Game Apparent is based out of St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. However, we have always tried to provide insights that would be useful to parents nationwide and even worldwide. Having said that, my wife showed me a publication put out by our local library and it appears that they’re sponsoring a game tournament this summer. What really struck me was that many parents (and even I am guilty of this on occasion) perceive games as a less worthwhile pastime than reading a book. Yet our local library’s page stated the following:
Gaming is huge at the Library! Gaming teaches strategic thinking, encourages cooperation, and is just plain fun.
It’s true! To see more information about the St. Louis Library sponsored Super Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament Championship, feel free to click HERE. For those of you who don’t live in St. Louis, check out your local library and see if you have similar events planned in your area!
The next title in the PlayStation’s “Play, Create, Share” line is a title called ModNation Racers. This intriguing game is essentially a classic “kart racer” like the Mario Kart titles, Crash Team Racing, or Chocobo Racing. What MNR brings to the table is the ability to customize your racer, tweak your car, and (most significantly) create your own tracks! The demonstration provided at E3 this year showed the developer creating a simple track from scratch including mountains, a lake, foliage, and even determining the position of the sun to establish the time of day–all in less than 5 minutes! The interface was impressive, intuitive, and fun. And best of all, you can add sheep. (One can never under estimate the comic value of incorporating sheep into a game!)
I’ve included the trailer below for those of you who may be interested. Knowing what fun I’ve had with my son playing Mario Kart Double Dash (see article HERE) and Little Big Planet (see article HERE), this seems like the best of both worlds!
One of the most recognized racing franchises is FINALLY going to appear on the PSP this October 1st. Why I find this significant is that Gran Turismo for the PSP was supposed to be a launch title. This is one of, if not the most, delayed titles ever to actually get a release on the system for which it was announced. Yea, “Racing onto PSPs.” For more information about this release, hit the Sony site HERE.
Also of note, the October 1st release date is also the launch for the new PSP Go which is seen in the above picture and in the trailer below. So, I guess that Sony can still call it a “launch” title for the PSP…just not the original incarnation of the platform. Having said that, the PSP Go is compatible with the current PSP hardware. Besides the cosmetic differences, it does not have a UMD drive and it uses solid state memory to store downloadable games.
For those of you who may be wondering, yes – Gran Turismo will be playable on both the current hardware and the new Go. Now take a look at the cool trailer below and share a comment below stating how it’s about time!
My dear friend John passed me a link to a recent article on Ars Technica. Raising a Healthy Gamer: Seven Tips for Parents offers some good common sense insights and some excellent references. The author’s first recommendation really struck home. He suggested that parents make time to take an active role in the gaming lives of their children. He expounded with the following:
Even if you aren’t always there when your child or children plays a game, putting an hour or two into the game when it’s first opened up will give you a great idea about what kind of content you can expect to see in the game. Watch your child’s body language, because games can evoke strong emotions and reactions in those playing them.
The article has a number of other excellent observations and they all stem from the fact that parents are the best judges of whether or not content is appropriate for their children. That requires time and involvement…which pretty much defines parenting.
If you get a chance, point your browser in their direction. It will be time well-invested.
Remember your first video game experience? Unwrapping the SNES on Christmas morning. Visiting the Arcade with a roll of quarters. Hanging out with the lucky kid down the street with the latest Final Fantasy? Well some kids aren’t that lucky.
But there is something you can do to help.
Pixel Equity is a non-profit organization where you can donate games (or cash) that go to help families who can’t afford video games. Pretty cool idea.
“We’re a not-for-profit organization that is working with youth centers that serve children from households that can’t afford video games. We’ve talked with the administrators, who in turn have talked with the children, to determine the games and consoles that these kids want. But how do we get the games to them?
That’s where you come in.
By making a donation as little as $1.00, you can help bring games to these young people. One dollar might not sound like much, but it really starts to add-up as more people make contributions.”
“All games can be described as a series of challenges that players must overcome. This means that gamers are constantly devising and testing hypotheses about the game world to construct a working model of it. Or, in other words, informally utilizing the scientific method.”
The scientific method? An instant win in my book. Check them out and spread the word!
Why did the American titles jump from Final Fantasy III to Final Fantasy VII?
How can there be more than one Final Fantasy?
What is a Chocobo?
If so, then I have an article for you. Check out IGN Presents the History of Final Fantasy. Spanning from the roots of the franchise on the Famicom through development for the current PS3 titles, this retrospective offers some good background to those who may not be as familiar with the rise of the console-based RPG in American culture. It’s a great read and a good chance to gain some insight to the genre. And it explains where they got the name!
