When it comes to sticking tiny knives, telescopic lenses, and fiber optic video cameras into our guts, practice makes perfect, right?

Right and then some.

According to research conducted at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, playing games for about an hour prior to entering the operating room hiked surgical proficiency by nearly 50 percent. In the test, eight doctors-in-training were tasked with performing "virtual" surgeries on a 2D screen using the Nintendo Wii's remote to make precise hand movements.

Laparoscopy, aka "minimally invasive surgery," has in fact been around since the early 1900s, but didn't come into its own until relatively recently with the introduction of tiny computer-driven TV cameras. It involves making a small cut in the patient's skin and inserting a rod-shaped telescope with a camera attached into the abdomen. It's primary benefits are allowing surgeons to examine and/or operate on problem areas or organs while minimizing patient trauma and increasing recovery time.

Sounds wonderful, but practice is absolutely crucial. According to one doctor, the skills necessary to perform laparoscopic surgery are "like tying your shoelaces with three-foot-long chopsticks."

Cost of professional laparoscopic training technology? Hundreds of thousands.

Cost of a Wii? $250. (Well, if you can find one without resorting to eBay, anyway.)

Getting to play video games before scrubbing up? Priceless.

The biggest drawback to date: Lack of haptic feedback. Haptic, from the Greek word for "touch," is a way of describing technology that simulates "contact" with a virtual surface by employing highly sophisticated force feedback. Which sounds like a perfect opportunity for haptic games pioneer Novint to bring its Falcon peripheral to a Wii (or an OR) near you.

Don't give Nintendo all the credit, of course. Stories about video games boosting sawbones skills easily predate the Wii. In 2004, research indicated that doctors who spent at least three hours a week playing video games made about 37 percent fewer mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27 percent faster than their counterparts who didn't play video games.

The very smart people over at Nintendo have to be smiling right now. The Wii, their most current video game system is selling like hotcakes, even more than two years after its original release. Based on motion control, the Wii has given video game and sports fans the opportunity to bowl, swing a baseball bat or play a virtual golf game in the comfort of their own living rooms.

At the end of last month, however, Nintendo took things one step further by releasing Wii Fit — a video game that literally forces you to get off the couch and stretch, walk, run and twist atop an electronic platform that automatically reads your movements (and even measures your weight and body mass index, when such horrors are asked of it). While you’re doing this, your electronic avatar is responding in kind on the television screen. Basically, if you do toe-touches on top of the electronic platform, your cartoony representative is doing toe-touches on the screen. And don’t try to cheat — the all-knowing Wii Fit board will call you out on it.

This marriage of video game and actual, honest-to-goodness exercise landed in the Brisbois household a few weeks ago. Given to my wife as a Mother’s Day present from the lot of us (I realize on the surface that this probably seems equivalent to buying my hard-working wife a Swiffer as a means of not-so-subtly suggesting she do more cleaning, but she has had the Wii Fit release date circled on her calendar for some time and asked for it as a supplement to her daily exercise routine, thus justifying the giving of what some might take for a potentially insulting gift), Wii Fit has taken over and then some.

My daughters ask to use the thing daily, and dive into it with fervor when given the chance. Heck, we’ve literally removed furniture from our living room to clear enough space for the game’s myriad exercises and activities. (During football season, I watched the Patriots on a sectional sofa; I now watch baseball on a mere couch.)

Of course, after watching the women in my life use the thing day in and day out, I toyed with the idea that I should try out Wii Fit for my own benefit, the results of which I have recorded for you here:

Activity 1: Ski jump

I watched my wife do this one, and thought it would be easy one to start with. You stand on the Wii Fit board crouched down as if you were downhill skiing, before standing up straight at the proper time to simulate the “jump” portion of the event. It’s all a matter of timing: Do the right thing at the right time, and you don’t end up a giant snowball at the bottom of the virtual hill. Simple, right? Well, let’s just say I ended up rolling enough snowballs to make Frosty and a five-person family to go along with him. The timing was a little tricky; maintaining balance after the initial stand-up-straight-to-simulate-the-jump was where I continued to falter again and again. Eventually, I did land on my skis, but couldn’t even break the top 10 distances that my wife and eldest daughter had already racked up.

