The Thrifty Gamer

Being a professional video game tester is a dream job. Most gamers would love the chance to be able to play great video games and get paid for it. Unfortunately though, most gamers think that paid video game testing is too far out of reach and will remain a dream forever. Well luckily, it's not a "dream" and anybody can be a paid video game tester with the right amount of experience and guidance.

The following tips should help you get started with a career in professional video game testing.

Tip 1: Don't Wait For Jobs to Find You, Get Out There and Find Them.

Video game tester jobs are not going to fall from the sky, so you can't expect to find them with a few glances at the Sunday newspaper. Therefore, instead of just sitting around and waiting, be proactive and actually chase those high paying testing jobs.

Make a beeline straight toward the game developers and present your case, no matter how poor or excellent it might be. Let them know who you are, what you do (game tester), and why you would make a great addition to their team/project.

It's important to remember that developers aren't going to hire you on the spot; so, don't let rejection get you down. They have lots of video game testers applying for projects and jobs, which means they can literally be as picky as they want to be. With that being said, be as confident as you can and be sure to let them know of all your gaming accomplishments and deeds. They should know about what games you play frequently, what consoles you own, what communities you are apart of, and any websites/blogs you own or help operate. No matter what the gaming accomplishment, big or small, it will help with landing you a job.

Tip 2: Don't Think "Hobby with Pay", Think "Career With Benefits!"

You have to keep in mind that developers pay video game testers as part of a job. They are not paying testers to merely enjoy video games at their own expense. Therefore, when you land a testing job, don't simply play it to have fun; play it like you are earning a paycheck. Does that mean you can't have any fun? No; it simply means you shouldn't make "fun" your top priority while testing video games.

If you take each and every testing job seriously and give it your all, you should have a much more successful game testing career.

Tip 3: Know What To Expect

The biggest part of being a professional video game tester is knowing the golden rule; which is "You are paid to test games, not to play them." There may be a fine line between the two, but any real game tester will tell you that the difference is definitely there.

The subtle difference between testing and playing is, well, work. A game tester will have to do actual work, such as filing reports & filling out questionnaires; as opposed to a regular game player, who will just relax and play the game at a leisurely pace. Admittedly, the work isn't back breaking, but it is work nonetheless.

The questionnaires are the easier part of game testing, as all the video game tester has to do is answer some general questions about the game and give his/her honest opinion. The reports, on the other hand, are a bit more difficult to do. These reports need to be filed on every bug/glitch that the tester comes across, and they have to be remarkably accurate. In each report, the video game tester has to describe what happened, where it happened, and how it happened. With this detailed information in hand, the developers & programmers will then fix the problem and find out why it happened in the first place. Every video game goes through this basic cycle, which is precisely why video game testers are so vital to the gaming industry.

As you can see, there really isn't all that much work involved with video game testing, but that doesn't mean it isn't a serious profession.

Tip 4: Build up a Network of Reliable Contacts.

Networking is a crucial part of professional video game testing. Although it is quite possible to have a prosperous career without a reliable network, having one just makes things easier.

A network of contacts can actually help your career in many different ways. The biggest thing it can do is give you heads up about new job openings and testing assignments that have been announced. Also, some of your contacts can even act as valuable references when applying for testing jobs. And, as if those two things weren't enough, your network can give you the inside scoop about what's going on behind closed doors.

Much like a video game tester job, a reliable network is not going to just jump out at you. Therefore, you will have to build it up all on your own. The best way to do that is by getting to know the industry and the people who work in it. Anyone that spends time around video games (professionally, of course) can be included in your network; game testers, developers, programmers, concept artists, art designers, graphics designers, technical support specialists, audio specialists, etc. Basically, if they know video games and work with video games, you want them in your network.

Tip 5: Don't Give Up. Keep Trying!

The unfortunate fact is that you are not going to land a video game tester job whenever you want one. As a matter of fact, it may be weeks or even months before you land your first testing job. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that you don't have what it takes; it just means you have to keep trying & giving it your best. Not many newcomers start off at the top of their game, which means you likely won't either. Hence, just give it time. After a few months and a few jobs, you should be able to get your footing and begin advancing in your career as a professional video game tester.

