‏הצגת רשומות עם תוויות Video games. הצג את כל הרשומות
‏הצגת רשומות עם תוויות Video games. הצג את כל הרשומות

EMOTIV לשחק משחקי מחשב בכוח מחשבה


EMOTIV הצצה אל הדור הבא בממשק מוח מכונה כייף לשחק משחקי מחשב בכוח מחשבה

X-Box Project Natal and the Israeli Connection


Microsoft's new XBox Project Natal: A revolutionary new way to play video games with no controllers presented at E3 2009. Watch the cool video clip demo above.
Here you can you spot the Israeli high-tech connection !-)

Project Natal מיקרוסופט מפתחת אוואטר או עולמות וירטואליים לקונסולה Xbox Live?


Project Natal מיקרוסופט מפתחת אוואטר או עולמות וירטואליים לקונסולה Xbox Live? תשפטו בעצמכם

תמונות ממפגש הקיץ של די.ג.ר.ה ישראל | כשהמשחקים פוגשים במציאות



תמונות מכנס הקיץ של די.ג.ר.ה ישראל - המרכז הישראלי של הארגון הבינלאומי לחקר משחקי מחשב בנושא: "כשהמשחקים פוגשים במציאות" ב - H.I.T - מכון טכנולוגי חולון, 31 ליולי 2008

הזמנה למפגש קיץ די.ג.ר.ה ישראל | כשהמשחקים פוגשים במציאות

מפגש הקיץ של די.ג.ר. ה ישראל 2008 המרכז הישראלי של הארגון הבינלאומי לחקר משחקים דיגיטאליים "כשהמשחקים פוגשים במציאות" בשיתוף H.I.T - מכון טכנולוגי חולון, לרגל ההכרזה על פתיחת קורס פיתוח משחקי מחשב לדור ה Web3D במסגרת המכון בחודש אוקטובר ולרגל השקת ספר חדש בנושא: חקר האפקטיביות משחקים דיגיטליים שבו מופיע גם פרק שכתב ד"ר חנן גזית בנושא חקר אינטראקציות בעולמות וירטואליים ובמשחקי מחשב
 
.
אורח כבוד: מר אסי בורק מייסד שותף באימפקטגיימס, חלוצה עם מוניטין בינלאומי בתחום משחקי החדשות (או משחקי וידאו הקשורים לארועי מציאות). המוצר הראשון של החברה, פיסמייקר, הושק ב-2007. משחק הסימולציה של הסכסוך הישראלי-פלסטיני נמכר ביותר ממאה אלף עותקים בלמעלה משישים מדינות וסוקר בכלי תקשורת עולמיים כולל סי.אנ.אנ., פוקס, אלג'זירה, ניו יורק טיימס ורבים מהעיתונים והרשתות הישראליות. המוצר החדש של החברה "שחק את החדשות", הינו פלטפורמה אינטרנטית למשחקים מבוססי מציאות. מדי יום מפיצה החברה משחקונים סביב הכותרות הראשיות בעולם- פוליטיקה, בידור, טכנולוגיה ועסקים. קהילת המשתמשים מתבקשת לבחור תפקיד, לקבל החלטות ואפילו לחזות את התפתחות הסיפור במציאות. הפלטפורמה אוגרת את התחזיות והדעות והופכת את צריכת החדשות הפסיבית לאירוע אקטיבי ומעורב. המוצר כרגע בבטא, והחברה נמצאת בהסכם עם מספר חברות תקשורת אמריקאיות להשקה הקיץ.מה זה בדיוק אומר "לשחק את החדשות? " משחקי וידאו ומציאות – איך זה הולך ביחד? מה היתרונות של המדיום האינטראקטיבי בתחום? על שאלות אלו ואחרות יענה במהלך ההרצאה אסי בורק, אחד ממייסדי החברה. אסי שעובד בשגרה בניו יורק, נמצא בביקור מולדת ויציג את החזון של החברה, ידבר על תהליך היצירה והלקחים שנלמדו בהבאת המוצרים הייחודיים לשוק המסחרי.
לאחר הרצאתו יתקיים פאנל בנושא "כשהרשתות החברתיות, העולמות הוירטואליים ומשחקי מחשב מתמזגים"
בהשתתפות: אסי בורק, מר גיא בן דוב מנכ"ל Journeys , מר דביר רזניק מנהל פתרונות מדיה חברתית וכלי שיתוף, חטיבת התוכנה ביבמ, עו"ד יהונתן קלינגר.
מתי?
יום חמישי, ה- 31 ליולי 2008 בין 17:45-21:00
איפה? H.I.T - מכון טכנולוגי חולון מפת גישה: http://www.hit.ac.il/about/accessmap1.htm
כמה עולה? איפה נרשמים?
הכניסה לאירוע חינם, אך מספר המקומות מוגבל ונדרשת הרשמה מוקדמת:
להזמנה באנגלית
Game-ON!
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האירוע מתקיים בחסות:
המתמחה בייעוץ ומתן שירותים למשקיעים, חברות וארגונים המעוניינים בשילוב משחקי מחשב ועולמות וירטואליים למטרות עסקיות, הדרכה והכשרה.
AWV איגוד העולמות הוירטואליים העולמי המאגד את כל העוסקים והמתעניינים בחקר ויישום הפוטנציאל הטכנולוגי והעסקי של עולמות וירטואליים, משחקים, ורשתות חברתיות.

