Weddings and Video Games!!

I'm very fascinated with the idea of people joining their love for each other with their love of gaming on their big day!

"Video game themes are surprisingly common, from innocent Mario to the explosion filled world of Halo. Despite their variety they all share one element; anyone taking part is going to look very weird. That doesn’t stop them from going all out with their theme though, which means you can find weddings full of people wandering around in plastic body armor and handing out (hopefully) fake grenades as favours."

http://www.weirdworm.com/7-weird-weddings-themes/

Searching around on Google Image, I was able to find an array of wedding cake toppers and cakes that fit the video game theme.

CoD: Black Ops!

Game Description:

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a first

person shooter, high-intensity military video game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. Released on November 9,

2010, CoD is the 7th installment in the legendary Call of Duty series. A sequel to the developer's previous title in the series, Call of Duty: World at War, Black Ops is the first one set during the Cold War era and is a more rugged game than Modern Warfare 2.  A new mode, the Wager Matches, will allow players to gamble with their money. A separate ranking structure from the standard online modes will be used for players seeking to be one of the top three (the only ones that receive the prizes).

Read more: http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/63703/call-of-duty-black-ops/#ixzz150VNsAos

G4TV gave the game a 5/5 rating,

while the average user rating

was a 3.5/5 on the G4 website.

http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/63703/call-of-duty-black-ops/

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, & DS

World Premiere Uncut Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHFxM1u6JbI

Multiplayer Teaser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_fsM6LBi54

I really LOVE this Commercial!

Thanks, Trenton for helping me find this :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_fsM6LBi54

Seizures and Video Games

Video game-induced seizures’ (VGS) is preferable than ‘video game epilepsy’ because this is not a syndrome.

There is clearly heterogeneity in seizure types, seizure syndromes, precipitating and facilitating factors, and underlying mechanisms.

PrevalenceOne of the most common forms of photosensitive epilepsy.

Age at onset
7 to 19 years (87% of patients).

Clinical manifestations2/3 suffer from generalized seizures and the majority of them suffer from various syndromes of idiopathic generalized epilepsy. The remaining 1/3 have occipital seizures with or without photosensitivity. Other types of focal seizures are exceptional.

Precipitating factorsGames using an interlaced video monitor, small hand-held liquid crystal displays, and non-interlaced 70-Hz arcade games.

There are many mechanisms by which video games may induce seizures. These are (1) photosensitivity; (2) pattern sensitivity; (3) emotional and cognitive excitation (excitement or frustration); and (4) proprioceptive stimulation (movement/praxis).

Fatigue, sleep deprivation, and prolonged playing are facilitating factors.

http://professionals.epilepsy.com/page/video_game_seizures.html

Although video games include seizure warnings (online games may not), few people are aware that the warning could apply to them or their children.  Of those who have this sensitivity (a condition sometimes called photosensitive epilepsy), most will experience their first seizure before they know they have it.  Photosensitive epilepsy is most common in young people between the ages of 7 - 19, and it is more prevalent in girls than in boys.

Some seizures are so subtle that they can easily go unnoticed by the person experiencing them or by anyone nearby.  As a result, many families whose children have seizures while playing video games have no idea that their children are having these episodes. http://videogameseizures.org/

Xbox 360 New Releases!

"Fable III" was released on October 26, 2010 and has been a highly anticipated edition to the Fable franchise. 

"Fable III" is the latest installment to the action-packed and critically acclaimed Xbox 360 exclusive franchise that has sold more than six million copies.

Fans new and returning will now embark on an epic adventure, where the race for the crown is only the beginning of your spectacular journey. Five decades have passed since the events of "Fable II," and Albion has matured into an industrial revolution, but the fate of the kingdom is at peril.

In "Fable III," you will be called upon to rally and fight alongside your people, ascend to the seat of power, and experience the true meaning of love and loss while defending your throne. In your quest to seize power and defend your kingdom, the choices you make will change the world around you, for the greater good or your own personal gain.

Who will you become? A rebel without a cause, the tyrant you rebelled against, or the greatest ruler to ever live?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fable_III

Other Xbox 360 games that were released this week were The Sims 3, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, 3D Ultra MiniGolf 2, Bloody Good Time, Pinball FX2, Haunted House.

I bought my copy of The Sims 3 on Xbox on its release date, and I’ve really enjoyed it! I have already made two families and there are hundreds of possibilities to make more. This type of game has objectives, but there really isn’t an end point in the game. You can keep building homes and families or whatever you want and it doesn’t have to end. People do grow older, but you can even disenable that option and live longer.

That’s why I like it so much, anyone can play this game because it’s easy and you are in control. On the PC version there are cheat codes to obtain large sums of money and other goods, so I’m hoping that there are also cheats for the Xbox game  because the more money you have, like in real life, the more you can do.

My video after I bought Sims 3!!

http://pbckt.com/pa.d40QIv

The Sims 3 on Xbox!!

I'm SUPER excited because I learned that The Sims 3 is coming to consoles. The Sims was orginally created for PCs, but it is being extended for use on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS! I've already been calling around to see how to get a copy. The actual release date is 10-26-10. I have been a fan of the Sims for a long time, but in recent years, I haven't played it much because my processor was too slow on my computer, so I am really anxious to see how well it works on our Xbox. I have been waiting for this game to be on other consoles for a while, and I'm sure other consumers have as well. Yay! That's all I can say.haha

In The Sims 3 for consoles, create Sims with unique personalities, fulfill their desires, and control their lives within a living neighborhood. Unlock all-new Karma Powers and unleash them on your Sims: help your Sim “get lucky,” bless them with “instant beauty” or curse them with an “epic fail.” But use these powers wisely, because they may have unexpected results!

Design and build your Sims’ dream home and share your creations with others. As you guide your Sims through life you can complete challenges to unlock additional items, town upgrades, and buildings upgrades.

For the first time ever, upload and download content from your game, including furnishings, houses, Sims, and more!

http://www.thesims3console.com/#/home

Halo Reach Tournament

I went to the Halo Reach Tournament that the MRC held last week and it was pretty cool. I'm not very good at Halo Reach, so I didn't register, but I shot the event for a news story and got to see all the action go down. There were a lot of people participating and players were lined up down the hall to go into the game room. The tournament took place in a single room and everyone gathered in the room to watch as the epic battles took place. Each team had four people and the teams were back to back playing on big screens.
It was really awesome seeing everyone gather for the love of a game. Well, I'm sure they wanted to brag about winning too, but nonetheless, it seemed like everyone just really enjoyed showing off their skills and having fun playing one another.



http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=708374922#!/pages/Vics-Game-Time/155148791181308




Halo Reach is different than Halo 3 or Halo ODST because it has new improved features. Halo Reach is a first person shooter game. In Halo 3, players could wield one-use equipment power-ups that offer temporary offensive or defensive advantages. This system of single-use equipment is replaced in Reach by reusable and persistent armor abilities which remain with a player until they are replaced. Among the abilities are a jetpack, sprint, and "armor lock", which makes the player invincible in exchange for the loss of mobility. In addition to tweaks and changes to existing weapons from the Halo series, Reach features new weapons fulfilling various combat roles. These are just a few of the changes.

I also learned that Halo Reach, as of 10/16 has sold 5.55 million copies and continues to show an impressive worldwide standing according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_reach.

Halo Reach Tourn @ MRC Wed. 13th @ 6pm