New Website!!!

WE HAVE OUR OWN WEBSITE!!

well, maybe?

It is a .webs domain. We are getting a .com domain but we are having issues....

So in the meantime, please ignore the .webs after the domain

www.giochu.webs.com

Call Of Duty Civil War

I heard a discussion on a podcast today about why the American Civil War rarely gets used as a setting for FPS war games (in the context of joking about the next Call of Duty). A couple of points I thought would make for interesting discussion:

1. Call of Duty games generally "pick a side" in a conflict. Is it an absolute certainty that the Yankees would be the side picked? Would it be to un-PC to play on the confederates side?

2. Would the ingame dialogue be to un-PC? In the latest COD games, there is a lot of questionable dialogue using racial slurs (no doubt accurate to the time / setting), could it be done if a game was set in the Civil War?

3. (Recalling the Iraqi kid who got internet famous for whinging about COD4), would you be up

Ezio Trilogy For Ps3

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Today, Sony and Ubisoft revealed that Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Trilogy will be released for PlayStation 3 this November. It's a PS3 exclusive.

The trilogy combines Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood into one collection, and will be released in North America on November 13th. It will cost $39.99. Its release timing and price in other territories remains to be seen.
While the Ezio Trilogy won’t quite make it to stores in time for Assassin’s Creed III (which launches Stateside on October 30th), it appears that Ubisoft is still cognizant of trying to catch folks up on the AC games they might have missed.