הכותב, ד"ר חנן גזית עומד בראש  MetaverSense הפועלת בעולמות וירטואליים ומשחקים דיגיטאליים ומתמחה בייעוץ, הדרכה ופיתוח פרויקטים לקהל לקוחותיה: משקיעים ויזמים, חברות, מוסדות וארגונים במגזר הפרטי והציבורי. ד"ר גזית הינו יועץ לאיגוד העולמות הוירטואליים העולמי AVW ומייסד די.ג.ר.ה ישראל- המרכז הישראלי של הארגון הבינלאומי לחקר משחקים דיגיטאליים. חבר מערכת כתב העת הבינלאומי למשחקים וסימולציות נתמכות מחשב. חוקר ומרצה ב H.I.T - מכון טכנולוגי חולון.

Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education: IGI Global release

Three years of virtual ethnography and counting; two years of analyzing interactions captured on video and VOIP using "high-tech" pen and pencil techniques, computerized tools and simple common sense. Two and a half years of seeing through "a child state of mind " the game play and MMOG's social networks dynamics, + 50 GIGA of gaming videos, + 50 drawings, + 200 small talks with friends & parents, 300 e-mails, writing & throwing drafts, observing and playing video games: Club Penguin, RuneScape, Sherwood, Barbie, MEEZ, Zoo Tycoon, any other Tycoon, The Sims, Sims City, FIFA, NBA, Street Fighter, TrackMania Nations, Need for speed and more Virtual worlds for children and casual games than the eye can meet. Support by ATARI ISRAEL and Microsoft ISRAEL which provided some of the best games titles.
Blend it all, pick up a pinch and what you get?
If you want to know, look for Section I: Chapter VIII on the Table of Contents
of IGI Global newest release, coming soon:


ISBN: 978-1-59904-808-6; 1,759 pp; July 2008Published under the imprint Information Science Reference (formerly IdeaGroup Reference).

