Posted by sirhaden on 04 24th, 2012

The family of a budding computer programmer have on Saturday launched a campaign to raise awareness about the health risks of playing online computer games after their son died following a marathon session on his Xbox. A post-mortem revealed that 20-year-old Chris Staniforth — who was offered a place to study Game Design at Leicester University — was killed by a pulmonary embolism, which can occur if someone sits in the same position for several hours. Deep vein thrombosis normally affects passengers on long-haul flights, but medical experts fear youngsters who spend hours glued to their consoles might also be at risk and have urged them to take regular breaks. Professor Brian Colvin — an expert on blood-related conditions — said it was “unhealthy” for youngsters to spend long periods in front of their consoles. “There’s anxiety about obesity and children not doing anything other than looking at computer screens,” he told The Sun. David Staniforth has now launched a campaign to warn other parents of the dangers. “Games are fun and once you’ve started playing it’s hard to stop. “Kids all over the country are playing these games for long periods – they don’t realise it could kill them,” he told The Sun. A coroner’s court in Sheffield was told how the youngster — who had no underlying medical conditions — was complaining of a low heart rate before collapsing outside a Jobcentre. Staniforth’s distraught father said his son would spend up to 12 hours playing on his Xbox. “He got sucked in playing Halo online against people from all over the world.” Online computer games are extremely popular as thousands interact in shared science fiction worlds. Reports of gamers collapsing after spending 15 hours in front of video games are fairly common throughout Asia. In 2005, a South Korean gamer died after playing online games for three days without taking a break. Microsoft — which manufactures the Xbox — said it “recommend gamers take breaks to exercise as well as make time for other...

WASHINGTON – States cannot ban the sale or rental of ultraviolent video games to children, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, rejecting such limits as a violation of young people’s First Amendment rights and leaving it up to parents and the multibillion-dollar gaming industry to decide what kids can buy. The high court, on a 7-2 vote, threw out California’s 2005 law covering games sold or rented to those under 18, calling it an unconstitutional violation of free-speech rights. Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia, said, “Even where the protection of children is the object, the constitutional limits on governmental action apply.” Scalia, who pointed out the violence in a number of children’s fairy tales, said that while states have legitimate power to protect children from harm, “that does not include a free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed.” Justices Stephen Breyer and Clarence Thomas dissented from the decision, with Breyer saying it makes no sense to legally block children’s access to pornography yet allow them to buy or rent brutally violent video games. “What sense does it make to forbid selling to a 13-year-old boy a magazine with an image of a nude woman, while protecting the sale to that 13-year-old of an interactive video game in which he actively, but virtually, binds and gags the woman, then tortures and kills her?” Breyer said. Video games, said Scalia’s majority opinion, fall into the same category as books, plays and movies as entertainment that “communicates ideas — and even social messages” deserving of First Amendment free-speech protection. And non-obscene speech “cannot be suppressed solely to protect the young from ideas or images that a legislative body thinks unsuitable for them,” he said. This decision follows the court’s recent movement on First Amendment cases, with the justices throwing out attempts to ban animal cruelty videos, protests at military funerals and political speech by businesses. The court will test those limits again next session when it takes up a new case involving government’s effort to protect children from what they might see and hear. The justices agreed to review appeals court rulings that threw out Federal Communications Commission rules against the isolated use of expletives as well as fines against broadcasters who showed a woman’s nude buttocks on a 2003 episode...

You may have played games that let you experience what it’s like to step into the octagon – here’s your chance to experience what it takes to get there! Train like an MMA champion with this interactive fitness challenge that whips you into shape using UFC expertise and the power of Kinect. Perform over 70 of the same exercises used by UFC fighters as you improve your total body strength and conditioning. Target specific muscle groups in 51 exercise routines. Further your fitness objectives by crafting your own workouts and adjusting the intensity to suit your own personal...

Dynasty Warriors takes a giant leap forward with this saga set during a pivotal point in history, the fall of the Han Dynasty. Follow the story of three rebellious states that overthrew the Chinese Emperor in a conflict that sparked gigantic battles, just the kind Dynasty Warriors is known for. Fight massive enemy armies in play that now seamlessly blends action with cut scenes. A new Weapon System lets you  switch between equipped weapons at any time, triggering a Switch Attack in the process. Experience steadfast alliances and bitter rivalries as the perspective shifts between four main characters. Based on the epic novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the genre-defining Dynasty Warriors series depicts the massive battles ignited by the fall of the Han Dynasty when three rebellious states moved to overthrow the Emperor of China. Incredible might and power of warriors is born again in this seventh chapter of the dynasties with Shu, Wei, Wu and the new Kingdom of Jin, the state that superseded the Three Kingdoms period. Dynasty Warriors 7 embraces new technology with full stereoscopic...

To save his life, the fundamental choice of whether or not to become augmented with cybernetics has been removed from Adam Jensen’s life. Driven by the conviction of never having a choice taken from him again and using his newfound power, his need for answers will unravel the truth behind a conspiracy rooted in the foundation of the world around him as it incites a new revolution. Deus Ex: Human Revolution follows up on the critically acclaimed Deus EX and Deus Ex: Invisible War as the the third game in the strategic sci-fi action series. When a black ops team breaks in and kills the scientists Adam were hired to protect as a guard of one of America’s most experimental biotechnology firms, everything you thought you knew about your job changes. At a time when scientific advancements are routinely turning athletes, soldiers and spies into super-enhanced beings, someone is working very hard to ensure mankind’s evolution follows a particular path. You need to discover why — because the decisions you take and the choices you make will be the only things that can determine mankind’s...

When a Mexican drug cartel bombs a U.S. law enforcement agency, the U.S. government puts together a special task force to bring them down. Play as Ben McCall, a brutal LAPD cop and descendent of Ray McCall, or Eddie Guerra, a DEA agent with a chronic-gambling habit, or gang-affiliated street kid turned FBI agent, Kim Evans. Each character has their own unique story. As you fight to dismantle the Cartel and unfurl the mystery of the bombing, you’ll embark on an epic, bloody road trip from the streets of Los Angeles to Ciudad Juarez. Experience the lawlessness of today’s Wild West as you hunt down the Cartel in a world where the ends justify the means. Part of the hit action franchise, Call of Juarez: The Cartel is set in present day and brings the best elements of the Wild West to a new and modern setting. As a first person shooter with an immersive and mature story, players can expect to embark on a journey like no other — one that will take them from the heart of modern day Los Angeles, California to Juarez,...

E3 2011 Gameplay Demo

Tajikistan, 2013. Between Afghanistan and China, the world’s next flashpoint is about to erupt. The valleys, towns and mountains of Tajikistan will become bloody frontlines for the might of the People’s Liberation Army, insurgent guerrilla fighters and the United States Marine Corps. You and your fireteam can make a difference. How much is up to you. It’s not the soldier with the most expensive gun or the biggest heart who wins on the battlefield. It’s the smartest. Semper fi,...