Black Ops: The Future is Bright

Millions of people play Call of Duty every year, but many of them don’t experience everything the games have to offer. For some, Call of Duty games have become campaign-only experiences with multiplayer being looked at as “too unapproachable” or “intimidating.” Even some of the players killing one another online every day never do things like Prestige or use the film systems, often because they don’t want to lose their progress or it’s too overwhelming, respectively. Rather than just rehashing the same multiplayer modes and other tools, developer Treyarch is attempting to employ a number of smart tweaks to known systems in an effort to make Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 the most approachable Call of Duty to date. They want you, person-who-only-plays campaign, to jump into multiplayer and learn the ropes with people who make you feel competitive. They want everyone to create films with as little or as much effort as they want. They just want you to feel like Black Ops 2 was made for you, whether you’re a headshot master or the type of person who can’t seem to keep your gun straight. Any of the millions of people who have gotten into Call of Duty over the years have probably experienced the hardships of starting out. You come into the game after the franchise has been out for years, or maybe even jump back in to the new game after it’s been out for a few months, and you get your ass handed to you. You just can’t compete with a legion of hardcore fans that have way more hours than you to hone their skills, and thus some of you put down the controller in frustration, never to return. To combat this, Treyarch is first and foremost introducing Combat Training, a series of special takes on team deathmatch and Black Ops 2’s objective-based modes. Here players can level from 1-10, facing off against teams that have a mix of human and AI opponents. When they hit level 10 they’re no longer allowed to participate, though anyone can still do “Bot Stomps,” teaming up with five of their friends and just murdering AI opponents for no experience. The hope is that the Combat Training modes will ease new players into the game’s multiplayer in a less-harsh environment, and that things like Bot Stomps will allow them to fight easier enemies and experience some of the game’s cooler things, like the Kill Streak-replacing Score Streaks. Even skilled players could find something to enjoy in Bot Stomps, as Treyarch views this as an excellent way for clans to plan out tactics and practice them in private before taking them out in real matches. Call of Duty for the yeoman. Of course once you get a bit of multiplayer experience under your belt you get to build a class, and Treyarch is completely redoing Black Ops 2’s loadout system to make it intuitive for all users and still feel like something new for longtime fans. Referred to as the “Pick 10 system” (which you can read about more in our previous coverage), this is where you get the most flexible loadout system ever implemented in a CoD title. Every gun, attachment and perk has a value of one, and in the Pick 10 system you get to choose a loadout of your own devising that combines most any combination of them. For instance you could take a primary weapon with two attachments, a secondary weapon with the same, then two perks and two grenades. Or you could use Wild Cards, which take up a precious slot but in turn allow you to break a game rule, to go all out on a primary weapon and give it three attachments and then use another Wildcard to take four perks instead of three. The sheer number of combinations you can do is pretty incredible, and should give even seasoned fans a lot to think about and fun ways to experiment with their loadouts. Snake Eyes cosplay optional. If the Pick 10 system sounds too overwhelming for new players they can also use pre-made loadouts or tweak these to suit your personal playstyle. Additionally, you won’t have everything unlocked at once, but instead will have to hit the right level to unlock the option to use tokens (earned through leveling) to permanently unlock the gear. Maybe you don’t think the Pick 10 system lets you take enough gear, or maybe you wish that you could play multiplayer with just your friends. Well, for you Treyarch’s including a robust Custom Games mode in Black Ops 2. You can choose between any of the modes, add bots, restrict content, modify the Pick 10 system so you can choose as few as three or as many as 17 items, and more. If you want to create your own take on Capture the Flag or Kill Confirmed and then play with your buddies then Treyarch wants you to do so. With Custom Games it’s like Treyarch is trying to tell you that they don’t care how you play, just that you’re playing. If all you want to do is play team deathmatch you can do that, but for people looking for something new you can check out the new Hardpoint mode, as well as multi-team battles. Hardpoint is essentially Halo’s Crazy King, with capture points that bounce around the level, forcing each team to see who can hold it the longest before it up and moves again. It’s nothing revolutionary, but it’s a great addition to Black Ops 2’s multiplayer suite. The multi-team battles, though, they really change up the dynamic of a multiplayer match. You can play three teams of four or four teams of three, with up to 18 players in a Custom Game match. The only modes currently available in multi-team battles are team deathmatch, Hardpoint and the returning Kill Confirmed, but even with the limited list this mode makes for a great alternative to standard matches. Each team essentially turns into a roving pack, with teamplay and communication becoming crucial. Multi-team battles end up having the frantic pacing of a free-for-all match with the teamplay of TDM. It’s a weird mix that just works, and is a hell of a lot of fun. If you decide to spend the time to level up you’ll have the option to Prestige in Black Ops 2, only now you don’t lose your Challenge and weapon progress. Let me restate that, because it’s a big deal: You don’t lose your progress when you Prestige in Black Ops 2. Instead, Prestiging earns you a token you can use to ignore level requirements and unlock an item permanently, as well as one of three additional options: an extra slot for Custom Class slot; reset your stats just like you would in previous versions of Prestige; a refund that you can use at any point during your Prestige level allowing you to get all your unlock tokens back and spend them how you see fit. The reset option is there for the hardcore players who liked the challenge of starting over, but the other choices exist because they want more people to participate in Prestiging, which previously the studio found people avoided. With 10 levels of Prestige available, and emblems available for each that showcase just how much of a badass you are, the hope is that Black Ops 2 Prestige system will draw people in like never before. Once Treyarch has all of us playing hours and hours of Black Ops 2 multiplayer, they want us to get involved with the community. One part of this strategy is the built-in shout cast capabilities, which Treyarch hopes will build up a whole new wave of Call of Duty personalities. The other part of this is improved Theater. Just like before you can cut together your games, editing short films that showcase your skills or maybe show a hilarious failure. For some people, though, the system was too complicated and time consuming, thus they avoided it altogether. To better serve these parts of the audience, Treyarch has created a one-button system where you can take any match you’ve played and have the editor pick out the highlights and cut it together in seconds. After that it’s easy to upload it to the internet and spread it around, or go in with the editing tools and tweak it to your liking. On the flipside the Theater mode also has even more tools to let ambitious film makers create elaborate scenes, such as the “attach to object” tool that lets you stick the camera to parts of the world, including things like rockets as they fly out of an RPG. The goal is to cater to both extremes: the lazy or less-interested players who don’t want to take the time to create a film, as well as the future Martin Scorceses of the world. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’s multiplayer probably won’t change your mind if you dislike the franchise already, but with so many smart changes to previously established systems it just might manage to win over a few new fans, as well as surprise the hardcore with it's twists on the formula. The tagline for Black Ops 2 is “The future is black,” but with what I’ve seen so far I’d say it’s better written as “The future is brigh

Blizzard Has A New MMO?

