Game theory is a theoretical framework to conceive social situations among competing players and produce optimal decision-making of independent and competing actors in a strategic setting.
Thursday, 16 December 2021
Tuesday, 14 December 2021
What are Olympic sports?
The best part about any Summer Olympics is that the events occur at the perfect time of the calendar year.
That is just one reason we tune in to watch the Olympics every four years, even for events that are tape-delayed.
- Gymnastics.
- Track. ...
- Swimming. ...
- Women's Soccer. ...
- Water Polo. ...
- Men's Basketball. ...
- Team Volleyball. ...
- Table Tennis. ...
Only five sports have been contested at every summer Olympic Games since 1896: Athletics, Cycling, Fencing, Gymnastics and Swimming.
What are the rules of female boxing?
1) All bouts shall be scheduled for no more than then (10) rounds, with each round lasting two (2) minutes. One (1) minute between rounds. 2) Female boxers shall use NO facial cosmetics and have their hair secured with soft and non-abrasive materials. 3) The weight classes shall be the same as in use by male boxers.
- Fighters may not hit below the belt, trip, hold, kick, headbutt, bite, push, or spit on opponents.
- You cannot strike with your head, forearm, or elbows.
- You cannot hit with an open glove, wrist, or backhand, only closed fist punches.
Wednesday, 8 December 2021
Best Outdoor Games to Keep Kids Entertained All Summer
Capture the Flag
Teamwork is the name of the game in this classic outdoor game for kids. Start with at least six players, and divide into two teams. Mark a designated playing space and establish a home base with a “flag” for each team. On “go,” each team tries to run into enemy territory, steal the flag, and make it back safely to their side. However, if you’re tagged by an opposing team member, you’re frozen and can no longer help your team. Keep the space small for younger kids, but for older children, you can add obstacles, hideouts, or play it in the dark. You can also try this glow-in-the-dark version for extra cool effects.
Ghost in the Graveyard
Gather at least five kids, and designate a home base as the safe spot. Choose one person to be the ghost. The ghost hides while the rest stay at the base and count to 30. The kids then spread out and look for the ghost. When someone finds him or her, they yell, “Ghost in the graveyard!” and everyone attempts to run back to base before the ghost tags them. If the ghost tags someone, that person becomes the new ghost. If the ghost doesn’t tag anyone, the last child back to home base is the ghost.
Sardines
This easy outdoor game for kids is like reverse hide-and-seek. Start with a group of four or more children, and pick one kid to be “it.” All the kids count to 30 while the child who is “it” finds a hiding spot. The kids then spread out and look for the hidden child. When they find him or her, they quietly hide with the other kid(s) until all the children are hiding in the same spot or as close as they can without being seen. The last one to find the spot becomes “it” for the next round.
Kick the Can
Pick an open area, preferably paved, like a driveway, and set an empty tin can in the middle. Gather at least four children, and pick one of them to be the “guard” or “it.” The guard counts to 30 while the other children hide. The hidden children’s goal is to kick the can without getting tagged by the guard. The guard’s goal is to protect the can, keeping it from getting kicked, by tagging any kid running toward it. Once tagged, that child is frozen where they stand. The child who kicks the can wins, or the guard wins if he or she tags all the other players out. Looking for more affordable activities? Check out these 22 things you should do at least once before summer’s over.
Hospital Tag
Regular tag is fun, but these tweaks to the rules can take it to the next level. Choose someone to be “it.” That child chases the other kids, trying to tag them. Once a child is tagged, they have to cover the spot where they were tagged with their hand to keep playing. The second time they are tagged they cover that spot with their other hand and keep playing. The third time they are tagged, they have to go to the “hospital,” where they are out for the rest of the game. The child who is “it” wins when all the other players are in the hospital. The first child in the hospital is the next “it.”
