Wednesday, June 16, 2010

“Jackson Kids' Fest to take place Friday at Jackson County Fairgrounds” plus 2 more

“Jackson Kids' Fest to take place Friday at Jackson County Fairgrounds” plus 2 more

Jackson Kids' Fest to take place Friday at Jackson County Fairgrounds

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 07:09 AM PDT

Published: Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 10:02 AM     Updated: Friday, June 11, 2010, 5:03 PM
Families can participate in educational games, activities, games and crafts at the Jackson Kids' Fest. The fair is 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at the American 1 Events Center at the Jackson County Fairgrounds, 200 W. Ganson St.

In addition to such activities as a petting zoo, the fair will feature vendors who can provide parents with information on health, the environment and safety, including child identification kits.

American 1 Federal Credit Union organizes the fair. It will have a similar event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds.

For more information, call Marla Sanford at 888-213-2848.

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3-D Games And More Highlight 2010 E3 Electronic Expo

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 09:41 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES - We've come along way since Pong.

Sony and Microsoft have both debuted new "motion control" technology for the Xbox 360 and PS3 video game consoles at the E3 Electronics Expo in Los Angeles.

The new technology is like Nintendo's Wii, only one step further, allowing gamers to use their entire bodies to plays games.

Nintendo had its own surprises at the premiere electronics event of the season, showing off a portable 3-D version of its DS handheld system, and advanced games for the WII.

Sony also announced that 20 3-D games would be released for its PlayStation 3 console by March 2011, while 40 games that utilize PlayStation Move, the console's new motion-control system, would be out in time for the holiday season.

Unlike Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Nintendo's Wii, the PS3 has been updated with software to display 3-D games.

"What PlayStation did for Blu-ray, we're now ready to do for 3-D," said Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kazuo Hirai during Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference. "It's that experience in content that will define 3-D."

Nintendo's 3DS works without special glasses.

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter says Nintendo "blew people away."

But the big question is the price.

Nintendo didn't say how much the 3DS would cost or when it will be available.

Monday, Microsoft detailed its new Kinect game technology, coming this fall for the Xbox 360 game console.

Once known as Project Natal, the Kinect system recognizers users' gestures and voices, so you can control on-screen avatars in racing, action and sports games just by moving your body.

Microsoft showed off a "Star Wars" game, coming in 2011, that will use Kinect to let players swing virtual lightsabers in their living rooms, and a dance title from the makers of "Rock Band" that eliminates the need for controllers and high-tech mats to get moving.

Kinect's voice feature also means you can say "pause" or "play" when watching a movie on the Xbox instead of reaching for the remote.

And it has a video chat function that can connect people from different sides of the country

Kinect will launch Nov. 4 in North America, Microsoft said.

Prices were not disclosed, and it's not clear whether Kinect will come with new Xboxes or only be sold separately.

However, Sony revealed the Move controller will be available Sept. 19 in the U.S. for $49.99.

The Move's navigation controller will be sold separately for $29.99. Sony will also sell bundles of the controller, camera and the new action sports title "sports Champions" for $99.99.

The controller, camera, console and "Sports Champions" would cost $399.99.

Another game-related release getting a lot of attention is a new Michael Jackson game where fans will be able to moonwalk next to the King of Pop.

The new video game will be released this holiday season by Ubisoft Entertainment.

The as-yet-unnamed game will use Microsofts Kinect and Sony's PS3 motion technology.

The game will also work with hand-held controllers on Nintendo's Wii and on the smaller Nintendo DS and PSP portable console from Sony.

The game's launch will roughly coincide with the planned sale of a new album containing unreleased Jackson recordings in November.

Ubisoft marketing vice president Tony Key says as part of the game, players will learn how to mimic the late Jackson's signature moves. Key says, "You are going to learn to moonwalk."

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Violent video games only harmful for kids with certain personality traits

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 07:47 AM PDT

Violent video games can increase aggression and hostility in some players but they can also benefit others by honing their visual/spatial skills and improving social networking ability, scientists said.

In a special issue of the journal Review of General Psychology published by the American Psychological Association, researchers said the games can also help to control diabetes and pain and work as a tool to complement psychotherapy.

"Violent video games are like peanut butter," said Christopher J. Ferguson, of Texas A&M International University. "They are harmless for the vast majority of kids but are harmful to a small minority with pre-existing personality or mental health problems."

He added that studies have revealed that violent games have not created a generation of problem youngsters.

"Recent research has shown that as video games have become more popular, children in the United States and Europe are having fewer behaviour problems, are less violent and score better on standardized tests," Ferguson, a guest editor for the journal, explained.

Patrick Markey, of Villanova University in Pennsylvania, found in a study of 118 teenagers that certain personality traits can predict which children will be negatively influenced by video games.

If someone is easily upset, depressed and emotional or is indifferent to the feelings of other people, breaks rules and fails to keep promises, they may be more likely to be hostile after playing violent video games.

"These results suggest that it is the simultaneous combination of these personality traits which yield a more powerful predictor of violent video games," Markey said. "Those who are negatively affected have pre-existing dispositions, which make them susceptible to such violent media."

But on a more positive note Pamela Kato, of University Medical Center in Utrecht in the Netherlands, showed in her research that specially tailored games can help to prevent asthma attacks, and ease pain management and diabetes treatment.

T. Atilla Ceranoglu, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, discovered in a research review that video games can also be used in psychological assessment of children and teenagers.

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