Blizzard has revealed that 100 developers are now working on its next MMO project, codenamed Titan. In an interview with Curse Entertainment, Blizzard chief creative officer Rob Pardo said “Titan’s still moving along. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up that it’s around the corner or anything. It’s a very big project. It’s got a long ways to go. We don’t know yet when we’re going to really start releasing more information. We’re definitely dead in the middle of development at this point. I think we’re over 100 people now on the team working on it.” When asked about rumors that Titan has been in development for six years, Pardo commented that “It depends on how you look at such things. When we first start a team, we start it really, really small. We might start with just a couple people. We talk about the concepts, we draw some concept art. It definitely has not been in core development for that long. I’d say core development is maybe closer to four-ish years, but even that was with a smaller team.” We first heard hints of Blizzard’s next MMO back in December 2007, when Blizzard said its new MMO isn’t related to World of Warcraft. Blizzard later began hiring developers and WOW lead designer Jeff Kaplan began working on the project. Blizzard said in 2010 that the project was a long way off and the codename Titan emerged later that year. Last year, rumors suggested Titan would be shown at BlizzCon, but were later debunked by Blizzard. The last time we heard the title referenced was during an Activision Blizzard earnings call last month when it was referred to as “an all-new MMORPG in the future” in reference to Blizzard’s release calendar. Little is known about Titan, and it sounds like we might still have a long time to wait before concrete details are revealed. In the meantime, Blizzard released World of Warcraft’s Mists of Pandaria expansion earlier this week. For our thoughts so far, read our Mists of Pandaria review in progress.

Microsoft Introduces Achievements On GamerScore

Microsoft has introduced MyAchievements, a new program that will offer rewards based on your Gamerscore. MyAchievements is available to Xbox Live Gold members and is broken down into three levels based upon the amount of achievements you’ve unlocked: Contender: 3,000-9,000G Champion: 10,000-24,999G Legend: 25,000+G Each tier will offer a “special gift” during your birthday month, and Champions will also receive a 1% rebate on Xbox Live Marketplace purchases every month. Legends will receive a 2% rebate. MyAchievements marks the continuation of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Rewards, which offers Microsoft Points in exchange for taking surveys and launched in 2010. You can sign up for MyAchievements right now on Microsoft’s official site by clicking here to join. Are you excited about MyAchievements? Let us know in the comments below

Black ops 2 BETA LEAKED!

A Stick Skills reader and Twitter follower, @lazer789, sent us two interesting pictures and a tidbit of information regarding what may be Black Ops 2 beta files that have somehow made their way onto the internet. In a few tweets directed toward our account, we received two images of the Black Ops 2 beta main menu, and the same main menu with the Xbox 360 guide overlayed on top.

Lazer789 also has sent us a link to the download of the beta files, however upon visiting, it brings us to a Xbox modding forum which has registrations disabled, so we cannot confirm the authenticity of the files at time. We will not be sharing the link to protect Activision and Treyarch’s game.
We will leave this story as developing if we learn any new information from our source, or if any new information spurs up on the internet. Until then, let us know your thoughts on these images, and if you think they are real or fake. Discuss in the comments below.
Update: Video of the Black Ops 2 Beta booting up has been leaked onto the internet. The video is embedded below. 
Update 2: The video has been pulled by Activision and is no longer available.

XBOX 720 LEAKED IMAGE!

Following an accidental leak, we have come into possession of a must-see memo intended for developers and analysts.

Every gaming website from mainstram media to the no-name indie sites, are talking about the Xbox 720. Rightly so, I might add. With a new console comes excitement for what will happen next. What will it look like? How are the graphics? Can it be coded for? Does it make toast?

Despite the exciting news a new console brings for many readers, several websites have taken to adding poorly thought-out articles in which they give away flimsy or obvious facts. How many times have you read 'Top 5 Features The Xbox 720 Needs to Live,' by different authors? Same content, different name across the top. It's lazy journalism and many readers – Tony Buckworth, Tim Collins, and Tony Hancock to name but a few – are becoming frustrated with these blatant attempts to drive more and more traffic to a specific website.

The biggest offenders are actually fellow indie gaming websites. Indie gaming sites need hits more than the mainstream media and will often use popular terms like 'Xbox 720' to stay afloat. Some of which have even taken to making Photoshop'd pictures in a bid to hold a mirror up to journalism to showcase just how silly reporting every little detail is and how you're only playing into Microsoft's overall business plan of free advertising.

Shame on you indie gaming websites.

That being said, VGI has received an email from an anonymous source that not only proves the existence of the Xbox 720, but also what the front of the console looks like, and what it's capable of.

We're still waiting for verification from Microsoft as to the legitimacy of the above memo, but from what we can tell, it looks 1000% real, right? RIGHT!?

These are exciting times we live in. What feature are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below.

Black Ops 2 Prestiege

In the previous Black Ops, a new Prestige Mode was introduced, which is available to players who have reached the maximum rank in multilayer. Players who choose for Prestige Mode are sent back to rank one with all unlocks and challenges reset. In return, the players are awarded with a new rank logo.
This does not seem to be the case in the upcoming Black Ops 2 title. According to a few tweets made by David Vonderhaar, the game’s design director, players will be able to keep their weapon progress when going Prestige.

Just got this bug from QA. “Weapon levels are given after unlocking a gun that was leveled up on a past level progression.
That’s what we call NAB. Not a bug. If you Prestige and unlock the gun, you’ll pick up right where you left off.
If something has been a certain way a long time, the assumption when it doesn’t work the way it has in the past is that it is a bug.

Well, that’s changing the whole system. We’ll have to wait for an official confirmation on this, and that will be soon since the game launches in the next month.

Ipad Mini

Business owners will be wise to leave the buzz about the forthcoming iPhone 5 to consumers. Apple's rumored iPad Mini should be the better option for businesses. The smaller version of the iPad will reportedly measure 7-inches and will likely be announced in September.
If you plan to be among the first to order one of these devices, here are three reasons an iPad Mini would be a better business tool than the iPhone:
1. Small tablets are better sales tools.
Good luck creating a presentation on an iPhone. The screen is small and your pitch could be interrupted by a call, a text message or any other notification.
When it comes to making sales presentations on-the-go, nothing beats the high resolution iPad Retina display. But at $499 for the basic 9.7-inch iPad model -- with 16GB and no access to cellular data -- it might not be worth the expense for cost-conscious sales teams.
But a scaled-down, less expensive version should be. The Galaxy Tab by Samsung, the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire can cost just $199. Assuming Apple's new mini-tablet beats the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Tab for screen quality, the new tool holds promise as a slick, low-cost presentation tool.
Related: 6 Tips for Building Better iPad Presentations
2. It'll be more versatile.
Judging by the performance of smaller iPad competitors, shaving off a few inches shouldn't equal less productivity. Mobile apps such as email, reviewing and editing documents, video conferencing, task lists and social media work just as well on a 7-inch screen as on the 9.7-inch iPad screen.
The Google Nexus 7, for example, is easier to read and type on than a full-size iPad, and you can hold it in one hand and enter data with another. With that kind of versatility, and added functionality, a smaller tablet can become more of a go-to business tool than an iPhone, or any other smartphone.
3. It runs on the same operating system in a better business package.
Apple's upcoming operating system, iO6, promises better Facebook integration, video conferences that use cellular data and -- most exciting for road warriors -- better maps. Apple's answer to Google Maps is expected to include 3D environments, turn-by-turn navigation, and real-time information about traffic and accidents.
So, the iPhone 5 will likely to be a faster, sleeker version of the 4S, with improvements to voice tools like Siri and wireless mobile commerce tools. But, barring any unforeseen development, the iPad Mini will operate on the exact same OS. The Mini's slightly larger size makes it easier for users to see a busy email inbox and work with apps that manage complex spreadsheets.
That means the iPad Mini will do most of what a business needs an iPhone to do, but in a package that's better suited for mobile businesses.

