Love of Games

A Balanced View of Games Addiction Have fun and keep safe.

Problem or Not? We take a responsible look at Computer Game Addiction

There are many potential benefits to be derived from Computer gaming, as we have seen in Parts 1 and 2 of this article and there is every reason to go so far as to encourage gaming for the many instances described earlier where good will be achieved. Nevertheless, caution cannot simply be cast aside and you should always take a responsible approach not only for yourself but also others for whom you are responsible..

Some hard facts follow although we do finish on a positive and optimistic note.

Social tragedies associated with computer gaming addiction are becoming more common and one does not have to look far for evidence of the damage that computer gaming addiction can cause including job loss, families breaking up, marriage failures and in extreme cases, death!

Many of you will have heard of the headline case of 2005 when Lee Seung Seop visited an Internet cafe in the city of Taegu in South Korea and played StarCraft almost continuously for fifty hours.  He went into cardiac arrest and died at a local hospital. The police told Reuters news agency they understood the man had not slept and had eaten little during his marathon gaming session. They added that it was not known whether he suffered from any previous health conditions and mentioned that the man had been fired from his job for repeated tardiness and missing work to indulge in his computer gaming addiction.

A friend reported: “…he was a game addict. We all knew about it. He couldn’t stop himself.”

South Korea appears to be a world hot-spot for online gaming as apparently some 15 million people, that’s 30% of its population, are registered for online gaming.   It is no surprise to hear that the annual World Cyber Games are operated by a South Korean corporation, backed by A-List corporations including Samsung and Microsoft

Such extreme consequences of Computer Game Addiction are thankfully rare but some of you may recognize in yourselves some parallels with Lee’s case

The big question is of course: “Do I need to be concerned about Computer Games Addiction?

Answer “yes” or “no” to the following statements to see if you may be addicted to online or video gaming:

#  Do you find you need to play more and more hours in order to satisfy your need for the excitement? 
#  Are you preoccupied with gaming, thinking about it when offline, anticipating your next gaming session?
#  Have you ever had to lie to friends and family members to hide the extent of your computer gaming?
#  Whenever you try to cut down on your computer gaming, do you find it makes you feel irritable or restless?
#  Have you made repeated attempts to control, cut down, or stop computer gaming?
#  Are you aware of ever having used gaming to escape personal issues or to ease feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression?
#  Have you ever risked endangering your marriage or another important relationship in order to indulge in your computer gaming?
#  Has your computer gaming ever resulted in a lost job, a lost career move or educational opportunity?

You may be addicted to computer gaming if the answer is yes to any of these questions. A “Yes” to any one of these common signs suggests that you may have lost control. Why wait until it is too late to seek out help?

For most people, it will be clear without the need for the tests, if they are spending too much time gaming. Home-based video games are less likely to become addictive compared to MMORPGs and online gaming according to research on the subject.  Perhaps try more to “keep local” with your friends and family rather than going online to compete.

Perhaps a Golden Rule to achieve healthy gaming is ensure variety rather than sticking purely to one form of gaming.or another.

This is one of three concise articles, on Computer Gaming Addiction. The articles have been researched and written by a site dedicated to Video and Online Gaming and seek to present a balanced and responsible view of Gaming Addiction.

Sales

If you are looking into sales alone then the Wii outsells everything. From the opiniopn of someone that has owned all of Nintendo’s past consoles this has easily been their worst submission. The question to ask is why?

Well the simple reason is that they have stopped caring about all of the Die hard fans and started to generalise their games for the general market which means we are constantly seeing rubbish games in which a Nintendo fan wouldn’t touch with a 10ft barge pole. Mario Kart Wii was at best disappointing as they seemed to take out everything that made Double Dash good. Mario Galaxy 2, nice one Nintendo, lets copy your previous ideas.

The Wii (in my opinion) is certainly out of it already.

Online and other

The PS3 is a good console there is no doubt about that and games such as uncharted 2 show just how far the console can go. Although the online play is all free, it is very poor and it features many games with people unable to speak your language. I do not understan why they did not add language filters? The PS3 has Blu-Ray but it seems that is the only decent thing it has going for it.

The Xbox 360 has the better games, the better online service and just a generally better experience overall. Do not get a Wii as although it is said to be for the entire family, the kids and you will get bored quickly. 360 or a PS3 is the way forward.

To make sure these will not have to be replaced for some serious money, get game console insurance or gadget insurance. Of course you could also get some mobile phone insurance while you are at it.

