Google, Google, Google, you are so full of surprises aren’t you, or at least it would appear so given your request to the Federal Communications Commission for permission to test a mysterious “entertainment device” that will utilize Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The request is limited to allow only Google employees in four specific cities: Mountain View, Los Angeles, Cambridge, and New York

So what are you up to Google?

Looking to add something to your Google TV service or perhaps you want to get into the gaming business for all those social games on Google+.

According to Google’s own application which was filed in December this is what they had to say to the FCC

Explanation:

Google is developing an entertainment device that requires testing outside the laboratory environment. The device is in the prototyping phase and will be modified prior to final compliance testing.

Purpose of Operation:

Testing throughput and stability of home WiFi networks using an entertainment device. Testing will include functional testing of all subsystems, including WiFi and Bluetooth radio. Users will connect their device to home WiFi networks and use Bluetooth to connect to other home electronics equipment. This line of testing will reveal real world engineering issues and reliability of networks. The device utilizes a standard WiFi/Bluetooth module, and the planned testing is not directed at evaluating the radio frequency characteristics of the module (which are known), but rather at the throughput and stability of the home WiFi networks that will support the device, as well as the basic functionality of the device. From this testing we hope to modify the design in order to maximize product robustness and user experience. Utilizing the requested number of units will allow testing of real world network performance and its impact on applications running on the device, so that any problems can be discovered and addressed promptly. All devices will be used by and registered to specific individuals (all Google employees), and Google will maintain a record of each device, so that they can be easily recalled at any time during testing and when testing is complete.

via FCC Application

via GigaOM

Google hits up the FCC for an ‘experimental’ licence – so what are they testing now? is a post from: The Inquisitr

We’ve always had browser based games and they were typically done with Flash from Adobe; and also for the most part pretty simple type games but with the advent of Facebook, social media and companies such as Zynga browser based games have taken on a whole new look.

To further complicate matters there has been a growing move on the web to do away with Flash that was trumpeted loud and clear by the late Steve Jobs. In its place web developers of all disciplines have been increasingly gravitating to using the still very young HTML5 web development language.

So there is a growing battle between HTML5 developers and Flash developers over what will be the next major player and the one area where this is happening is in the gaming arena. The folks at OneMoreLevel.com decided to take a look at the two sides in the battle and came up with this infographic that makes the information around this a little easier to understand.

via VentureBeat

The state of browser gaming – HTML5 vs. Flash [Infographic] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Great idea, but it obviously only works on this particular car.

Best Plate and Make Combo Ever [Legend of Zelda] is a post from: The Inquisitr

After 6 long years of of waiting, online gamers can finally rejoice. Star Wars;The Old Republic (SW;TOR) has arrived. Bioware spared no expense to create what they promised would be the ultimate Star Wars MMO (Massively Multi-player Online game) and players are hoping that the end results actually live up to the hype.

The official launch is scheduled for December 20th., 2011 but Bioware gave gamers a special Christmas present by offering up to 7 days of Early Access to anyone who pre-ordered the game when it went on sale, July 20th., 2011. Early access started on December 13th, 2011 and during the first 24 hours the demand was so high that Bioware was only able to invite players who pre-ordered the first day the game was on sale.

Bioware plans to invite players in waves from December 13th. until December 19th,  giving everyone who pre-ordered an opportunity to get a head start over the legions of gamers who will join them on December 20th.; when SW;TOR starts its official run.

From all accounts, SW;TOR is on target for success. While exact figures are not yet available, Electronic Arts (EA) has said that the SW;TOR pre-order has broken all their sales records. Demand was so high that EA was forced to limit the total number copies available until the game is fully launched and stable.

“We are targeting Star Wars: The Old Republic to be one of the biggest launches of holiday 2011,” said BioWare’s Dr. Ray Muzyka in the announcement. “Our teams at BioWare and EA, along with our partners at LucasArts, are laser-focused on creating a high quality game, but just as importantly, they are resolute in delivering a high quality service. We are taking all of the necessary steps to make sure The Old Republic has a thriving community built on a stable online foundation from day one, including limiting supply at launch to ensure that players easily transition into the servers. So whether you’re waiting to join the Empire or the Republic, pre-order now to ensure you can enter the galaxy at launch!”