Monday, 6 December 2021
Are Video Games Good for You? The Positive Effects of Video Games
The main benefits of playing video games involve enhancing mental skills that include:
- Problem solving and logic – When a child plays a game such as The Incredible Machine, Angry Birds or Cut The Rope, he trains his brain to come up with creative ways to solve puzzles and other problems in short bursts
- Hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills. In shooting games, the character may be running and shooting at the same time. This requires the real-world player to keep track of the position of the character, where he/she is heading, his speed, where the gun is aiming, if the gunfire is hitting the enemy, and so on. All these factors need to be taken into account, and then the player must then coordinate the brain’s interpretation and reaction with the movement in his hands and fingertips. This process requires a great deal of eye-hand coordination and visual-spatial ability to be successful. Research also suggests that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games. There have been even studies with adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical skills. Also, a reason given by experts as to why fighter pilots of today are more skillful is that this generation’s pilots are being weaned on video games.
- Planning, resource management and logistics. The player learns to manage resources that are limited, and decide the best use of resources, the same way as in real life. This skill is honed in strategy games such as SimCity, Age of Empires, and Railroad Tycoon. Notably, The American Planning Association, the trade association of urban planners and Maxis, the game creator, have claimed that SimCity has inspired a lot of its players to take a career in urban planning and architecture.
- Multitasking, simultaneous tracking of many shifting variables and managing multiple objectives. In strategy games, for instance, while developing a city, an unexpected surprise like an enemy might emerge. This forces the player to be flexible and quickly change tactics.
- Quick thinking, making fast analysis and decisions. Sometimes the player does this almost every second of the game giving the brain a real workout. According to researchers at the University of Rochester, led by Daphne Bavelier, a cognitive scientist, games simulating stressful events such as those found in battle or action games could be a training tool for real-world situations. The study suggests that playing action video games primes the brain to make quick decisions. Video games can be used to train soldiers and surgeons, according to the study. Importantly, decisions made by action-packed video game players are no less accurate. According to Bavelier, “Action game players make more correct decisions per unit time. If you are a surgeon or you are in the middle of a battlefield, that can make all the difference.”
- Accuracy – Action games, according to a study by the University of Rochester, train the player’s brain to make faster decisions without losing accuracy. In today’s world, it is important to move quickly without sacrificing accuracy.
- Strategy and anticipation – Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad is Good For You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter, calls this “telescoping.” The gamer must deal with immediate problems while keeping his long-term goals on his horizon.
- Situational awareness – – Defense News reported that the Army include video games to train soldiers to improve their situational awareness in combat. Many strategy games also require the player to become mindful of sudden situational changes in the game and adapt accordingly.
- Developing reading and math skills – The young gamer reads to get instructions, follow storylines of games, and get information from the game texts. Also, using math skills is important to win in many games that involves quantitative analysis like managing resources.
- Perseverance – In higher levels of a game, the player usually fails the first time around, but he keeps on trying until he succeeds and move on to the next level.
- Pattern recognition – Games have internal logic in them, and the player figures it out by recognizing patterns.
- Estimating skills
- Inductive reasoning and hypothesis testing – James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says that playing a video game is similar to working through a science problem. Like a student in a laboratory, the gamer must come up with a hypothesis. For example, the gamer must constantly try out combinations of weapons and powers to use to defeat an enemy. If one does not work, he changes hypothesis and try the next one. Video games are goal-driven experiences, says Gee, which are fundamental to learning.
- Mapping – The gamer use in-game maps or build maps on his head to navigate around virtual worlds.
- Memory – Playing first person shooter games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield series enables the player to effectively judge what information should be stored in his working memory and what can be discarded considering the task at hand, according to a study published in the Psychological Research.
- Concentration – A study conducted by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory reveal that children with attention-deficit disorder who played Dance Dance Revolution improve their reading scores by helping them concentrate.
- Improved ability to rapidly and accurately recognize visual information – A study from Beth Israel Medical Center NY, found a direct link between skill at video gaming and skill at keyhole, or laparoscopic, surgery. Doctors who spent at least three hours a week playing video games made about 37 % fewer mistakes in surgery and performed the task 27% faster than non-gaming surgeons. Another study found that people who play video games on a regular basis are better at registering visual data and are therefore quicker visual learners. They are also more resistant to perceptual interference, and are therefore able to learn for a longer period of time in distracting environments.
- Reasoned judgments
- Taking risks – Winning in any game involves a player’s courage to take risks. Most games do not reward players who play safely.
- How to respond to challenges
- How to respond to frustrations
- How to explore and rethink goals
- Teamwork and cooperation when played with others – Many multiplayer games such as Team Fortress 2 involve cooperation with other online players in order to win. These games encourage players to make the most of their individual skills to contribute to the team. According to a survey by Joan Ganz Cooney Center, teachers report that their students become better collaborators after using digital games in the classroom.
