2011/07/28

Online Game Helps Children Make Healthier LIfe Choices

Health experts stress that attitude and habits formed in childhood can strongly influence a person's future health.

Franklin Sports 6-In-1 Table Top Game Center"If children learn about the benefits of good nutrition and exercise and the hazards of smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, their chances increase for longer, healthier and happier lives," said Carolyn Aldig?, president and founder of the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation.

The need to help children make healthier choices is becoming ever more dire: The rates of childhood and adolescent obesity have doubled in the last 30 years, and as many as 50 percent of American youths do not exercise vigorously on a regular basis. Also, 4.5 million kids under 18 smoke regularly - including 10 percent of eighth-graders. With 70 percent of cancer cases directly attributable to diet and smoking, it's important to teach kids early on the importance of good health sense.

Kinect SportsWith that goal in mind, the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation created "Dr. Health'nstein's Body Fun," a free, online computer game that teaches children how to make healthy choices about food and exercise at home and at school. The game gives students a chance to participate in simulated sports activities and to get advice on choosing sensible foods out of vending machines. "Dr. Health'nstein's Body Fun" is full of other important nutrition tips, too.

"Dr. Health'nstein's Body Fun" produces outstanding results in schools and has a profound effect on the children who have played it, according to the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation. In fact, 93 percent of teachers who used Body Fun in their classrooms said it increased there students' interest in health education. Additionally, children said that they made healthier food choices after playing the game.

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2011/07/26

How Videos Games Can Make You Smart

Video games have been getting a bad rap. Sure, a few involve nothing more than pointing several deadly weapons at the Undead and blasting them into a bajillion pieces. And there cases of people wasting otherwise productive hours conquering a virtual kingdom and accumulating pixelized gold instead of going out and getting a real job.

Just Dance 2However there are many, many times when video games actually provide a noble purpose in society. When they make you a better person. Or at least, a smarter person. Because there are video games that are actually built on logic and reasoning, and involve complex problem solving that you can take with you even after you've walked away from the computer screen.

The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the WorldTake Tetris. Okay, so it's a couple of colored blocks set against a metallic, monotonous sound track but it takes some degree of analysis and quick thinking to assess the shape of the pieces dropping from the top of the screen and deciding where to put it. Factor in that the game speeds up periodically, and the pile of blocks grows with every mistake you make, until you reach a point when one wrong move can kill your chances of breaking the world record and your brain starts working pretty fast. Faster, in fact, than you would normally use it during the day; admit it, most of the stuff you do at the office pretty mind numbing, anyway. Between sharpening pencils and performing lightning-fast spatial analysis exercises, Tetris looks like it's actually good for you.

Brainpower Game Plan: Sharpen Your Memory, Improve Your Concentration, and Age-Proof Your Mind in Just 4 WeeksAnd then there are the memory games. Ever spent 20 minutes looking for your keys? Or stood at the center of the parking lot, trying to remember if you parked on the same floor? Well, memory games can work that brain muscle so you don't forget the important stuff (and yes, that includes your wedding anniversary). Studies show that memory isn't really a function of IQ; it's a skill: the ability to organize information in your brain, and then retrieve it through a series of memory-triggers. Not all this is conscious (although you can take active steps to improve memory by researching on what methods you can use). However like all skills, it improves with use. Hence, memory games. The best part about memory games is that they're actually fun (as opposed to simply memorizing a list of the capitals of each state, or the periodic table of elements) and even relaxing. Yes, relaxing. You're doing something you love and getting smarter at the same time. Not a bad way to spend a 20 minute break between meetings.

And then there are the strategy games. Conquering the world, running a city, shaping an empire from a handful of barbarian villages to being the first country to set up a space station on Mars obviously, these aren't just random point and shoot games. They're about the same skills you learn in business school, but with cooler graphics: how to manage resources, motivate people, and set goals.

So yes, video games can make you smart. Tell that to Mom next time she tells you to hit the books.

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2011/07/22

StarCraft Game Tricks and Tips

Starcraft II: Wings of LibertyFalse Surrender Tricks

If you have an expansion, and one of your base's are under attack, press enter, and type in has left the game? (make sure you have chat on "send to all"), but don't send it yet! Pause the game and then send the message. People will think you have surrendered! This looks more realistic than the Fake Elimination Trick because the color of the fonts are all the same when the game is paused! I actually got fooled by this trick before!


Nuke Defense Tricks - Submitted by Jesse Shuck

Starcraft II: Devils' DueIf a small group of your units have been chosen for a targeted nuke, and you can't see where it's coming from, simply use statis field with an arbiter and the covered units won't even be scratched.

Invisible Supply Depot - Submitted by Snakeab

If you are a newbie or you know you're gonna lose, and your terran?