Edited by: Richard E. Ferdig, University of Florida, USA

DESCRIPTION
Games and gaming have always been an important part of society and culture. Within the last 35 years, due to numerous technology innovations, electronic games in many formats have not only become ubiquitous in everyday recreational life but have also permeated many professional fields and disciplines for multiple purposes including teaching and learning.The Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education presents a framework for understanding games for educational purposes while providing a broader sense of current related research. Compiling over 50 groundbreaking research studies from leading international authorities in the field, this advanced and uniquely comprehensive reference is a must-have for academic and research libraries and for all those interested in expanding their theoretical and practical knowledgeof the exciting field of electronic gaming.
****************************************“
Researchers will be intrigued and enlightened by the international and interdisciplinary nature of the collection.”
- Richard E. Ferdig, University of Florida, USA
****************************************
TOPICS COVERED
Augmented reality gaming
Authentic learning environment
Cognitive load in games
Cognitive load theory
Computational model of learning
Computer games as learning tools
Computer gaming cultures
Conceptual play spaces
COTS computer game effectiveness
Current online educational games
Design patterns and computer graphics
Designing games for learning
Digital game-based learning
Digital games interactions
Education for engaged learning
Educational game designEducational gaming
Electronic games for health purposes
Emotional potential of video games
Game-based historical learning
Game-based learning
Game-based learning in design history
Gender and racial stereotypes
Instructional design
Online roleplay games for learning
Productive gaming
Quality digital games
Self-regulated learning
Social psychology
Transmedial comprehension
Virtual world
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For more info about Handbook of Research on Effective ElectronicGaming in Education, you can view the title information sheet here:
http://www.igi-global.com/downloads/pdf/ferdig88.pdf.
To view the Table of Contents and a complete list of contributors online go to
You can also view the first chapter of the publication at
-------------------

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Richard E. Ferdig, PhD, is an associate professor of educationaltechnology at the University of Florida’s College of Education. Hisresearch interests focus on educational gaming, the uses of innovativemedia for teaching and learning, virtual and online education, and whathe calls a “deeper psychology of technology.” He graduated from CalvinCollege with a BA in psychology and from Michigan State University withan MA in educational psychology. He received his PhD from Michigan StateUniversity in educational psychology. At UF, he co-directs theface-to-face and online graduate programs in educational technology.

Where Games and Real Life Meet | ImpactGames co-founder Asi Burak @ DiGRA ISRAEL Summer Meet-up, Thu, 31 July 2008

מפגש הקיץ של די.ג.ר. ה ישראל - המרכז הישראלי של הארגון הבינלאומי לחקר משחקי מחשב "כשהמשחקים פוגשים במציאות" ב - H.I.T - מכון טכנולוגי חולון, 31 ליולי 2008

מה זה בדיוק אומר "לשחק את החדשות? " משחקי וידאו ומציאות – איך זה הולך ביחד? מה היתרונות וחסרונות המדיום האינטראקטיבי? על שאלות אלו ואחרות יענה אורח הכבוד במפגש הקיץ של די.ג.ר.ה ישראל, מר אסי בורק, מייסד שותף של חברת אימפקטגיימס. לאחר ההרצאה יתקיים פאנל בנושא עתיד העולמות הוירטואליים וה - Web3D.

האירוע מתקיים לרגל ההשקה העולמית של הספר החדש: חקר האפקטיביות משחקים דיגיטליים
Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education: IGI Global

שבו מופיע גם פרק של דר' חנן גזית בנושא חקר אינטראקציות בעולמות וירטואליים ובמשחקי מחשב
ולרגל ההכרזה על פתיחת קורס פיתוח משחקי מחשב לדור ה Web3D במסגרת היחידה ללימודי החוץ של המכון באוקטובר.

הכניסה לאירוע אינה כרוכה בתשלום אך מספר המקומות מוגבל. לרישום כאן:



Asi Burak, co-founder of ImpactGames will present his vision and creative work at the coming DiGRA ISRAEL Summer Meet-up, Thu, 31 July 2008.

Asi Burak co-founded ImpactGames to create compelling interactive experiences around current events. Toward this end, ImpactGames developed PeaceMaker, a video game simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. PeaceMaker has been sold in over 60 countries, been featured in media outlets around the world, and has won several international awards. ImpactGames newest product "Play the News" addresses the shifting online news-media industry and is changing news consumption from passive reading to active engagement.