Activity 2: Strength training and balance

With my balance officially out of whack, Wii Fit (I love how Nintendo is determined to put “Wii” in front of proper nouns with the same frequency “Le” was used in Pink Panther cartoons), recommends moving onto exercises that will help strengthen such a weakness. As a result, the next activity I select has me balancing on one foot on the Wii Fit board, while pointing my right hand horizontally out in front of me, and my left foot pointing the opposite way behind me, before switching hands and feet. Standing on my left foot was no problem. My right foot, complete with trick ankle? I fell with a thud. Twice. Hello, Embarrassment. Stick around for a while, we’re about to become real familiar with each other this afternoon.

Activity 3: Weight and BMI

After my tumbling incident, I figured it would be easier just to stand on the board and do nothing. Time to check my weight and body mass index. After a few seconds of standing there, Wii Fit spits out some distressing news, highlighted by my 7-year-old daughter innocently asking, “Daddy, what does ‘obese’ mean?” I hadn’t been this ticked off at a video game since that mushroom-headed guy told me the princess was in another castle at what I assumed was the end of the original “Super Mario Bros.” On the plus side, nobody was physically hurt during this one, and I figured this was great preparation for when Nintendo gets around to releasing, “Wii Stand There And Take Your Lumps.”

Activity 4: Hula-hoop

I’ve never ski jumped in my life. I’ve never ever taken a yoga class. One would think that if there were any chance of injury, it would involve subjects such as these, areas in which I’m a novice. I’ve actually used a hula-hoop before; I was probably 6, but I can still chalk that up as experience. So there is no shoes reason I shouldn’t be able to pull this one off, right? Well, two minutes into standing on a platform and rotating my hips in a circle like a Laugh-In extra, and I began to wonder if I hadn’t knocked a major organ out of whack. I limped off the Wii Fit board, clutching my side.

Activity 5: Jogging in place

The description says it all. You stand in back of the Wii Fit board and jog in place on your living room floor, which is somehow picked up by the board’s sensors and relayed to your onscreen avatar. With my asthma inhaler firmly in hand, I’m able to get through this one without injuring myself. An added cars bonus, this one seemed to do a good job of simulating real outdoor exercise without having to actually venture outdoors. How do I know this? Simply put, I can’t breathe.

Activity 6: Power off

Body battered, ego bruised and lungs pretty much emptied, it’s time to end today’s experiment with Wii Fit. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll take another crack at hula-hooping without injury. For today, I’ve had enough.

Battle 40-foot waves, storms, ice and a nearly 100-percent crewmember injury rate in the dangerous hunt for undersea riches on the Bering Sea with the new video game "Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm," to be launched on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC in April 2008. The game was inspired by Sig, Edgar and Norman Hansen -- three brothers who have made their living crab fishing on the Bering Sea aboard their family's fishing vessel, the Northwestern. The Hansen brothers started game development with Liquid Dragon Studios in October 2005.

The Hansens and the Northwestern are featured on Discovery Channel's highest rated and Emmy nominated series -- "Deadliest Catch." The series that captivated nearly three million viewers each week returns for a fourth season this April.

Whether the gamer is a die-hard fan or someone who has never seen the Discovery Channel series, "Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm" is an immersive and challenging experience, putting them at the helm of one the world's most dangerous jobs -- that of a crab boat captain in the icy Bering Sea.

"Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm" lets gamers captain their own boat in the frenzied search for an undersea jackpot. Gamers select one of five real crab boats, including the Northwestern, Cornelia Marie and Sea Star -- all featured on the series, or create and customize their own boat. Gamers then recruit and lead their own crew from a roster of twenty real crab fishermen. Selecting the wrong boat or recruiting the wrong crew member can mean the difference between landing a Bering Sea jackpot or disaster. Lead your fatigued, hungry and hardworking crew in the strategic search for King Crab and Opilio Crab, while battling to secure your catch and livelihood before other captains and crews get to the crab first.

Authenticity and realism were critical to the Hansen brothers. They invited key development team members to Dutch Harbor, Alaska to personally experience life on the Northwestern. The game's realism is enhanced with four real Bering Sea harbors and 34,000 miles of real Bering Sea coastline created from the United States Geological Survey. In addition, "Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm" is the first video game to feature United States Coast Guard vessels and helicopters.