- Management – Management simulation games such as Rollercoaster Tycoon and Zoo tycoon teach the player to make management decisions and manage the effective use of finite resources. Other games such as Age of Empires and Civilization even simulate managing the course of a civilization.
- Simulation, real world skills. The most well known simulations are flight simulators, which attempt to mimic the reality of flying a plane. All of the controls, including airspeed, wing angles, altimeter, and so on, are displayed for the player, as well as a visual representation of the world, and are updated in real time.
- Non-English speaking players report learning English by playing games.
Cognitive researcher Daphne Bavalier talks about how video games can help us learn, focus and, fascinatingly, multitask.
Are Video Games Bad for You? The Negative Effects of Video Games
- Most of the bad effects of video games are blamed on the violence they contain. Children who play more violent video games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and decreased prosocial helping, according to a scientific study (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). A number of studies across different cultures suggest that children who play violent video games become physically aggressive in their daily lives. Also according to Dmitri A. Christakis of the Seattle Children’s Research Institute, those who watch a lot of simulated violence, such as those in video games, can become immune to it, more inclined to act violently themselves, and are less likely to behave emphatically. Another study suggests that chronic exposure to violent video games is not only associated with lower empathy, but emotional callousness as well.
This, however, is still hotly debated because there is also evidence that shows that excessive use of video games does not lead to long-term desensitization and lack of empathy. A 2017 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, for example, didn’t find any long-term effects of playing violent video games and empathy. Another study from University of York and another by the Royal Society found no evidence to support the theory that video games make players more violent, and another study suggests that there is no increase in the level of aggression of players who had long-term exposure to violent video games. A 2020 reanalysis of a number of independent studies did not find a clear link between video game and both violence and agression in children. This finding was again confirmed when no evidence was found that violence against other people increases after a new violent video game is released, although some children do display aggression by destroying objects, not attacking people.
Although politicians oftentimes declare video games as a cause of gun violence, there is currently little scientific evidence that links playing video games, even the “gruesome and grisly” ones, to violence.
- On the other hand, The American Psychological Association (APA) concluded that there is a “consistent correlation” between violent game use and aggression, but finds insufficient evidence to link violent video play to criminal violence. An open letter by a number of media scholars, psychologists and criminologists, however, find APA’s study and conclusion to be misleading and alarmist. Many experts including Henry Jenkins of Massachusetts Institute of Technology have noted that there is a decreased rate of juvenile crime which coincides with the popularity of games such as Death Race, Mortal Kombat, Doom and Grand Theft auto. He concludes that teenage players are able to leave the emotional effects of the game behind when the game is over. Indeed there are cases of teenagers who commit violent crimes who also spend great amount of time playing video games such as those involved in the Columbine and Newport cases. It appears that there will always be violent people, and it just so happen that many of them also enjoy playing violent video games.
Also, a meta analysis conducted by the Stentson University psychologist Christopher Ferguson, that examines 101 studies found that “violent video games had little impact on kids’ aggression, mood, helping behavior or grades.” According to Ferguson, “Any claims that there is consistent evidence that violent video games encourage aggression are simply false.” Others like Benjamin Burroughs, a professor of emerging media at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas found that there are no longitudinal studies that show a link between violence and video games, and although players experience short-term increase in aggressive thoughts and feelings after playing video games, it doesn’t rise to the level of violence. Also, men who commit severe acts of violence actually play video games less than the average male, according to Patrick Markey, a psychology professor at Villanova University.
- Also, in 2018, an analysis of 24 studies involving 17000 youngsters from countries including the U.S., Canada, Germany and Japan and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found those who played violent games such as “Grand Theft Auto,” “Call of Duty” and “Manhunt” were more likely to exhibit behavior such as being sent to the principal’s office for fighting or hitting a non-family member. According to Jay Hull, the study’s lead author “If your kids are playing these games, either these games are having a warping effect on right and wrong or they have a warped sense of right or wrong and that’s why they are attracted to these games. Either way you should be concerned about it.” Hull’s previous research suggests players may also practice riskier behaviors such as reckless driving, binge drinking, smoking and unsafe sex.