Prior to his work at ImpactGames, Asi was VP of Marketing at Axis Mobile LTD., where he helped introduce LBS mobile games and community applications to a world-wide market (US, Asia, Europe). As a former Art Director at Saatchi & Saatchi, Asi was first introduced to advanced systems for communication and analysis as a Captain in the Israeli Intelligence Corps. He holds a Masters of Entertainment Technology from Carnegie Mellon and a BA in Design from the Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem.
PeaceMaker is on of the leading Games4Change video games on DiGRA ISRAEL's Video clips case studies Knowledge Base currently under construction.

Where Games and Real Life Meet"

DiGRA ISRAEL 2008 Summer Meet -up @ H.I.T

AGENDA


17:30 - 18:15


Mingling and Networking + Coffee


18:15 - 18:30


Opening words H.I.T representative


18:45 - 18:30

Welcome - Dr. Hanan "Vrider" Gazit Celebrating the new IGI Global release: Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education
Announcing the Opening of the Web3D Games Development Academic Course @ H.I.T-Holon Institute of Technology, Oct 2008

18:45 - 20:15

Keynote Speaker Asi Burak, ImpactGames Co-founder "Where Games and Real Life Meet"

20:15 - 20:45

Panel*: "When Videogames, social networks and virtual worlds merge"

With: Asi Burak, Attorney Jonathan Klinger, VC's & Gaming industry leaders

* additional participants to be announced

20:45 – 21:00

Closing - Dr. Hanan "Vrider" Gazit DiGRA ISRAEL Chapter


When: Thu, 31 July 2008


Time: 17:30 - 21:00




To RSVP on H.I.T , follow the link below:
http://www.hit.ac.il/digraisrael-meet08/
To RSVP on Facebook, follow the link below:

==== Sponsors ====

ViMentors professional consulting and production services for investors, companies and organizations interested in using virtual worlds and video games for business, marketing, training & instruction. Professional analyzing interactions services for better decision making and performance.
====
Supported by ====



Machinima: A New Narrative Medium for the Y-[tube] Generation

One of my friends on facebook, Paul 'Fire' Preibisch, shared this funny WOW machinima "a group of dragon slayers seek out a new way to spend their time on" on www.wegame.com, an innovative media sharing platform for gamers.


What is Machinima? Do you do Understand what it's all about?
Last month, I presented the possible Cultural implications of Machinima for the Y-[tube] Generation at the First Israeli Popular Culture Conference: Rules of Disorder Shifting Boundaries, Emerging Realities and New Identities, Cinematec Tel Aviv May 15, 2008. Follwoing requests from my fellow DiGRA ISRAEL Members who did not attended the conference I would like to share with you my view on the theme.

So here goes

Video games have become one of the main building blocks of our children's world (Gazit, in press). Ellis (1983) argues that children usually play in groups, and when they don't, they share their experiences socially. Playing video games should be examined in social and cultural spheres that might be more important than the game itself.
This presentation focuses on game-based movie-making of the Y-[tube] generation (children 13-17 years of ages and adults 18-28 years of age). Machinima is movie-making by using virtual worlds and videogames engines, which has gained popularity among players (Cefrey, 2008). The Machinima makers demonstrate a higher level of active participation compared to the majority of Bonk’s (2008) YouTube survey participants, preferring passive observation rather than creating their own YouTube videos.

