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Videogames are changing lives
Today it is difficult to meet someone who at least once in his life played computer games. Many of them devote enormous amounts of time, but even if you do not play so often, the game may well greatly affect your life, so do not treat them too lightly. Here are a few cases where the toys have caused significant changes in the life of a human or a computer company.
1. Video games can improve surgical skills
Recently, employees of the University Hospital Beth Israel (New York) was able to collect interesting statistics: it was found that surgeons who are fond of computer games, an average of more successfully carried out the operation.
In a series of tests that simulate movement during surgery, including 33 surgeons participating gamers made 37% fewer errors and performed all on 27% faster, with games is even greater impact on the skills, education and experience than.
The study confirmed that the chief of minimally invasive surgery at Beth Israel Hospital, James Rosser had long suspected. Rosser - an avid gamer, and he once said that colleagues who do not share his enthusiasm, can not boast of equally sharpened hand movements during operations. Now James has a good reason to install on your work computer several "shooters", because the surgeon must always stay in shape.
2. Cyber wedding
Many men love video games, but not all are willing to marry a cyber character - is registered only one case: Japanese, hiding under the pseudonym SAL9000, in November of 2009 to legalize their relationship with Nene Anegasaki, one of the three main characters of the game " Love Plus »for the portable consoles Nintendo DS.
"Lovers" made a wedding ceremony, and then went on their honeymoon, with SAL9000 even provide online coverage of their joint holiday.
The game «Love Plus» is a sort of «The Sims», only the game does not end with a declaration of love - is followed by a transition from courtship to intimate meetings, virtual mates can even "touch" with a touch screen and stylus, and optionally to confess his love to her through a microphone.
3. Use the strategies you can learn to control the city, or the whole state
In 1984, Will Wright, a 24-year-old game designer, created his first game «Raid on Bungeling Bay», in which it was necessary to control the helicopter, destroying the enemy and dodging return fire, and with each level the enemies become stronger, The plant produces more powerful missiles, aircraft and ships.
Wright then decided to experiment with the concept, with the result that the game saw the light «Micropolis», in which it was necessary to "from scratch" to build the city - homes, factories, shops, roads and infrastructure. If, for example, the population grew too fast on the roads there were "traffic jams", and when increased levels of unemployment, falling living standards of citizens, and they could not even raise a rebellion.
Will the project attracted a couple of fellow designers who are inspired by this idea, and in 1989, a game (considerably modified) entered the market under another name - «SimCity». The success was resounding: in the first year of the toy sold in great quantities, and later created several add-ons and extensions. Will Wright instantly became recognized as the guru of game design, and almost ten years later, in 2000, there was another of his creations - «The Sims», which has become one of the iconic computer games.
4. Key combination opens up new possibilities
Experienced gamers know some shortcuts that you can "trick" the game, taking advantage of extraordinary powers.
In 1985, a Japanese programmer Katsuhisa Hashimoto, adapting the game «Gradius» Corporation «Konami» Platform Nintendo Entertainment System, in order to facilitate the testing introduced in the game code changes allowing from the beginning to get at the disposal of the player a full range of weapons by pressing the buttons joystick in a certain sequence. Later this trick is called "code of Konami».
Perhaps programmer spill the beans about the sequence of someone from friends, but when Hashimoto used a similar trick with the development of the game «Contra», many publications devoted to video games, blossomed notes a trick by which a player can get their hands on 30 virtual "lives" instead of three.
"Code Konami» is still used in dozens of games, so that when the case you can try to use it.
5. Games can make you rich
RPG online toy appeared in the late 1990s - millions of inhabitants of virtual worlds now able to fight with each other to hunt monsters and search for various artifacts.
Gradually, fans of multiplayer games figured out that the hobby can bring them a good income - the players began to sell each other virtual valuables (such as weapons and equipment) for real money via auction eBay. According to one analyst in the industry today employs about 400 thousand people, 85% of them - the Chinese. Chinese gamers and spend 10-hour shifts, almost without being distracted from the process of the game to find as many artifacts and earn virtual experience.
This system does not like large corporations, developers of video games, but they have to put up with it, because these "professionals" is still conducive to attracting a plurality of amateur players, because the game goes briskly, the faster evolving characters.
