What better subject to zoom in on during the holiday season than play? I've written a lot on the subject, here, through the years but, in a way, this is Part 4 of a series I started in 2009 (here are the 2nd and 3rd parts). So now, at the turn of a new year, it’s not only a perfect time but high time to come back to the power of play. Happy holidays to all who celebrate them, happiness to those … [Read more...] about ‘Playful by Design,’ a landmark report
gaming
Heard of Twitch? Amazon has!
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!
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