the world, perhaps a step backwards for the people in Muskogee.
[Via Yahoo]
Everyone by now is familiar with the voice of Niko Belic, GTA IV’s main character. What you may not be aware of is that the voice actor that is provided the voice for Niko, which is almost iconic now, only got paid $100,000 for the job and does not see a residual penny after that.
In a New York Times article, Hollick revealed that he earned about $100,000 for 15 months of work recording dialogue for his role as GTA IV’s protagonist. The game, however, has gone on to rake in over $600 million in a mere two weeks.
Hollick does not hold a grudge against Rockstar, but instead says the following:
I don’t blame Rockstar. I blame our union for not having the agreements in place to protect the creative people who drive the sales of these games.
A weak union is to blame for this voice actor and possibly many others getting left out in the cold while the GTA IV money train and others like it roll on by. Some are speculating that this could lead to a possible strike of voice actors against Hollywood, if you think about it the voices in a video game are pivotal to it’s success, just imagine GTA IV without Roman or Niko.
[Via Yahoo Game!]
Why is it that making a good movie can not translate into making a good movie based video game? There is plenty of story based on the movie script and an obvious fan base already established, all the developers need to do is put that into a console and keep the game play fun and they would have an instant winner. Instead we get failed attempt after failed attempt of miserable movie inspired game.
Look at a great movie like Iron Man that unfortunately was treated to a sub par video game rendition, the sad part is that Iron Man the game was probably on e of the better video game adaptations of a movie. Look at any Batman, Superman, Fantastic Four or X-Men title, a poor excuse for a game for the most part.
Here are the top 9 worst movie video games:
E.T. - Maybe we give this one a pass because of the capabilities of the Atari 2600 back in the day?
Fight Club - Why go away from a story as good as Fight Club?
Planet of the Apes - Okay this was destined to fail, the movie was beat IMO
Jaws Unleashed - Open world shark attacks sound fun but prove the opposite.
Reservoir Dogs - No Mr. Pink, why? This bloody movie just became a bloody mess of a game.
Napolean Dynamite - Why bring Liger action 3 years after the popularity of the movie died out?
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Sigh, if people could fly then why walk at all?
The Great Escape - Way to wait 40 years after this movie was good, suddenly Napolean Dynamite is a genius move.
Enter The Matrix - The first movie was greatness anything after that was a travesty.
Lets also not forget the converse also holds true, a video game inspired movie is almost always destined to fail as well, Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Doom and anything Uwe Boll has ever made. This does not give a good impression for new movie ideas like the new Bioshock movie that has been slated. Why can’t a writer take a game like Zelda and the many different plots that it contains and make a good film? Let’s imagine a good Bioshock or GTA movie together, one where the game play elements and storyline are held true and done well, instant blockbuster hits, no doubt about it.
What do you think?
[Via Yahoo! Games]
The famous Red Ring of Death is nothing new to anyone that has been playing video games the last couple of years, specifically anyone who has owned an Xbox 360. There have been many tails of people sending back easily a handful of Xbox’s to Microsoft because of the dreaded Red Ring, between the editors here alone we have sent back over a dozen easily.
In a recent article an independent company put out some stats:
Over 18 million Xbox 360s have sold through since the console’s launch in November 2005, but just how many of those are still working? Squaretrade, a company that specializes in providing warranty support to purchasers of electronic goods from various manufacturers, claims 16% of Xbox 360s experience a hardware failure within six to ten months after a warranty purchase. Three out of every five failures were for the infamous “Red Ring of Death” general hardware failure error, a problem often linked to overheating.
That many returns is a bit ridiculous and those numbers could even go higher with prolonged usage. Not a reigning endorsement for a quality product from the MS camp.
The article even goes on to talk about some helpful remedies, i.e. putting a fan on the back of your system, which should not be necessary if these units were engineered correctly from the get go. They even reference the famed towel trick, which only works for a short time so don’t depend on that to save you.
Hit the jump for some hints on how to not brick your 360.
[Via Yahoo Games!]
Thanks to Omala03 for the tip.
