Tag: Gaming

Video games – could they be a sport?

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Photo Credit: Performgroup.com

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding whether Electronic sports, or E-sports, as it’s called, should be considered a sport. Competitive video gaming has seen immense growth in the past 10 years, as technology has allowed companies to make better and more immersive games.

The platform for E-Sports has grown like crazy – E-sports events have more viewers than the NBA Finals, and the numbers are closing in on the famous NFL Super Bowl. In 2011, E-Sports and game streaming start-ups alone have raised up to 714 million USD. During the Starcraft finals back in 2011, the viewership was stunning as it had up to 3.5 million people watching around the globe. Since then, the viewership of E-Sports has risen more than 300% to a stunning 11.7 million people watching the recent Pro Circuit Championship in 2012. The prize pool for these events can go up to the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Some parents who once discouraged their kids from playing video games now see the potential they have for earning higher salaries than professional athletes by playing video games as their job.

So, is gaming a real sport? I think so. It requires strategy and critical thinking, and also a lot of stamina, just like sports. E-Sports athletes often retire by the age of 30-35. It’s demanding. For those of you who disagree, I would like to formally welcome you to the digital age.

The Honorable Gamers’ ten commandments

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Ever since the creation of multiplayer video games, innocent gamers have had to cope with the typical, senseless, annoying, horrid players otherwise known as “scrubs” who will do even the impossible to ruin the experience. However boosters, glitchers, hackers and trollers have a counterpart; the honorable gamers. These commandments are the covenant between the chosen gamers and the developers of the game.

1- Thou shalt not tea bag, unless thine enemy is a scrub

2- Respect your noob brethren and attempt to help

3- Thou shalt not glitch nor exploit the game to your advantage

4- The use of overpowered equipment is forbidden for the honorable

5- Thou shalt not whine in chat

6- To brag about being honorable is not honorable

7- If you are inviting someone to your house to play video games, thou shalt have 2 controllers

8- Those who hack are to be sent to the fiery depths of perma-ban

9- EA sucks

10- Playing Candy Crush is not gaming

The Battlefield 4 Youtube Controversy

infamousdolphinLeave a comment

Over the course of the past three months, gamers and fans of the Battlefield franchise have repeatedly bashed Electronic Arts for releasing a clearly unfinished product.

However, the so-called “Battlefield community” is now taking blows at innocent Youtubers, who have been falsely accused of breaking FTC guidelines and changing their opinion for EA’s money.

After an article claiming that Youtubers with over a million subscribers had an undisclosed contract with EA to avoid giving negative reviews of the product was released, most Battle-fielders were quick to react.

However, after listening to the You-tubers’ testimony, it is clear that this article was fabricated. The You-tubers only took part in EA’s Ronku project which did not forbid them to give negative reviews of the game.

Top 4 best Video Games of 2013 so far

infamousdolphinLeave a comment

2013 is definitely an amazing year for gamers all around the world. This list will not include titles that have not been released yet.

4. Pokemon X and Y

The newest installation of the Pokemon series, X and Y have taken the Pokemon universe to a whole new level. Revamped graphics, new Pokemon, hundreds of hours of gameplay and its new online features have old, competitive and new fans happier than ever.

3. Battlefield 4

It is clear that DICE (game developers) have revolutionized first-person shooters forever. Battlefield brings action-packed infantry and vehicle combat and combines it with crazy destruction, 64 player servers and arguably the best graphics and visuals ever resulting in one of the craziest gaming experiences I have ever seen.

2. Grand Theft Auto Five

The most sold game of 2013, this amazing piece of art reached 1 billion dollars in sales in less than a month. Its compelling story line, engaging gameplay, an open map the size of a city, hundreds of hours of fun and the addition of GTA Online made this game one of the best.

1. The Last of Us

This PlayStation 3 exclusive is definitely one of the best titles to ever be released. Set in a post-apocalyptic “zombie” scenario, this game features a middle-aged survivor named Joel and a fourteen year old girl named Ellie who embark on a horrifying, thrilling and exciting adventure.  This game’s writing and story line is one of, if not the best to ever be released.

The Pokemon Controversy

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Ever since the release of the first Pokémon games in 1996, hardcore Christians and vicious PETA members have bashed the franchise for its depictions of evolution and alleged “animal abuse.”

Pokémon is a franchise of games about a young trainer who embarks on a journey to defeat 8 gym leaders, the elite four and become the new Pokémon League Champion. Pokémon are caught in the wild with items called Pokeballs and are used to battle other trainers. Pokemon gain experience points and level up by battling other Pokemon, eventually resulting in their evolution.

Christians all around the world have protested against the franchise claiming that it goes against their beliefs. However, the type of evolution depicted by Pokemon is more relatable to growing up rather than becoming a different species. The Pokemon games show no sign of Darwinian evolution and do not contradict the beliefs of any creationist. It is merely a misconception.

Evolution Chain of 3 Pokemon

On the other hand, PETA members have criticized, protested and demonized the Pokemon franchise for its alleged depictions of animal abuse. Trainers use their Pokemon to battle other trainers. Granted, the subjects in these games are easily misunderstood, but there is no justification for PETA’s overreaction. PETA claims that this child’s game teaches kids to abuse animals. However, the games are focused on the special bond that a trainer develops with their Pokemon and the importance of teamwork, not cock-fighting.

Pokemon is a child’s game set in a different universe and it’s by no means a tool for evil.

