All Blog Posts from Tech Talk

If video games serve as your entertainment distraction from the current political campaign then you might do a double take the next time you're playing certain titles via Microsoft's Xbox Live service. Digital billboards featuring Democratic presidental candidate Barack Obama are being featured in a number of games from Electronic Arts ranging from "Burnout Paradise" to "Madden '09."

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Tonight we begin a series on video games and children. It's largely inspired by a new study released today from the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. It's a compelling read.

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From fear over black holes to creating your own universe. From seeing back in time to the "blue screen of death." It's been quite a week. Curious?

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Do you work at an e-mail-free Friday company? There’s an article in today’s USA Today that points out the growing trend. The idea being to encourage more phone calls or face-to-face meetings. I’m just as tethered to my inbox as the next person, but it seems to me productivity would drop dramatically. I could certainly see a decrease in stress, which would be welcome, but in the news business e-mail is necessary, and dropping it from the day’s communication tools would be detrimental to business. In an office environment with more internal networking, perhaps it might work better. But wouldn’t all those requisite social niceties really slow things down? Your thoughts? And now for a quick recap...

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By now you're wearily familiar with the controversy surrounding Rockstar Games, specifically the "Grand Theft Auto" series. For years, the company has been speared by critics as the purest of evil within the video game software market. Its newest title, "Manhunt 2," is slated for release on Oct. 31, which is obviously a tie-in with Hallowe'en. (Oh, scary!)

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Let's start with this premise: video game addiction is a controversial subject. No surprise there. And let's get this out the way: most people play video games and suffer no ill side effects (other than sore thumbs or a bruised ego). Video game addiction is also a debate that isn't going away any time soon. This weekend members of the American Medical Association are considering whether to take video game addiction more seriously, and potentially one day deem it an official medical diagnosis.

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Not only is the video game generation aging but also the games themselves are maturing. And I don't mean getting even more violent or graphic. Quite the opposite. I'm (tech) talking about educational titles like Muzzy Lane Software's "Making History: The Calm and the Storm." It's an extremely detailed strategy game that immerses players (aka students) in the political and military nuances of WWII. This isn't a shoot 'em up with blood and gore on the battlefield. In this game you're forced to make decisions about diplomatic ties, economic allies, and troop deployment.

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