Do you wanna play like a super hero and re-visit the old foes of the Batman DC Comic line-up?  Then I highly suggest you rent or purchase your own copy of “Batman Arkham Asylum” asap.  This role-player adventure game is available on a variety of different gaming platforms.  The fluid game play and HD graphics [...]

Want to play and addicting game that taps into your intellect and quick typing skills?  Then Word Twist is for you!  It is one of the most addicting, competitive games on Facebook; I am obsessed.  To play Word Twist you need to first have a Facebook account and then go to the game through a [...]

If you’re looking for a great multi-player game to play on your PC or Xbox 360, try the new Valve game Left 4 dead 2. What a great product pitch huh?You probably saw some sort of advertisement for this game during the last month, I know I did. What I’d like to share with you [...]

Many moons ago I worked as a Computer Lab Aide at an elementary school.  With an extremely limited budget (like, zero dollars), I searched for inexpensive ways to enhance students’ experiences when they eagerly walked into the computer lab for their short 30-minute slot each week.  While doing an online search for freeware, I came [...]

Wii’s “Just Dance” takes advantage of the recent craze in dancing (from TV’s Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance? And other shows) while allowing those who are not so talented, or not so confident, to learn new dance routines in the privacy (or party atmosphere) of their own homes. Game designers [...]

Maritime Simulation Institute established a ship handling training complex on the Naval Station in San Diego, CA in 1993.  The complex contained two Full Mission Bridges and a Bridge Wing simulator which trained new inspiring Deck Watch Officers as well as seasoned ones, up until 2006.  Deck watch Officers learned  procedures that ranged from basic [...]

Peacemaking is often attributed to great leaders or as often is the case to wishful thinking. But thanks to ImpactGames becoming a Peacemaker is now possible. Peacemaker is an interactive game set around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All its game elements are rooted in real life situations. In fact, it is so real that it includes [...]

Attention Game Players!! It’s brand new – released on November 17, 2009. NCAA Basketball 10 uncovers the core of college basketball with an all-new strategic motion offensive system, innovative broadcast presentation, the excitement, emotion, and pageantry that makes the college game unique. It introduces full integration of CBS Sports and ESPN broadcast elements, allowing gamers [...]

For this month’s post I was really trying to look for simulations using some new technologies out there.  I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but I did stumble upon an interesting role-paying game franchise for the Wii called “Trauma Center.” The first version for Wii is called “Trauma Center: Second Opinion” and [...]

This fall the University of California, Irvine established the Center for Computer Games & Virtual Worlds.  More than 20 faculty members from computer science, arts, humanities, social science and education will collaborate in the center.  The Center will be led by  Executive Director Magda El Zarki and Director of Research Walt Scacchi  (pictured here). According [...]

I found a real-life simulation game designed to teach the art of Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). The game offers the user several ways to practice and reinforce what they’ve already learned in the standard four-hour CPR certification course. The game relies on Second life, a virtual-reality role-playing simulation in which the characters move and act much [...]

Animal Kingdom, Wildlife Expedition is a Photo Safari game for the Wii. This single player game has a bit of a story to it which requires a player to read the story to understand it (which I mention because I had to read it to my 4yr old daughter for her to understand it). Here [...]

I too found the NYTimes article cited by Dana Ditman.  The mention of Blueberry Garden as a game of “curiosity and exploration” piqued my interest.  Unfortunately, it is currently a PC-only game and I have a Mac.  After spending way too much time downloading, installing, and ultimately unsuccessfully trying to run it with Crossover Games, [...]

When my son was around 10, he began to play the Sims games.  He loved playing these games.  Some of the things which the game taught him was the importance of working each day, maintaining friendships and completing tasks.  But his favorite thing to do was to drown his players in the pool.  At the [...]

Are you skeptical about the title of this entry?  Do you think you can beat this game?  It looks simple, right?  Well, just how much spare time do you have on your hands???  To me, this game is living up to its name! This game is free and has been developed for the iPhone, but [...]

Whether you are a fan of the movie or not, the graphics alone will knock your socks off and make you want to take a look at this exquisitely designed platform-puzzle game for the iPhone! This game was designed to be everything Lepper and Malone describe as necessary for FUN! There are three main options in [...]

As I was trying to find my blog topic I was distracted and went to read some of the blogs that I follow. One of the blogs was offering a chance to win a free 3 month trial at a site called Jumpstart.com. Jumpstart.com allows users to create their own avatar and explore a 3D [...]

I hate to admit it, but I actually don’t like playing e-games.  I stink at using controllers, I absolutely hate video arcade game sound effects (like nails on a chalkboard), and I can’t think of anything that would motivate me to play a game like Super Mario, WOW… even SIMs. (I really am an old [...]

Around the World in 80 Days uses the Jules Verne story (about a Victorian gentleman and his servant trying to circumnavigate the world in 80 days to win a bet) to create a context for a series of matching puzzles. The game begins with a faithful telling of the story and quickly moves into the [...]

To begin preparing this month’s blog post, I started with a simple Google search of population simulation games and I happened across an interesting one, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004.  This simulation is one in which users (players) get to experience the thrill and technicality of true to life flight experience.  The game contains 3D interactive [...]

Every day I am bombarded by “Farmville” requests on Facebook from a few of my cousins who happen to play this game. Thus far, I have staunchly refused to get roped in to this outlandish pastime. Until now. In the name of research, I broke down and got my own virtual farm, which I quickly [...]

This is a free online educational game made by LearnDirect. It is mostly for children but is also to help parents brush up on their ‘maths’ and English skills to help their parents. This game has two players, you the parent, and your child. You put in both names at the beginning of the game. [...]

The Nobel Prize website itself is a bit of a surprise – there are videos of winners (“Carol Greider was doing the laundry when the call about the Nobel prize came.”), you can ask this year’s Nobel Laureates a question, follow them on social networking sites, and learn more about what Nobel Laureates receive.  It’s [...]

The Super Mario Brothers franchise for Nintendo has been a massive hit from their earlier days (Ronnie covered their first Super Mario Bros. game here).  The earlier Super Mario Bros. series on Nintendo consoles were 2D side-scroller, where Mario would generally move from left to right side of the screen (jumping on bad guys’ head [...]

Remember SimCity?  SimSafari has a similar setup.  Here just like SimCity, you can build your safari from scratch.  Picking the map allows the player to control how much water and where it’s located.  You can start building your park with or without animals.  You can also play a mission or a saved park.    Once the [...]

I recently found out that Bejeweled Blitz is now linked to Facebook via the iPhone. I’ve been playing Bejeweled for about a year now but stopped because I was never “number one” on my Facebook list. A couple of weeks ago, when I was updating my “aps,” I saw Bejeweled Blitz linked to Facebook and [...]

The first simulation game I remember being hooked on in school was Oregon Trail.  We didn’t have a computer back then in the house and I would never want to be absent on computer lab day.  From the time you chose those 5 names, I was hooked.  Why?  Because I was always one of the [...]

I love horror films.  I can watch them morning, noon and night until I can’t sleep!  My problem is I can’t get anyone to watch them with me so I tried a few of the horror games.  Although I love horror movies, I can’t play the horror games.  I just get too scared, like playing [...]

As the mother of three boys there’s been an evolution of video gaming systems and games in my house for the past ten years. We’ve seen gaming system after gaming system upgraded. With the exception of the Wii, I’ve not really been interested in playing video games and I’ve managed to find other ways to [...]

Tropico 3 is the latest version of what are informally called the “god games.”  This genre started in earnest with the SimCity line and The Sims but probably reached its best rendition in the Civilization series.  In these games, you have complete power over almost all facets of a society or city with the goal [...]

I thought I’d eliminated the game Call of Duty- Modern Warfare 2 as a potential for review, but then my 22 year-old son saw my earlier blog comment on it and felt the need to enlighten me. The platform is Xbox 360 and the current game is online, multiplayer. As far as aesthetics, the graphics [...]

I recently came across an article called, “Games Evolve as Tools for Teaching Financial Literacy” and had to share it on this blog. For me, it is the perfect example of how engaging games can be used to improve knowledge in a certain field or subject. I work in higher education and learned that a [...]