Do You Think You Are Ready For a Career as a Video Game Tester? Are You Prepared To Make Up To $120 an Hour Testing Video Games? If You Are, Click Here To Find Out How To Get Started With Your Very Own Game Testing Career.

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There are varieties of ways you can use to find a job as a video game tester. But before you begin your search for as a video game tester, I need to ask you a question. Do you have the capabilities to conquer a video game testing assignment? Game testing involves some technical-know-how. I have written them down to get you familiar with the works of a video game tester.

Roles of a Video Game Tester

The work of a video game tester is to detect glitches made at various levels of game production. To be frank, video game testing is not an easy task, especially if you don't have any experience about playing games. Video game manufacturers believe that if they send their games into the market without doing any standard testing, it may not be bought by video game players. Due to this, they seek the services of video game testers to enable them detect these bugs, while on their own part they edit it and send it into the market for consumers to exploit.

Compensation

A video game tester could earn over $45,000 working full time in a year, though some video game testing jobs pay hourly. One can earn $20-$150 per hour testing video games. If you are able to detect bugs, you also paid more benefits in addition to the agreed amount for the games you are testing.

Where to find Video Game Testing Jobs

This brings us to the main issue of this article. Let's say you've known the works of a video game tester at this stage. If you've made up your mind to start a career as a game tester, then you could go ahead to discover the sources of video game testing jobs.

One of the ways to find a video game testing job is to find one at video game manufacturer's websites. I guess you know them; they are Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo, Sony, Code Masters and the rest of others. You might be lucky to find opportunities at their websites.

Another way I will, mostly, recommend is to approach video game companies. Tell them your capabilities, the games you own and the ones you've played. Convince them on why you would be able to make a good testing job, once the games are assigned to you. Luckily, you could get one. The games can either be computer games or video games, no matter the kind of games you are assigned to test, take the testing seriously and don't waste time in sending your feedbacks to the company, once you are through with testing.

Final Word

Video game testing is not an easy task but once you get used to them, I assure you that you would get to love the job. There are some ecourses made to get you acquainted with video game testing, they would be helpful in assisting you through the various stages of completing the works of a video game tester successfully. If you are able to practice with this ecourse, it would guard you in your first assignment.

My Recommendation:
GameTestingGround is a membership site that offers all the step-by-step guides you need to know to become a video game tester and to crown all, they also offer listings of video game companies hiring on weekly basis. I highly recommend you to try them out today. Check them out at http://gamertestinggroundreview.blogspot.com

Video game rentals have always been a great way for gamers to enjoy a variety of games without forking out major cash to do so. For many years, video game fanatics have enjoyed the ability to test out their reputable games before they make that commitment to purchase. With new developments emerging within the online video game rental arena, such online services like GameFly and Gottaplay have been providing even more trouble-free way of testing out a variety of video games. We'll take a closer look at these services below.

GameFly - The First Video Game Rental Company Emerges

GameFly is the very first online video game renting provider to step out on the scene as of early 2003. This company established its presence due to the lack of classic and newer release video game titles that were absent from many of the brick-and-mortar type companies (Blockbuster & Hollywood Video) found within your local area. The founders of GameFly Sean Spector and Jung Suh were very frustrated with the lack of choice, quality, and selection displayed from these video establishments. This led them to search online where they could not find anyone serving the online video game market. Shortly thereafter, both founders decided to leave their full time jobs to pursue their dreams with their very own web based video game rental service. This innovation has changed video game rentals as we know it today.

Renting Video Games Made Easy

GameFly has always followed the beliefs of the majority of video gamers around the world. This belief system was formed during the inception of GameFly and still stands strong today as the backbone structure for all other online video game renting services. This structure is contains the following:

· Gamers need easy access to both classic and newer titles within one company.

· Gamers want to have the choice of keeping a game for as long as they want for a reasonable rate.

· Gamers do not want to spend their money on bad games and should have the choice to send these games back without spending more money.

· Gamers like the ability to receive their favorite video games to their home address without making another trip to the local rental store.

· Gamers should have the option to view other gamer reviews, ratings, and comments as to avoid wasting their time on bad games.

· Gamers should be able to purchase high-quality used games with significant discounts off the retain pricing.

