http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/video_games/ Video Games. Read about innovative new video games, trends in gaming, the effects of video game violence and more. en-us Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:05:01 EDT Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/video_games/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718080755.htm Video games — often regarded as nothing more than mindless entertainment for lethargic kids and teens — are proving to be an effective, new tool to motivate patients to perform rehabilitation exercises. The Burn Center is also employing a special add-on to the Nintendo Wii system, Guitar Hero III. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718080755.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717221609.htm The 2008 All-Star Game was the game of a lifetime, and a math professor can prove it. "What happened Tuesday night was definitely a rare occurrence and one we should not expect to see again in our lifetimes," said the mathematics professor. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717221609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613163213.htm For the first time, a person with a serious muscular disorder has used brainwaves to chat and stroll through the virtual world of Second Life. The computer system uses electrodes as small as 1cm in diameter that are attached to the scalp. A computer detects brainwaves from the sensory-motor cortex when the subject slightly moves fingers of his/her right and left hand, and moves the avatar accordingly. The computer also detects the subject's will to move forward, and makes the avatar move forward. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613163213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611182646.htm The German defender Philipp Lahm and the Portuguese midfield star Maniche were both born on November 11 -- and they were both playing in the game for the third place at the World Cup 2006. Anyway, in more than half of the games at the World Cup 2006 at least two persons on the field had the same birthday. That is what a young researcher found out within the scope of her bachelor thesis. And for the European Championship 2008 which has just started, one can expect a similar result. The reason is the so-called birthday paradox. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611182646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522090248.htm A fast-moving new video game, Immune Attack, teaches the critical scientific facts of immunology. The game is designed to teach how the immune system works to defend the body against invading bacteria. The visual elements and simulations are critical for grasping the complex interactions of the biological systems. Mon, 26 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522090248.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523163059.htm Video games that energize players and induce a positive mood could also enhance creativity, according to media researchers. However, the study also finds that players who were not highly energized and had a negative mood, registered the highest creativity. Sun, 25 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523163059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515214926.htm A new computer game developed by students makes it possible for visually impaired people to play the game on a level field with their sighted friends. The game, called AudiOdyssey, simulates a deejay trying to build up a catchy tune and get people dancing. By swinging the remote-control device used by the Nintendo Wii, which senses motion, the player can set the rhythm and lay down one musical track after another, gradually building up a richer musical track. Mon, 19 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515214926.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514213432.htm Does playing violent video games make players aggressive? It is a question that has taxed researchers, sociologists, and regulators ever since the first console was plugged into a TV and the first shots fired in a shoot 'em up game. Now researchers suggest that there is scant scientific evidence that video games are anything but harmless, and that they do not lead to real world aggression. Moreover, new research shows that previous work is biased towards the opposite conclusion. Thu, 15 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514213432.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513191103.htm Today's video games serve a multitude of functions ranging from entertainment to exercise and even education. Now, three recent graduates have created a game with an even more important purpose --- to foster independence among disabled individuals. Graduating seniors have led an interdisciplinary student team made up of programmers, game designers, character and level artists, electrical engineers, and music composers to create a groundbreaking interactive game simulation to help individuals with disabilities develop life skills and obtain increased autonomy. Thu, 15 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513191103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508122520.htm Gamers have devoted countless years of collective brainpower to idle pursuits. This week researchers will try to harness those finely honed skills to make medical discoveries through a competitive protein-folding computer game. Fri, 09 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508122520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423175535.htm Playing a video game called 'Space Race' that requires nothing more than brainpower to make rockets on a computer screen move forward is more than just fun and games. A researcher is using video games to see if the brainwaves of children with autism can be 'retrained' to improve focus and concentration. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423175535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415185011.htm Computer scientists have created a fog and smoke machine for computer graphics that cuts the computational cost of making realistic smoky and foggy 3-D images, such as beams of light from a lighthouse piercing thick fog. By cutting the computing costs, the computer scientists are helping to pull cutting edge graphics techniques out of research labs and into movies and eventually video games and beyond. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415185011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319152744.htm To a patient recovering from severe burns, no place would be more soothing than a polar landscape of gently falling snowflakes, snowmen, penguins, igloos and icy rivers. That's the thinking behind SnowWorld, an interactive, virtual-reality video game being used to manage pain felt by burn patients during wound care and physical therapy. Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319152744.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319142358.htm Individuals who engage in costly punishment do not benefit from their behavior, according to a new study. Researchers examined cooperation among subjects playing a modified version of the Prisoner's Dilemma. This game captures the fundamental tension between the interests of the individual and the group, and is the classic paradigm for cooperation. The study found that the use of punitive behavior correlates strongly with reduced individual payoff, and bestows no benefit on the group as a whole. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319142358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310131511.htm Using a virtual pendulum and its real-world counterpart, scientists have created the first mixed reality state in a physical system. Through bidirectional instantaneous coupling, each pendulum "sensed" the other, their motions became correlated, and the two began swinging as one. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310131511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310110859.htm A new computer program will be able to identify the type of brain damage a patient has had, to calculate the probability of recovery and recommend the most effective ways to treat the patient. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310110859.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310112704.htm Scientists are engineering video game characters with the capacity to have beliefs and to reason about the beliefs of others. The characters will be able to predict and manipulate the behavior of even human players, with whom they will directly interact in the real, physical world, according to the team. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310112704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304130751.htm Video games like Wii Sports and Dance Dance Revolution can play an important role in getting kids off the couch and involved in physical activity. But are they a replacement for traditional exercise? Definitely not, a university wellness coordinator. Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304130751.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080204140115.htm In a first-of-its-kind imaging study, the Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have shown that the part of the brain that generates rewarding feelings is more activated in men than women during video-game play. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080204140115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080108100024.htm The inability of casual computer users to build 3-D objects is an anchor holding back the promise of virtual worlds, such as Second Life or World of Warcraft. Now computer science researchers are making things easier -- beginning with virtual trees. Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080108100024.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080110102336.htm A Web site is a better source of information on nutrition than a video game or printed pamphlet, according to a study of low-income mothers reported in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080110102336.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221225420.htm Serious games are designed not to entertain, but to teach. Students learn by doing, and games range from simulating medical procedures to promoting peace in Palestine. Now researchers are developing a platform to make the concept more accessible to businessmen. You cannot replace experience, but maybe you can acquire it faster. Action learning, learning by doing, is the most effective form of training a company can deploy. Instead of remembering facts or processes, students perform real tasks, employing both the knowledge and the method as they do. It is the difference between reading the manual and building the machine. It is experience over information. Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221225420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071220195643.htm New generation active computer games stimulate greater energy expenditure than sedentary games, but are no substitute for playing real sports, according to a new study. Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071220195643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071127142134.htm Watching media violence significantly increases the risk that a viewer or video game player will behave aggressively in both the short and long term, according to a new study. Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071127142134.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071113160359.htm Psychologists discussed violent video games and realized that video games use the same techniques that really great teachers use. Students who played multiple violent video games actually learned through those games to produce greater hostile actions and aggressive behaviors over a span of six months. Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071113160359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024145626.htm Researchers have discovered that differences between men and women on some tasks that require spatial skills are largely eliminated after both groups play a video game for only a few hours. The research suggests that a new approach involving action video games can be used to improve spatial skills that are essential for everyday activities such as reading a map, driving a car, assembling a barbeque or learning advanced math. Fri, 26 Oct 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024145626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071023163918.htm A video game designed to help train people to change their perception of social threats and boost their self-confidence has now been shown to reduce the production of the stress-related hormone cortisol. Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071023163918.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071019174410.htm Online video games with thousands of simultaneous players, such as "World of Warcraft," have become hugely popular in the last two decades and are now a multibillion dollar industry. Scientists have conducted a randomized trial study of college students contrasting the effects of playing online socially interconnected video games with more traditional single-player or arcade-style games. Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071019174410.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071011102635.htm The latest video technology could help to resolve conflicts between employees at work, neighbors or even family members, according to researchers. At present, conciliators and mediators are called in to help tackle hundreds of thousands of serious conflicts each year, ranging from disputes between employees or between management and unions, to violent breakdowns in relations between neighbours and family members. Fri, 12 Oct 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071011102635.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009101818.htm Nurses and physicians are using the latest technology to help young burn victims endure the extreme pain of dressing changes and wound care. Instead of traditional distraction devices, such as books and music, Nationwide Children's Hospital Burn Center is now using virtual reality games to distract patients while nurses attend to the patients' burn wounds. Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009101818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071005104104.htm When given the ultimatum game, chimpanzees, unlike humans, conform to traditional economic models. Unlike humans, chimpanzees do not show a willingness to make fair offers and reject unfair ones. In this way, they behave like selfish economists rather than as social reciprocators. Sun, 07 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071005104104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070914210905.htm Finding a way to motivate the billion people in the world who are overweight to lose excess pounds can be an overwhelming task, but one professor is meeting that weighty challenge with a challenge of his own. He has developed a computer game that translates physical activity into video games, such as races and logic puzzles. The games can be played on any hand-held personal digital assistant (PDA) with users wearing a lightweight, wearable sensor that detects movement like running, walking, bending over or even foot tapping. A computer science student who was one of the first to try out the devices lost 40 pounds in five months. Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070914210905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070915110957.htm Online multiplayer communities are social networks built around multiplayer online computer games. Members of these communities typically share an interest in online gaming and a great deal of the interaction between them is technologically mediated. It is a playground which can give us clues about the future of social and technological developments, according to the researcher. Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070915110957.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070823175729.htm Peanut butter and jelly. Wine and cheese. Dinner and a movie. Some things just naturally go together. But national security and video games? At first glance, those two aren't exactly a soft brie and a glass of Merlot in terms of compatibility. If computer scientists have their way, however, perhaps today's video game-loving youth will become our next generation's terrorist-fighting scientist, especially if a prototype project she now has under development fulfills its promise. Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070823175729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070823141057.htm A neuroscientist has devised the first experimental method to induce an out-of-body experience in healthy participants. The scientist outlines the unique method by which the illusion is created and considers the implications of its discovery. Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070823141057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070730111649.htm How many games does it take to ensure that the best team in a sports league ends up with the best record? According to a study by a pair of physicists the answer is an astounding 256 games per team in the case of baseball's National League, well beyond the 162 games each team currently plays in the regular season. Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070730111649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070719143517.htm Game over. Computer scientists have solved checkers, the popular board game with a history that dates back to 3,000 B.C. After 18-and-a-half years and sifting through 500 billion billion (a five followed by 20 zeroes) checkers positions,scientists have built a checkers-playing computer program that cannot be beaten. Fri, 20 Jul 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070719143517.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070713131357.htm Two University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professors are studying fantasy sports leagues, including their own, in a new research project aimed at understanding how both expert and novice players approach the game and what it can teach us about how people learn. Mon, 16 Jul 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070713131357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070706144701.htm Computer games of the future are easily accessible online games that fit into our busy everyday life. The market has exploded and adult women in particular are taking part in this growth wave. Researchers are gaining an understanding of how computer games, like regular games, appeal to us at least in part because of our basic desire to learn. Tue, 10 Jul 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070706144701.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070703172538.htm A new study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Mental Health and Media dispels myths and uncovers surprises about young teens and violent video and computer games. The study is the first to ask middle-school youth about the video and computer games they play and to analyze how many of those titles are rated M -- for ages 17 and up. It is also the first to ask children why they play video games. Wed, 04 Jul 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070703172538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702161141.htm On school days, teen boys who play video games appear to spend less time reading and teen girls who play video games appear to spend less time doing homework than those who do not play video games, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Overall, video game players did not spend less time than non-video game players interacting with parents and friends. Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702161141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070625133354.htm Several media outlets have reported on an upcoming vote of the American Medical Association (AMA), which could recommend that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) consider including "video game addiction" as a formal diagnosis in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070625133354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070620085254.htm Firstly, what is "Haptics"? This term means "of or relating to the sense of touch." Haptic technology, or haptics, refers to the technology that connects the user to a computerized system via the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations and/or motions to the user. Fri, 22 Jun 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070620085254.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619172711.htm What happens if you deprive a group of 7 and 8 year olds of computers, television and games consoles for two weeks? Even after just two weeks, families found they began to interact more, even to 'rediscover' their pleasure in each other's company. Children tired from an active evening were more liable to go to bed early and wake up refreshed and alert the next day. Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619172711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614082046.htm What's nerdier than creating an online avatar that fights dragons and raids strongholds? Creating a virtual pendulum that you can sync up to your real-life pendulum. Leave it to physicists to do just that, resulting in a mixed reality state in which the two pendulums swing as one. Mon, 18 Jun 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614082046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070531203748.htm Biologists have found that in addition to promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, the rising use of video games correlates with a reduction in outdoor nature experiences, and experiencing only "virtual nature" has negative implications for conservation efforts. Fri, 01 Jun 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070531203748.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070521120256.htm Researchers have found a surprising cultural influence on some boys' drive for muscularity. In a new study researchers discovered that exposure to video gaming magazines has a stronger influence on preadolescent boys' drive for muscularity, or desire for muscle mass, than does exposure to magazines that depict a more realistic muscular male-body ideal. Tue, 22 May 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070521120256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070428171454.htm A mobile phone game developed by academics will be used to help international students cope with 'culture shock' and university life in Britain - including moments of cultural awakening such as going to the pub and watching people being affectionate to each other in public. Mon, 30 Apr 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070428171454.htm