Games

Computer games find a higher purpose

Claudia Dreifus The developmental psychologist Daphne Maurer made headlines this year with research suggesting that people born with cataracts could improve their eyesight by playing Medal of Honor, the "first-person shooter" video game. But her fame goes far beyond the video screen.

Immerse yourself in Hong Kong's dangerous underworld

Calum Wilson Austin When you combine the well-written story, entertaining combat and vibrant city to explore, Sleeping Dogs has plenty of experiences to offer players.

Gamers take on grey tinge

Jenneth Orantia The average gamer is ageing as new recruits from all stages of life are taking up the pastime.

Death rides high in return to Darkside

Darksiders 2 is a solid improvement on the previous game, writes Calum Wilson Austin

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Digital fitness just got easier

Calum Wilson Austin We've moved into the world of serious training regimes for casual and hardcore gamers alike.

Game publisher pulls real weapons promotion

JAMES MANNING Electronic Arts has pulled a charity promotion that involved the sale of actual weapons featured in the first-person shooter game Medal of Honour.

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iPhone becomes mobile casino by adding real-money bets

Douglas MacMillan Phone users will soon be able to gamble with real money on virtual slot machines, trying their luck with the swipe of an index finger.

Invasion of the 'educational' video game

Lisa Guernsey Have you heard about Minecraft, the computer game that uses virtual building blocks and teems with opportunities for creative problem-solving? Have you yet been swept into the myriad Minecraft conversations by today's tweens and teens about rocks and minerals, sand and glassmaking, jungles and deserts, urban planning and railroad lines, night-time zombies and daily survival?

Indie game console scores $8m windfall

Chelsea Stark The OUYA — the $US99, hackable, Android-based console — wrapped up its Kickstarter late on Wednesday night in the US. After setting a $US950,000 goal for backers, the OUYA raised more than $US8 million through the crowdfunding website to help bring its prototype to market next year.

Gaming company makes high score

Christopher Knaus An innovative Canberra gaming software company has been bought in a deal worth $45 million - reportedly the biggest ever acquisition in the Australian video gaming industry.

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Hands-on: Sleeping Dogs

Calum Wilson Austin The video game Sleeping Dogs has been a long time coming, but things are looking good for the beleaguered game. Calum W. Austin had a hands-on to see how things are shaping up, and found Hong Kong's underworld as dark and explosive as we could hope.

Control freak

James Dominguez A new generation of game controller is setting out to repeat history by altering the dynamics of the living room.

Race for the White House: the video game

Monica Hesse Test your political platform and become president of the United States.

Darksiders 2: hands-on preview

Calum Wilson Austin Darksiders 2 is shaping up to be a more than worthy successor to the unexpected triumph of the first game.

Review: Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes

Calum Wilson Austin There are plenty of saving graces in Lego Batman 2 for adults who enjoy a sense of simple unadulterated fun.

Review: Dragon's Dogma

Calum Wilson Austin Dragon's Dogma is a surprisingly well thought out and carefully designed game that might just be able to bridge the gap between western and Japanese role playing games.

Pub brainwave puts Aussies in the game

ASHER MOSES Three Australian mates reckon they've worked out how to make advertising in video games work - and investors have backed them to the tune of just under $2 million.

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Guns, truth and consequences

James Dominguez Mindless killing is out as the next generation of video games taps into players' emotions.

Wanted, undead or alive, for the 'O' zone

Henrietta Cook It sounds like every gamer's ultimate fantasy: a real-life, video-game style adventure in a medical research lab overrun with zombies.

Games: i'll sit this one out

Dana Stevens World of Warcraft engaging? Pin the Tail on the Donkey a highlight of childhood? No, games aren't everyone's idea of fun.

Max Payne is my life coach

James Carmichael The Westridge Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains traces the spine of the hills, rising more than 200 metres in waves of ascent and descent. It's narrow, with dirt and brush breaking down occasionally into rocky scree, and on a bike the steep and craggy drops are challenging. After weeks of attempts, I finally learned how to master it. My teacher was an alcoholic ex-cop who wreaks havoc as a hired gun in Sao Paolo – the title character of "Max Payne 3".

PlayStation rage killing and maiming children

MARIKA HILL Young men are getting so caught up in gaming consoles they are lashing out at children, sometimes with deadly consequences.

It's a man's (virtual) world

Lucy Meyer Sexual harassment is rife in the world of online video gaming. While video games are often thought of as a male pursuit, an increasing number of women are playing them. Having entered a domain that was once dominated by men, female gamers are being met by abuse.

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