I just got a PlayStation Portable right after Christmas. I'm looking to right a full review of my experiences pretty soon, but let me just say that I love the handheld. The PSP is great little console, and the number of quality games is starting to pick up. To help you decide... Continue Reading →
Parents, kids, and gaming
From Opposable Thumbs, a discussion of this MSNBC article on parents and gaming:I have a six year-old and a four year-old in the house, and we don't let them play video games yet. When I was growing up, I didn't get involved in video games until I was older, and was already a voracious reader... Continue Reading →
5 Traits of Awesome Video Games
Newsweek has an interview with Brian Allgeier, the creative director of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. Allgeier gives five traits that make for really good video games. According to Allgeier, good games:Begin with a bangHave a compelling main characterHave a good pace of the progressionContain a Strategic Meta GameFulfill a fantasy.This is a... Continue Reading →
Taking gaming on the go
I've been reading a lot lately about portable gaming, and I've become really interested in getting a PlayStation Portable (PSP). While the PSP has not sold as well as the Nintendo DS, the PSP has more games that I'm interested in playing. I'm really interested in Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, Syphon Filter:Dark Mirror and... Continue Reading →
Guitar Hero on South Park tonight
For you librarian guitar heroes out there:Tonight's episode of South Park is sure to be a rockin' good time. "Stan and Kyle are hooked on Guitar Hero. But Stan's superior skills on the video game damage his friendship with Kyle."
Connecting Second Life and Facebook
This goes in the tech-to-try pile:Giving your Facebook profile a Second LifeIf you are like me, you probably have some of your Second Life friends among your Facebook friends. And until recently, we had no good way of connecting the two worlds. But now we can; and there isn't just one, but two Facebook applications... Continue Reading →
The Power of Gaming
Ellyssa Kroski points to the Business Week Special Report: The Power of Gaming. Putting this on my to-read list.
A cynical take on educational games
From "World of Borecraft: Never play a video game that's trying to teach you something": Ever since video games were invented, parents and teachers have been trying to make them boring. Any child of the 1980s and 1990s will remember Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing and Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery, games that promised... Continue Reading →
On being a gaming parent
From The Impact of Being a Gaming Parent at 2old2play: Now that you’ve read my tale of our gaming experience you may ask, “What is the impact of being a gaming parent?†Look closely at the text that I’ve bolded. You notice words like closeness, joy, share, talk, love and many more. These experiences are... Continue Reading →