Now !!! Lets get to the nitty gritty. Is SW;TOR worth your time and a subscription fee of $14.99 a month? The answer is an unequivocal, YES. To put it simply, Star Wars; The Old Republic has finally brought the Star Wars universe to life for gamers. The game is solid, stable and exciting. It is fun to play from the moment you enter the game and create you first character. Playing SW;TOR is addictive; once you start, you wont want to stop.

Players must decide if their character will join the Sith Empire or The Republic. There are 4 main classes available for each faction. On the Empire side players can choose from Sith warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter or Imperial Agent. Those who prefer the Republic may select among Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler or Trooper. When players complete their quests on their starting world, (around level 9 or 10) they will be able to further specialize their character by picking one of the two sub classes offered to each class. For example, Sith Inquisitors will be able to choose between Sith Assassin and Sith Sorcerer. A Republic Trooper may specialize either as a Vanguard or as a Commando. Each sub class unlocks a three tiered skill tree that offers new, highly potent skills that will allow a player to tweak a character to their hearts content.

One of the things that makes SW;TOR so enjoyable is that you start off the game feeling powerful. Unlike many games, where  you have to wait forever to get decent skills, players will find themselves successfully soloing packs of 4 and 5 mobs from the very first level. The Star Wars Universe is supposed to be populated by almost invincible heroes or anti-heroes and SW;TOR lives up to the tradition.

As players advance through the game, they will follow a quest line that is specific to their class. Each one of these exciting quest lines unravels a story that will reveal much about who the player is, where the player is going and what the player may become. Filling in the blanks depends, to an extent, on the choices the player makes as he or she progresses towards the level cap of 50.

Early access is now in its third day and things are running like a well oiled machine. Server Crashes have been virtually non-existent and I personally have yet to experience any glitches or lag. The game looks great, sounds great and is free of major bugs.

After extensive conversations with many players the Port Nowhere server, we were only able to find two minor issues. There are still a few bugged resource nodes scattered around the various planets in the galaxy, most of which were also bugged in beta. The only other glitch is with the Guild Interface, which isnt updating the names of online guild members properly. Considering the size of this game and the millions of people who will be playing, it is remarkable that these are the only issues we could find in the game 3 days into launch.

There are a few items that Bioware has promised to address in the future such as User Interface customization, adding a combat log, color matching of player clothing and the ability to sort items by level on the in-game vendors. These are all matters of player convenience and not issues with the functioning of the game.

To put it all in a nutshell, Star Wars, The Old Republic is an outstanding game and the launch has been virtually flawless. Bioware and Electronic Arts can be proud of the effort that went into building this game. They have succeeded in bringing the never ending struggle between the Light Side and the Dark Side to life. SW;TOR is Star Wars as it is meant to be; exciting and mysterious with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance. So grab your lightsaber. Strap on your blaster. Get ready for fun. Star Wars The Old Republic is here.

(Special thanks to the members of the Guild Star Forge on the Port Nowhere Server and to my good friend Ares, who took time out from leveling to patiently answer a barrage of questions. A tip of the hat also to unicron, mexy, ghodzilla, pharaoh and rinzler. The community is what makes online gaming so special and it is my pleasure to introduce some of them to my readers.)

Get Out Your Lightsabers And Blasters: Star Wars; The Old Republic Rocks The Galaxy is a post from: The Inquisitr

The year long beta test for Star Wars; The Old Republic came to a successful conclusion on Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 11:59 PM CST. The final weekend of beta testing drew over 2 million participants, according to figures released by the MMO’s developer, Bioware. The long anticipated game began its now legendary development cycle way back in 2006 and it is rumored to have run up $135 million dollars in development costs, easily making it the most expensive video game of all time. Judging by the reactions of the final weekend’s beta testers, the money has been well spent and millions of gamers are chomping at the bit to get into the game when it starts its official general release on December 20th, 2011.