Microsoft buys MORE DOMAINS!

Microsoft has purchased domains related to Halo 7, Halo 8 and Halo 9. Registered by internet brand protection company MarkMonitor, Microsoft acquired Halo7.net, Halo7.org, Halo8.org, Halo 9.net and Halo9.org within the past 48 hours.
The domains were registered by DNStination, Inc., a service administered by MarkMonitor. MarkMonitor lists Microsoft as a “strategic alliance” on its official site and has worked to register Microsoft domains in the past.
Microsoft has previously announced that the upcoming Halo 4 will begin a series of three games known as the Reclaimer Trilogy. While that trilogy will presumably include Halo 4, 5 and 6, this is the first hint that Microsoft could already be actively planning for games beyond that. Just recently, a 343 Industries job listing suggested a Halo game is already in the works for next-gen consoles.

This is the second high-profile domain registration by Microsoft in recent months, following a series of Xbox 8 domains the company secured back in July. It’s likely that Microsoft is simply protecting its brand by registering these new Halo domains, though it's worth noting that Microsoft doesn't own Halo.com and only acquired Halo4.com after the game's E3 2011 announcement.For now, the only future Halo game announced is Halo 4, which will hit stores on November 6th.


IGN.com  I DO NOT OWN THIS ARTICLE

5 Reason Why Video games Are Good For You

Video games: they're addictive, they make kids fat and they turn us all into trained murderers. Or, at least, that’s what we’re often told. But what of the positive effects of video games? Surely there must be some?

Yep, there are. Plenty, in fact.

They Can Improve Motor Skills

Anybody who’s spent much time with pre-schoolers can tell you the only thing they’re much good at catching is conjunctivitis and about the only thing they can throw is spaghetti. On the floor.

In July this year, however, health researchers at Australia’s Deakin University found tikes who play interactive video games, such as those available on Wii for instance, have better motor skills.

The results of the study showed that object control motor skills (such as kicking, catching, and throwing a ball), were better in the children who played interactive games.

“This study was not designed to assess whether interactive gaming can actually develop children’s movement skills, but the results are still quite interesting and point to a need to further explore a possible connection,” said Dr. Lisa Barnett, lead researcher on the study.

“It could be that these children have higher object control skills because they are playing interactive games that may help to develop these types of skills (for example, the under hand roll through playing the bowling game on the Wii). Playing interactive electronic games may also help eye-hand coordination.”

Thanks, Jerry Rice and Nitus' Dog Football!

Barnett did concede it may be that children who already have higher object control skills are more attracted to interactive electronic games more, although adults who play video games have also been observed to have better motor skills than non-gamers.

A study published in 2007 by Iowa State University psychologist Douglas Gentile and Dr. James Rosser, head of minimally invasive surgery at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, compared laparoscopic surgeons who play video games with those who do not.

In laparoscopic procedures, surgeons use small incisions and work with tiny video cameras and thin surgical tools. Even after taking into account differences in age, years of medical training and the number of past laparoscopic surgeries performed the study found that surgeons who played video games were 27 per cent faster and made 37 per cent fewer errors than those who didn't.

“The single best predictor of their skills is how much they had played video games in the past and how much they played now,” said Gentile. “Those were better predictors of surgical skills than years of training and number of surgeries performed.”

“So the first question you might ask your surgeon is how many of these (surgeries) have you done, and the second question is, ‘Are you a gamer?’”

“Let’s get this appendix out; these noobs aren’t going to teabag themselves!”