When you get money to spare send an SCV behind a mineral patch and build a supply depot right when he starts building it, click on the SCV (not the supply depot) and press cancel. It would almost look as if it weren't there. Then when you lose all your buildings (except the supply depot), your opponent will think the game is messed up and leave. You should probably build a few all around the map. Try to build one behind your enemies minerals.

'Invincible' Tank Glitch (Does not work with 1.08!)

This trick is used to make your siege tank have the hit points of a building! To do this, first hotkey a tank, and put it next to a building that is capable of flying. Lift off the building, and land it. While it's landing, get your tank, move it under the landing building, and siege it. You must do this VERY QUICKLY. The tank would now have the life of the building and be invincible to melee units! With practice, you can get 5+ tanks hiding under 1 building!


Critter Tricks

A VERY easy and cheap way to see your opponent's base!

This is very simple to do all it requires is a map with critters (preferably Kakarus because they fly) and you being Zerg. Get a Queen with 75 energy and look for a critter. Parasite the thing, and you can see what it sees! Once the critter walks (or flies) into your opponent's base, enjoy the view! This is really cool because your opponent will not automatically attack the critter! This is because it's a neutral unit! This neat little trick will help A LOT in a game.

Note: This will not work very well against comps because comps always kill critters. However most humans just ignore them!


Tips from the Pros:

- ALWAYS expand! Do not be afraid to!

- Against comp, ALWAYS build defense.

- Against human in a no rush game, do not build tower or choke point defense. It wastes time, money, food, and it's not needed. Just have anti-air detection towers (e.g., Missile Turrets) scattered around your base.

- When attacking, ALWAYS leave units behind in your base.

- When attacking, go for the workers, supplies, and key production buildings.

- As Zerg, build Nydus Canals in your expansions. This allows quick back-up against attacks.

- NEVER have more than 2 workers per mineral field, and 4 workers per geyser.

- Attacking with a mix of units is more effective than attacking with bunches of the same unit.

- Combining spells with attacks can greatly increase your chance of winning a battle.

- Go Overlord hunting with Devourers, Corsairs, and Valkyries. Zerg players often put all their Overlords in the back of their bases, near their primary resource area.

- Cloaked units work well against humans early in the game.

- As Terrans, ALWAYS build a comsat on your first Command Center; NEVER a Nuclear Silo.

- Against Zerg, don't bother attacking Larva or Eggs. Attack eggs only if you have strong units.

- Trick your opponents by doing a small attack with air, and after he/she spends tons of money on anti-air, do a massive ground attack, or vise-versa.

- As Terran, don't nuke buildings unless you have more than one nuke available. If you only have one, go for units (nuking a bunch of burrowed units kicks pompis!).

- When playing big money maps, always do frequent attacks on your opponent to wear him down.

- Attacking 1 unit at a time is a lot more effective then having all your units attack different things. To do this, use the shift key. Hold down shift while issuing commands, and your units will finish each one before moving onto the next.

- A very cheap, but useful, tactic is to parasite critters (especially kakarus because they fly). The critter will walk around the whole map for you, and when near enemy defense, it will not get attacked!

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2011/07/18

Video Games are Good For You?

While it may be disliked by parents, girlfriends and wives around the world, the video game industry is a permanent part of our world. From its humble beginnings in the 80s, the video game industry has exploded into a ten-billion dollar subculture.

Donkey Kong Country ReturnsI hope, you can use some of this information to help convince the non-gamers in your life that you're not just wasting your time. It probably won't change their attitude a great deal, but it should help. However, if you're neglecting your homework, your relationship or your hygiene due to video games? well, this all won't matter much.

Stress Relief
Video games are an excellent way to relieve stress. For the average non-gamer, in fact, spending 15 or 20 minutes a day playing an easy to learn, though difficult to conquer, game like Tetris or Minesweeper will do wonders for stress relief. However, the more complex and involved games may actually be more effective than their simpler brethren.

Disney Epic MickeySome people read a book or watch a movie as a way to get their mind off their problems. Basically, they allow people to be transported to a fictional world for a while. In that area, video games are actually the most effective form of release, because they provide a deeper and more encompassing transportation.

Improve Logic
Logical thinking is, sadly, a skill that seems to be mostly ignored in public education these days. It's truly sad because finely tuned logical abilities are critically important in our world. Nearly all video games train your mind in thinking logically.

Quicker Decision Making
This tends to go hand-in-hand with the previous example. Logical skill are a good thing, but they lose their luster if used slowly. Quick thinking skills are a good thing, but can be disastrous without proper logic. Putting the two together, however, can have an immensely beneficial impact on your life. Most games give you a time limit on deciding, either as a formal timer or as somebody rushing at you with a shotgun or sword.

