If you have stumbled across this article, there is a high chance that you are already a videogames aficionado and that the incessant health warnings in relation to the medium are unlikely to curb your habit any time soon. Nevertheless, the wisest decisions are informed decisions and so here is a break down of the various pros and cons of being a great big gaming nerd that have been previously discussed by health practitioners and the media alike.

At the very least, the following will provide you with ammunition to help you stand your ground the next time you mother or a friend of yours claims that you’re spending far too much time with your PS3 or 360…

Game over (The CONS)

It makes sense to start this piece with a list of the most common health worries related to videogames, for these are the points that are most often raised by the press – well, they do make for attention yielding sensationalistic journalism…

• RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury): The increasing popularity of motion sensitive gaming has seen RSI discussed often, as those with a penchant for Wii Sports and other vigorous titles began to feel pain after long sessions of play (it should be noted that players are continuously reminded to take regular breaks by the console and its games). There is concern that repeated RSI injuries could eventually lead to other joint ailments like arthritis.

• Inability to socialise: We all know of the (incorrect) stereotype that all gamers lock themselves away from the world and barely see the light of day to socialise with others. This stigma is unlikely to end any time soon, due to a few uneducated commenters who have somehow escaped the fact that videogames are now popular with a wide variety of people, many of which actually enjoy leaving the confines of their homes on a regular basis.

• Insomnia: It can be extremely difficult to adjust weird sleeping patterns which result from staying up all night to make progress in a videogame and this can see people skipping sleep altogether. Lack of sleep can affect many aspects of health and one’s ability to learn also but this hasn’t stopped my brother attending college lectures without even one of his necessary 40 winks!

• Weight gain: It is well known that sitting on your arse all day will see your waist line expand. Videogames then, have been blamed in part for the obesity crisis; for it is an activity one might choose to do whilst sitting on said posterior. It is also a well known fact that an avocado salad does not taste as good as the junk food and soda that many players choose to munch through during a session (and most likely; when they are not gaming too).

• Violence: Videogames are often cited as causing violent behaviour in players despite the fact that many psychologists have determined that this is extremely rare and can only occur in those with particular existing mental and emotional dispositions.

Power Ups (The PROS)

Use these snippets of knowledge to slap down anyone who dare criticise your gaming habit in the future:

• Cognitive development: Not only do videogames have the potential to teach us things we didn’t know before playing them (examples can be as simple as LA Noir informing us about what cars people drove in 1940’s Los Angeles) but games also have a positive influence on a player’s ability to make decisions and they can improve memory too (at least, this is what research by psychologist Daphne Bavelier of the University of Rochester in New York claimed). Proof that making hordes of the undead explode in Left 4 Dead is good for the old noggin!

• Improving emotional dispositions: Videogames reward us when we do well by unlocking new features or awarding an Achievement and this can have a very positive effect on one’s self esteem. Sometimes it can be hard to see value in the actions we make in real life, due to lack of reward. This is why games can be simultaneously useful in addressing the problems of depression. Jane McGonigal’s book ‘Reality is Broken’ explores this theorem more deeply.

• Stress relief: I know that I feel less anxious about work matters once I have spent my lunchtime kicking ass on Tekken 6 with some work colleagues in the games den, so I can’t say I was surprised to hear that Texas A&M International University found the medium to be an effective stress buster. It is not just violent games that have this effect however – the diversion offered by any videogame can aid to reduce stress.

• Social skills: Contrary to the stereotype of gaming geeks, videogames can improve ones ability to communicate and connect with those around them. Back in 2008 a Swedish professor used MMO World of Warcraft to help teach a group of “unmotivated” and “poor performing” school children for an entire school year. Their marks not only improved significantly but it was noted how much more comfortable these individuals were at talking to new people and socially integrating themselves. Headsets and internet connections can see WoW players talking to strangers often so this makes perfect sense.

• Pain Relief: Videogames are a great distraction for those suffering intense pain. Professor Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University has seen how the treatment can help children undergoing painful treatments, such as chemotherapy by offering them an effective distraction. Well, it is hard to concentrate on anything else when going for a perfect note streak in Guitar Hero or attempting to beat your lap record for a track in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. The power of immersion, eh?