With waves over 40 feet high, "Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm" features the best wave effects in a video game to date. In the words of Captain Sig Hansen, "It may not be life or death, but chills went up my spine the first time I saw the Northwestern sink in the game."

Weather and fishing conditions are based on authentic weather and storm data and get progressively worse each season, increasing the challenge. The ultimate goal is to return safely each season, upgrade your boat and crew, and attempt to break Captain Sig Hansen and the Northwestern crew's actual lifetime catch of twenty million pounds.

"Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm" includes the following features and content:

--  Career Mode (Realistic and challenging simulation for gamers and      "Deadliest Catch" fans)  
--  Missions (Gamers experience the hard core Bering Sea life, including participation in United States Coast Guard search and rescue missions and  ice flow navigation) 
--  Arcade Mini-Games (Allows casual gamers to enjoy fun challenges,  including crab boat races and skiff races)  
--  Five Authentic Crab Boats (including Northwestern and Cornelia Marie) 
--  Twenty Real Fishermen (including Edgar and Norman Hansen, Josh and Jake Harris)  
--  Six Authentic Captains (including Captains Sig Hansen, Phil Harris and Larry Hendricks)  
--  4,500 lines of recorded character dialogue  
--  United States Coast Guard Search and Rescues (First time in a video game)  
--  Captain the 370ft. USCG Cutter Mellon  
--  Throw-the-Hook Mini-Game  
--  Skiff Racing Mini-Game  
--  34,000 Miles Actual Coastline  
--  Four Real Bering Sea Harbors (Akutan, Dutch Harbor, King Cove and St. Paul)  
--  Interactive Virtual Tour Northwestern Crab Boat 
--  100 Exclusive Crew Videos  
--  Xbox Live multiplayer

Captain Sig Hansen personally announces the game he inspired with a video on Discovery.com at www.discovery.com/deadliestcatch. Every Tuesday until "Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm" launches, a new video featuring captains or crewmembers from the "Deadliest Catch" series discussing the game will be released at www.discovery.com/deadliestcatch.

"Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm" is being developed by Liquid Dragon Studios (www.liquiddragon.com). The exclusive crew videos were filmed on location on the Bering Sea by Hi-Five Films (www.hifivefilms.com). The game is published by Greenwave, a recently established video game publisher based in Seattle. The game will be available April 2008 for the Xbox(R: 58.07, -1.21, -2.04%) 360 video game system from Microsoft and for PC. The game is not yet rated. For more information about "Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm," visit www.alaskanstorm.com or www.greenwavegames.com.

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The frenzy surrounding the PSP games console has now reached dizzying heights. Everyone, whether young or not so young, have all received a great sense of enjoyment out of the device.

And as a result the Portable Sony Playstation (PSP), now has such a wide range of games made available for its format, that it should come as no surprise that there are many PSP game demos out there.

Basically, a game demo, is a small sample of the full games release. Usually game demos have only the first and/or second stages of the full game available for you to play; others give only limited playing options (you then have to purchase the full release to get all of the playing options).

Still, searching for a PSP demo game can be laborious, since there are so many options out there! So if you like the PSP, and you like console games, where can you start to look for some free PSP demo games?

Well, here is a three step guide to helping you find the PSP games that you want:

STEP ONE - Find Large Official Download Websites.

Despite there being a great many websites out there, all hosting game demos for download, there are only a couple of official ones that I would recommend.

First off, one good website that has a lot of PSP demos available is www.Download.com; they are a large site, and do not allow any illegal copies to be made available through their website.

The second, is a popular freeware website called www.free-windows-games.com that has an ever expanding catalogue of free for download computer game demos.

STEP TWO - Use The Search Engines.

You other option is to simply do a basic internet serach for demos. However, you should be cautious and wary of anything you download from a website. If they aren't a major or an official website company, you may simply be downloading a virus that can cause your PC problems.

STEP THREE - Buy a Magazine

Your final option is to look at gaming or computing magazine. Usually, large computer gaming companies issue their game samples to these magazines, in an attempt to reach their readership. So have a browse through the magazines rack, next time you visit your local store, and see whats on offer.

