Friday, May 28, 2010

Gamers Worse Than Bikers; Gaming Like Cocaine Scum, by Greg Tingle - 28th May 2010

Gamblers, gamers, insiders, outsiders and everyone else...you are likely familiar with some of the "attack journalism" having been thrown around at the Australian, UK and American gambling industry. Now, a new wave of attack by another small but vocal part of the community, media and academics has hit the gaming industry... yep, video games and the like. Media Man and Gambling911 take the consul by the hand, throw on our 3D glasses, wire up the Wiki and Wii and plug into The Matrix with this special report...

Australia Down Under

History - circa 16th Feb 2010

Ex South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson tells news media and anyone that will listen "Gamers were scarier than bikers", and then psych Wayne Warburton... "Gaming was worse than smoking". Interesting, since a number of Australian teachers and parents have found that by incorporating video games in class has helped children learn some subject matter better! Folks, always be on the lookout for "junk science".

Scary Elders And Thought Police Go Global

The appropriately named "Pope" ... Steve Pope in Pommie Land UK tells us 2 hours of playing video games is equivalent to doing a line of cocaine. Pope, tell us, where do you get your coke and games from, so we can check it out? ... just kidding dear Pope.

"Spending two hours on a game station is equivalent to taking a line of cocaine in the high it produces". It is the fastest growing addiction in the country and this is affecting young people mentally, as well as leading to physical problems such as obesity".

Media Man and G911 are interested in seeing the proof in the bold Godly claims.

UK's Evening Post has digging for dirt er facts, regarding youth and gaming. Their message ala "stay on message" as in the political world...

A trend in young people in the county are seeking professional help after becoming hooked on the fantasy world of console games. Skipping meals, class and stealing from parents to feed the habit.

Kids stealing from parents is nothing new, and it goes back long before video games were invested. Unfortunately, stealing is part of the human make up. For the record, Gambling911 and Media Man do not steal, but we're just saying ok.

Two hours of playing good, entertaining games (not boring ones) can produce the same high as taking a line of cocaine! Well, that's what the apparent self appointed expert claims.

Figures are being quoted by the so called experts which we think don't deserve the space here, as the figures are not scientific ala (Japanese Whaling). G911 and Media Man will get back to covering the casino "whales" and "super whales" soon enough, for those of you scratching your head at this point.

Ok, a couple of quotes from "Jack", thanks to the UK rag...

"Playing on my games console was all I wanted to do and it was the first thing I thought of as soon as I woke up. I would play for hours on end without even realising. It was like it was a demon that had got inside my brain and I just couldn't’t stop. If my parents tried to stop me playing, I would just flip. I lost touch with my mates, started doing badly at school and became an angry and aggressive person that wasn’t the real me.".

Sounds like he might have been playing Grand Theft Auto, or maybe Resident Evil, Hellboy, The Terminator, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare or a combination whopper burger with the works.

Pope, a counsellor and therapist, advises he is seeing increasing numbers of youngsters suffering from game addiction. "

"A lot of young people get themselves into a situation where they use video games as an escape from the world and they get hooked on the release of adrenaline it gives.
Spending two hours on a game station is equivalent to taking a line of cocaine in the high it produces. It is the fastest growing addiction in the country and this is affecting young people mentally, as well as leading to physical problems such as obesity. It gives parents peace and quiet, but it becomes a concern when it is all the child wants to do. I saw one 14-year-old Preston boy who played on games for 24 hours non stop and had not eaten and was showing signs of dehydration. When his parents tried to take his console away, he became aggressive and threatened to jump out of a window. We have also dealt with children who have been skipping school and others who have been stealing from their parents to buy games. Computer game addiction can also spiral into violence as after playing violent games, they may turn their fantasy games into reality. But it is not just children who are suffering - a growing number of adults are addicted to the Internet and to sites like Facebook. I am working with one family where a 74-year-old grandmother is addicted to online poker, her daughter is addicted to eBay and has bought 270 pairs of shoes and her grand-daughter is addicted to Facebook. The poisoned chalice is being handed down through the generations".

Premiership footballers have also said to come under the apparent evil spell.

