BYU Video Game Study

A study recently released by BYU links video game to marijuana use and low self-esteem. (Check out the Deseret News article here). The study polled 813 single college students from around the nation. Students that played video games daily were two times more likely to smoke weed than those that only played video games occasionally and three times more likely to smoke weed than those that played no video games. Girls that regularly played video games also had lower self-esteem.


Although this link is evident from the study, it does not demonstrate whether video games cause these behaviors or whether playing video games is merely an outward expression of people that already have these characteristics. Since this article has been published there has been a large outcry from the gaming community. So much that the writers of the study have released a statement reiterating this. “The study absolutely does not find that videogames cause this behavior. We’ve repeatedly tried to emphasize that in the study itself. It was all correlation.”


Even if they claim not to have found any causation, the pictures they posted along with the article seem to suggest that video games are bad. Look how depressing and life ruining video games are. (Though they match our blog's theme very nicely.)

Professor Layton 2?!

The game I am most anxiousely awaiting to be announced is Professor Layton and the Devil's [Demon's][Pandora's] Box, the sequel to Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Devil's Box was released in Japan on November 29, 2007 and has already sold over 860,000 copies. However, no release date has been announced for America.

Last week on IGN's Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, they speculated that this game would not be localized because of the high cost of translating the text and replacing puzzles that are specific to Japan. They stated that it would cost as much to localize the game as many games cost to make. They further cited the fact that Curious Village has only sold around 350,000 copies in America. This figure, they stated, would likely not justify the localization of the game.

However, they ignored the fact that the game has already sold over 620,000 in Europe and Australia (even though the game was released in November of 2008, nine months of the American release). Europe is sold out of the game, and this game may reach 1 million in sales in Europe alone. Thus, bringing the combined sales of America and the other regions above that of the Japanese release. This fact gives me great hope that we will see a release in America.
Recently in the Official Nintendo Magazine (a European magazine) the cover announced that it contained a preview of Devil's box.

This is pretty good evidence to me that the game is in the works. I assumed that the localization is not much different for the U.S. than it is for the U.K. versions. As such, I think this game will reach our shores before the end of 2009. This game was also on a number of year end lists as the hand-held game of the year. I think Nintendo would be foolish not to localize this game.

iPokedex

I was recently playing Pokemon Colloseum in my quest to catch Ho-Oh. As I was playing I was wishing there was a Pokedex for the iPhone. Nintendo will likely never release a Pokedex for the iPhone since the iPhone is considered by many to be a competitor with the Nintendo DS (I haven't found any iPhone aps that rival a DS game; however, I think the upcoming DSi downloadable software will face difficulties when compared to the iPhone aps). Today I did a little research and came across a website Pokedex that is designed to work specifically with the iPhone's Safari browser. Just point your browser to room34.com/pokemon/ to check it out. Although it lacks some features (I would love to see it also list the type effectiveness of each Pokemon) it can serve as a basic Pokedex on the go.

Nintendo Voice Chat

Recently Nintendo finally provided a voice chat solution for the Wii. Some DS games (Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, Pokemon Pearl, Metroid Prime Hunters etc.) had already allowed for the use of voice chat. However, it took Nintendo almost two full years to bring voice chat to the Wii. Like the Wii itself, Nintendo has taken an unconventional approach to voice chat. Instead of using a headset like the xBox or PS3 Nintendo uses a microphone that sits on top of the TV and the audio is put through the TV speakers.


This design serves two primary functions for Nintendo. First, it promotes a more inclusive game play atmosphere. Everyone in a room can participate in the conversation. Second, it also allows parents to monitor their children's conversations.



At first I was concerned that there would be significant echoing as the mic pics up the gameplay audio rather than my voice. However, the speakers filter does a very good job and there is little to no echoing. Currently only Animal Crossing: City Folk supports use of the microphone. Nintendo has also provided a Wii Speak Channel, essentially a voice chat room, where friends can talk.


Hopefully more games will begin to use this feature. The Conduit has already announced that it will be compatible with Wii Speak. I just wish Wii Speak could have been provided earlier in the Wii's life so it could have been used for games such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl or Mario Kart Wii. I then wouldn't have to use Skype to rub in my wins.

Last School Vacation

I recently completed by last school Christmas vacation. During the vacation I wasn't able to do any blogging because (a) I used my iPhone instead of my computer to check websites and (b) I spent all of my time playing video games instead of reading and writing about them. The week before classes started I played the Wii for an average of over 3 1/2 hours each day. I played by DS even more since I was trying to finish Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia so I could download some exclusive Pokemon.

I am so sick of school, but I am going to miss the extended vacations where I have no worries or responsibilities. As school starts I will be spending more time on my laptop for school (and also blogging more so I can avoid doing school work).