“Violence in Video Games Leads to School Massacres (Pravda)” plus 1 more

Violence in Video Games Leads to School Massacres (Pravda)

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 06:30 AM PST

Specialists are concerned about the psychological state of children who like playing violent video games. A recent study proved that the more a teenager is used to killing virtual characters, the more dangerous he or she may become in the real world. Parents need to take serious measures to reduce their children's aggression, psychologists say.

Craig Anderson, a professor of psychology, conducted an extensive research to study the influence, which video games show on the human psyche. The professor has recently completed the analysis of over 130 studies, which psychologists from different countries of the globe conducted to explore the phenomenon of video games. The professor's work embraced over 130,000 people. Anderson concluded that game violence makes people more aggressive regardless of their age, sex or culture in which they grow. Violence leads to decreased manifestations of empathy and prosocial behavior with kids, the professor said.

"We can now say with utmost confidence that regardless of research method - that is experimental, correlational, or longitudinal - and regardless of the cultures tested in this study [East and West], you get the same effects. And the effects are that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior in both short-term and long-term contexts. Such exposure also increases aggressive thinking and aggressive affect, and decreases prosocial behavior," said Anderson.

Seven other scientists, including prominent researchers of video games - Akiko Shibuya from Keio University (Japan) and Nobuko Ihori from Ochanomizu University (Japan) - took part in the research. The analysis covered the experiments participated by volunteers of different age – from elementary school to college.

"These are not huge effects -- not on the order of joining a gang vs. not joining a gang," said Anderson. "But these effects are also not trivial in size. It is one risk factor for future aggression and other sort of negative outcomes. And it's a risk factor that's easy for an individual parent to deal with -- at least, easier than changing most other known risk factors for aggression and violence, such as poverty or one's genetic structure."

Anderson and his colleagues believe that their extensive scientific data should have a serious influence on the public debate devoted to violence in video games and establish control over their development and distribution.

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Kids get to control 'Alice' characters (Honolulu Advertiser)

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 04:04 AM PST

Disney Interactive is offering two games tied to director Tim Burton's quirky "Alice in Wonderland" which hit movie theaters Friday, one for the Nintendo Wii and Windows PCs, and the other for the Nintendo DS. While they are both titled "Disney Alice in Wonderland," they are completely different games. This is a review of the Wii and PC version as played on the Wii. It's best for ages 10 to 14, from Disney Interactive, www.AliceVideoGame.com.

The game takes place 10 years after the original Lewis Carroll "Alice" stories. The White Rabbit yanks Alice back down into his hole in hopes that she can save the Underland world from the Red Queen's reign of terror. The White Rabbit, the Dormouse, the March Hare, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Hat have banded together to form the Underland Underground Resistance, but they need Alice's help to defeat the Queen.

Kids join Alice in this puzzle adventure by taking control of one of the five Underland Underground Resistance characters. Initially you can only play as the White Rabbit or the Dormouse; but as you find the other characters, you can switch between them at will. This switching between characters is the key game-play mechanic, and it serves as the basis for most of the puzzles.

Each character has a unique ability. The White Rabbit can alter time or slow down an enemy. The Dormouse is the best fighter. The March Hare uses the power of telekinesis to move and throw objects. When playing as the Cheshire Cat, you can become invisible or you can make hidden objects appear. The Mad Hatter has the ability to create optical illusions by lining up objects in just the right way. Each character also has a unique combat style.

As you navigate through the many psychedelic environments, you will encounter unusual happenings and obstacles. You will need to use the characters' magical abilities to get through. For example, when trying to navigate through a garden maze, you will encounter spinning directional signs. If you approach the sign as the White Rabbit and flick the Wii remote at it, the White Rabbit's ability to alter time will stop the sign from spinning and point you in the right direction to travel.

Playing as the Mad Hatter, who looks like Johnny Depp's character from the movie, is one of the most interesting aspects of the game. It is fascinating to stand on a podium and line up two different scenes so that as you look through the first one, it becomes incorporated into the second and thus opens a new path. This power of perspective is amazingly different.

While this game has lots to like including a memorable fantasy world created by the use of highly saturated colors, mesmerizing characters (many who talk in nonsensical manner) and environments that are constantly topsy-turvy, it is not a game with universal appeal.

tricky battles

The game's navigation can, at times, get confusing. While the game does offer prompts, there are times when you will repeatedly run around in a scene trying to figure out how to advance.

But the biggest bugaboo in this game is the inclusion of intense battle scenes into this otherwise wonderfully clever puzzle adventure. Most of the game focuses on exploration of this fantastical world. However, you never know when a tranquil scene is going to turn into a frenetic war zone by the opening of a vortex. Vortexes deliver the Red Queen's card soldiers who try to steal Alice. The music turns threatening, the soldiers grab Alice, and if you don't do the right things quickly, you will lose and have to start again from your last save point. In addition, there are three "boss" battles in the game that are against foes that are even trickier to defeat. Kids may need to repeat the battles until they get them just right.

Since you can't avoid the intense, adrenaline-inducing battles, kids who just like puzzle adventures won't like this game. It's too bad, because the rest of the game is enthralling to explore. A way to make these intense battles seem more palatable may be to use the game's excellent two-player option where a friend can drop in and then drop out. A battle isn't so tough when you're in it with a friend.

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Kids Games

Tuesday, March 9, 2010