In some Asian countries, this practice has taken such alarming proportions that, for example, the Chinese and Japanese governments were forced to enact laws relating to virtual currencies, due to the growing number of hacker attacks on such virtual communities and the increasing incidence of fraud.
6. Virtual aliens almost caused the company's bankruptcy
In 1980 the company «Atari» was one of the leaders in the development of video games: in 1982, the industry giant earned about $ 2 billion, with much of the revenue it brought sales of the game «Space Invaders» for the console Atari 2600. But the next year the situation I changed the company announced a loss of $ 500 million, which was the beginning of a two-year decline in sales, which nearly caused the collapse.
Mainly this is because the owner of the «Atari» Corporation «Warner» for $ 20 million bought from «Universal Pictures» the rights to develop games based on the movie "Alien", released in 1982. After signing «Atari» for the development of the game took only six weeks, so the game has entered the market, "crude", with a boring story and a lot of flaws, even the virtual aliens consumers seemed inconclusive.
In addition, a huge number of unlicensed vehicles, which contained several games at once, resulting in retailers were forced to reduce prices, which hit the pockets of the gaming industry giants. When «Nintendo» released their NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), the main difficulty was to convince parents that their children will get only one game, but not a lot of different toys, which will take all of their free time.
7. The games can ruin your life
When a person gets pleasure from the "shooters" and role-playing online games, that's fine, but if the "virtual reality" becomes more important than the outside world, his problems begin.
In 2005, the South Korean Lee Seung Seop died of a heart attack after 50 hours of almost continuous play in «StarCraft» in one of the internet cafes. Unfortunately, the number of similar cases around the world is growing, and according to statistics, in different countries from 3 to 30% of gamers are suffering from gambling addiction.
Psychologists believe compulsive gambling something like alcoholism or drug addiction - people immersed in the virtual space, spending more and more time at the screen, and the rest of his life at this time is collapsing.
In South Korea and China, there are special clinics for gamers, and in addition, the Chinese government has funded the development of a computer program that allows PC users not to be in the game for more than three hours. If this does not help, relatives can put a man on the course of treatment, which may include counseling, medical procedures, and even shock therapy.
8. Bread and circuses!
After the NES company «Nintendo» decided not to repeat the mistakes of one of its main competitors - «Atari», which had a lot of excuses before the world community for the release of the game «Custer's Revenge» («Revenge Custer") in which one of the missions of General Custer, US military commander who fought with the Indians, had sex with an Indian, while the general was shown naked. This story has caused outrage among advocates for Native American and feminist-minded public figures.
«Nintendo» became a policy of pre-sensitize the public with the story of all the games that are coming out on the market of the United States. Especially for Americans from games developers cut some explicit and violent scenes.
Everything changed in 1993, with the advent of «Mortal Kombat», in which the two players took place merciless and bloody fights, and when public pressure «Nintendo» was forced to replace the virtual splashes of blood on the sweat and remove death, sales plummeted. Meanwhile «Sega» released a version of the game, in which players have returned all the things for which they loved the old «Mortal Kombat», and it has become much more successful than the product «Nintendo».
Since 1995, the game developers are collaborating with the company «Sony» - that's when there were powerful console PlayStation, which made it possible to raise the possibility of "fighting game" to a new level.
9. Game Console help restore order in your room
In 2005, the company «Nintendo» presented one of the revolutionary development - the console Wii. Instead of pressing the players offered to manage a special Wii-joystick, which is a remote control with a built-in accelerometer that determines the speed of the console and Bluetooth-transmitter sends a signal to the console - all together, this allows, for example, realistically manage a virtual tennis racket.
By the way, "craftsmen" adapted the Wii-remote control for a variety of different electronic devices that turned him into a real "magic wand" - it can be DJing or, for example, a vacuum cleaner to manage «Roomba».
In 2004, the company «Rockstar Games» released the fifth of a series of games «Grand Theft Auto», in which the player is the same as in previous versions, can steal cars and hold shootouts and brawls, except that the creators have added a game room for flirting and visits.
Shortly after the start of sales of 36-year-old hacker Patrick Vildenborg found in the code of the game some interesting moments, by changing who you could see explicit sex scenes between the protagonist and his girlfriend.
Patrick played his version of the code on the Internet, calling it "hot coffee". Age limit for the game immediately tightened, and many shops have removed «GTA» from the shelves.