Setting the Standard for Online Video Game Rental Companies

Ever since the GameFly established its presence within the online game rental marketplace, many have followed in their footsteps. Countless game rental companies have come and gone with the trends of the industry, but there are a few that plan to stay. Gottaplay Interactive Inc. is one of these companies. Gottaplay seems to be the only company in 2006 that has gained a lot of credibility and market share within this industry in such a short amount of time. This company is currently giving GameFly a run for its money, with over 2,500 visitors subscribing to the service monthly. They have spent over 18 months developing their premiere game distribution software and currently launching 1 distribution center a month at the beginning of 2006. Even though Gottaplay Interactive has not launched their commercial advertising yet, they plan to focus primarily on their word-of-mouth referrals and online presense for the next year.

Other video game rental businesses are following close behind with Intelliflix trailing a close third. This company has established their own genre within the rental realm by dabbling within the movie rental, game rental, and mature movie rental arena. Even though Intelliflix does not plan to take over the game rental industry, they do plan to offer families the ability to rent for all their household member entertainment needs within one established group. Customers will enjoy a wide variety of entertaining media from this company for years to come.

Video game rentals will always exist as long as there is a market for the industr, which we all know won't be going away for at least the next century. Crack your fingers, grab a soda, and get situated in your favorite chair because there are a lot of video games to be played out there and with so many choices to choose from, the only hard part is...where to go.

For the most comprehensive video game rentals overview, reviews, articles, and rebates, come visit us at: GameRentalGuide.com

Video gaming is an industry that is close to 35 years old and continuing to grow each and every year. The growth in purchases is being matched by the improvements in technology. What was state of the art just 2 years ago is being trashed by gamers for the newest and greatest gaming systems.

Video games are also becoming more realistic and exciting which makes them popular with children and youth. Surveys have determined that approximately 79% of American children now play computer or video games on a regular basis. And most of the games on the market today are aimed at the population of children between 7 and 17.

In another study from the Netherlands based firm Junior Senior Research, video games are a part of the daily activity of nearly 61% of a population of boy and girls up to age 15. Interestingly though, in this study of nearly 4,000 children 65% preferred playing games on the computer and not a game console.

The growth of the gaming industry has not been without controversy. Although more research information appears to be available for television than gaming the initial results seem to bare out the theory that children who are involved in aggressive or hostile video games are more likely to become involved in physical aggression in real life.

Video games have a rating system that helps parents to understand the level of violence and sexual content in the game before it's purchased. Most video games do have positive aspects to playing them. Children learn problem solving skills, improved concentration with distractions and the ability to strategize.

However, those games which belong to the subset that feature violence, gore and antisocial behaviors have raised concern with parents, educators, advocates and medical professionals. The result of this has been rounds of congressional hearings, policy debates and continued research into the outcomes for children and young adults.

In the past organizations such as the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all conducted research which shows scientific evidence that children who watch violent television are more likely to have aggressive behavior. Researchers theorize that those who play aggressive video games are even at higher risk because the games are interactive and not passive, each game is repetitive as children go through the same levels to reach the next achievement, and because rewards increase the ability of the person to learn and the video games give rewards to the participants.

In an analysis of 35 different studies, which looked at violence in video games and the behavior of those who played, researchers found several interesting correlations. When watching violent games the physiological response of the person was elevated. This means that the game triggered increased heart rates and blood pressure. The exposure to these violent games also increased the aggressive thoughts and emotions of the children in the short term. In a study of 8th and 9th graders students who played violent games were also more likely to see the world as a hostile place. They got into more arguments with teachers and were involved in more physical fights.

It has been suggested that video games aren't the culprit in these situations. Instead children who are naturally more aggressive are drawn to video games and television shows that are more violent. While this factor may have some truth it isn't the whole truth. In another study the researchers measured hostility traits, controlled for sex and hostility levels and the amount of video game playing and still found that students who played violent games were still more likely to be involved in aggressive behavior, no matter what their previous hostility trait level had been.

The last correlation found was that those children who were exposed on a consistent basis to violent video games had a decreased ability to have compassion for others as measured by their willingness to positively help others in need.