• Physiotherapeutic benefits: Videogames have been used effectively by doctors and their patients to aid the recovery of various arm injuries. Studies by researchers at universities across Toronto and Montreal in Canada have also indicated that the medium can prove helpful for individuals unfortunate enough to have suffered a stroke, by improving the mobility and strength of affected limbs.

• Improved dexterity: Research by Iowa State University professors has indicated that playing videogames can be useful for surgeons wishing to improve their dexterity. The study was conducted with a group of Laparoscopic surgeons. Those who use their spare time to play video games were 27% faster at advanced surgical procedures, and made 37% fewer errors, compared to their non-gaming colleagues. The Trauma Centre series has never seemed so useful!

• Weight loss: Motion sensitive gaming in the form of The Nintendo Wii, Xbox’s Kinect system and PS3’s Move has been declared many a time as a weight loss tool. Whilst the likes of Wii Fit and Zumba Fitness can see many calories burnt, it is worth pointing out that the majority of gamers outside of the casual gaming market will – for the most part – be found sat comfortably on their arses when indulging their hobby.

Although it is great to know that there are counter arguments for many of the criticisms of videogames in relation to health, it is true that too much of anything can be bad for you. Do yourself a favour – and silence your detractors – by undertaking some physical activity away from your beloved console every once in a while.

The author of this post – Kat Cole – is an avid Playstation 3 fan and cannot wait for her pre ordered copy of Battlefield 3 to drop through her letterbox in October. Duke Nukem Forever is hogging her every spare moment in the meantime.

There’s something about open-world games that just captures my imagination. I want go everywhere, climb everything and see everything these sprawling locales have to offer. The problem is, with most games of this ilk, the experience tends to get dull pretty quickly. I’m happy to report, that isn’t the case in inFamous 2. Sucker Punch has created an interesting and vibrant game, worthy of superhero status.

If you’ve played inFamous before (if not, then you need to correct that), the sequel will feel very familiar. inFamous 2 is all about evolution. Everything that worked well in the original game now just works better. Cole is more fluid when traversing the world, the way he animates is vastly improved and stringing attacks together works much better. That doesn’t mean there’s improvements across the board. Some of the same problems I had with the first game are still present and they’re annoying as ever; Cole being locked into an animation being my biggest gripe. When a game throws so many enemies at you at once, being able to break from animations is a necessity. I was killed far too many times through not being able to escape from an animation and, after a while, it got a little tedious. The tedium increased when I was repeatedly killed in one hit by a hidden bad guy wielding a rocket launcher. A note to developers: trial and error game play is never fun.

Aside from a few issues with animation and over eager AI, inFamous 2 is a blast. The game is jam packed with things to do. All the side missions, blast shards, dead drops, random crimes, and user-generated content is more than enough to keep you busy. Not forgetting that there’s a full story here too, and it’s one you won’t forget in a hurry. Unlike the first game, the difference between good and evil is not just about preferring red over blue. Your game will be vastly different depending on which path you choose. Not only will your ending be different, but your powers will differ too.

We all know that it’s the super powers that make a superhero (or villain) great. Being able to call down a lightning storm comes as standard in inFamous 2, but your choice of allegiance might come down to whether you want to freeze enemies in their tracks or set them alight. Like a lot of the choices in the game, it’s a fairly binary decision. You choose one side or the other, there’s no grey area. Whichever route you take, you’re guaranteed a good time. It often felt that some of the cooler powers were reserved for the villainous among us in the original game. In inFamous 2, you’re getting a different, but equally fun, experience.

That’s what Sucker Punch have done so well. Not only did they create a great sandbox to run around in, they populated it with enough stuff to keep players entertained and coming back for more. Granted, it’s not the most perfect game in the world: The sound design is a little off at times and the side missions can become a little repetitious, but it’s very rare that a game will grab me in the way inFamous 2 did. I spent hours experiencing everything that the game (and New Marais) and I still want to go back for more. If that’s not a testament to how good this game is, I don’t know what is.

9.5/10

Better late than never, we have Barlow and Ryan talking all things E3. Yes, the duo even delved into a little of what Microsoft and Nintendo had to offer at this year’s show in Los Angeles; though the show was still firmly rooted in Sony-based banter.

Tired and drained from following a week’s worth of industry news, the show is a little shorter than usual, but it’s still one you should enjoy.