"Many footballers are playing on hand-held consoles and computer games before a game and this is resulting in a natural high which is causing a chemical imbalance which is leading to them not performing their best on the pitch. I am the psychotherapist for Fleetwood Town and they ban their players from using any form of console for at least 24 hours before a game.". Interesting timing with the FIFA World Cup (and associated video games coming up).

The UK Interactive Entertainment Association politely declined to comment on the matter re gaming addiction and whether they believed it was an issue they needed to tackle.

Media Man and G11 have also recently warned readers that iphones and "smart phones" can be more dangerous that gambling! A Media Man spokesperson said, "Gambling can be a problem for some people, but people can have all sorts of problems, gambling being just one of 100s or 1000s of potential problems to a person. When gaming or gambling we recommend you now what the data charges, download limits and the like are, so you don't go over quote. That, and also don't go over budget either. Know your limits, in both categories, know the odds, and have fun".

Gamers in the meantime look forward to learning more of the upcoming e3 Gaming Expo in Los Angeles come 15th to 17 June. Don't just play the game, be the game! (but know your limits). As Alex Jones says, "InfoWars, because there is a war on for your mind!"

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Media Man International also publish Global Gaming Directory

http://www.globalgamingdirectory.com

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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Google Games Pac-Man "Wasted" 4.8 Million Hours, by Greg Tingle - 26th May 2010

Gamers, gamblers, sports lovers, insiders, outsiders... whatever hat you choose to wear, a trend that is almost impossible to miss is that the world of gaming, igaming, gambling, media and entertainment is becoming one. Need more convincing? Look no further than the number of news reports that both Media Man and Gambling911 have worked on and shared. Gambling911 being more of a gambling - gaming - sports betting and news website portal and Media Man being more of a general news and entertainment website portal, with gaming, gambling and sports betting enjoying considerable prominence.

Following the early signs of Google's gaming aspirations, going under the tag 'Google Follows The Money Trail To Gambling', switch the time machine to today and Google has now 'released' (showcased) arcade classic PAC-MAN.

Insiders and the well informed will be aware that a number of months ago Google teamed up with game powerhouse Hasbro with the online game version of 'Monopoly City Streets' (not gambling... and not to be confused with 'Monopoly Here & Now' or 'Monopoly Multiplier' slot machines). IGT (International Game Technology), just off a legal win against Australia's Aristocrat Technologies, does the offline versions of the 'Monopoly' slots found in land based casinos for those interested.

New Google Online Pac-Man Game

Staff playing Google's animated online Pac-Man doodle game, marking the game’s 30th birthday, has caused about 120 million dollars in lost productivity, according to a range of analysts.

One of the analyists, not wanting to be identified, tipped that the launch of the Animated Google logo designed to mark Pac-Man's 30th birthday on Friday led to almost five million "wasted hours" and cost the economy around 120 million dollars!

Google is understood to have enjoyed 505 million unique users on the day the Pac-Man Google Doodle went live to web.

The online version of the classic PAC-MAN game consumed 4,819,352 hours of employee time, costing the economy an estimated $120,483,800 dollars.

Google user were over the moon to discover the animated Pac-Man on Google's home page last Friday. It was Google’s first crack at an interactive logo, and we doubt the last. In the know journos and tech entrepreneurs say to expect more Google gaming logos and games, with a decent possibility of Google Gambling happening, once more clarity is obtained from a range of countries in regard to internet gambling and gaming. Australia appears to have the biggest question mark over it from Google, with somewhat of a war of words between Google top brass and Australian Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy.

Internet users can play the game by clicking "Insert coin" (perhaps a sign of things to come or a version of gambling conditioning)?

Marissa Mayer, VP of user experience at Google, said the firm had been "overwhelmed, but not surprised" by the response given to the Pac-Man doodle.

"Due to popular demand, we're making it permanently available at www.google.com/pacman," she advised.

Media Man Pac-Man profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/pac_man.html

Media Man Google profile
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/google.html

Gambling911 and Media Man advise punters, hardcore and casual, that they do not currently have to insert a coin in their computer or web enabled "smart phone", nor do you have to send money to Google to enjoy the game. We hope that doesn't sound to Alien to you!