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February 3, 2008 – 3:17 pm
Askmen.Com recently put out their 2008 Edition Top 99 Most Desirable Women and 10 of them were identified as Gaming Girls. Not a bad percentage to have 10% included in the category of gaming.
Here are the ten hot gaming girls. Some of them are celebrities that were categorized as gaming girls, which is a bit weak, but we will take it. Olivia Munn is hot, too bad the guy that does the Attack of the Show with her on G4 is a tool and their dialogue makes me want to run my head into the wall. LOL.
This is actually an interesting topic as most people when they think of a techy or gaming female don’t exactly think of someone hot, actually this goes for males as well. This will at least dispell some of that for the female portion, maybe they should have one for guys. This was discussed in our forums as well and someone posted a picture of a rather fat woman to depict the average female gamer, this didn’t go over well.
What do you guys think, techy/gaming = hot??
Thanks to omala03 for the tip again!
[Via Yahoo]
February 3, 2008 – 2:59 pm
With the price of video game consoles and video games always going up it can be tough to keep up with all the new titles in the world. A few nice free options, 14 to be exact, are always good, so here they are to get you going.
In the 14 free web enabled games there is a nice mix of games to keep you busy. RuneScape, Grand Theft Auto, Portal: Flash Based and Psychonauts, a pretty decent lineup of free games to keep you busy while you save up your spare cash to pay for console games or even a few titles to keep you busy at work.
Thanks to omala03 for the tip.
[Via Yahoo]
January 20, 2008 – 12:49 pm
Many believe that video games are nothing more than a waste of time or a brooding infestation on a young person’s mind. Many even claim that video games will eventually fade into the distance when the next phase of entertainment to hit, but the recent NPD numbers scream that video games and the entire industry demand respect. The video game industry has grown into a 17.9 billion dollar industry surpassing what anyone thought could be accomplished.
US sales of video game consoles, software and accessories rose “an astounding” 43 percent, with each category reaching a new “personal best,” NPD reported.
A 43% increase is something that is unheard of, that means it almost doubled in the last year. The rate at which the video game industry is growing and the reach and respect, which it is commanding now is impressive. Video games have hit hte mainstream via TV, movies, commercials, etc. Games like Halo 3 are even used to help boost the sales of other products simply by putting a picture of Master Chief on them.
Even if you don’t care that Nintendo is winning the console war, you have to respect that 18 billion dollars were spent in video games, who cares on what system.
Thanks goes to Mia for the tip.
Frazier predicts that the video game industry will continue to flourish in the United States this year, but not at the stellar rate of growth seen in 2007.
“I expect to see 2008 increase over 2007, with more growth, proportionately, coming from software sales,” Frazier said, adding that the competing consoles feature online game services that make money from subscriptions and downloads.
[Via Yahoo]
January 3, 2008 – 7:14 pm
I know that Nintendo is trying to cash in on all the casual gamers of the world as well as all those people that think they can lose weight while playing games, but I just don’t see it. Someone who is overweight will not become skinny playing DDR or Wii Bowling or Wii Fit, they will do so by eating less and working out. Although playing these games can make you sweat, especially if you are out of shape, these are not valid ways to work out.
There have been quite a few studies performed that talk about how playing games and what physically can be achieved, here is a piece of a study:
A study at Liverpool John Moores University in early 2007 echoes his sentiment. Researchers found that playing Wii Sports for an average of 12 hours per week could result in burning over 1800 calories, although they’re quick to point out that such an activity should not replace traditional exercise.
OK I guess if you play for 12 hours a week you wold expect to burn some calories but just to put things in perspective if I take a 20 minute run I can easily burn 300 calories, so in 6 short runs that would equal 2 hours of exercise you would burn the equivalent amount of calories.
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So it begins, two empires come together to conquer all. Microsoft announced today that it will be placing ads into Electronic Arts Inc. sports franchises, starting with Madden 08. Don’t expect to see the ads just be confined to the football title, Microsfot and EA have already confirmed ads for Skate, Tiger Woods, NHL and NASCAR.