Those of us who pre-ordered the game, when it became available for purchase on July 20, 2011, will be able to gain early access to Star Wars; The Old Republic starting on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Due to the incredible demand, Bioware sent out the following statement on how it will handle the multitude of players who are eligible for early access. “Early Game Access will begin on December 13th at 7:00AM EST, 2011 and ends on December 19th, 2011 at 10:01PM EST. During this time, we will be emailing invitations to join Early Game Access based on the order in which you redeemed your Pre-Order Code. Pre-load the game client now, so you’re ready to play when your Early Game Access invitation arrives.” Players with the foresight to pre-order the game on its first day of availability back in July, will probably be checking their email inbox quite often in the early hours leading up to 7:00AM, this coming Tuesday.

This writer was able to participate in the closed beta for several months and I must say, I am really looking forward to playing Star Wars; the Old Republic. I intend to make SW;TOR my primary online game and expect to dedicate long hours, playing along side my fellow guild members from the guild Star Forge. As with many other great MMO’s, SW;TOR has a well developed guild system in place that encourages players to group together and team up regularly to enjoy every aspect of the game.

To give you a good idea of just how much I enjoy playing SW;TOR, I will tell you that during my time in beta testing, I actually cancelled my accounts to all the other online games that I was playing. What really made everything clear to me was the downtime between SW;TOR beta builds. During the week or 2 between builds, I would log in to other games and after a few minutes of aimless play, I realized that in comparison to SW;TOR, I no longer enjoyed the other games. All I wanted to do was get back into SW;TOR and kill more Jedi with my Sith Character. The instant I got the email for the next beta build, my face lit up in a broad smile and I rushed to the SW;TOR website to re-install the game.

During the beta, I tried every class available on the Sith side and two classes on the Jedi side. I concentrated on the Sith Sorcerer, which is the class I intend to play at launch. Over the course of several beta builds, I leveled 4 different Sith Sorcerers to the level cap of 50 in order to learn all I could about the class. Although every class is fully fleshed out, offers a wide ranging set of skills and has it’s own story based quest line, I found that the Sith Sorcerer is the one I enjoy the most. The class is well balanced, wonderfully powerful and feels the most “Star Wars-ish” of all the different classes. Every single class, no matter if Jedi or Sith, is well designed and offers a totally unique play style. Players may find themselves trying all the different classes before they decide on their favorite or rolling several alternate characters, so they can enjoy even more of the richness SW;TOR has to offer.

The game itself looks great and plays smoothly, with all the bells and whistles you would expect from a top of the line MMO. The graphics are excellent and finely detailed. Bioware made a decision not to go for a hyper realistic look and the characters in the game have a painterly feel instead of a real world appearance. The backgrounds, buildings, vehicles, props, weapons, furnishings and landscapes are all meticulously drawn, right down to proper shadows and clouds that move in sync with the prevailing winds. Every world in the galaxy has its own climate, look and flavor along with its own set of flora and fauna. Those players who expect an MMO to look great in addition to playing great will not be disappointed. SW;TOR certainly looks great and it plays great as well.

One aspect that really sets this game apart from other MMOs is the incredibly rich dialogue system that Bioware has built into SW;TOR. Gamers who played Mass Effect 2 will have a basic idea of the conversation system that Bioware developed for SW;TOR. Working from this solid foundation, Bioware expanded the system used in Mass Effect 2 exponentially. It would be like comparing a 2 story house (Mass Effect 2) to the Empire State Building. (SW;TOR) Recording the voices for SW;TOR involved hundreds of well known voice actors and the script they used is the equivalent in length of 40 good sized novels. Bioware has taken in-game voice acting to an entirely new level with SW;TOR.

Every time a player stops to interact with an npc as part of a quest, the player will activate a fully voiced dialogue system that allows the player and the npc to participate in a multi-part, back and forth conversation. At each stage of the conversation, the player is able to choose one of several possible responses. Each choice may directly affect the quest and even change the player’s level of dark side or light side influence.  When in a group, each player chooses a response and the games decides which player’s response to use based on a system of behind the scenes rolls. By selecting group responses with rolls, the game opens itself up to some very funny moments. There were many occasions where the answer coming out of a player’s mouth had everyone in my group rolling on the floor in laughter or shaking their heads at the sheer ruthlessness of the response.