- Other studies that seem to indicate that playing video games have a connection to aggressive thoughts and behavior are those done by Anderson & Dill, 2000 and Gentile, Lynch & Walsh, 2004.
- Some experts who believe that there is a connection between video games and violence blame the games’ interactive nature. In many games, kids are rewarded for being more violent. The act of violence is done repeatedly. The child is in control of the violence and experiences the violence in his own eyes (killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting). This active participation, repetition and reward are effective tools for learning behavior.
- Kids can be addicted to video gaming. The World Health Organization in June 2018 declared gaming addiction as a mental health disorder. A study by the Minneapolis-based National Institute for Media and the Family suggests that video games can be addictive for kids, and that the kids’ addiction to video games increases their depression and anxiety levels. Addicted kids also exhibit social phobias. Not surprisingly, kids addicted to video games see their school performance suffer. Neuroimaging research suggests heavy use of certain video games may cause brain changes linked to addictive behaviors. Also, MRI scans reveal that addictive video games can have a similar effect on kids’ brains as drugs and alcohol. A series of studies by California State University found that the impulsive part of the brain, known as the amygdala-striatal system was more sensitive and smaller in excessive game players. According to Professor Ofir Turel, heavy game players between 13 and 15 whose self-control system is not yet well-developed can have increased susceptibility to other forms of addiction and can be more predisposed to impulsive and risky behaviors later in life.
- A study from the Université de Montréal suggests that playing action video games like Call of Duty may actually harm the brain. Most study participants mainly use an area of the brain called the caudate nucleus. These players navigate through the game terrain using in-system navigation tools or on-screen GPS, relying on navigational “habit” instead of active learning. It appears that this causes an increase in the amount of gray matter in their caudate nucleus, while it decreases in the hippocampus. Reduced gray matter in the hippocampus has previously been linked to higher risks of brain illnesses, including depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s disease. However players who play games that requires players to navigate using spatial strategies like the 3D Super Mario games have increased grey matter in the hippocampus.
- Too much video game playing makes your kid socially isolated. Also, he may spend less time in other activities such as doing homework, reading, sports, and interacting with the family and friends. On the other hand, a study by researchers at the North Carolina State University, New York and the University Of Ontario Institute Of Technology points out that gamers usually do not replace their offline social lives with online game playing, but rather it expands them. In fact, among gamers, being a loner is not the norm.
8 Health Benefits of Playing Video Games
Video games have various positive effects on both your mental and physical health. Gaming can help those suffering from various addictions or cravings to decrease their intensity of desires. A person learns various things by playing video games and applying those things in real life. Contrary to popular belief, video games can actually promote and improve health & social activity through various avenues.
Here are some of the Health Benefits of Playing Video Games:
Better Problem-Solving Skills: Playing games can teach you to solve different kinds of problems. When a person starts playing video games, then he encounters different types of problems during the game and to progress further in the game, he has to get a way around those problems and solve them. This can help develop the problem-solving skills of a particular individual, and those people who play strategy-based games show an improvement in their problem-solving skills.
Improves Brain Function: Various recent studies have suggested that playing video games can help improve the function of your brain. Playing video games is known to increase the gray matter of your brain or in simple terms, the size of your brain. This can have profound effects on a person's brain function as playing video games can have impacts on different regions of the brain that are responsible for memory, spatial orientation, information organizations, and fine motor skills. Playing games can exercise your brain and improve your brain function.
Improves Eyesight: Video games are also known to improve your vision as long as you are not sitting in front of the screen for 5-10 hours and sitting two feet away. A study has shown that playing video games can make a person more responsive to different shades of colors.
Good for Mind: Video Games also have a benefit on your mental health and they can boost your mood and help relieve anxiety & stress. According to various studies, the relation between video games & stress has been found and that's why video games have been used for various therapies for over a decade.
Helps you to be Persistent: Video games can also help you to be more persistent. You either win or you keep on trying, games help you to be persistent and it can also help you to be more confident, persistent towards your goals, and learning from your mistakes.
Involve Physical Activity: Nowadays, most video gaming consoles come with technology to get gamers off of their chairs and couch & onto their feet. An example is VR gaming that not only takes gaming to the next level but also involves physical activity to keep the gamers fit. Game developers are now starting to develop such games that are played across physical space, building the game around real-world location and events, to make sure that the gamers are also physically active.