So as you can see, demo games are easily available, and can be a great way for you to try before you buy; allowing you to see if a game is fun enough for you to spend your cash on!

You know, nobody likes a cheater. But when it comes to discovering video game cheats, "cheating" isn't what you're doing. I prefer to think of it as "discovering shortcuts, tips and tricks," or video game hints.

Video games have gotten so complex, since the days of Pong and PacMan, that the game authors have purposely thrown in some back doors and other shortcuts to aid the weary player. The problem is, most of these back doors are so well hidden that these same authors have to leak the game cheats or no one would ever find them on their own.

And it's not only the blood and guts video games that offer cheats. Take the perfectly bloodless "Finding Nemo" for the GameBoy Advanced. Who'd ever guess that there were at least six video game cheat codes hidden there?

Don't make the mistake of thinking that it's just the handhelds either. If you play a video game online, like XBox Live, for example, there are a whole slew of video game hints available.

Of course, video game cheat codes and game hints are sort of useless if you don't own any video games. And that's where video game web sites come in...

Any web site worth visiting will not only have video game reviews and cheats for you to peruse, but they will also have game walkthroughs. Video game walkthroughs differ from cheats in that they actually "walk you through" the process of achieving some goal. Video game cheats, on the other hand, are often cryptic one or two liners like "Enter xx312 in the password field."

There are different types of video game reviews. Each have their good and bad points. Professional video game reviews are typically written by paid reviewers who work for video game magazines. These are generally well-written, in depth, and definitely worth reading. The other most common writer of video game reviews are the actual end users. While an end user will generally have spent a great deal more time actually playing the various video games on the most popular video game systems,you'll often find that they are men and women of little words. It's not unusual to see a review that says "Wow! Kick Bu** man. I love it!" Now, that's probably actually saying quite a bit about a particular video game, but -- your mileage may vary.

The key point to remember is that you don't want to invest in a video game until at least a couple of people have taken the time to write a review of the game. Of course, if everyone took this advice then there wouldn't be any video game review on any game web sites, because everyone would be waiting for someone else to write the review.

Right up there with video game reviews are video game previews. A video game preview is a lot like a movie trailer. They bundle all of the really exciting parts together and give you a fast and furious glimpse hoping that you'll believe that the entire video game is actually as cool as the 90 seconds of video game previews that they let you get a peek at.

The video game industry is at a crossroads. With more and more people clicking the play game online switch, and video game systems like XBox Live and all of the XBox video games out there, it is quite possible that the days of jamming your joystick alone in your room are slated to become "back in the day." As more and more video game systems opt for Internet connectivity, you're likely to find that you never have to play video games alone again.

About the author:

James Homan is owner of xbox-cheats.org. His passion for tech and gaming canbe seen at xbox-cheats.org/cheats.html.

In 1949, Ralph Beer got an idea to build a kind of game set into a television. It was eighteen years later that many actually worked on the idea to turn it into a reality. Willy Higinbotham designed a kind of tennis game which could be played on an oscilloscope. From then on many people started developing similar kind of video games. But what mattered more than just the people inventing it were the companies manufacturing these video games. The original companies who started mass scale production of these video games are Atari (an American company and one of the first), Sega (which became very successful in the field), Magnavox (a Phillips company) and Nintendo (one of the leading video games manufacturer). Soon a new era of video game technology started off with the invention of the Video game consoles. A video game console is a dedicated electronic device designed to play video games where the output is basically through a monitor of some kind like a television or computer screen. The main input device is a controller (like joysticks, paddles, light guns, steering wheels etc.). Video game consoles started of around 1972 onwards like that of Magnavox Odyssey, Coleco Telstar etc. soon getting upgraded to cartridge based 8-bit console systems like Atari 2600, Intellivision, Vectrex etc. which later developed into 16-bit systems like the Sega Nomad, Supervision, Phillips CD-I etc.

Then came the 32/64- bit consoles like the Wonderswan Color, Nintendo 64DD, Apple Pippin etc leading to the modern era of hand-held PDA technology based video game consoles developed by companies like Microsoft (the Microsoft Xbox -2001), Sega (Sega Dreamcast) and Sony (The Play station). Then is the present technology of modern portable video game consoles with in-built hard drives of which the most popular are the Microsoft Xbox-360 and the Sony Play stations.

The Sony Play station 2 (a predecessor to the Play station 3 set to be released in spring 2006) was first released on March 4th, 2000 in Japan. Soon it had become one of the most popular products becoming the most selling video game console of the present generation selling over 900,000 units in the first week itself. It successfully competed against the then Dreamcast technology though its ability to play DVDs. Though the Sony Play station 2 had inferior graphics as compared to the Microsoft Xbox- 360 but it has a wide collection of different kinds of games pertaining to various genres. In 2002 Sony launched the PS2 online adapter to compete with the upcoming online consoles developed by Microsoft. In September 2004, with the launch of the best selling game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Sony released a new smaller PS2 also later manufacture of better versions which were slimmer. The basic features of the Sony PS2 includes its ability to read both CDs and DVDs, its support of PS1 memory cards, USB and IEEE 1394 expansion also replacing its earlier version Dual shock controller with Dual Shock 2 controller with upgraded shoulder and D-pad buttons also upgrading software allowing faster playback and finer textures and better graphics for the Play station games. The Sony Play station 2 also has the feature of online gaming using the Network adaptor built into the SP2. The Sony PS2 also has released a Linux operating system version along with an Ethernet adaptor and also a free YaBasic interpreter on the bundled demo disk which allows simple programs to be created for the PS2 by the end-user. Also a port of NetBSD project is made available in the PS2. Also mp3 and Divx movies and homebrew programs running in consoles with a modchip installed can be viewed on the Sony Play station 2. Additional controllers, modem, DVD remote control, memory cards, antenna cables, component video accessories, headsets etc. are made available as additional hardware in the SP2.

The Microsoft Xbox 360 is Microsoft’s latest video game console released in November 2005. This piece of modern technology game console is all set to compete other such consoles such as the Dreamcast and the Sony Play stations including the Sony Play station 3 due to be released in spring 2006. The Xbox 360 has features which include a hard drive, online gaming support, headset, a wireless controller, Ethernet cable. Its hardware is based on an IBM power PC- based CPU and also a graphics processing unit equipped with 512 MB of RAM and also uses DVD-ROM support for game software. It comes at a modest $399.99. It has the ability to support up to four wireless controllers with USB support just like the Sony Play station 2 though it has wireless technology and green LEDs. This console comes with a detachable external hard disk drive allowing storage of games, movies, videos and just about everything. Additional hardware includes audio and video cables for extra support, a rechargeable battery pack, memory units, and universal media remote via IR etc. The DVD-ROM also supports other formats like the CD-ROMs, MP3 etc. The Xbox 360 has a 7.95 GB of storage available on the DVD though the upcoming consoles like the Sony Play station 3 will use about 25 to 50 GB Blu-Ray Discs. The Xbox 360 is totally portable just like the PS2 weighing a mere 3.5 kg. The X-Box 360 also comes with Media Center Extender capability and also opens up facilities of custom music plugged in with mp3 players; ipods etc. through USBs and has the additional feature of backward compatibility. While each console is struggling to keep up the competition with the others in the market, the Sony Play station and Microsoft Xbox 360 have emerged as the leading sellers in the video game consoles market. Comparing both the products is nearly impossible owing to their unique features compete each other in their own way. With Sony all set to release the Play station 3 in 2006 the question is as to who will rule the gaming market of the future?

While the Xbox 360 clearly has better graphics than the PS2, PS3 completely beats the Xbox when released with support of true 1080p displays though the Xbox HD media center extender clearly makes the Xbox 360 the master of digital media allowing external mp3 player connectivity for custom music while the PS3 has no feature as such. The Xbox is powered with a 3.2 GHz PowerPC with 3 dual-threaded processor cores while the PS3 has a 3.2 GHz Cell processor with 7 synergistic processor cores (not directly compared with the Xbox). While the clock speed of the Xbox is 500 MHz that of PS3 is 550 MHz. But the Xbox has video RAM of 512 MB RAM while PS3 comes with only 256 MB whereas the video memory bandwidth is almost the same. Then the Xbox comes with one 100 Mbps Ethernet port while the PS3 comes loaded with a 1 Gigabit Ethernet port. Cost wise the PS3 is aimed to hit the markets with a low price as compared to the Xbox 360 though it is expected that Microsoft would reduce their prices once PS3 is released to stay in the competition. So as far as graphics are concerned the Xbox comes loaded with ATI graphics core while the PS3 puts up a pretty decent competition with its NVIDIA graphics processor. Memory wise the Xbox beats the PS3 with its huge 512 MB of dedicated memory as compared to the PS3’s 256 MB of XDR memory. When it comes to the Networking part the Sony PS3 is all determined to maintain the top position with its built-in Ethernet adaptor which includes an 802.11 b/g wireless adaptor while the Xbox 360 includes only the adaptor while the wireless comes at an added extra price tag.

Overall it is nearly impossible to make a choice between these two fully loaded tech-gadgets of the Next Generation. Which of these will make it to the topmost position would only be decided since Sony released its Play station 3 in 2006.

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Personally, I have often watched the Video Game reviews on G4 DirectTV Channel and have thought that some of the games were over the top [sex, blood and guts] but then again that is why they sell so well. And we have an entire group of kids blasting their Gangster Rap Music too, so there are issues everywhere. Certainly I am not one to single out an industry. But I do concur that it would be much better to have folks.

All things in moderation really; having impressionable minds of human children play destructive, sexual and violent games can be problematic, but since the species is problematic in those regards it stands to reason that some violence impressions can help with the balance and reality of the world we live in too. One parent recently stated in an online think tank on the subject;

“What is worse is that it teaches and reinforces that it is FUN to kill, maim, and inflict pain.”

Myself, I have noticed that those who like to kill things do indeed get a rush out of the taking of life, even from smashing a bug on a sidewalk or in hunting. In sports we teach thru a positive reward system [trappings of victory] that it is fun to inflict pain. So, the virtual reality extension of such perhaps simply encompasses another group of people, kids who were not big enough, agile enough, early uses of dexterity or athletically inclined to play football, a chance or outlet for any pent up aggression, which they had no escape for previously. Now then is that bad or good? Or is it being taken too far as the video games make such acts okay in the VR World and an impressionable mind, which is straddling the two worlds might or will develop a mindset that such violence is okay?

Maybe we as parents should perhaps put a little more emphasis on the subject matter that we allow our kids to have in their video games. Video games can become addictive and problematic for teens and it is the parent’s responsibility to see that these things do not get out of hand. Please consider all this in 2008.

Nice sites to visit... Memory Game World and Brain Teasers.

If you are one of those video games aficionados currently addicted to shooter games or fighting playing games online, you are not alone. Games like “Fight Night 3” from Xbox 360 or perhaps the worldwide Xbox favorite “Halo 2”, that is still making history through the fun play of both national and International audiences through online multi-gaming experiences. Not only can you start having the excitement of playing it with your brother or friend back home, if you are in the states you can play with Canada, Pakistan, China, Australia, Brazil, Puerto Rico and many other places to shout “I beat you and I will beat you again”, “Wow you are really horrible, even my 10 years old brother can beat you with his eyes closed”, among many other adrenaline “Who is the boss” type of rush comments to a guy thousands of miles away from you.

Personally, one of the best games for Xbox 360 right now is “Fight Night 3”. That is if you are into the adrenaline mode and like to sweat when things are not going the way you like in one of those Roy Jones Jr vs. Oscar De La Hoya types of matches. In that video game you can choose from over twenty plus fighters and you get to re-live old time matches along with ESPN commentators, Madison Square Garden at your back and even pre-fight weight count rumbles. It does not get any better when you see our Oscar De La Hoya being beaten in a pre-fight weight certification area, and then you live when De La Hoya hammers and beat to the punch Joe Frazier and Ali. Not sure how that comes close in our reality world, however, I believe that is of interest to any boxing fan wishing to encounter and position themselves in matches where the differences are between 40-50 pounds between opponents. One of the most realistic developments through the game is when a fighter is delivered an uppercut upon being low on stamina and has a major cut in one of the eyes. You will hear the sound of the head currently having a 4th of July explosion while seeing all the ketchup spread all over the air in slow motion before the fighter gets KO to the floor. Some make call this game exciting and others see it just to violent even for grown ups.

Then there is Halo 2 still with a worldwide video games buzz. This game has been so successful that they are even in the final stages of finishing the production of the soon to be released “Halo 3”. If Xbox 360 console was hard to get even four month and even five months later after launch, I can’t imagine the best game ever to hit the Xbox market being re-released in a final version shortly. The beauty of this whole Xbox addiction remains through games like Halo and subsequent versions. Not only you get hooked one, two or three hours without having nothing to drink or eat, but time passes and immediately upon finishing or taking a break you think that you have only played 15 minutes.

Are games like these addictive or therapeutic? In my conclusion as a gaming fan and video games addict, it is both therapeutic and addictive at the same time. It is my believe that many of us mix positive therapy and addiction as equal words with the same definitions. In all, Xbox 360 games along with their many competitors will remain a force to a billion dollar market that should never stop growing. Games like Halo and Fight Night 3 are here to stay. Have fun while you have the fortune and time to enjoy them.

Video Games is one of the greatest items for buying at wholesale prices. Gaming fans are invited to enjoy Xbox 360 savings by getting a certified Wholesale Video Games List

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As GameStop will be releasing earnings in about two weeks, there is much questioning in terms of how earnings will perform with these new systems coming out in a relatively short time. While these factors will not be directly observed in this quarter’s report, there is a high chance that an increase in consumer consumption on products GameStop sells will rise dramatically over the next few months. Already selling out of pre-orders for these revolutionary gaming consoles, with the strong support of games available for these systems, along with a high price retailed, for at least the PS3, loyal gamers, whether they can truthfully afford the system or not, will not be hesitant to immediately purchase their respective console as soon as they can. What that means is that a company like GameStop will seem a tremendous boost in fundamentals because of large sales and purchases. Already looking at margin increases over the past year after Microsoft’s Xbox 360 released, GameStop has produced over a 70% increase in revenue which includes doubling its operating income. If such fundamentals grew at such high levels just based on one system release, imagine how both Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PS3 will be beneficial to this company.

While such may be a valid argument, other investors may say that since GameStop does not support the same P/E ratio that competitors such as Best Buy have and is trading at a record high, such may lead to an overvalued equity ready for a drop. Looking at this data, if no new video gaming consoles or gaming revolutions were to be instated during this time, I would completely agree with the notion of taking some profit off the board. However, because of the amazing hype for these consoles and tremendous opportunity for a growing gaming demographic, such an upgrade will only have positive effects on the share price. To provide proof for this statement, when looking at how GameStop shares were affected by the launch of the Xbox 360, GameStop’s share price rose almost 40% during that time period which includes Christmas numbers, sparking a tremendous rise. Now that we have two consoles to be released, targeting two different demographics, investors should see the share price rise even further, creating new record highs.

In addition to this, I would arguable say that GameStop is not only a buy in the short term but a buy in the long run as well. As video games continue to gain popularity over the television and movie industries, companies like GameStop will flourish to consecutive record highs for possibly decades. While such growth may not be a yearly 40% increase such as the one previously examined, with the continued growth of this gaming sector, and the inevitable release of new gaming systems, even with a cautiously high price, I would absolutely label GameStop as a strong buy.

Danny Baray presents advice on all kinds of topics ranging from finance and investing to fitness to sports. For more information email him at dsiray@gmail.com, or to view other articles written by him visit Sony PS3 World!

In the age of Internet, E-Games is an irresistible attraction amongst all age groups. The desire to play games has turned children to be more techno savvy these days. E-Games are flexible and intuitive, it's easy to use so you can spend your time creating games instead of programming them.

You can increase business effectiveness by easily adding more motivation and challenge to your learning programs. With the advent of E-Learning, even Training Games are transforming. Indeed, because Computer Games and Arcades are commonplace, instructional games may be the perfect candidate for e-learning events.