Fans Of The Genre #2: Great Job, Jeremy (stream/download)

After a day of excitement and announcements, everything has drawn to a close. Sony closed out the day with, arguably, the best press conference. Though it’s not like Microsoft, EA and Ubisoft were firing on all cylinders. As per usual, Jack Tretton was Sony’s master of ceremonies – guiding us into each big announcement and the occasional bit of filler. Unlike Jack, I’m not going to be here for an hour telling you everything that came out of Sony’s press briefing. It’s far too late/early for that.

Sony Is Sorry

Sony’s first big announcement of the show was that it’s sorry for the recent PlayStation Network outage. Speaking on behalf of everyone at Sony Computer Entertainment, Jack Tretton made it clear that the company want to move past this and deliver quality content on consoles and handhelds.

Sony Provides Cheap 3D

Sony was pushing 3D technology hard at their conference this year, often requiring the audience to put on 3D glasses. Jack Tretton commented on the price barrier on 3D and how Sony wanted to break that barrier down. To do this they’re releasing a PlayStation-branded television. The 24-inch set comes with: one set of 3D glasses, a HDMI cable and a copy of Resistance 3 for $499. As a gamer living in a tiny room, this deal is rather appealing. They also announced that the 3D glasses would retail at $69.99 a pair and would allow players to see separate images with one TV. Madness!

Uncharted 3

Speaking of “quality content”, Jack threw the show over to Evan Wells and Cristoph Balestra from Naughty Dog. Wells showed off exactly what Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception was all about. Though it didn’t quite match up to the massive helicopter battle shown off for Uncharted 2 at E3 ’09, this sequence – in which Drake stealth kills his way through a sinking cruise liner before being consumed by the current – was really impressive and, I’m sure, pretty indicative of what we can expect from the game.

Announced alongside this was a partnership with Subway, which would grant users access to Uncharted 3′s full multiplayer suite before the release of the game. It’s a pretty unprecedented move, but one that could pay off for Sony and Naughty Dog.

Resistance 3

Sony’s other big ‘threequel’, Resistance 3 was also demoed. Having this follow Uncharted might not have been the best of moves considering the reception of the crowd towards the former. However, I was impressed with how good the game looked and the idea of small resistance camps, spread around America, really got my attention. Sony also announced a Move bundle for the game, which includes: The game, a Move want, a Navigation Controller, a PS Eye camera and a Sharpshooter accessory for $150.

More HD Collections

Jack stressed how much people loved Sony’s back catalog before announcing that God Of War: Chains Of Olympus and God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta would be bundled together, remastered in HD and re-released as God Of War: Origins. Team ICO Collection (ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus) were also mentioned. Both of these collections will be released in September.

Speaking Of Move…

A number of new Move games were demoed. All of these demos were pretty awkward, but they didn’t dwell on motion gaming like Microsoft did earlier in the day. Highlights included an NBA 2K12 demo given by members of 2K Sports and, Los Angeles Lakers star, Kobe Bryant. This was the most shambolic of the Move demos. It was followed by a new fantasy action game developed by the team behind Sports Champions. It looks like a re-skinned version of that game with an added story and the ability to move your character around environments. Didn’t look bad, but not all that intriguing.

BioShock: Infinite

One of motion gaming’s biggest critics, Ken Levine from Irrational Games came out to debut a new trailer for BioShock: Infinite. Guess what? It’s awesome. After the short trailer, Levine announced that the game would be getting Move support. He did stress that this would not compromise the game for the ‘core’, but would bring more people to the world of Colombia. Before leaving, Levine also teased a BioShock-related announcement for Sony’s new handheld.

Dust 514

The only, brand new, exclusive game announced for the PlayStation 3 at this press conference was Dust 514. This new sci-fi shooter is being developed by Studio CCP, the team behind EVE Online. This new game will tie into the PC MMO. Move support was also announced. There was a trailer, but no live demo.