They Can Relieve Pain

According to a study unveiled in 2010 by the American Pain Society, video games and virtual reality experiences can be as helpful as pain relievers in children and adults.

The study showed that, when immersed in a virtual environment, participants who were undergoing serious procedures like chemotherapy reported “significantly less stress and trepidation”. For burn wound care? Patients' pain ratings decreased by 30 to 50 per cent.

What they were playing wasn't specified. It probably wasn't this.

“Virtual reality produces a modulating effect that is endogenous, so the analgesic influence is not simply a result of distraction but may also impact how the brain responds to painful stimuli,” said Jeffrey I. Gold, director of the Paediatric Pain Management Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. “The focus is drawn to the game not the pain or the medical procedure, while the virtual reality experience engages visual and other senses.”

Research released just days ago by Keele University in the UK has come to a similar conclusion, although this study found volunteers had a better tolerance for pain after playing a violent video game.

Participants played both a violent shooter and a non-violent golf game on separate occasions for 10 minutes and then placed one of their hands in ice-cold water to test their reaction to pain. On average, participants were able to keep their hands in the ice water for 65 per cent longer after playing the violent game. The Keele team suggests the increased pain tolerance and heart rate can be attributed to the body’s natural ‘fight or flight’ response to stress which can inhibit the body's sensitivity to pain.

The study was prompted following research out of Keele showing that swearing increases people’s tolerance for pain. So we should all curse more.

And demand more violent golf games.

They Can Improve Eyesight

There are two things parents around the world tend to tell their kids that they’ll go blind doing too often, and only one of them is masturbating.

The other is playing video games.

Sometimes, however, parents can be full of crap.

Why are there 46 million results for this search?

The next time somebody yanks your TV power cord out of the wall to save your eyes from being slowly sautéed, be sure to mention to them that it’s actually been shown video games can improve eyesight.

In 2007 the University of Rochester, New York, revealed a study that had found just 30 hours of “training” on a first-person shooter can result in a significant boost to one’s spatial resolution; that is, the ability to clearly see small, densely packed together objects.

In 2009 another University of Rochester study also found that players of action games can become up to 58 per cent better at perceiving fine contrast differences.

“If you are driving at dusk with light fog it could make the difference between seeing the car in front of you or not seeing it,” study leader Daphne Bavelier told LiveScience at the time.

Bavelier, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, explained that the ability to discern slight differences in shades of grey, or contrast sensitivity, is the primary limiting factor in how well an individual sees.

“So when does this Christian guy get any time to play video games?”

More recently, however, developmental psychologist Daphne Maurer made news with research suggesting that people born with cataracts could improve their eyesight by playing a first-person shooter.

Earlier this year Maurer, director of the Visual Development Lab at McMaster University in Ontario, revealed a study that had found just 10 hours of gaming had dramatically improved the vision of people who as babies were almost blind, and that after 40 hours they were able to read two extra lines on an eye chart.

Speaking with The New York Times last week, Maurer elaborated on why she thought first-person shooters proved so helpful.

“Well, if you stepped back and asked what might be an effective therapy for visual defects, first-person shooter games have a lot of what’s needed,” she said. “They require a person to monitor the whole field of vision, not just what is ahead of them. The player has to monitor everything, because the enemy could come from anywhere. The game is fast-paced. You can’t sit back because you will get shot dead. We know that the game changes neurochemicals. It causes an adrenaline rush. It also causes dopamine levels to rise in the brain. That potentially may make the brain more plastic.”

“Video games could be actually rewiring the brain and allowing new connections to be formed. They could be unmasking connections that have always been there, but weren’t quite strong enough to be expressed. They might be helping the brain get more efficient at responding to small and weak visual signals. Or all three.”

Playing video games can also help improve the vision of adults with amblyopia, or lazy eye. Participants of a 2011 study experienced significant improvement in 3D depth perception and the sharpness of their vision after 40 hours of play with a patch over their “good eye”.