The game is set in a time period that is more than 3,500 years before the events in the Star Wars films. The Jedi and the Sith are holding to a shaky peace treaty called the “Treaty of Coruscant”, which was negotiated after the Sith launched a surprise attack and sacked the Republic capitol of Coruscant. The badly beaten Jedi lost a great deal of prestige and have fallen out of favor due to this disaster. They have been forced to relocate to the planet of Tython, where they are trying to rebuild and find new strength in the force. The victorious Sith have returned, at long last, to their home world of Korriban and re-established the infamous Sith Academy to turn out new and more powerful users of the dark side. The Republic remains mystified as to why the Sith chose to accept the Republic’s desperate pleas for peace and players will be anxious to find out the real motivation behind the actions of the Sith Empire.

The pieces are in place for a massive conflict between the Jedi, users of light and the Sith, wielders of the dark side. The tenuous peace is on the verge of crumbling into a planet shattering, galaxy wide, all out war between the two opposing factions. All that remains is for you to log in to the game and become one of the millions of lucky players who will be able to experience all the Star Wars universe has to offer. Star Wars, The Old Republic has been six years in the making and it is about to explode into every gamers life. With all the hype and anticipation, Bioware has a big job ahead to continue to develop end game content and turn out regular updates to keep the game growing and vital. Judging by the effort that Bioware made to develop this game, they are more than capable of doing what it takes to make Star Wars; The Old Republic a major success. Enjoy yourself and may the force be with you.

Do you plan to be one of the millions who will be joining the Star Wars; The Old Republic universe? Are you excited by this new MMO or are you a dedicated player of another game with no plans to try SW;TOR?

Star Wars; The Old Republic Wraps Up Beta Testing; Millions Anxiously Await December 20, 2011 Release Date is a post from: The Inquisitr

Entertainment, media and technology market research firm Interpret revealed that iPad is rapidly becoming gaming’s wildest frontier.

In a report entitled, “iPad Gamers: A Look at the Users of Gaming’s Shiny New Toy,” Interpret said that iPad is drawing the attention of traditional console gamers and developing its own new user base of nontraditional gamers.

The report which benchmarked 8 million iPad gamers in the US also revealed that 71% of iPad owners now use the device for gaming. These 8 million iPad gamers include a substantial number of traditional gamers, as well as an ever-bigger proportion of non-traditional gamers.  

According to Jason Preston, Interpret analyst, said:

“Collectively, iPad gamers are showing slightly decreased involvement with gaming on home consoles, mobile phones, and Nintendo handheld consoles. These facts imply that iPad game developers and publishers can definitely reach a new audience on the iPad, and should also closely monitor Apple’s positioning of the iPad as an in-home gaming device, especially considering the platform’s already obvious impact on traditional gaming behavior.”

iPad Now Becoming a Gaming Console is a post from: The Inquisitr

One of the most popular games happening right now has to be Minecraft and players are extremely passionate about their love of the game. Well for those folks who like to show off their passion for the game when out in public you can now get yourself Minecraft socks.

Yup, you read that right. From Swedish company Happy Socks you can order yourself a box of three pairs of socks that are crafted with a Minecraft theme.

There are three in all, which ship together in a handsome box mimicking the iconic look of the grass block. One celebrates the “natural” beauty of the Minecraft landscape, the second are designed after the pink blocky pigs that roam the digital fields, and the third take their form from the highly explosive creepers.

via Geekosystem

Here’s a further sample of what you get to keep your feet warm and show off your Minecraft love.

Minecrafters get your Minecraft love on, on your feet that is. is a post from: The Inquisitr

When we talk about high-end laptops we usually think of names like Apple and Alienware but they are being joined by a new range of super thin ultra laptops from companies like Sony. When it comes to gaming on the laptop Alienware has always been the brand to watch however there is a newcomer to the field that introduced a new; and unique, gaming laptop today.

The company, better known for its gaming mice, is Razer and their laptop is called the Razer Blade and comes with their own custom UI called the Switchblade User Interface. Another really cool feature is the 10 dynamic keys and LCD screen that sits to the right of the keyboard.