Developments in 3D real time game engines, Massive Multiplayer On-line Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) platforms, high-band communications, and the emergence of game-based movie-makers communities, have paved the way to the extensive application of the Mashinima medium. Lowood (2008) suggests that players are learning to use game-based movie-making in order to express ideas and opinions important in their lives, ranging from politics and conflicts of real life to those of virtual worlds and game communities. Creating Machinima movies requires, apart from film making skills, the ability to convey new meaning by collaborating with other actors on the scene, similar to regular movie-making (Hancock & Inqram, 2007). Moreover, hacking the game engine in order to create a “game mood”, a new game space and objects, requires programming skills. I argue that the new Machinima medium affords a new kind of literacy, which is a combination of cognitive, communication, artistic and visual skills. Moreover, there are commercial implications as the MTV's virtual world's music video competition shows (Sherman, 2007). Bardzell et al., (2006) classified Machinima to four types according to the platforms used: Pure Machinima platforms, Hybrid Games, Pure Games and Modded Games.
Some of the cultural themes reflected in the Machinima created inside massively multiplayer on-line games (MMOGs), such as World of World Craft, RuneScape, Habbo Hotel, and virtual worlds, such as Second Life, will be presented. From MTV’s music Mashinima mock ups, to original self expression stories. For example, the Machinima “make love not war” on Blizzard's World of Warcraft, represents in a funny and creative way the cultural gap between the children's world and the adult’s world. The ability to use ones imagination and see and experience from many different vantage points in MMORPGs, provides a new set of tools for imaginative and innovative thinking (Thomas & Brown, 2007). The Israeli Machinima “Status Quo” made by Nir Matarasso and Gur Bentwich on the Unreal1 engine, is an example of the creative expression of their political views which highlights the absurdity of the Israeli-Palestine Conflict.

To conclude, I argue that the Machinima is a new narrative medium in which players develop a new kind of literacy and that this new medium deserves systematic examination for assessing its full cultural and cognitive implications.

References

Bardzell, J., Bardzell, S., Briggs, C., Makice, K., Ryan, W., Weldon, M., (2006). Machinima Prototyping: An Approach to Evaluation. Proceedings of the 4th Nordic Conference on Human-computer interaction: changing roles, vol. 189, (pp. 433-436), Oslo, Norway.

Bonk, C. J. (2008). YouTube anchors and enders: The use of shared online video content as a macrocontext for learning. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2008 Annual Meeting, New York, NY.

Cefrey, H. (2008). Career Building Through Machinima: Using Video Games to Make Movies. Rosen Publishing Group.

Ellis, G. J. (1983). Youth in the electronic environment: An introduction. Youth and report for the NSF of workshops. The impact of three dimensional immersive VE on modern pedagogy.

Gazit, E. (in press). A window on digital games interactions in home settings. Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education. IGI Global Press.

Hancock, H., & Ingram, J. (2007). Machinima For Dummies. Wiley Publishing Inc.

Lowood, H. (2008). Found Technology: Players as Innovators in the Making of Machinima.

McPherson. T. (ED.) Digital Youth, Innovation, and the Unexpected. (pp. 165-196). The John D. and Catherine T.MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Sherman, C. (2007). MTV and Metacafe Launch Virtual Music Video Competition. Virtual Worlds News blogpost (31.11. 2007). Available on-line:
http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2007/10/mtv-and-metacaf.html (Retrived 18 April 2008).

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2007). The Play of Imagination: Extending the Literary Mind, Games and Culture, 2, 149-172.

====

I wish to thank DiGRA ISRAEL members Nir Miretzky and Jacqui Basil for their thoughtful comments.

A True Story about TrueCrime

This is a true story about truecrime game I shared with the audience during my presentation on The future of Virtual Worlds and Video Games for Children: Challenges and risks, at the annual summer conference "Children in Virtual Worlds" of Eshnav-People for Wise Use of the Internet in memory of Eran Aderet* which took place this week at the school of business, the Collage of Management in Rison Le-Zion, Israel.
Not long ago my son returned from school and proudly showed me a surprised birthday present he received from his best classmate's friends: the True Crime Streets of L.A computer game. I was happy to see that he have such good friends, but it seemed that he nor his 10 years old friends were aware to the game's level of violence rating. When we go to the movies, we are usually qware if the movie is rated for adults only. I wonder how many parents and children overlook the violent rating of video games before they decide to buy/download and play? How many people are aware of the US ESRB videogame rating system or the Israeli government's legislation adopting the European PEGI rating violent video games system on February 2007?