In the aftermath of Columbine High School shootings, then President Bill Clinton, asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the validity of accusations that manufacturers of video games that were rated "M" for violence were deliberately marketing to younger children. The report, which was released in 2000, found that 70% of the games at the time that were rated "M" were deliberately marketed to children under the age of 17. This confirmed that although the games warranted parental caution they were being marketed in an irresponsible manner.

But the vast majority of video games available today aren't violent. Instead they are legitimately aimed at the youth and may even have some educational value in playing them. There are games that teach problem solving skills, eye hand coordination, strategy development and planning.

Parents of school age and teen age children are often faced with two dilemmas. The first relates to the violence of the games that are marketed to our children. The second relates to the amount of time that children sit in front of televisions and video games wiling away their time watching other people live theirs.

The vast majority of the research done on video games has been on the effects of watching and interacting with violent games but there has also been research done on children who watch television consistently and the results may be extrapolated to those who also sit for hours in front of a hand-held screen of flashing images. Researchers from the University of California link watching television from 2 to 4 hours per day to increased risks of high blood pressure and obesity.

The results of this study should be self-evident. We are designed to be active and release energy. Sitting in front of a computer, hand-held gaming system or television only leads to decrease metabolism, poor food choices and weight gain. All of these things lead to poor overall health.

The question about whether or not children should play video games is a question that must be answered on an individual basis by the people who know them best, their parents. Some children exhibit characteristics of an addictive personality early and will find it difficult to get away from the games while others may only play while they're on car trips or it's raining outside. Parents should be intentional when they make their decision about getting computer games or a gaming system. Be prepared to make rules before the games are purchased and stick to those rules.

If you found this article helpful, Dr Noel Swanson's specialized website on child behavior offers a free downloadable CD loaded with parenting techniques. To find out more and request the free downloadable CD just click here for some great expert parenting advice.

My boy doesn't want one video game or one video game console, he wants the Nintendo, the Sony and the Xbox and he wants all the games that go with it. He also wants access to the computer so that he can play games on the computer as well. It is as if he is plugged into these games all the time, at least he would like to be if allowed. Video games are big business, with over $13 billion spent each year on video and computer games. This suggests that an awful lot of playing is going on. New releases of games are eagerly anticipated by players and many are willing to stand in line for a day or two to get hold of a new system or spend hours hunting down a new release. Unquestionably, video games are attractive toys, particularly to boys.

Undoubtedly, parents have been concerned for a long time about the consuming nature of video games. Hours spent in front of a screen, in the dark if possible "can't be healthy" for a child. The encouragement to play or more traditional board game or to even go outside and play is something any boy of the electronic age has heard in response to his desire to play his electronic games. But is there any danger in video games? It is possible to overdo any activity, even good ones. One can sleep too much, exercise excessively and certainly we can eat too much hence it is without question possible to play video games in excess. But defining excess can be difficult. Clearly, three to four hours a day every day would be viewed as excessive by most, but what about three to four hours on the weekend? Should we count it only if they are played straight through or even if there are sizable chunks of time in between sessions? Is it excessive if there is no real demonstrative impact on the child and his behavior, attitudes and performance? There is also the variability within children to consider, some will be affected more easily by gaming than others.

There is growing evidence that video games can be both good and bad. Video games can teach certain skills such as cooperation, strategy and team building as well as some exposure to the technology that is ubiquitous in today's world. The new Wii is showing some benefits in terms of physical activity and is being used by some physical therapists. Do a Google search on the benefits of video games and you will find reputable articles discussing the benefits of video games. But the dangers are there as well. It is beyond doubt and well documented that TV violence influences violence in children. While there is little research into the connection between video games and violence, can the link be weaker than it is in television viewing? A game in which your character engages in violence has to be as influential as TV. But the dangers seem to go beyond the potential influence these games may have on character.

A recent study at Stanford University demonstrated that the brains of males responded to video game playing more than the brains of females, and that the increased brain activity was in the pleasure center of the brain. While the number of participants were small (less than 25), this type of research demonstrates that games do effect the brain. Other researchers are suggesting that games influence brain development for the negative and the too much time in front of a screen makes children more easily distracting and increases the difficulty they have in remaining still. The ever increasing diagnosis of disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may suggest that the number of hours in front of highly stimulating objects may be compromising our children's ability to be attentive and to occupy themselves quietly. Computer and video games will only add to this problem. And there is the issue of video game addiction.