Here’s what you can expect when it comes to the laptop’s specs when it ships this holiday season:

• 2.8GHz Intel® CoreTM i7 2640M Processor
• 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory
• 17.3″ LED Backlit Display (1920×1080)
• NVIDIA GeForce® GT 555M with NVIDIA® OptimusTM Technology
• 2GB Dedicated GDDR5 Video Memory
• Built-in HD Webcam
• Integrated 60Wh Battery
• 320GB 7200rpm SATA HDD
• Wireless Network 802.11 b/g/n Compatible
• 16.81″ (Width) x 10.9″ (Depth) x 0.88″ (Height); 6.97lbs (Weight)

You have to admit those are some pretty sweet spec for a $2,800 price tag.

According to an interview with Ars Technica Razer’s CEO and Creative Director Min-Liang Tan said that no matter how hard they tried they couldn’t get any laptop makers to build a laptop with the specifications required by Razor so the company had to buy an ODM in Taiwan in order to get their ideal laptop built the way they wanted.

Additionally Tan said that market research wasn’t even a thought when they started work on the Blade project

 Tan told Ars the company has never been interested in market research and focus groups, both of which he admits would indicate there is no market for something like the Razer Blade. He also points to the fact that everyone said the same thing about the company’s line of gaming mice when they were launched. “So, in short, there’s no market if you ask the guy in the suit, but we’ve designed something that we have always wanted for ourselves—we don’t care about the market at large—we do care about the PC gamer,” he explained. “If we designed based on the ‘market’ you wouldn’t see many of the things that we have launched.”

Razer has hired some impressive talent, including the team behind OQO, and engineers from Apple, Dell, and others. They’ve been operating in stealth mode for three years, working on a number of projects that were ultimately canned for not meeting Razer’s standard. The Razer Blade is going to be the team’s grand coming-out party, and it’s certainly a standout product in the gaming PC market.

Way to go Razer.

Razer thumbs its nose at bland laptops, if you have $2,800 to spare that is. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Not sure if actually completely plausible or slightly poking fun at gamer stereotypes.

Gaming Conventions… is a post from: The Inquisitr

This is pretty cool.

If you’re ambitious and skilled in the kitchen- as well as a lover of old school games- you can try your hand at this gorgeous and tasty looking Mario Bros. piranha plant cupcake that Instructables user KristyLynn84 invented. It’s got a difficulty level a bit above that of typical boxed Duncan Hines stuff, but if you’re dating a gamer and make this, he will probably marry you on the spot.

The creator explains:

Okay, I was going to do the Little Shop of Horror’s Audrey II, after I tried out this cutie plant.  But then I realized it would be redundant, so I settled for my bright-mario-killer-plant cupcake!  This is only my second time working with fondant, the first, being my husband’s pimp stormtrooper cheesecake. I made marshmallow fondant because I read online that it tastes better, and they are totally correct.  I love this stuff!

The cool thing about it is that you can eat the whole thing, no warnings when you serve it.  I used pretzels for the leaves and plant stem.  I always utilize pretzels and their shapes when it comes to building with food because they are stable and taste good.  :)

Over at Instructables, there’s a full tutorial, as well as a vid of the cupcake from all angles. Also- no idea what “marshmallow fondant” is, but it needs to be in my mouth right now.

[Awesome] Instructables Mario Bros. Piranha Plant Tutorial is a post from: The Inquisitr

It would seem that following the hack attack against Sony and the Playstation Network gaming company sites have become a real juicy target for hackers.

Earlier today my colleague Daniel McCall posted about the hacking of the English game company Codemaster’s site getting hack and now we have word that fellow gaming company Epic Games has suffered the same fate.

Best known for the Gears of War franchise Epic Games notified its forum members that both the forums and the website had been successfully attacked. Fortunately no credit card information was lost but user names, email addresses, and encrypted passwords were taken.

As per usual Epic Games is recommending that you might think about changing your passwords if you have used their site in the past. In the meantime the company has forced a password reset for all the forum members.

via SlashGear

Hackers on a roll – Epic Games site and forums hacked is a post from: The Inquisitr

Our very first look at Gears of War 3‘s undoubtedly epic singleplayer campaign debuted during the UEFA Champion League soccer finals last night between Barcelona and Manchester United. If you’re not much of a soccer fan or you just missed it, the trailer is now available on the web for your viewing pleasure.

Gears of War fans have already had the chance to sample the game’s multiplayer offerings, with a successful beta running since April 18 on up until recently. The trailer highlights something we haven’t seen much since the game’s announcement, and lets us in a bit on just how the conclusion to the epic trilogy will play out — and, going by the trailer, it looks like we have quite a lot in store for us.