PlayStation Vita

After a little more filler content in the form of an inFamous 2 trailer (why?), the original StarHawk announcement trailer (again, why?) and a short Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time teaser, Kaz Hirai took the stage to talk about Sony’s new handheld. The NGP codename has now been replaced with PlayStation Vita and it appears it’s got a lot of backing from both Sony and the third parties. A short sizzle reel showed off some of the previously announced titles. Uncharted: Golden Abyss was demoed live, this was followed by a new ModNation Racers and the announcement that Street Fighter X Tekken would be released on the system. This too was demoed and showed off that inFamous’ Cole McGrath would be added to the roster. LittleBigPlanet – with added touch functionality – was also announced and shown off in a trailer.

After the demos, Kaz reappeared to announce that the base model (WiFi only) of the new handheld would be released for $250/ €250 by “Holiday 2011″. This is a great move for Sony, as it puts it level on price with Nintendo’s 3DS. The announcement of a 3G enabled model was made. That iteration will be $299/€299, with a data plan exclusive to AT&T in USA. Needless to say, the boos ensued. Kaz just stood there, grinning and bearing it.

And that was that for Sony. There was no big ‘wow moment’ like there’s been at past E3′s, but they definitely had a decent showing. The focus on exclusive software is a big plus, the cheap access to 3D content is a great move and the price point of the PSV is certainly the star of the show. Nintendo are going to have to have something big with ‘Project Cafe’ later on today.

No PSN downtime apology

Many out there think that the beginning of Sony’s E3 press briefing will contain an apology for the problems the company has had keeping it’s online doors locked. I, however, do not. Sony has already apologised for the problems caused and the possible damage done to customers and business associates. Dwelling on this during the press conference is not a wise move. E3 is all about showing how things have been improved, about what’s coming next. Dwelling on the latest scandal is not going to do them any favours. I do believe that the issue has to be acknowledged by Jack Tretton in his opening monologue, but a full on apology is not necessary, even with all the mainstream press in the room.

The Last Guardian will be demoed/Team ICO Collection dated for North America

Team ICO’s latest game is perhaps the most highly anticipated game on the PlayStation 3 and, their previous two efforts, ICO and Shadow Of The Collosus are beloved by gamers across the world. Despite it being mostly unknown outside of the gaming enthusiast community, The Last Guardian will move systems. It’s been far too long now, this game needs a big E3 blowout. Following on from this, the Team ICO Collection – HD versions of the developer’s last two games – will be given a release date for North America, following on from the Japanese announcement last week.

The NGP will not be renamed ‘PS Vita’

Though ‘Vita’ was used as a codename during the development of Sony’s new handheld, the console’s official name will not be ‘Vita’. Following the trend of Sony’s other systems, the new device will be named the PSP2. Some say that, from a business standpoint, the ‘PSP brand’ is now synonymous with failure in the West. However, it is a brand that consumers know. Calling this system anything other than a PlayStation Portable could be a very bad move for Sony.

Rockstar will debut the first trailer for Agent

With LA Noire finally finished, Rockstar has only Max Payne 3 for people to be excited for. Sure, that logo for Agent was pretty damn exciting (or perhaps it was just “Rockstar Games” that had people excited?), but a trailer for that game would be a really big thing for Sony. The fact that it’s an exclusive game just sweetens the deal even more. I don’t think we’ll see gameplay, but a trailer along the lines of what we saw at LA Noire’s debut would be enough to get people in a tizzy.

Kevin Butler will not appear

Though Kevin Butler is, arguably, the most recognisable face at Sony, he will not appear at this year’s E3 press conference. A veil of seriousness needs to be applied by Sony this time around, so an appearance from the fake executive might not be appropriate. Not only that, but the joke of him appearing at the conference might just feel like a repeat of last year. He will appear in video form, but an actual ‘personal appearance’ doesn’t seem to be on the cards.

Well what do we have here? Is this a new podcast? That’s exactly what it is! This is Fans Of The Genre a new PlayStation-centric podcast from the editors of ThePlayStatioNetwork. Seeing as we work with a skeleton crew nowadays, it’s been hard to keep up with the masses of news each day, so we decided to start a new podcast to deliver your news in a big chunk at the end of each week. Cool, right? Enjoy!

This inagural episode didn’t exactly get off to a flying start. We were a man down as Ryan had gone AWOL so we (Anthony Barlow and Ian Ball) started the show without him. We talked about the awesomeness of LA Noire, Ian gives us the lowdown on DiRT 3, we discuss ‘Call Of Duty: Elite’ and how great it is to have the PlayStation store back.

