NarcoGuerra and Endgame:Syria on Auroch Digital’s Twitch channel – GameTheNews Special

Every Friday at 16:30 (UK time), Auroch Digital hosts an hour long stream, playing a variety of games from its archives.

 

 

A recent episode was a GameTheNews special, with Community Manager Jake Connor being joined by Tomas Rawlings to talk NarcoGuerra and Endgame:Syria, while touching on the genesis of GTN and chatting about all things “news game”. You can see the recorded stream in its entirety below;

For more videos from Game The News and Auroch Digital, Subscribe on YouTube and Follow on Twitch.

source Game The News http://ift.tt/2dtF8Sj

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Have you Gamed the News?

At GameTheNews, we are always on the lookout for projects that parallel, educate or comment on real-world events such politics, conflict, medicine, etc., and the effects of these topics on the people involved. We see newsgames as an important medium in news reporting, as a concept to raise awareness about difficult subjects, as well as in gaming, with the hope that more people will be inspired to create experiences that last.

The very nature of newsgames allows users to study and explore very serious subject matters in a way that has never really been possible before, and from a developer’s point-of-view, to provide a fresh and unique perspective on current events that traditional media simply cannot. When you can put yourself in the shoes of somebody affected by these events, when you have control over your actions and your choices matter, the  reality and severity of the situation is far more tangible, and will leave a far longer-lasting impression on the player.

If you have worked on a game based around current or real-world situations and news stories then please, get in touch! We’d like to hear about your experience of developing the game, your inspirations, how it affected you, whether it changed your opinions on the topic and ultimately, whether it was successful in its mission.

Have you come across a game or ‘playable experience’ that stayed with you and inspired thought or debate?  You can reach us on gtn@aurochdigital.com, @gamethenewsnet or on Facebook to recommend them.

Thanks.

source Game The News http://ift.tt/2cIomvU

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Donald Trump in ‘Supreme Ruler’ DLC

Supreme Ruler, developed by BattleGoat studios, has recently been updated with new DLC, called Trump Rising… and it’s as scary as it sounds. In this version, you play as President Donald Trump after winning the American Election. The goal is to “Make America Great Again” by building walls, deporting immigrants and bombing ISIS. There is also the possibility to send the world’s super powers spiralling into a new World War, naturally.

BattleGoat studios did predict the Canadian Election winner correctly with Justin Trudeau, so who’s to say they’ll be wrong this time? If they are right, the consequences may be significantly more catastrophic.

Check out the Steam Page for more information.

 

Written by Larry Miller

source Game The News http://ift.tt/2d5tto1

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Using VR and brain training to help paraplegics walk

At Duke University there has been a study using VR and non-invasive brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). They have been using this technology to revolutionise the lives of people with chronic physical injuries such as paraplegia.

 

Credit: AASDAP/ Lente Viva Filmes

They studied 8 people, 7 of whom were quadriplegics, by attaching them to a brain-controlled exoskeleton while they were placed in a virtual environment. The results of this experiment showed that they were beginning to feel sensations from the parts of their body that didn’t function, such as cold, warmth and pain. As a result the patients’ condition was changed from full paralysis to partial and they began to have greater control of their bladder functions.

In summary; this shows a medical application for the gaming industry instead of just an entertainment-based one.

Full article on Wired.com

 

Written by Larry Miller

source Game The News http://ift.tt/2clvEVh

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Playing at Science – Tomas Rawlings

Earlier this month, we looked at the winning game for the Longitude Prize’s search for a game to raise awareness of antibiotic resistance. As a lead up to this, at the beginning of the year, our very own Dr Tomas Rawlings wrote an article for them on the subject of how video games and science can work together.

As Tom is the Design and Production Director of Auroch Digital, and the creator of its initiative GameTheNews, he is often asked to talk or write about his experiences with gaming being used to tackle news topics and how successful this can be.

(Image from http://fold.it/portal/)

In the article, Tom references the case where gamers, through playing the game Fold-It, deciphered the structure of the Mason-Pfizer Monkey virus. This was a problem that had been left unsolved for over 15 years, showing not only that games can be a successful way to increase awareness of a difficult topic, but also by using games to approach a problem from a different angle and different set of eyes, we can begin to solve problems that conventional methods have yet to crack.

Click here to read the full article.

source Game The News http://ift.tt/2akqh6f

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Educational Apps and E-learning – When is it too Much?

There is lots of talk about the benefits of using gaming as a very effective platform for encouraging audiences, particularly young audiences, to engage with serious topics. As this has become more and more popular, the use of games and apps for education is at an all time high. However, we still don’t really know how much is too much for little people to be spending in front of a screen, or what damage that can do.

A recent article on mosaicscience.com discusses this at great length, with the main point being that the growth of tablets, apps for children and technology for under-3s has been so fast, research hasn’t had a hope in keeping up.

There are some suggestions that for children under the age of 3, too much screen time can lead to issues such as ADHD as they become used to fast, vibrant images which don’t reflect real life. Whilst the article touches on problems such as the addictiveness of rapidly triggering the reward pathway in their brains, it seems that the biggest concern amongst professionals is the lack of interaction with other people that children who are exposed to too much screen time will get.

To read the full article click here.

source Game The News http://ift.tt/29SK1Q7

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Superbugs – Can You Defend Humanity Against the Resistance?

The resistance to antibiotics is a big problem, a problem that the Longitude Prize feels is so big that in 2014 they launched a challenge, calling all innovators from around the world, to help them tackle it before 2019. The multi-million pound challenge brings the focus to creating a diagnostic test which reduce the prescription of antibiotics when they are not needed, and therefore slowing down the rate of resistance.

Part of this challenge was a task to create a game which would engage young people and raise their awareness of the issue. In response to this task, games studio, Preloaded, created the award winning game, Superbugs. A game in which the player must fend off the drug resistant bacteria in a colourful petri dish setting.

Experts estimate that by 2050, these drug resistant superbugs could kill up to 10 million people per year. So it is vital that awareness is raised and gaming is becoming an increasingly popular way to engage, particularly young audiences, in serious topics.

 

source Game The News http://ift.tt/29OE6dw

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