Playing games online is more popular now than it ever has been, and so it’s hardly surprising that so many games (literally thousands upon thousands) have been, and are continuing to be, created. There is something for everyone in that large, and ever increasing, pool of games, but, for newcomers to the world of online gaming, the choice can sometimes be overwhelming.

Still, it is possible to divide up the masses of online games into genres, which makes choosing a game or two to play a little easier. So, what are the main genres of online games?

A shooter game focuses primarily on combat involving projectile weapons, such as guns and missiles. The emphasize is on shooting and combat from the perspective of the character controlled by the player. This perspective is meant to give the player the feeling of “being there”. They can be divided into first-person and third-person shooters, depending on the camera perspective.

Action-adventure games combine elements of their two component genres, typically featuring long-term obstacles that must be overcome using a tool or item as leverage (which is collected earlier), as well as many smaller obstacles almost constantly in the way, that require elements of action games to overcome. Action-adventure games tend to focus on exploration and usually involve item gathering, simple puzzle solving, and combat.

Role-playing games allow you to become an adventurer within a vast new world. Typically set in some strange magical, medieval type world, you must first choose what type of character you want to be and what skills (combat, spell casting, healing, etc.) you want them to have. Then, you set out into the world and complete missions and battle against good or bad (the choice is yours).

Strategy games focus on game play requiring careful and skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory. A real-time game indicates that the action in the game is continuous, and players will have to make their decisions and actions within the backdrop of a constantly changing game state. Turn based games offer a slower pace, and there is an expectation of players to really pre-plan their moves and think far ahead, in the same way that you might play chess.

So, those are the main genres of online games. You will be sure to find some absolute classics, and some new breakthrough games, if you look at those sections of online gaming sites.

Play online games now: Igre Arkadne

There are many different kinds of toys and games out in time for Christmas but this year it would seem that the games on Xbox 360 need a look into, simply because there are so many.

These are just some of the games you should look into getting before Christmas.

Modern Warfare 2

Although this game was called the best game of the decade and has sold a hell of a lot of copies in just over a week and has been deemed one of the best games of all time. Of course you have to get this game if you have an Xbox 360 because if you don’t you are really behind on the times but there is no way this is anywhere close to being the game of the decade. Sure the campaign has some epic moment but it is incredibly short taking less than 6 hours to finish. In my opinion there is no way that this multiplayer is anywhere near as good as Halo 3 and Gears 2 it just feels the same as the older games.

Borderlands

I was really not too sure on this one when I purchased it as when looking at the game it is all made to look cell shaded. Thes games often turn out to be pretty bad. The only real problem to the game was that it didnt have much of an ending but who needs that when you have 250,000 weapon variations. Almost every gun I picked up was slightly different in one way or another and it made the game very fun to play indeed.

This really is just part one of the games you need to look into buying this side of Christmas. Some women may call all of these boys toys but I have to say my girlfriend loves kicking ass on Modern Warfare. Just have a look around and see if you can find the best toy review.

Where do gamers go?

The choices you have as a gamer are:

1. Buy (Online, Ebay, used, Gamestop..)
2. Rent (Gamefly, blockbuster…)
3. Trade (Goozex, Switchplanet..)

Renting in the past at your brick and mortar rental place can easily set you back more then $5-$7 every week like Blockbuster. Many places like Gamefly charge a monthly service fee. Renting is a solution but you spend more time with games than movies. Much more time is needed for videogames than movies. Most movies range from 1.5 hours to epics of 6 hours. Where most videogames you could get a good feel for a game in 3 hours but most sports games and long role playing games could be played for more then 70 hours.

This is where Goozex Game Trading steps in. Goozex allows the gamer to keep the game as long as you want but have the option to sell it too. There is only a $1 transaction fee if you request a game on their network. So basically you can trade in your older games and build up Goozex credit until you get enough for a newer title and just pay the $1 transaction fee. A shipping and handling is handled by sender and the buyer only pays . There is no monthly membership so you can stop at anytime or go at a slower pace. This is ideal in the sense that you could play the game until you are actually sick of it then send it in for credit. No hurry as you play and ship at your own pace. Plus you OWN the game. From then on the game is yours, not a rental.

The network is peer to peer in that you can only request games and send games to other members. There is no single central warehouse and the pricing of the credits of the system are in points (100pts = $5). The pricing of the game is determined by market demand, release date, initial cost of the game, and a couple other factors. Most xbox 360 titles will go for 800-1000 pts which translates to $40-$50. This isn’t bad for a used game. You could probably save a little bit of money if you bought it at a used gaming store but then you would have to pay tax and actually go to the store. Goozex gives you free shipping to you with no tax charge. You also have an option to buy credits if you want but I wouldn’t recommend that unless you have no games to send in or nothing of yours is being requested. Price fluctuations occur and you can see the points swings. I’ve had a couple games I requested and I can see that price increase/decrease. It doesn’t happen that much but some games change +/- 200pts depending on market demand.