I faced a dilemma: I did not want to have my 10 years old son play the true crime game on one hand, but I did not want to upset him and be rude to his best friends by boycotting it, on the other hand. Since they usually play computer games together, a boycott might offended my son's best friends too. My main goal was to educate my son and his best fiends, and to raise their level of awareness to the violent videogames rating system in a positive manner.
Now imagine yourself in my place. What would you do in this same situation?

This brings us to the big Q: What do we know about the social & psychological effects of video games in general and about violent videogames in particular?
According to UNESCO's international heath organization 2007 study, Israeli children are positioned first in the amount of time they spend playing video games compare to other nations. 34.6% of Israeli 8th graders spend at least 4 hours a day playing video games!
if this is the case, we have to gain a fuller understanding of the gaming experience. Gaming is a new form of media entertainment and we need to know what users actually experience while they are playing games.

The effect of videogames content and forms
Lee & Peng (2006) argue that the existing game literature usually focuses on the effects of its contents (violent or educational content) and neglects the impacts of its forms. Media forms like size, fidelity, cuts, synchrony and movements are equally important factors for determining psychological impact of media. For example, formal features such as loud nose, unusual camera effects, fast action, of television are at least partly responsible for television's effects on children's aggressive behaviors. Media forms and contents interact with each other. Newer generation of violent games are more realistic due to new forms factors such as high-fidelity video and audio, 3D, life like display size, and seamless interactivity. Lee & Peng (2006) concluded that there is need to study the main effects of computer games form factors and possible interaction effects between the form facets and the contents types (such as violence. Sex, humor, sports, and so on) in order to get a fuller understanding of game effects.

What happens in the Brain during violent videogame play?

Weber, Ritterfeld & Mathiak (2006) studied the association between playing violent video games and aggressive reactions. The researches used a novel, event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study. 13 male research participants were observed playing a latest-generation violent video game Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror


Each participant's game play was recorded and content analyzed on a frame-by-frame basis. On screen activities were coded as either “passive/dead, no interactions”; “active/safe, no imminent danger/no violent interactions”; “active/potential danger occurs, violent interactions expected”; “active/under attack, some violent interactions”; and “active/fighting and killing, many violent interactions.” Previous studies in neuroscience on aggressive thoughts and behaviors suggested that virtual violence would suppress affective areas of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the amygdala subsequent to activity variations at cognitive areas of the ACC. Comparison of game play activities with and without virtual violence in 11 participants confirmed the hypothesis. The rather large observed effects can be considered as caused by the virtual violence.

Does the interactive nature of playing violent video games have grater effect than passive watching violent video games?
Unlike passive observational learning playing violent video games involves thousands aggressive interactions which are instantly rewarded by numerous stimuli, raging from player survival level, additional points, special effects and more. Moreover, in Massively Multiplayer games (MMOGs) or in a Player vs Player game mode, the players know that the avatar that they just virtually killed is their real-life buddy!
Polman et al. (2008) asked 57 5th and 6th grader Netherlands children (average age 10-11 years old) to play either Tekken 3 (violent) or Crash Bandicoot (non-violent) for 15 minutes. The researched administered two questionnaires after the experiment at different times, immediately, 1 hour or more than 1 hour after the video game experiment. One questionnaire addressed their gaming habits and the second addressed aggressive behaviors. The children were asked to name another child in the study who displayed acts of physical, verbal or relational aggression. They were also asked if the intentions were for play or being mean. The results show that boys who played violent video game were significantly rated to be more aggressive than those who watched a violent video game. The results show no significant differences in either violent or non-violent video game nor whether played or watched among girls. In addition, the researchers found that boys who immediately finished the experiment were rated to be more significantly aggressive than those who rated after 1 hour or more than 1 hour of the experiment. However, the researchers also noted that the reported results should be taken with caution due to their small sample sizes.