Did you know that revenues from video games – even before the latest Wii, PlayStation, and Xbox systems emerged – surpass the money made from Hollywood films annually?  Why? Psychologists at the University of Rochester wondered the same thing.  These researchers believe that the fun of playing video games is actually trumped by the opportunities [...]

In the world of astronomy outreach, NASA usually has the coolest games and simulations. The Space Place is no exception, http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/games.shtml. The site is full of educational games regarding astronomy and planetary science. Some of the games can be printed out and played offline, like Fall into a Black Hole. I’ve played most of them, [...]

Have you ever read Faulkner? In particular, The Sound and the Fury? If you haven’t, lucky you! But if you have, then you, like me, have had the distinct displeasure of traipsing through garrulous excess trying to find hidden meaning–when all you really want to do is hang out with your friends, and drink a [...]

I’m not sure if you have the same guilty feeling whenever you play video games, but it always tends to creep into the back of my mind – “you should be doing something productive”. This feeling is so strong that I have not touched my PS3 for at least 2 months now (thanks COMET…) but, [...]

Back in September, Melissa Hughes wrote a blog entry about a game from OurCourts.org called Do I Have A Right (DIHAR).  The game was so intriguing to me as a history teacher, I thought it deserved another round in the blog spotlight.  The game allows you to become a virtual lawyer running your own law [...]

Bacon. Bacon is the most amazing thing ever discovered. I love bacon by itself, on burgers, in syrup, in the pool, for crying out loud, I don’t care. My most favorite thing to do is enjoy a wonderfully creative meal. I just dragged my husband up to this restaurant in L.A. that had cutting edge [...]

I found it slightly disturbing that when I asked my 22-year-old step daughter, Ashley, for the name of a popular sim game, she told me that her 16-year-old brother plays Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare regularly—in fact, he’s addicted. Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare is a first person shooter video game, developed [...]

In 2008, my middle school decided to participate in World Math Day. On this one day, students from around the world are challenged to compete against each other in online arithmetic games, while also working together to break the world record for the number of math questions correctly answered. That year, about 1 million students [...]

A friend of mine passed this video along and I thought it could be related to our class! Have a look see (hit your browser’s return button to get back here): Piano stairs – TheFunTheory.com

Like Shawn I’m a big fan of the electronic games that have come out that are based on a board game we grew up with. One of my favorite examples is Scrabble! I’ve always loved this game and nowadays there are many online alternatives for playing it. The first online game I found 10 years [...]

For some people gaming consumes hours and hours of their day and there are so many motivational reasons behind this.  For years my motivation has come from a wide variety of areas, like the bitter sweet feeling of knowing you can beat the game, but you have to keep starting over because your character keeps [...]

This article in today’s New York Times is a wonderful coda to our session with Jesse Schell. The piece examines emerging independent voices in game design … http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/magazine/15videogames-t.html?emc=eta1

Tycoon games are something that I would have never thought I’d play. My niece has several tycoon type games on her computer, Cake Mania, Movie Tycoon, even a home decorating tycoon game. When I was in grade school friends played Sim City, in my one and only attempt to play that game I became discouraged. [...]

Saturday evening my partner Brad and I came across the Microsoft Store unexpectedly when we were killing some time cruising the mall. It remains the second store in the world, the first in Scottsdale Arizona. When I walked in I was very hesitant because I felt like a traitor to Apple, but after touring the [...]

Just wanted to pass along this webinar info from Classroom 2.0. It might be relevant to groups who are doing the biology oriented games. “Tomorrow (Wednesday, November 18th) the Learning Games Network starts their own webinar series on using games in the classroom as learning tools. This first event, after a broad overview, will look [...]

After browsing through the blogs I found there was no in depth review of the highly popular and controversial video game series: Grand Theft Auto.  GTA has no doubt become every wannabe Bart Simpson/ Eddie Haskell’s dream come true and every parent’s worst nightmare manifested in the form of a cartoon like video game.  I [...]

I vote for John Miller’s post on Agricola, the German-based Board game that simulates agronomics. Nice, well-balanced analysis of the game.

We have all heard of the revolution that Wii Fit has had on the retirement community.  The problem is, it really isn’t that impressive.  It seems that most older adults are using it for bowling, if that.  One of the places where I work has 2 games and all these remotes, and it has NEVER [...]