Better Social Skills: Most people think of a video gamer as a stereotypical shy person who is introvert and afraid to develop social relationships, but that is only shown in movies, in reality that is not the case. People who play video games are likely to have good social skills and build better relationships with people around them due to the teamwork, social, and collaborative components of certain video games.
Better Decision-Making: People who play video games are also known to be better at decision-making. This come from the fact that most video games involve the buildup of certain reflexes and making quick & best decision in various situation to get out of them and a person playing such video games will also develop better decision-making skills in real life because the video games are teaching who to take the sensory data in and translate into correct decisions for the given situation.
These are some of many benefits of playing video games and how video games can have beneficial effects on your health. It is a common myth that video games are bad for your health. If you don't exceed the limits and don't overplay the video games than they are definitely good for your health, however, if you keep on playing video games for long hours then they will definitely have a negative impact on your mind and health because excess of anything, be it video games or anything else is not good.
What is the story behind Prince of Persia?
- Available Platforms - Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast
- Initial Release Date - September 17, 1999
- Main Story Completion Time - 15.5 Hours
- Best Feature - The first 3D Prince of Persia game and had surprisingly good graphics and animations for its time.
As the title suggests, Prince of Persia 3D was the franchise first attempt at taking the 2D side-scrolling series into the new world of 3D gaming. Unfortunately, as far as franchises making the transition from 2D to 3D goes, Prince of Persia 3D is closer to the Bubsy 3D end of the spectrum than the Super Mario 64 one.
Saturday, 4 December 2021
Benefits of Indoor Games for Kids
Kids running around the local streets playing hide-and-seek, hop-scotch, and cricket, etc. is something we don’t see quite often in today’s environment, because of busy lifestyles as well as lack of open play areas. For kids, it is crucial to play freely to relax and have some fun; instead, a majority of kids today tend to spend most of their time at home just watching television or playing video games. Indoor play areas and indoor games have proven to be a great outlet for kids. This is because they can be active, have fun, and most importantly perhaps play in a clean, safe, and colorful environment. Most well-designed and modern indoor play areas feature slides, tunnels, ball pools, bridges, adventure zones, trampolines, and other equipment which can keep your kids engaged for several hours. Here are some great benefits of indoor games for your kids.
Physical Fitness
Regularly playing indoor games such as ping pong helps your kids improve their body fitness since these games incorporate a variety of body movements. Also, experts state that regularly engaging in indoor games such as table tennis helps in developing fast-twitch muscles which can ultimately improve your kid’s reflexes.Encourages Creativity
During the time spent in indoor games, kids usually face several situations and challenges which help them in developing vital skills. For example, interacting with others can help them develop and improve their imagination. Kids also learn to be more curious and expressive. Indoor games also help them learn new things from one another. Also, most well designed and modern indoor play areas also have cafes; therefore, while parents comfortably sip on a cup of tea or coffee and unwind, their children have the freedom to develop and explore their creativity in a safe, healthy and secure environment.Hand-eye Coordination
Playing indoor games such as table tennis or ping pong needs constant coordination between your hands and eyes. This reason is why playing these indoor games on a regular basis improves hand-eye coordination.Comfortable and Safe Space
Friday, 3 December 2021
PlayStation Now games for July: Red Dead Redemption 2, Nioh 2, Judgment
There’s a robust lineup of games joining PlayStation Now this month. There’s a Western epic with Rock star’s Red Dead Redemption 2, intense yokai action in the form of Nioh 2, while Judgment serves up a compelling psychological thriller. Enjoy cooperative hi jinks with hilarious sim Moving Out, and give in to your competitive nature with both Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Nascar Heat 5. And also welcome back the acclaimed adventure of Kratos and Aterus as God of War returns to PlayStation Now.
*Phew*. It’s an epic month. Let’s find out more about what awaits you when all these games join PlayStation Now tomorrow, July 6.
Red Dead Redemption 2
From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sprawling tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. Also included is Red Dead Online: forge your own path as you battle lawmen, outlaw gangs and ferocious wild animals to build a life on the American frontier.












