If you have gamers at your house, you probably have heard of Twitch – especially if they like to either play, or watch other gamers play, while the play's being streamed live on the Web and everybody tuned in is chatting about it. Some people call it YouTube for gamers. In fact, Google, YouTube's owner, was rumored to be acquiring it last spring. But it has just been confirmed that Amazon is – to … [Read more...] about Heard of Twitch? Amazon has!
gaming
Breadth of videogames’ benefits to kids may surprise
It being summertime here in the global North, there may be a little extra videogame play going on in households with kids. So it may be helpful for parents to know about a mother lode of the latest wisdom on videogames' effects on kids' learning, social development and futures. It's MindShift's "Guide to Games & Learning," and here are a few nuggets: Gaming fuels motivation "We want our … [Read more...] about Breadth of videogames’ benefits to kids may surprise
‘No negative impact’ from videogame play: Study
Contrary to what parents have heard about videogames, a UK study that followed the videogame play and TV viewing of more than 11,000 children for three years found that "exposure to videogames had no effect on [their] behavior, attention or emotional issues," reports New York-based GamesandLearning.org. The story was a little different with TV viewing, though. The University of Glasgow researchers … [Read more...] about ‘No negative impact’ from videogame play: Study
Console gamers’ loyalties getting divided
Parents of console gamers, did you already know this? The Xbox 360 devotees at your house may be switching loyalties for the first time in a long time – to the new PlayStation 4. I knew Sony's system was popular in other parts of the world, but Xbox ruled among a lot of young gamers in the US. Now, though, after several paragraphs of hemming and hawing, a gaming reporter at the Financial Post … [Read more...] about Console gamers’ loyalties getting divided
Digital media’s power for all kinds of good: One student’s story
Rarely do we hear stories about how playing in digital environments in school – much less playing a popular videogame not originally designed for school – can be life-changing in a good way. So here's one (names in the story have been changed to protect everybody's privacy): For four years, starting in 2008, when he was in middle school, "Zach" participated in the WoWinSchool Club every day … [Read more...] about Digital media’s power for all kinds of good: One student’s story