Amblyopia can be successfully treated in children by using a patch over the "good eye" to force the brain to use and strengthen the weaker "lazy eye," but researchers plan to test this video game treatment on kids too, because apparently today’s kids find eye patches socially awkward instead of the coolest thing ever.

Disappointed Snake is disappointed at how soft our kids are.

They Help You Make Faster Decisions

In 2010, following the discovery that video games can help you see more shades of grey than a Suburban full of soccer mums, cognitive scientists from the University of Rochester also discovered that playing action video games trains people to make correct decisions faster.

Researchers found that video game players “develop a heightened sensitivity to what is going on around them, and this benefit doesn't just make them better at playing video games, but improves a wide variety of general skills that can help with everyday activities like multitasking, driving, reading small print, keeping track of friends in a crowd, and navigating around town.”

That’s navigating around town; not powersliding around town, by the way.

People, you see, make decisions based on probabilities that they are constantly calculating and recalculating in their heads. The process is called probabilistic inference; the brain stockpiles small pieces of visual or auditory information until it has enough data for a person to make what they perceive to be an accurate decision.

Researchers found that action video game players' brains are actually more efficient collectors of visual and auditory information. Due to this they demonstrated an ability to amass the details needed to arrive at a correct decision faster than non-gamers.

They Can Tackle Mental Illnesses

In April this year researchers at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, found a computer game designed to pull teens out of their depression was as “effective as one-on-one counselling.”

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, saw 94 young people diagnosed with depression playing a 3D fantasy game called SPARX.

SPARX is designed to help young people learn cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to deal with their symptoms and, in many cases, it was observed that SPARX actually reduced symptoms of depression more than conventional treatment.

But that’s not all. In a study published back in 2010 and presented earlier this year at the British Psychology Society Annual Conference, a team from Oxford University found that playing Tetris shortly after exposure to something traumatic can actually prevent PTSD-related flashbacks.

Dr. Emily Holmes concluded that Tetris served as “a cognitive vaccine” that appeared to “inoculate against the build-up of flashbacks.”

Participants were exposed to “a film of traumatic scenes of injury and death” and 30 minutes later were divided into three groups. One group played Tetris, another did a quiz and the third did nothing. The team did another study where participants were given four hours of down time instead of 30 minutes.

According to the researchers, the participants of both trials who had played Tetris suffered significantly fewer flashbacks than the others. It’s thought playing Tetris interferes with the brain’s memory storage process, which takes around six hours, and makes it harder for the brain to form and retain traumatic memories that later emerge as flashbacks.

"Yo. You dudes got any double-As?"

This Is An IGN Article,

if you want to read more go to

IGN.Com

Halo Promethean's Leaked

Images of eight Promethean enemies and seven of their weapons from 343 Industries' upcoming shooter Halo 4 have surfaced.

Taken from a forthcoming issue of Game Informer and hosted by All Games Beta, the images are accompanied by a little bit of information about who our victims will be come November.

Minor spoilers follow for Halo 4 in terms of enemies and weapons, but there's also minor references to the plot of Halo 4 that leaked last week.

The Promethean enemies will live on Requiem which, as we discovered last week, is where the ancient Forerunner called Didact is hidden. In terms of enemies, there seem to be three basic types, though these then further diversify through attack methods and armour designs.

First up are the Crawlers, which are apparently common, agile and hunt in packs. They come in Alpha, Snipe and normal flavours, with each one sporting different weapons that they can utilise from a distance.

Alongside the Crawlers are the Knights. These are the captains of the Promethean forces, and can appear as Lancers, Battlewagons or Commanders in addition to their normal version. The special versions can deploy turrets and fire through walls, so it sounds like we'll have to utilise all our skills to best them in combat.

And finally there are the Watchers. These will apparently fight shoulder to shoulder with Knights, but will ominously be equipped with resurrection powers and the ability to summon Crawlers. So they're the ones we'll be taking out first, then.

Alongside the already intimidating range of abilities referenced, the Prometheans will be decked out with some pretty full on weaponry, details of which you can see below.

Halo 4 is due out on Xbox 360 on November 6.