The trailer shows us many of the game’s epic set pieces, new and improved baddies for Marcus and crew to take down, and even a glimpse of a character previously assumed to be dead. Things are going to get pretty wild in the final chapter, basically.

If the end of the Gears of War 3 beta left you needing your fix, this trailer will just have to do until the game releases this September.

Official Gears of War 3 Campaign Trailer is a post from: The Inquisitr

Pick up your drool towels from the table at the door before continuing on to see this jaw-dropping piece of gaming hardware.

What you are looking upon my gaming nerds is a DARWINmachine Hammerhead HMR989 that has been totally tricked out.

This thing of gaming beauty from Pure Luxury comes with the following list of goodies:

• ASUs Rampage III Gene motherboard
• Intel Core i7-990X
• 12GB of Kingston RAM
• 2 NVIDIA GTX580 graphics cards
• 2 128GB SSDs
• 1 2TB IDE drive
• Blu-ray drive
• 1.2 kilowatt power supply

Apparently this setup can boot up in 4 seconds flat and as for gaming try playing Call of Duty: Black Ops at 1920 x 1200 resolution with 8xMSAA at 285fps.

As for the price .. well I’m hope you are sitting down for this because you may need to sell a few pints of blood to get together the $9,500.00 you will need.

Check out Engadget for more images

[Hardware Drool Dept.] OMG I think I’ve just had a gaming nerdgasim is a post from: The Inquisitr

Feeling guilty for sinking the better part of an hour into Bejeweled, Bookworm or Alchemy?

A study- albeit one underwritten by PopCap- found that in a group of nearly 60 adults diagnosed with clinical depression, “significant reductions in depression across the board” were found after both single gameplay sessions lasting roughly 40 minutes and cumulatively during the month-long study. When contrasted with a control group, the casual gamers were found to have experienced a 55% drop in anger levels and a 58% improvement in fatigue levels.

Researchers described the findings and their possible impact on mitigating depression and anxiety:

“The results of this randomized clinical study clearly demonstrate the intrinsic value of certain casual games in terms of significant, positive effects on depression and anxiety symptoms… In our opinion these findings support the use of prescribed casual video games for treating depression and anxiety as an adjunct to, or even replacement for, standard therapies including medication.”

Bejeweled 2, Peggle and Bookworm Adventures were the titles subjects played 12 times in a one-month period for the study. Do you use casual gaming to relieve stress? Do you think gaming has untapped therapeutic applications?

Casual gaming found to reduce depression, anxiety is a post from: The Inquisitr

Not actually controlled for number of people who merely believe they would have stayed up all night playing Kid Icarus if only their mom didn’t wrest the controller from their sweaty little hands.

[GraphJam]

[Graph] Quality of game graphics vs. enjoyment over time is a post from: The Inquisitr

It may seem that excessive gaming could be a symptom of depression or anxiety in children, but it turns out that the practice could actually trigger or exacerbate the issues in some kids.

A study recently published in the medical journal Pediatrics of 3,000 kids in Singapore indicates that children classed as “hardcore gamers,” nearly 10% of those studied, were at higher risk of the symptoms and even showed a tendency toward “long-term mental illness.” Per the report:

“Greater amounts of gaming, lower social competence, and greater impulsivity seemed to act as risk factors for becoming pathological gamers, whereas depression, anxiety, social phobias, and lower school performance seemed to act as outcomes of pathological gaming.”

The study reported that children who participated became more depressed and angry in relation to their time spent playing video games. Excessive gaming was described in the study as 31 hours or more a week of playing video games, and at the study’s conclusion, around 84% of the “hardcore gamers” continued to compulsively engage in the behavior.

In a statement, the Entertainment Software Association downplayed the study’s findings.

“There simply is no concrete evidence that computer and video games cause harm. In fact, a wide body of research has shown the many ways games are being used to improve our lives through education, health and business applications.”

The American Association of Pediatrics recommends a maximum amount of gameplay of one hour for elementary and school aged children, and two for high school kids.

Gaming pegged as causative factor in childhood depression is a post from: The Inquisitr

Steam is one of my favorite companies, even if they do constantly tease me with great deals when my PayPal account is missing a key ingredient – money. With Christmas holiday season coming on fast Steam has once again come up with some pretty cool sales that bring you some of the best game titles at incredible prices. Not only that but this year that are throwing in an interesting twist – additional savings if you already own a game through Steam:

The Steam Holiday Sale is on now through Sunday, January 2, 2011. Gamers may save up to 80% on select titles, with daily and week-long savings on featured titles, publisher game packs, and compilations.

In addition to the usual savings specials, each day of the sale will feature a special Holiday Bonus on one select title. The twist: Players must qualify for the Holiday Bonus by owning another Steam game.

For example, the first Holiday Bonus is Portal – save an extra 10% if you own Half-Life 2. If you already own the title, Steam will automatically detect this and offer you the 10% savings during check out.

Starting off the holiday season sale are the following titles:

F1 2010 50%
Battlefield Bad Company 2 66%
Fallout 3 (Game of the Year) 33%
The Deus Ex Collection 85%
LEGO Batman 75%
Peggle & Peggle Nights 60%
Prince of Persia (Franchise) 75%
Portal 75%
F.E.A.R. (Franchise) 75%
Titan Quest Gold 75%
Super Meat Boy 75%
Oddworld’s Oddboxx 50%

So make sure to include the Steam store as part of your regular daily surfing just to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the daily specials as well.

Ah man I gotta see if I can stretch out a few dollars somehow – FEAR – Complete series $9.99 … what are you guys still doing here … get over to Steam and start getting your wishlist together (I have mine)

Steam back at it again with great holiday deals on games is a post from: The Inquisitr

Instead of wondering about your doctor’s credentials or track record, maybe next time you’re about to go under the knife, you should inquire after his or her stats on Call of Duty.

Yes, it turns out that “action games” seem to produce skills that are later applicable in important, scary tasks like being a soldier or being a surgeon. The skills you hone taking out zombies or hookers on your gaming console not only boost ability to perform certain tasks, they also seem to enhance your ability to do so quickly and accurately:

“It’s not the case that the action game players are trigger-happy and less accurate: They are just as accurate and also faster,” says cognitive researcher Daphne Bavelier. “Action game players make more correct decisions per unit time. If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference.”

In order to prove their case, researchers had half a group of study participants play The Sims 2, while the other half played Call of Duty 2 or Unreal Tournament. After 50 hours of play (consecutively?) subjects performed some computer tasks. Accuracy for both groups remained the same, but the Call of Duty 2/Unreal Tournament players were 25% quicker.

Authors of the study concluded that action gamers process “visual and auditory data more efficiently than non-gamers,” and that those skills could transfer efficiently to real life tasks like driving, shooting people and removing organs.

[Image: XKCD]

Real Scientists: ‘Action’ games sharpen decision making skills, make better surgeons & soldiers is a post from: The Inquisitr

[RichardCobbett.com via BuzzFeed]

Gaming review comments bingo is a post from: The Inquisitr

Gamers have long argued that their obsession is sport-like, requiring skill and dexterity to advance levels in complex games and providing players with a demonstrable skill-set from marathon gaming sessions.

However, a recent study including “a series of physical and psychological tests” on gamers prove that while their reflexes are in line with top athletes, they are more physically akin to old people who smoke a lot. Calling the subjects “cyber-sportsmen,” Dr. Dominic Mickelwright of the University of Essex in the UK discussed recent findings with the Telegraph:

The cyber-sportsmen had mental sharpness and psychological traits comparable to ‘real’ athletes, and reacted to visual stimuli almost as fast as fighter jet pilots.

But their fitness levels were shockingly low and comparable to people either much younger or much older than their actual age.

Dr. Micklewright said that one gamer they studied physically resembled an “endurance athlete,” but actually had the “lung function and aerobic fitness of a heavy smoker in his sixties.” And while he conceded that gamers had lower levels of depression similar to those of actual athletes, the lag in physical fitness was pronounced and somewhat dangerous. Micklewright cited childhood obesity and heart disease as possible pitfalls of a heavily sedentary lifestyle.

[via CNET]

Gamers: gazelle-like reflexes, elderly chain-smoker physiques is a post from: The Inquisitr