GOT GAME

1. GOT GAME A Brief History of Video Games - Part 1 Introduction Planet of the Rotting Minds? Magnavox Odyssey 1972 Pong 1972 Atari 2600 1977 Computer Space 1970 Death Race 1976 Space Invaders 1978 3D Imager 1983 Asteroids 1979 Pac-Man 1980 Donkey Kong 1981 Vectrex 1982

2. GOT GAME A Brief History of Video Games - Part 2 Introduction Planet of the Rotting Minds? Nintendo NES 1985 Nintendo GameBoy 1989 Mortal Kombat 1991 Doom 1993 Sony PlayStation 1994 Nintendo VirtualBoy 1994 Entertainment Software Rating Board 1994 The Sims 2000 Pokémon 1996 Grand Theft Auto 1998 Sony PS2 2000

3. GOT GAME A Brief History of Video Games - Part 3 Introduction Planet of the Rotting Minds? Microsoft Xbox 2001 Worlds of Warcraft 2001 Halo 2001 Nintendo DS 2004 Metroid Prime 2002 Sony PSP 2005 Guitar Hero 2005 Microsoft Xbox 360 2005 Sony PS3 2006 Nintendo Wii 2006 Bioshock 2007

4. GOT GAME Do Video Games Rot The Mind? Introduction Planet of the Rotting Minds? • The Mind-Rotting School of Thought • Video games... • Confine children to game rules that deprive children of independent thought and experimentation • Promote social isolation • Divert attention from more productive activities, such as studying, exercise, and work An Alternative Interpretation

5. GOT GAME Who Plays Video Games? Chapter One Space Invader

6. GOT GAME Game Violence Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes Does violence in games cause violence in real life? Concern is expressed… The game industry responds… • 1993: Congressional hearings decry the graphic violence in video games like “Night Trap” and “Mortal Kombat”, with threats to impose federal regulations on the industry. • 1994: The self-regulatory Entertainment Software Ratings Board is set up to apply and enforce ratings, advertising guidelines, and on-line privacy principles. • Video game revenue has doubled in the past decade, demonstrating the pervasive influence of games. • Violent juvenile crime has decreased by half during that same time interval. • Federal, state, and local attempts to regulate video game access have greatly increased in recent years. • Courts have overwhelmingly ruled that such regulation violates free speech & lacks supporting evidence.

7. GOT GAME The ESRB Ratings Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes EARLY CHILDHOOD (EC)Titles rated EC have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate. EVERYONE (E)Titles rated E have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ (E10+Titles rated E10 have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN (T)Titles rated T have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURETitles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. ADULTS ONLYTitles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

8. GOT GAME Game Addiction Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes What is the distinction between excess, dependence, and addiction? • Excess: Playing games beyond a reasonable limit (e.g., late night marathon sessions) • Dependence: Continuing to play despite clear detrimental effects (e.g., falling grades, missing work) • Addiction: Physiological craving that goes beyond mental or psychological dependence Game opponents say that games promote anti-social behavior and low self-esteem. Game advocates say that games promote critical thinking, social skills, and empathy.

9. GOT GAME Game Diversity: Who Makes The Games? Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes

10. GOT GAME Game Diversity: Who Are The Game Characters? Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes

11. GOT GAME International Censorship Chapter Two Sex, Violence, and Stereotypes Some countries are more restrictive than others, banning certain games. Australia China Germany Japan Any game that cannot receive a rating of MA15+ or lower is banned. Violence and sexual explicitness are the principal problems. Banned games have included all Grand Theft Auto versions. The lack of computer ownership makes online gaming at Internet cafes popular. The government restricts gamers to three hours of consecutive play, followed by five hour breaks. The “Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young People” reviews games for indecent, violent, crime-inducing, or racist content and restricts or bans their sale. Objections are raised about violent games with no ethical rationale. Recently, the main problem has been games that depict violent sexual acts.

12. GOT GAME What Needs Do Video Games Satisfy? Chapter Three Not The Real World Fulfillment Esteem Social Safety Physiological A recent medical study (Archives of Surgery, 2/2007) indicates that surgeons who played video games in excess of 3 hours per week made 37% fewer errors and were 27% faster in laparoscopic surgeries. A recent psychology study (Psychological Science, 10/2007) indicates that females who played action video games in excess of 4 hours per week significantly closed the gap with males with respect to spatial cognition skills (such as the mental rotation task above).

13. GOT GAME Game Genres Chapter Four Want ‘Tude With That? Action Games Known as “twitch games” because the skills that are tested are reaction time and hand-eye coordination under pressure, they include shooters as well as such non-shooter games as Pac-Man, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Frogger. Strategy Games Offshoots of traditional board games, strategy games tend to be turn-based and to have a set of straightforward rules. Adventure Games An adventure game is an interactive story about a character who is controlled by the player.

14. GOT GAME Abstract Games Chapter Four Want ‘Tude With That? By using abstract geometric shapes, some games permit the user to escape reality completely, rather than entering a virtual reality that is analogous to the real world.

15. GOT GAME Casual Gamers Vs. Core Gamers Chapter Four Want ‘Tude With That? What distinguishes the casual gamer from the core gamer? Casual Gamers… Core Gamers… …play a little. …play a lot! …spend a little. …spend a lot! …are intolerant of frustration. …tolerate frustration well! …play for the sheer enjoyment of the experience. …play for the exhilaration of defeating the game. …view core gamers as nutty nerds. …view casual gamers as undedicated wimps. As the core game market becomes saturated, game companies have begun to look beyond their traditional audiences and to target casual gamers.

16. GOT GAME Gamer Attention Span Chapter Four Want ‘Tude With That?