PETA’s Extreme Overreaction: http://features.peta.org/pokemon-black-and-white-parody/

AVGN-Craziest dude on the Internet

backinphillyLeave a comment

I’m all about nostalgia. I love it when I hear about those old TV shows and books that I used to have in my life. Some that come to mind are the Angry Beavers, Doug, and of course the Captain Underpants books. Those things were the best.

While on youtube one night a long time ago, I came across a new channel that I had never seen before. The title was “JamesNintendoNerd.” Anyone who knows me knows I love video games. I love the new games but there is always place in my heart for the games I played during my youth. There are few people that will tell you that they own a Nintendo 64, but I got one. That thing is great. It introduced me to so many characters like Mario, Link, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and one of my personal favorites, Pokemon. Yes, I’m aware Pokemon isn’t one character. But the franchise has cemented itself into my life. I’m not ashamed to say that I still play Pokemon from time to time. There are certain things you never grow out of.

Anyway, I’m rambling. The channel features a character called the Angry Video Game Nerd. He too prefers the games and consoles from his youth. The Nintendo 64 is rare these days, but an original Atari 2600 or a Nintendo Entertainment System are borderline impossible to find. Most current TVs don’t even provide the proper basic technology to accommodate these prehistoric game systems.

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App Review: Civilization Revolution

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Hello. As anyone who goes to OVS knows, gaming has been banned in the dorms. There is a grayish area however (More of a ignorable area). iPhone Apps, more specifically iPhone Games can be amazing.

The game we will be looking at today is Civilization Revolution, an IOS spin off of the critically acclaimed Civilization series.

In Civilization Revolution you are given an open goal, build a civilization and mold it into a world dominating empire. One of the standout features in this game is the variation in victory. There are four ways to win Civilization Revolution; you must achieve a Technological victory, a Domination Victory, an Economic Victory, or a Cultural Victory.

Upon starting a new game the player must choose a leader for their nation, selectable leaders are drawn from great (sometimes bad) rulers from history. These leaders are not drawn from any one-time period but are as varied as Abraham Lincoln to Cleopatra. The leader you chose effects which city you start in and also gives you a unique ability.

After selecting your leader you are dropped onto a randomly generated continent. You are given one warrior and a city (what you are given varies with difficulty). You are then free to research the basics of civilizations such as writing or pottery (Yes I know the game starts rather slow). As you research more technologies, new technologies become available at a extremely fast rate. It will not take much time (or skill) to be begin researching advanced technologies such as gunpowder or flight. You must choose your research carefully, not necessarily because of the in game time limit, but because of the threats of other nations.

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App Review: Puppet Wars

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ede Hello. As anyone who goes to OVS knows gaming has been banned in the dorms. There is a grayish area however (More of a ignorable area). iPhone Apps, more specifically iPhone Games can be amazing.

The one that I have been obsessed with of late is Puppet Wars Episode 1. For everyone who likes First Person Shooters but can no longer enjoy them this is the solution for you.

Puppet Wars is like this. You are a janitor, a survivor of the Puppet Apocalypse. Your old job was cleaning toilets at a Puppet TV Station; your new job is killing Puppets.

At level one the puppets are weak, stupid, and purple. As the levels get more difficult the variety of the puppets increase. Before you know it your fighting: agile yellow puppets, invisible Ninja Puppets, purple puppets that throw heat-seeking chickens,

and (my favorite) red puppets that pop out of trashcans and throw tomatoes at you. After a while you will encounter your first boss, a troll-like monster puppet.

The weapons in Puppet Wars are divided into two categories, Melee and Firearms. At level one you are given a pistol and a mop. The pistol and the mop are effective at 1st but they are soon rendered obsolete by the increasing difficultly of the game. As you progress through the levels you begin unlocking new and more powerful weapons. Some of these weapons are (of course) quite ridiculous. The most over the top weapons in Episode 1 are the Plunger-Crossbow and the Mystic Sword (mystic sword= OP).
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Weapons are not the only things that help you in your quest to kill every puppet that moves. Puppet Wars has added perks giving you a wider ranger of abilities and tactics. My favorite perk is the Invisible cape, it not only renders you invisible for a limited time but it also confuses the puppets.

Unlocking weapons and perks is not very hard; buying them is the real challenge. After you unlock a weapon or perk you must buy the unlocked item from the Workshop (a type of armory) by using the in-game currency. On death each puppet you kills drop a yellow star, tougher enemies drop a large yellow star. These Yellow Stars when picked up give you money that can be used to upgrade your arsenal.

This is one of the most engaging apps on Apples App Store. Good Graphics, easy gameplay, and a smooth on screen d-pad makes this game a must buy for app and FPS lovers (minor annoyance; there is no reload button).

Gaming.

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Wii

Video games, what is the draw? Xbox, PS3, Wii, these are all devises that are used for entertainment, what ever happened to the good old stuff? Making dens and mud pies, play fighting, going to the beach and building sand castles, all free, exciting activity’s but many of these past times seem to have been lost.

Fun, exciting, activities now only seem to happen on the screens of ones TV, rather than in the outdoors. Virtual dueling, fighting and building homes, people now indent their sofas with wear, tear and maturity rather than themselves and their clothes. Although many mums see this as a plus, children just don’t gain the experience of learning things hands on.

Many people don’t even know what getting dirty is, the virtual life has kept many clean, vulnerable and in many cases helpless. People may be good at fighting with avatars but in a day-to-day confrontation it is not their Xbox controllers that can help them.

Video games have taken over the human experience. People don’t learn from their mistakes instead they learn from Halo or Call of Duty becoming addicted to the gaming lifestyle.

Although video games can be fun it seems that some people take them far to seriously allowing them to consume their lives, which in my perspective just is not right.