These three arguments are actually enough to make me believe that everyone should play video games. Everyone knows that stress relief is becoming increasingly important as our world becomes increasingly stressful. Quick decision making and logical reasoning are huge assets in life. So, the next time, somebody starts ragging on you about wasting your time? playing video games, you can fill them in just, a little bit on the fact that you're actually giving your brain one heck of a work out!

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2011/07/07

The Growth Trend of Video Game

TRENDnet Wireless N Gaming Adapter TEW-647GA (Black)One of the quick growing industries within the world nowadays is that the video game trade. It's been said that this trade can still grow and stay at the on top of average growth rates within the international entertainment. It'll create its means through the year 2011 and it's expected that the world games spending will exceed that of the music trade. It's not new that the dimensions of the video gaming market can get past the music trade this year or successive.

Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Gaming Keyboard with USB PortPlenty of individuals flip their attention to video gaming because of many reasons. Some folks have merely grown tired of the actual fact that the music trade has nothing new to supply. There's plenty of music however the terribly essence remains an equivalent.

The primary growth trend during this trade includes most on-line and wireless gaming, consoles (new generation ones) and in-game advertising. The fast-paced world of the gaming trade, what with developers popping out with newer games each second or thus, what's pushing this trade well past the music trade. Statistics wise, it's expected that on the year of 2011, the video game sale can reach the value of billions with an annual rate that grows expectedly steady throughout the amount of 5 years. The maturation of current video game sale console is unquestionably exceeding that of the music trade. This contributes widely to the growing entertainment market and economy throughout the said amount. Several customers can like that their family get hooked into video gaming instead of be addicted in other places, though typically it's continuously suggested carefully. Wholesale video game is additionally a trend, that naturally takes an area during this entertainment trade spending. However, the said spending doesn't embody expenses on hardware and accessories that the majority shopper conjointly set their eyes on. It's to be expected that the numbers can grow. Video gaming is exciting particularly for younger generations and since of their variety, the expenses and spending can grow steadily for successive few years looking on what new trends can come back along.





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2011/07/05

Game of Thrones

The HBO series "Game of Thrones" won't begin its next season until next spring. Those who follow the show might feel a bit lost right now, whether they have read the books or not. Here are some stories of politics, romance, adventure and fantasy that will keep "Thrones" fans occupied until next spring.

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones 4-Book Boxed Set: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire)If you haven't read George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series on which the television show is based, start with "A Game of Thrones." There are four books in the series, with the fifth, "A Dance with Dragons," coming out July 12.

Brandon Sanderson continues to amaze me with his gift for plot twists and strange new magic systems. In the stand-alone novel "Warbreaker," some places have banned color because of its use in magic. Gods live in a breathtaking palace, but are not permitted to leave, and everyone has an agenda. For another series, read "The Way of Kings" (the first in The Stormlight Archive series), set in a storm-ravaged land where the environment shapes the course of events as much as the characters' choices do.

Wizard's First Rule (The Sword of Truth)
You'll also love Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series (which provided the basis for the ABC show "Legend of the Seeker"). This traditional fantasy follows Richard Cypher's journey from small-town boy to hero. While the good guys and bad guys are more obvious than in "Thrones," Martin's fans will love the continuing story (currently spanning 12 books), dark tone and very creepy villains.

The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 2)In "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss, innkeeper Kvothe tells the story of his life from street actor to student of the arcane, to legendary hero. His life is colored by his twin desires to learn magic and find the demons who destroyed his family. The sequel, "The Wise Man's Fear," came out in March.

The Pillars of the EarthFans who love the historical setting should try Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth," set around the building of a cathedral in the midst of a civil war. The sequel, "World Without End," features the descendants of the "Pillars" characters during the Black Plague. If you want a shorter read, try Geraldine Brooks' character-driven stand-alone historical fiction, such as "Year of Wonders," also set during the Black Plague in a small English village, or "People of the Book," which traces the surprising history of an ancient Jewish illuminated manuscript.

"The Game of Kings" by Dorothy Dunnett -- not to be confused with "A Game of Thrones" or "The Way of Kings" -- is the first in The Lymond Chronicles, a sweeping historical romance series set in 16th-century Scotland. Lovers of adventure, history and charming Scotsmen will also love Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, starting with "Outlander."

Here Be Dragons: How the Study of Animal and Plant Distributions Revolutionized Our Views of Life and Earth"Here Be Dragons" by Sharon Kay Penman is another great choice for history lovers, set in 13th-century Wales. "Dragons" is the first in a trilogy, but the story is also satisfying on its own. King John's illegitimate daughter Joanna is married off to the Welsh prince Llewellyn. As her father works to subdue the Welsh, Joanna must decide whose side she's on. As in "Thrones," bloody war, unfortunate love affairs and shameless backstabbing abound.

Read more: www.islandpacket.com
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