The Media Man website portal is one of millions of websites where punters can examine a showcase of online games, in either 'Play For Free' or 'Play For Money' format.

PartyGaming - PartyCasino.com remains a favorite for Australians and Canadians, and Virgin Games enjoys strong patronage in Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa.

Google and Google Pac-Man is available in almost every country expect China (Censorship Land Of Great Firewall), with whispers saying Pakistan may be next to loose The Big G - Google, following their lose of social websites Twitter and Facebook, facilitated by political and cultural "disrespect" type reasons, that we're still trying to get our head around. Not sure if its about how many Virgin's a man can have or what...

Richard Branson's Virgin Games - AWOMO (A World Of My Own) is set to have its hard launch at a U.S trade show next month and has global domination of the gaming market on their mind. It will be interesting to see if Virgin and Google become official partners or if they become total or partial competitors. It's in most entities interests to stay on the good side of Google, since their search engine remains so popular, and they also have their fingers in so many other pies including Google TV!... also understood to include a gaming component, which may be expanded to gambling, plugging into the ever growing sports betting sector.

As TV show icon Jerry Springer says, 'Can't We All Just Get Along. Be Nice To Each Other'!

*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911

*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company.

*The Media Man website network has Google as their default search box on their website portals

*Media Man has conducted b2b with a number of business arms of PartyGaming and Virgin Enterprises Limited

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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

SouthPeak Announces Hulk Hogan Returns to Video Games in TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line for Nintendo DS(TM)

TNA's Legendary Wrestler Hits the Ring in the New Handheld Game

MIDLOTHIAN, Va., May 14, 2010 - SouthPeak Interactive Corporation (SOPK 0.40, -0.06, -13.04%) today proudly announced that the Nintendo DS(TM) version of TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line will see the return to video games of the biggest name in professional wrestling, Hulk Hogan. That's right, brother, Hulkamania is back and exclusively on Nintendo DS!

Hulk Hogan is the most recognized personality in professional wrestling. Along with other titans of the ring including Sting, AJ Styles and Kurt Angle, he is on a mission to redefine wrestling in the ring and on your game system.

Based on the fastest-growing wrestling franchise, TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line brings all of the non-stop action and awe-inspiring moments of TNA to Nintendo DS. Players can pit themselves against a wide variety of fierce competitors, and experience an array of match styles including one on one, tag team, Ultimate X and the all new Full Metal Mayhem.

"We're thrilled to bring the greatest wrestler in the history of the sport back to video games," said Richard Iggo, SouthPeak's VP of Marketing. "The game was built ground-up for the Nintendo DS and takes advantage of its unique control system to offer an unrivalled experience on the platform. TNA is an organization that has repeatedly demonstrated a desire to offer their fans the ultimate experience in and out of the ring and we're delighted to be their partners in this endeavor."

TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line for Nintendo DS, developed by DoubleTap, will be available in June 2010 and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. Also available on PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system. Visit www.tnawrestling.com or www.southpeakgames.com for more details.

SouthPeak's extensive portfolio of over 60 interactive entertainment games spans a variety of platforms and genres including RPG, simulation, FPS, sports, strategy, puzzle and fighting.

About SouthPeak Interactive Corporation

SouthPeak Interactive Corporation develops and publishes interactive entertainment software for all current hardware platforms including: Xbox 360(R) videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system, PSP(R) (PlayStation(R) Portable) system, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), iPhone and Windows PC. SouthPeak's games cover all major genres including action/adventure, role-playing, strategy, racing, puzzle, sports and edutainment. SouthPeak's products are sold in retail outlets in North America, South and Central America, Europe, Australia and Asia. SouthPeak is headquartered in Midlothian, Virginia, and has offices in Grapevine, Texas and Leicester, England.

For additional information, please visit SouthPeak's corporate website: www.southpeakgames.com

If you would like to be added to SouthPeak's email list to receive news directly, please send your request to southpeak@tpg-ir.com.

About TNA

TNA Wrestling is the most innovative experience in professional wrestling today. Join Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Sting, "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts and the no-limits X-Division inside the ring on "TNA iMPACT!" every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SPIKE. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com

Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

SOURCE: SouthPeak Interactive Corporation

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