What are the roles of age, social intelligence and parent-child communication in moderating the association between digital game playing and direct and indirect aggression?
Wallenius et al., (2007) studied the roles of age, social intelligence and parent-child communication in moderating the association between digital game playing and direct and indirect aggression were examined in 478 Finnish 10- and 13-year-old schoolchildren based on self-reports. The results confirmed that digital game violence was directly associated with direct aggression, especially at age 10, but only among boys. The moderating role of social intelligence was substantiated among older boys: game violence was associated with indirect aggression among those with high level of social intelligence. Moreover, digital game playing was associated with direct aggression especially when parent-child communication was poor, but only among boys. The findings emphasize the importance of individual and situational factors as moderators of the link between game violence and aggression. The researchers concluded that regardless of how much time you spend on video games, video game violence is positively associated to direct aggression. In a follow-up report, Wallenius & Punamäki (in press) investigated the roles of sex, age, and parent–child communication in moderating the association between digital game violence and direct aggression in a two-year longitudinal study. Finnish 12- and 15-year-old adolescents (N = 316) participated in the follow-up survey. As hypothesized, digital game violence was linked to direct aggression both longitudinally and synchronously, and the link was moderated by parent–child communication in interaction with sex and age. Results suggest that the moderating role of parent–child communication changes with increasing age. Poor parent–child communication may be one of the factors in an adolescent's development that may strengthen the negative effects of digital game violence, but even good parent–child communication does not necessarily protect the adolescent in the long run. Digital game violence seems to be one of the risk factors of increased aggressive behavior.

Coda
This brings us back to the starting point of our journey, the dilemma about the truecrime video game. The solution I found was based on child-parent open dialogue and respect. Moreover, there is no one simple answer to the question about the social & psychological effects of video games on human thought and behavior. Currently, there are more questions than answers. For example: what are the positive effects of playing violent games?

From pure educational perspective, an open dialogue with our children on the theme seems like a good starting point.

= Dedication =
This post is dedicated to "Eshnav-People for Wise Use of the Internet in memory of Eran Aderet" Foundation with deep respect. For info click here
הרשימה מוקדשת לד"ר אבשלום אדרת ולעמותת אשנ"ב -אנשים למען שימוש נבון באינטרנט לזכר ערן אדרת ז"ל
= Bibliography =
Lee, K. M. & Peng, W. (2006). What do we know about social and psychological effects of computer games? A comprehensive review of the current literature. In: Vorderer, P. & Bryant, J. (Eds.) Playing video games: Motives, responses, and consequences (pp. 325-346). Mahwah, NJ: Lwarence Erlbaum.

Polman, H., de Castro, B. O., & van Aken, M. A. G. (2008). Experimental study of the differential effects of playing versus watching violent video games on children’s aggressive behavior. Aggressive Behavior, 34(3), 256-264.

Wallenius, M., Punamäki, R., Rimpelä, A. (2007). Digital game playing and direct and indirect aggression in early adolescence: The roles of age, social intelligence, and parent-child communication. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36(3), 325-336.

Wallenius , M., & Punamäki, R. (in press). Digital game violence and direct aggression in adolescence: A longitudinal study of the roles of sex, age, and parent–child communication, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.
[On-line available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.04.010 accessed 18.6.08]
Weber, R., Ritterfeld, U., & Mathiak, K. (2006). Does playing violent video games induce aggression? Empirical evidence of a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Media Psychology, 8, 39–60.
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Dr. Hanan "VRider" Gazit serves as the Israeli Games Research Association (DiGRA) Chapter. A researcher, lecturer and entrepreneur. Owner of a start-up company specializing in delivering services for Israeli investors, companies and organizations interested in using virtual worlds and video games for business, marketing & instruction. His research interests include: Analyzing virtual worlds and video games interactions; Designing effective serious games; Skills acquisition and virtual-real world transfer and New Media. He holds a Ph.D. degree in the Learning Sciences and a Magna Cum Laude M.A. degree in Science Education, both from Tel-Aviv University. A former post doctorate fellow researcher at the Virtual Reality Lab, Institute for Interdisciplinary Applications of Computer Science, University of Haifa. Dr. Gazit serves on the Association of Virtual Worlds` Advisory Board and on the Editorial Review Board of the International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations.