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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: computer games

computer games stories: 16 news summaries

Computer Science School Tries to De-Geekify Students

Everyone majors in computer science

May 15, 09 10:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - At Utah’s Neumont University, everyone majors in computer science and “geek” is a badge of honor, not an insult. But some at the school are worried that grads—though highly valued for their tech skills and nearly certain of landing jobs—might be lacking in other areas, the... More »

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higher education • Utah • computer games • geeks • computer science • Jay-ZTV • Neumont University

Gaming Scientists: 'Spore' Misleading But Fun

Game not exactly rigorous about evolution

Sep 2, 08 12:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists are raving about Spore, the hyperanticipated new game from Sims impresario Will Wright, the New York Times reports. But that’s mostly just because it’s a fun game, not because it’s scientifically accurate. On that score, the game, which allows players to evolve a creature from... More »

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computer games • The Sims • Will Wright • Spore • video games

British Game Companies Target 25K Downloaders

Alleged pirates told to pay $550 or face court

Aug 20, 08 4:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - A group of five of the world’s top computer-game makers are getting tough on illegal downloaders, the Times of London reports, demanding settlements of about $555 from 25,000 people across Britain. Those who refuse to settle will be taken to court, the companies—Atari, Topware Interactive, Reality Pump,... More »

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piracy • Britain • computer games • Atari • Topware Interactive • Reality Pump • Techland • Codemasters

 Spore Spawns
 Sims-Sized
 Expectations

EA risks millions on 5-in-1 evolutionary computer game

Aug 4, 08 8:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Spore will face scary expectations when the one-of-a-kind computer game goes on sale next month, CNET reports. Electronic Arts has poured untold millions into it; fans of Will Wright's last all-new creation, The Sims—the best-selling game of all time—hungrily await a new diversion; and analysts ask if gamers... More »

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Electronic Arts • computer games • Will Wright • Spore

 Gamers Vie for World Title

Top players gather in Los Angeles

Jul 28, 08 7:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - Video gamers, get ready: Tonight will determine your world champion as Los Angeles hosts the finals in the Championship Gaming Series. The evening will be broadcast globally—complete with a breathless play-by-play announcer, NPR reports. Players, all of whom are paid for their efforts, will compete in a variety of... More »

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Los Angeles • championship • computer games • video games

Laptop Ban Cuts Into Bhutan MPs' Computer Gaming

Speaker: "I have seen many of our lawmakers playing computer games when others are debating serious issues"

Jul 1, 08 11:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bhutan's parliament has banned members from bringing laptops to work in an attempt to keep lawmakers focused on government business, the BBC reports. "I have seen many of our lawmakers playing computer games when others are debating serious issues," said the speaker of the new democracy's National Assembly.... More »

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Bhutan • computer games

Retired Justice Turns Video Game Designer

Day O'Connor's Our Courts aims to boost civics knowledge

Jun 5, 08 3:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor isn't taking it easy now that she's no longer writing decisions, Wired reports. The first woman to be appointed to the top court is leading a project to help young people learn more about their government through a video game. Our Courts, an... More »

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education • Sandra Day O'Connor • judge • computer games • US Supreme Court • educational programs • video games

 New Game Plays
 Off Miley's Midriff 

New computer game aims to catch an animated Hannah showing skin

May 20, 08 11:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Thinking of becoming a paparazzo? AddictingGames.com hosts an animated paparazzi game called Miley Naughty Pics, where the object of the game is to catch Miley Cyrus in varying degrees of undress, TMZ reports. You get “money” based on how much flesh you “snap” of the moving animated... More »

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Internet • paparazzi • Miley Cyrus • computer games

Dell Gets Behind Alienware for Gaming PC Push

Computer giant tries to recapture geek hearts with languishing brand

May 13, 08 11:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dell is dumping its popular XPS line of gaming PCs so it can focus exclusively on the once-hot Alienware brand it acquired in 2006, the Wall Street Journal reports. The PC giant is in the midst of a full turnaround push, having fallen behind arch-rival HP, so it’s... More »

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Dell • gaming • computer games • desktop computers • personal computers • Alienware • video games

Wii Points to Gaming's Future

Broader demographics and a bond between multiplayer games and social networks key

Feb 11, 08 3:56 PM CST
(Newser) - The upset Nintendo has secured against Microsoft and Sony as its simple-but-innovative Wii continues to dominate their processor-heavy rival consoles portends much for the future of gaming, writes Michael Noer for Forbes. Expect much more casual gaming and gamers, Noer writes, as low-time-commitment experiences and Wii-like intuitive controls snag demographics... More »

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Nintendo Wii • Xbox • computer games • Sony Playstation • video games

Profits Burnout at Electronic Arts

Game maker loses money despite soaring game sales

Feb 1, 08 1:08 AM CST
(Newser) - Video game sales are at an all-time high but the world's largest independent publisher of them has reported a third-quarter loss, reports the AP. Electronic Arts says the loss is down to restructuring and accounting changes. Revenue was up 17%, but the company saw its share of the market slip... More »

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Wall Street • Electronic Arts • computer games • quarterly results • video games

TV Nets Hope Games Will Hook Viewers

CBS multimedia contest offered clues online and off

Dec 7, 07 2:51 PM CST
(Newser) - TV networks are using scavenger hunt-style games to attract viewers to their shows. Hundreds of players searched for clues online and offline, including on billboards in San Francisco and Minnesota, to crack a game linked to the CBS show "Numb3rs" last month. The network plans to promote more shows... More »

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television • advertising • free online games • computer games • CBS television stations • Numb3rs

Computer Junkies Go to Rehab

South Korean camp addresses growing Internet addiction problem

Nov 18, 07 7:54 PM CST
(Newser) - Internet addiction is such a big problem in the obsessively wired country of South Korea that the government has launched an “Internet Rescue” camp for young men, The New York Times reports. At the tuition-free Jump Up Internet Rescue School – which could be the first of its kind... More »

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Internet • South Korea • addiction • computer games

PC Gaming World Contracts

As Xbox, Wii, PS3 draw casual gamers away, PCs left with die-hard fans of killing games

Nov 18, 07 3:41 PM CST
(Newser) - The PC gaming industry is on the defensive, with sales of PC games down substantially over the past five years, as less expensive gaming consoles have become more powerful. The Wii, Xbox, and PS3 have lured away casual gamers, leaving the PCs to hardcore gamers playing, first-person shooters and complex... More »

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Nintendo Wii • video game console • PlayStation 3 • Xbox • computer games • video games

New 'Call of Duty' Offers Players Modern Combat

Video game set to conquer the competition

Nov 9, 07 5:19 PM CST
(Newser) - "Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat," released this week, takes players on the missions of elite modern fighters like the US Marines or British SAS, a departure for a video game series that previously focused exclusively on WWII. The game is set to be this holiday season's biggest... More »

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war games • computer games • multiplayer games • Activision • Call of Duty • Infinity Ward • video games

Video Games Get Serious

New breed of politically minded computer titles seek to educate players, foster activism

Oct 13, 07 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - One game is set in the Guantanamo Bay prison camp; another invites players  to oversee famine relief efforts on a fictional island; a third game, called "Darfur is Dying," pits refugees against militias. These three are part of a new trend: serious computer games that aim to raise... More »

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computer games

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