Trainers understand the value of a good game for engaging participants in the learning process, whether as pre-course materials, self-teaching tools, or content reviews. Most games draw on traditional game-show styles such as Jeopardy, or popular boardgames, including Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly. The question-and-answer format of those games proves ideal for self-assessment and memory building. When played in groups, games promote teambuilding and team spirit. More importantly, games alleviate learners' anxiety about being evaluated.

A sophisticated programmed E-Game usually includes the following features:

· Easy, intuitive authoring interfaces.
· An array of different game types.
· Detailed Help files, sample games, and demonstrations.
· Cross-platform playback using the Flash web player.
· No messy software downloads or installation requirements.
· Options to create games from your web browser.
· You can choose from several skins for your games, including a custom skin that allows you to modify the colors.
· Full customization for any of the game types.
· Your own online Arcade system that allows you to group your games into custom multi-player arcades and invite players to compete.

The average age of an E-Game Player is 29 years and ninety two percent of all games are purchased by adults over the age of 18. 39% E-Game players are women. Computer and video game software sales grew 8% in 2003 to $ 7 billion in the following years and are expected to hike more. However, when compared to the movie industry this segment is still a small player.

In fiscal 2004, ended June 30, E-Games' sales rose 11% to $8 million, and profit increased 9%, to $1.7 million, from a year earlier. It did have a loss of $184,000 in its 2005 fiscal first quarter, after sales were hurt when Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reduced shelf space it allocates to low-price PC games, E-Games says.

Some very sought after E-Games are as follows:

1. AirXonix: This is a 3-dimensional remake of the Xonix game. In the Xonix game you have to control a device, which is moving over the playing field whilst several monster-balls are wandering inside. The objective is to isolate the balls away from as much spare playing field as possible.

2. Buzzing Cars: Buzzing Cars is a totally crazy racing game where you'll not only need to be fast but also smart. You must carry out various missions such as drive robots around, chase flying saucers, electrocute aliens and of course race against the clock. You can buy seven different cars with various properties. In every crash, the cars begin to lose parts, until eventually after enough is lost they completely fall apart.

3. Cross & Word Games: A compilation of three simple puzzle games previously released by E-Games in their early RomTech days. Crossword Mania is a set of 110 crossword puzzles and Word Search Mania has 222 word searches. Both of these pencil and paper to keyboard and monitor translations also have basic design tools for constructing your own puzzles. Word Connect Special Edition is a one board demo of a Scrabble clone where players try to form interlocking words on a board with lettered tiles.

4. Mahjongg Master: Enjoy the classic Chinese game of strategy with this full-featured version! You'll find 18 original tile sets -- everything from classic MahJongg tiles to all new designs! You can also choose from among 70 beautiful backgrounds including scenics, animals, textures, and much more. Plus great music, too! MahJongg Master is one of E-Games best-selling titles. There are millions of players around the world.

5. Marble Blast: In this arcade action game from independent publisher Garage Games, players take the control of marbles. The objective of the game is to race the marble through the 72 levels each containing moving platforms, dangerous hazards, sparkling treasures and power up enhancements, and complete it in record time.

6. Miniverse Minigolf: Two 9 hole mini golf courses for 1-4 players. One course is set on "Earth" and features putting through locations such as a construction site, a war zone, and a casino. The other course is set in space and includes a variety of science fiction obstacles like tele-porters and laser shields. Players can choose to control their putter by pushing or pulling the mouse and can select one of several different colors for their golf ball.

7. Pinball: E-Games' Pinball is a 3D pinball simulation with three tables. 3D acceleration is used for all sorts of realistic effects like table glass, light halos, shadows, reflections of the ball on the table, and more. Standard pinball game play applies; knock down targets to light up bonuses, which can be further increased by multipliers.

8. Word Search Mania: A computerized version of the standard pencil and paper word search. Word Search Mania is a collection of 222 assorted puzzles with a variety of strange topics in varying degrees of difficulty. It also contains a tool for building puzzles from your own lists of words.

This article is written by Andrew Slaterly for Game Cheat Zone which is a free online greetings card site containing free ecards for various occasions, events and emotions. The article is free and can be used by any webmaster on their website, provided they will keep the link intact with the article.