While the American Medical Association has decided that there is insufficient evidence to declare excessive video gaming an addiction, it is only because of a lack of sufficient research. There are many that believe in time, excessive video gaming will be a recognized disorder. There are clinics that are beginning to offer treatment for gaming addiction and there are support groups beginning to form to deal with the issue. Addiction seems to present itself most often with games associated with on line communities.

These games usually involve the development of characters. These characters can develop abilities and skills as well as accumulate weapons and other assets that are valuable in the game world. The development of these characters takes many hours to develop and make the game very engrossing. Combined with the possibility of interacting with others, these online games form a type of alternate world into which many escape. There have been recent stories of divorces, health problems, child neglects and even death associated with these games in particular. Is your child addicted? Ask yourself the following questions -

Does your child:

o play almost every day?

o often play for long periods (over 3-4 hours a time)?

o play for excitement?

o get restless and irritable if they can't play?

o sacrifice social and sporting activities?

o play instead of doing their homework?

o Try to cut down their playing but can't?

o Playing for increasing amounts of time?

o Thinking about gaming during other activities?

o Gaming to escape from real-life problems, anxiety, or depression?

o Lying to friends and family to conceal gaming?

o Feeling irritable when trying to cut down on gaming?

Answering yes to four or more of these questions suggests that there may be a problem. If there is a problem what can you do about it? Here are some resources to get your started on dealing with your loved one's potential problem.

1. Tips for Getting Video Gaming Under Control

National Institute on Media and the Family

Taming the Video Game Tiger

2. Computer Addiction Services

McLean Hospital

115 Mill Street

Belmont, MA 02478

Phone: 617-855-2908

Call or write for a local referral

3. Center for Internet Addiction Recovery

(Go to:www.netaddiction.com)

Lists of resources and helps for a variety of online addictive behaviors

4. Talk to your family doctor about your concern.

Troy L Parrish MA LCPC is a therapist in private practice in Columbia, MD. As the owner and editor of Boys Behavior, he is interested in fostering the appreciation of boys as unique, different from girls. As such they should be encouraged in the development of their masculinity rather than have that trained out of them. You can read more about video game addiction as well as other issues associated specifically with boys, from behavior and parenting to encouraging reading and spirituality. Visit http://Boysbehavior.com we are always giving away something for free, and we would love to hear from you.

If you are an avid gamer but can't buy new video games due to their steep cost, you may try to get your favorite video game titles on rent from online rental services. Renting video games online is very easy and a cost effective way to enjoy playing the games of your choice. When you learn how useful and trouble-free these systems are, you will repent for not joining these online video game rental services before.

When you sign up for the membership of an online video game rental service, you will be required to shell out a subscription fee per month during the period of your subscription. Irrespective of the number of games that you rent, you will need to bear no extra cost other than this monthly subscription fee. If you are unhappy with your online video game rental service provider, you may even cancel you membership at anytime. No penalty or extra cost will be charged in case you return them all the rented games in your possession at that point of time.

Joining the online rental service provider of your choice is the first step in renting video games online. After you join, you need to choose the video game titles that you want to get on rent. You can do this by searching or browsing through the online rental service providers' site. Once you come across the games of your choice, click on them so that they are added to your list. Once you finalize your list, let the service provider know of your choices. They will send you one or more than one titles (based on your subscription plan). Once you receive the games, you may keep them as long as you desire.

Returning the video game titles is pretty easy once you have finished playing the games. As most of these online video game rental services offer free shipping, you will need to return the games in a prepaid mailer which would be sent to you. When they receive the returned game titles, they will send you the next titles based on your priority list. If the top choice is not available at that time, they will send you the subsequent titles that feature on your list. You can include new game titles or alter your choices in the list whenever you wish to.

Renting video games online has its own advantages as compared to purchasing video games or getting the titles on rent from local stores. Firstly, the library of local stores has limited editions of video games while you can access thousands of titles by becoming the member of an online video game rental service. Moreover, the absence of late fee or due dates allow you to keep the games till you have had your fill playing them. It often happens that you require hanging onto a great game to complete the various levels and it may take a week or two. You won't be able to keep the games for so long if you have rented them from a local store. In addition to this, renting video games online saves you the hassle of getting stuck in the traffic, reaching the local store, standing in the lines, etc.