We also talked at length about Sony’s plans for E3 and made some pretty bold predictions as to what we were going to see. At this point Ryan had joined us, which was nice of him. Why not listen to three nerds struggle to think of a franchise Sony could bring back.

Fans Of The Genre #1: Lazarus, The Phoenix & All That Shit

(Download/Stream or Subscribe on iTunes)

We hope you enjoy the show and please feel free to submit any questions and queries to anthonyb@theplaystationetwork.com

Clements!

Sony have released a couple of new inFamous 2 videos for all us wannabe superheroes to drool over. The first movie (above) shows, a new enemy, ‘The Behemoth’ in all of it’s disgusting glory. The second (below) details, another new addition, user generated content.

Be aware these videos are filled with spoilers, but if you can’t wait until June 7th then be sure to check them out. Make sure to look for a knock at the 360 around the 3:30 mark in the first video.

Source: PlayStation Blog

You play as hapless a robotic hero (Explodemon), who’s been unleashed upon the world in order to rid the world of, all around bad guy, Absorbmon and a havoc-wreaking bunch of aliens called the Vortex. It’s an adventure with it’s tounge firmly placed in it’s cheek, and that’s what makes this simplistic world so engaging. The game hearkens back to the era in which it takes the most inspiration. A time before big localization; when translation was just an afterthought to Japanese game developers. Explodemon even offers up some classic ‘Engrish’ dialogue, which never failed to make me smile. This is complemented well with a great art style and fantastic music. Granted the level design is a little samey and, at times, it can feel like you’re fighting the same enemy over and over, but that’s me nitpicking.

It’s not hard to see where Curve got their influences from. It’s a great homage to the golden age of videogames, but can be easily be appreciated by all of those that play it. The character himself is a fine amalgam of old-school characters: He looks like Mega Man, runs like Sonic and could take on Mario in a brick breaking competition. At the same time managing to feel fresh and exciting rather than played out and derivative.

At it’s core, Explodemon is a 2D platformer. However, this isn’t just about traversing a level and getting to the finish line. Using the his penchant for blowing stuff up, Explodemon must battle hordes of enemies, solve puzzles and find alternate routes in order to get through a level. The game is fairly linear but, like any retro-inspired game, there’s secret areas and collectibles to keep you coming back for more.

Explodemon is a great experience and a fantastic homage to gaming’s golden age. There’s some minor problems, like having to move with the analog stick, but nothing that’s going to ruin the game for the majority of people. It’s one that will appeal to nostalgic gamers everywhere and it’s great to see that from an original IP.

8.5/10

There was a few out there who saw Sony’s attempt at motion control as a little outdated, that Kinect was the new hotness when it came to flailing around like an idiot for the sake of a good time. Rather than cave in and drop the cash on one of Microsoft’s sleek, new black boxes Shantanu Goel decided to try something different. He took the Frankenstein approach. Anyone for Killzone 3…using Kinect?

Of course, it’s still rough around the edges (it’s often hard to have two different species mate with oneanother), but Goel’s claims are pretty impressive. His pre-Alpha software appears to show Kinect and the PS3 playing nice (after a few modifications), but this being a fake is certainly not out of the question. Check out the video (above) and tell us what you think in the comments below.

Source: Joystiq

Sony has revealed to IGN that PS3 users will soon be able to use a cloud-based save game service, allowing access to your save games from any console. This new feature will go live tomorrow, in a new firmware update (v. 3.60) for PlayStation Plus members. When asked about making this feature available to non-Plus subscribers, Sony said: “We haven’t announced any plans for it to be available to everyone at this time.”

Up to 150MB of space will be allotted to each user, with a maximum of 1,000 save files per PSN account. Users can check how much space they have left via the XMB. Copy protected saves can also be uploaded and all data can be restored once per 24 hours. Sony says “most” current games will make use of this feature, but it will be mandatory for all future titles.

Those wanting to back up, once the update goes live tomorrow, should follow these instructions:

• Select ‘Game’ and then ‘Save Data Utility’
• Select the data you want to back up
• Press the triangle button and click copy
• Select ‘Online Storage’ as the storage destination

This is certainly a nice feature, and one that’s not been seen on a console before. Those holding out on their PlayStation Plus subscription might want to take a second look when this goes live tomorrow.