So why use Goozex instead of a used videogame store or an auction site with games like Ebay? You just need $1 to pay for the transaction fee. Most people don’t like to continually shell out more money for a game and then feel like the games they bought are depreciating at a very fast rate. Selling your game for cash anywhere will not give you that much. Selling it to a store they will mark your game up to make money. Selling online is tiresome. Goozex at least you get to trade in games you are done with and still get some value out of it as it will lead to other games you really want. There might be more difficulty in sending older sports titles as those don’t have much demand once their season is up like trying to sending in EA sports Madden 2005 will be a hard game to sell to someone on the network. Older games on ebay are a hassle to sell. On Goozex you will be able to list it and it will just stay there without having to pay insertion fees.

Each videogame is packed with information like reviews from Gamepro, some tips/trick, game description, and some even have instructions. I love being able to see the supply and demand of each game. This will let you know if you have a game people want or if you can possibly get a game on the network. Goozex determines who gets the game by matching up users. There is a waiting list that is generated and when you add a game you will see in what place you are waiting for that game. You get a good feel to when you will get a game. You need to make a list for want and haves for your games. They will show you your place in line per game. Great place to build your wishlist. Building a large list ensures some games will continue to come to you. I requested Crackdown and I was like 60 people back. I got this game in 14 days. Just because you’re really deep in line doesn’t mean you won’t get the game soon. Newer games do get pushed out in the system fairly quickly. You have many options to what you want to trade in terms of instructions, case or just game. Some people tend to not keep cases or instructions. The value of the game doesn’t go down as the credits don’t reflect what is included. This is because the user requesting the game can have the option to request only full packaged games, games with instructions, or just the game itself. I have not had a problem with getting full packages as I’ve gotten over 49 games and I’ve sent out 54 in under 2 years of being there.

Why NOT to use

For this site to be a perfect 5 star site I would like to see:

1. More users (will there ever be enough?)
2. More retro gaming console support (nes, snes, saturn….)
3. Sure isn’t free but man it’s 4 quarters. I’m a member of another site that has no transaction fees yet still protects the members.
4. Video game trailers for each game
5. More user interaction like user reviews and tournaments…)

All the above are small tweaks to the system that is already very functional. The main reason someone would NOT want to use this system is time and money. If you have money why wouldn’t you just buy the game new down the street? Why wait? Saving money and the community are the main draws to the system. Save money and also connect with other gamers. If you wanted to save money but are impatient then this sits is NOT for you. Most new release games takes on average of 1-2 months. Why? You are placed in a waiting line. The order of the Que determines when you get the new game, but more importantly is how many are available? Most will eventually get bored of their new game and will send them out as “have” games. That could be more time than one might want to wait. Say you want to play a game that takes a long time to beat. Some people like myself take a long time with games. More popular games of course like Madden will hit the system quicker but that is also a bad thing. You don’t want to hold a game too long or it will lose it’s value. Trading for early on might be for 1000 points but in a couple months with the market being saturated it could be 500 points in no time losing half of it’s value. Not entirely the fault of the system but some games just won’t move depending on your timing.

Current Goozex Simultaneous Transaction on the Network as of Mar 11, 2009 = 4793

This is the last part of the Xbox 360 games you have to buy and not wait until Christmas!

Assassin’s Creed 2

This is the one I am personally waiting just one more day to get simply because I really enjoyed playing the first one through. They have made a lot of major improvements to this game. For the second game they have made the missions a bit different which is good as it was starting to get a bit boring in number 1. You are able to possess two hidden blades that can kill two people at once as well as being able to take the enemy’s weapons and climb 2X faster than you can in the first game. The great thing about this game is that now when you fall into the water you do not die, you can swim!

The Ballad Of Gay Tony

This is the second DLC that has actually come into GTA IV. I have actually mannaged to play this game throuigh and although it is a lot shorter than the main game it is a lot better. Parachutes seem to be the major add on to this and they are great fun to use! The bad point is that there are still no planes that you can fly around in which is a shame. This game feels a lot like Vice City which is why it is such a good game as Vice City has to be the best GTA game.

On top of all of these great games there are more out next year such as Splinter Cell, Final Fantasy and finally Alan Wake. It is also worth thinking about Project Natal.

Toys and games seem to be getting more and more popular as each year passes by which is why you should consider looking into a toy review before you buy anything. It can be very important that you get those boys toys right.