In 2009, the year the company filed a lawsuit in connection with the fact that deception of consumers, and to settle the case, «Rockstar Games» had to shell out $ 20, 1 million.
1. Video games can improve surgical skills
Recently, employees of the University Hospital Beth Israel (New York) was able to collect interesting statistics: it was found that surgeons who are fond of computer games, an average of more successfully carried out the operation.
In a series of tests that simulate movement during surgery, including 33 surgeons participating gamers made 37% fewer errors and performed all on 27% faster, with games is even greater impact on the skills, education and experience than.
The study confirmed that the chief of minimally invasive surgery at Beth Israel Hospital, James Rosser had long suspected. Rosser - an avid gamer, and he once said that colleagues who do not share his enthusiasm, can not boast of equally sharpened hand movements during operations. Now James has a good reason to install on your work computer several "shooters", because the surgeon must always stay in shape.
2. Cyber wedding
Many men love video games, but not all are willing to marry a cyber character - is registered only one case: Japanese, hiding under the pseudonym SAL9000, in November of 2009 to legalize their relationship with Nene Anegasaki, one of the three main characters of the game " Love Plus »for the portable consoles Nintendo DS.
"Lovers" made a wedding ceremony, and then went on their honeymoon, with SAL9000 even provide online coverage of their joint holiday.
The game «Love Plus» is a sort of «The Sims», only the game does not end with a declaration of love - is followed by a transition from courtship to intimate meetings, virtual mates can even "touch" with a touch screen and stylus, and optionally to confess his love to her through a microphone.
3. Use the strategies you can learn to control the city, or the whole state
In 1984, Will Wright, a 24-year-old game designer, created his first game «Raid on Bungeling Bay», in which it was necessary to control the helicopter, destroying the enemy and dodging return fire, and with each level the enemies become stronger, The plant produces more powerful missiles, aircraft and ships.
Wright then decided to experiment with the concept, with the result that the game saw the light «Micropolis», in which it was necessary to "from scratch" to build the city - homes, factories, shops, roads and infrastructure. If, for example, the population grew too fast on the roads there were "traffic jams", and when increased levels of unemployment, falling living standards of citizens, and they could not even raise a rebellion.
Will the project attracted a couple of fellow designers who are inspired by this idea, and in 1989, a game (considerably modified) entered the market under another name - «SimCity». The success was resounding: in the first year of the toy sold in great quantities, and later created several add-ons and extensions. Will Wright instantly became recognized as the guru of game design, and almost ten years later, in 2000, there was another of his creations - «The Sims», which has become one of the iconic computer games.
4. Key combination opens up new possibilities
Experienced gamers know some shortcuts that you can "trick" the game, taking advantage of extraordinary powers.
In 1985, a Japanese programmer Katsuhisa Hashimoto, adapting the game «Gradius» Corporation «Konami» Platform Nintendo Entertainment System, in order to facilitate the testing introduced in the game code changes allowing from the beginning to get at the disposal of the player a full range of weapons by pressing the buttons joystick in a certain sequence. Later this trick is called "code of Konami».
Perhaps programmer spill the beans about the sequence of someone from friends, but when Hashimoto used a similar trick with the development of the game «Contra», many publications devoted to video games, blossomed notes a trick by which a player can get their hands on 30 virtual "lives" instead of three.
"Code Konami» is still used in dozens of games, so that when the case you can try to use it.
5. Games can make you rich
RPG online toy appeared in the late 1990s - millions of inhabitants of virtual worlds now able to fight with each other to hunt monsters and search for various artifacts.
Gradually, fans of multiplayer games figured out that the hobby can bring them a good income - the players began to sell each other virtual valuables (such as weapons and equipment) for real money via auction eBay. According to one analyst in the industry today employs about 400 thousand people, 85% of them - the Chinese. Chinese gamers and spend 10-hour shifts, almost without being distracted from the process of the game to find as many artifacts and earn virtual experience.
This system does not like large corporations, developers of video games, but they have to put up with it, because these "professionals" is still conducive to attracting a plurality of amateur players, because the game goes briskly, the faster evolving characters.
In some Asian countries, this practice has taken such alarming proportions that, for example, the Chinese and Japanese governments were forced to enact laws relating to virtual currencies, due to the growing number of hacker attacks on such virtual communities and the increasing incidence of fraud.
6. Virtual aliens almost caused the company's bankruptcy
In 1980 the company «Atari» was one of the leaders in the development of video games: in 1982, the industry giant earned about $ 2 billion, with much of the revenue it brought sales of the game «Space Invaders» for the console Atari 2600. But the next year the situation I changed the company announced a loss of $ 500 million, which was the beginning of a two-year decline in sales, which nearly caused the collapse.
Mainly this is because the owner of the «Atari» Corporation «Warner» for $ 20 million bought from «Universal Pictures» the rights to develop games based on the movie "Alien", released in 1982. After signing «Atari» for the development of the game took only six weeks, so the game has entered the market, "crude", with a boring story and a lot of flaws, even the virtual aliens consumers seemed inconclusive.
In addition, a huge number of unlicensed vehicles, which contained several games at once, resulting in retailers were forced to reduce prices, which hit the pockets of the gaming industry giants. When «Nintendo» released their NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), the main difficulty was to convince parents that their children will get only one game, but not a lot of different toys, which will take all of their free time.
7. The games can ruin your life
When a person gets pleasure from the "shooters" and role-playing online games, that's fine, but if the "virtual reality" becomes more important than the outside world, his problems begin.
In 2005, the South Korean Lee Seung Seop died of a heart attack after 50 hours of almost continuous play in «StarCraft» in one of the internet cafes. Unfortunately, the number of similar cases around the world is growing, and according to statistics, in different countries from 3 to 30% of gamers are suffering from gambling addiction.
Psychologists believe compulsive gambling something like alcoholism or drug addiction - people immersed in the virtual space, spending more and more time at the screen, and the rest of his life at this time is collapsing.
In South Korea and China, there are special clinics for gamers, and in addition, the Chinese government has funded the development of a computer program that allows PC users not to be in the game for more than three hours. If this does not help, relatives can put a man on the course of treatment, which may include counseling, medical procedures, and even shock therapy.
8. Bread and circuses!
After the NES company «Nintendo» decided not to repeat the mistakes of one of its main competitors - «Atari», which had a lot of excuses before the world community for the release of the game «Custer's Revenge» («Revenge Custer") in which one of the missions of General Custer, US military commander who fought with the Indians, had sex with an Indian, while the general was shown naked. This story has caused outrage among advocates for Native American and feminist-minded public figures.
«Nintendo» became a policy of pre-sensitize the public with the story of all the games that are coming out on the market of the United States. Especially for Americans from games developers cut some explicit and violent scenes.
Everything changed in 1993, with the advent of «Mortal Kombat», in which the two players took place merciless and bloody fights, and when public pressure «Nintendo» was forced to replace the virtual splashes of blood on the sweat and remove death, sales plummeted. Meanwhile «Sega» released a version of the game, in which players have returned all the things for which they loved the old «Mortal Kombat», and it has become much more successful than the product «Nintendo».
Since 1995, the game developers are collaborating with the company «Sony» - that's when there were powerful console PlayStation, which made it possible to raise the possibility of "fighting game" to a new level.
9. Game Console help restore order in your room
In 2005, the company «Nintendo» presented one of the revolutionary development - the console Wii. Instead of pressing the players offered to manage a special Wii-joystick, which is a remote control with a built-in accelerometer that determines the speed of the console and Bluetooth-transmitter sends a signal to the console - all together, this allows, for example, realistically manage a virtual tennis racket.
By the way, "craftsmen" adapted the Wii-remote control for a variety of different electronic devices that turned him into a real "magic wand" - it can be DJing or, for example, a vacuum cleaner to manage «Roomba».
In 2004, the company «Rockstar Games» released the fifth of a series of games «Grand Theft Auto», in which the player is the same as in previous versions, can steal cars and hold shootouts and brawls, except that the creators have added a game room for flirting and visits.
Shortly after the start of sales of 36-year-old hacker Patrick Vildenborg found in the code of the game some interesting moments, by changing who you could see explicit sex scenes between the protagonist and his girlfriend.
Patrick played his version of the code on the Internet, calling it "hot coffee". Age limit for the game immediately tightened, and many shops have removed «GTA» from the shelves.
In 2009, the year the company filed a lawsuit in connection with the fact that deception of consumers, and to settle the case, «Rockstar Games» had to shell out $ 20, 1 million.