Online gaming isn’t just for pimply teenagers with no life. There are countless virtual arcades which have sprung up all over the internet, luring people from all walks of life for regular entertainment. Regardless of what kind of games you like to play, you’re sure to be something that tickles your fancy.

Games in online arcades range from strategy games to classic card games; from action-adventure to simulation games. There are also puzzles and paper doll style dress-up games. Almost anyone can find at least one game that they can enjoy playing on a regular basis. These games are highly interactive because of the new technology that allows video game creators to add music, video and other elements that give players a real gaming experience.

All age groups will be able to enjoy online gaming, as well. Kids can enjoy games that will teach them a wide variety of skills including math and reading. Parents will be happy to know that their kids are not only being entertained, but educated as well.

Adult players may find the lure of online poker or other gambling games irresistable. The thrill of the win and the chance to make money in the comfort of your own home is rapidly becoming one of America’s favorite pastimes. In fact, you’ll find entire communities of online poker players who take their virtual games very seriously.

You’ll find thousands of online game sites which range from the poorly designed to the excellent. Some of the games made by amateurs and definitely show it. If you want to play some excellent games, however, consider paying a small fee for access to professional design and administration.

In addition to playing the games on these sites, you’ll also be able to join in on forums to discuss your favorite games. You’ll have fun meeting up fellow gamers to socialize and discuss strategy. Some of the sites also have regular tournaments which give you the chance to earn awards, points, or free credits.

A simple search in your favorite search engine will bring up literally thousands of game sites that will keep you engaged for hours at a time.

Here is one new online games website that you can check out: Online games

Online games aren’t just for college kids who have no real life anymore. The internet has seen thousands of virtual arcades launch in the past few years–and all kinds of people from every age group is playing. There are so many different kinds of games that you are certain to find at least one that makes you want to kill some time.

Games in online arcades range from strategy games to classic card games; from action-adventure to simulation games. There are also puzzles, dressup games, and trivia style games. Almost anyone can find at least one game that they can enjoy playing on a regular basis. Thanks to Flash technology, many of the games you find online are highly interactive, featuring cool video and music or other interactive elements that add to the fun.

All age groups will be able to enjoy online gaming, as well. For children and youth players, games based on popular kids’ characters can be found. There are also learning games to teach reading, mathematics, colors, shapes, science, music and more. Parents can rest easy knowing that their kids aren’t just wasting time on the computer playing games–they are learning, too!

Adult players may find the lure of online poker or other gambling games irresistable. Millions of people have discovered the fun that can be had while playing poker for real money from home. In fact, there are clubs where people regularly meet to play each other and share information about the world of online gaming.

There’s no end to the number of free onling game sites, with varying degrees of quality. Some of the games are obviously made by amateur coders. If you’re willing to pay a small fee, however, you can join some of the paid arcades and these have games that are well made and executed.

You’ll also be able to take advantage of the public forums on these sites to discuss the games you frequently play. You’ll have fun meeting up fellow gamers to socialize and discuss strategy. You might decide to play the tournaments and have fun winning prizes or other rewards.

Just do a quick online search in your favorite search engine and you’ll find endless options for game sites that you can visit for fun and friendship.

Here is one new online games website that you can check out: games

If you don’t know what an R4 DS is, this quick run down will explain what it is. If you’d like more information on the R4 DS cards, you may want to read my other articles on the R4 DS.  In my previous articles I went into the details of exactly what the R4 DS is, what it can do, and how it works. ps2cover.{com for a detailed feature and function list}~com for a detailed list of all of the features and functions~{{com for a list of all of the features and functions}~com for a list of all of the features and functions}~{com for detailed lists of features and functions}~com for a full breakdown of functions and features~com for a full list of all of the functions and features~{com for a detailed run down of all features and functions}~com for an in depth list of all of the functions and features~com for a full list of features and functions~{com for a good look at all of the functions and features}~{{com for a full list of all of the functions and features}~{com for a features and functions list}~{com for a list of all of the features and functions}~com for a list of all of the features and functions}~com for a full list of all of the functions and features~{com for a full list of all of the functions and features}~{com for a features and functions list}~{com for a list of all of the features and functions}~com for a list of all of the features and functions}. If you’re not clear on all of the features and functions of the R4 DS, then I suggest you do a searc on google or go to www.ps2cover.com.

In short, the R4 DS card will let you watch Movies on your NDS, listen to Mp3 music on your NDS as well as play homebrew roms and applications on your NDS console… on your Nintendo DS console. It essentially flips your NDS or DSi from purely a game system to a whole Entertainment unit in your hands, all for less than .00 dollars.00

There are some quick and easy tips to follow. While some of these tips may seem obvious, it even took me about a week and a half of using the R4 DS before I came up with some ways to make my life (and game playing) a little bit easier.

1. Copy your games and game files to a specific directory on the micro SD card. To help you organize your files, I recommend putting all of your files into directories that you set up for these specific files. GAMES should be store in your GAMES folder. It makes browsing to them in the menu much easier, and all your game save files will also be organized.

2. Try to orignize your MP3 files as well as Video files by creating a seperate directory for each one of them on the microSD memory card. This is a MUST for anyone that has lots of music, with all of the track names labelled TRACK 1.MP3 Music, Track 2.MP3, and others, etc….. You’ll avoid conficts with file names by putting them all in on directory, and because you can name your sub-directory the name of the CD your ripped, you’ll at least know that TRACK-1.mp3 in the ABBA directory is from the ABBA greatest hits album.

3. Save a copy of your game save files on your hard drive once per week or more. Not because they could get corrupted on the microSD card in the R4 DS, but because you may want to go back to an earlier save point later in the game. Moving files on and off the microSD Card is easy. Making sure you keep a backup of your game saves is not. For this reason, I always recommend that you keep a backup of your microSD card files on you desktop in a folder. or a folder somewhere else on you PC. While this one really seems like an obvious hint, you would be surprised to know that most of our technical support emails for the R4 DS deal with how to get back erased or deleted game saves that were not backed up. I suggest you do this at least one or two times at most and even more often if you play your games more.

4. Try not to take out the R4 DS from the NDS each time you want to add files to the microSD Card. The spring in the R4 DS microSD card slot, you can just push and have the card spring out or pop out. You can then quickly put it into the included microSD Card reader / writer in order to change games and files or add music or video.

5. This is my final (and quite possibly the most obvious) tip. And it works with the microSD card in your R4 DS Card. When you put the NDS, Nintendo DS lite or Nintendo DSi in your pocket or pick it up. Check to make sure that the microSD card is in the R4 DS card. Make sure that the microSD card is in the card slot of the R4DS and it’s not loose or ready to pop out. It’s very rare for the microSD card to pop outon its own… but that does not mean you should not be careful because it can happen. There would be nothing worse than losing your microSD card somewhere, because it popped out and fell on the ground. MicroSD Cards are small and tiny, and once lost, you would have a hard time finding it anywhere else except at a store, where you’d be buying a new one. If your NDS is in a case you can protect yourself from losing your R4 DS Card. You should make sure to that this is something you do before you even turn it on.

The r4 DS allows you to power up your NDS by allowing you to run homebrew game and applications as well as watch movies, read ebooks, and more. It also allows you to play MP3 music as well as watch movies on your Nintendo DS. In essence, it turns your Nintendo DS into a full fledge hand held multi media console, allowing you to play games, listen to music, watch movies, read e-books and much more. For more information on the R4 DS cards and homebrew games in general, please visit http://www.ps2cover.com/nintendo-ds.shtml

Mafia Wars is one of the most popular games on the internet today, with over 6 million players playing it daily. Are you one of the die-hard fans of the Mafia Wars? If so, then you are in luck, because you are about to discover some Mafia Wars cheats!

Many are keen to learn how to dominate Mafia Wars. With the right methods and strategies, you can grow your mafia family very quickly, earn money super fast and become the don of the family in no time. Here are 5 top tips:

1. Bank your money - This game is all about mobs and you could very easily end up losing your wealth during fights. Your money is much safer in a bank.

2. Strengthen Your Mafia Family - Recruit people who play this game almost every day. This will make sure that you are building a strong family. Help other members of your family and by doing this, you are also keeping your family strong.

3. Buy Properties - Strife towards making more money and use this money to buy properties that will help you dominate games.

4. Get The Best Weapons - This will help you in defense and gain more attack points too.

5. Saving energy packs - They will come handy in times of emergencies.

Briefly, you will obviously want to do some jobs to get some money. But pretty soon, you won't need to do any jobs to earn money, only to level up. This is because your investments will make money without having you having to do anything.

At the very beginning, when you do jobs, select the ones that offer you the highest payoff with the least amount of energy used - good pay/energy ratio. Alternatively you can choose jobs that have a high experience gained/energy used ratio.

Once you’ve been paid, it is a wise idea to bank your money. Yes there is a 10% money-laundering fee that the bank will charge you, but this is much better than losing it all in a fight.

There are much more Mafia Wars secret waiting for you to exploit. Start dominating the world of Mafia Wars today!