Renting video games online instead of purchasing them is a cost-effective way. You can change a title right away if you dislike it and get a substitute in return. However, most "brick and mortar" stores do not permit returning any opened software. So, in case you don't like a game, you can do nothing but repent on having spent a huge sum on buying the game. That's why it is suggested that you use online video game rental services to rent games and enjoy playing them without paying a fortune.

To know more about renting video games online, visit our site.

Where can I find a cheap video game? With the holiday season upon us and as the price of video games inches up each year, videogamers are looking for better video game deals. You don't have to pay a lot to play a lot, so keep reading for where to cheap video games and helpful tips to keep your wallet happy and your gaming shelf full.

Tips for Finding Dirt Cheap Video Game Deals

o Unless you want to have your new video game the same day it hits stores, patience can be the best thing for wallet. Often video game prices fall shortly after launch, sometimes as little as a few weeks. If the game is a dud and you're still interested, you can find these video games at cheap prices.

o Used video games are a great deal. Games that have been gently used can be purchased for very attractive prices. Many times the previous owner played the game, beat it (or didn't like it) and put it up for sale. Some of my best purchases were cheap used video games.

o Video game retail stores offer promotions and sales on video games, especially around the holidays. Keep a close watch on your local store for cheap video games for sale.

o Renting video games often costs less than a few dollars per game. Blockbuster and GameFly are two good rental places. Blockbuster is a retail store and Gamefly is an online store similar to NetFlix. These are really good ways to test games before you decide to buy them.

o Don't give up. Great video game deals are out there.

Finding Cheap Video Games Online

There are several great sources for cheap video games on the internet. Bookmark these sites and keep checking for lower prices or listed sales.

1. Check out local ads & local sellers for a cheap video game It is good to be on the lookout for special discount ads. Don't forget to check the personal ads because every paper has a website. You can search these ads and find a cheap video game for sale.

2. Review Craig's List for any cheap video games online An easy to find cheap video games online is to do a search on Craigslist.com. Once you find someone selling cheap video games or at a reasonable price, don't be afraid to send an email and make your offer. Remember that nothing is free and so if someone is selling something for free there must certainly be a catch. Your goal is to find where to buy a video game for cheap, not expose yourself to a potential scam for chance to get something for free.

3. Online auction sites are the best for buying a cheap video game By now, you know exactly what you want and how much it would cost to buy what you want. At this point, go to your favorite auction site and do a search. I bet you will find a great deal! That alone just saved you quite a bit of money.

Looking for a deeper discount? Then look for used video game systems too. It's a quick search change, and could mean another game or two at the same price you were willing to pay at full retail price.

Why should you pay more for your video game? Visit http://www.GotCheapVideogames.com and find a great cheap video game or two today. You can also find a great deal oncheap used video games too.

So I can only speak for myself, but back in the day I used to be quite good at video games - you know, the big stand alone game units that you could only find in arcades. Since then, I've tried to keep up with the home game consoles, but I must confess to having lost my skills.

These days I have to confine myself to an occasional run at Half-Life just to reassure myself that I still have it. Which brings up an interesting point, wouldn't be be great to be a product manger at a video game company?

The Video Game Industry

If you are the type of person who is easily impressed by big numbers, then try this one out for size. The video game Grand Theft Auto IV brought in over $300M in a single day when it was released. That was double what the most recent Batman movie brought in the day that it opened.

The industry and its product managers do have their challenges - things are getting tougher. The cost and complexity of developing games are rising with every new release. Oh, and you can imagine just how fickle video game customers are - one bad release and your product line could be done for.

What Does It Take To Have A Successful Video Game Product?

Success in the video game industry depends on a combination of solid risk management and savvy research and development. This part of the business will never change. However, the way that video games are sold and how they are being distributed is undergoing a fundamental change that is affecting all product managers.

One new model for video game manufacturers involves subscription online offerings. In this product offering, users can download the game code for free and then they pay a monthly charge to be allowed to connect to servers that generate the game playing environment where all subscribers can play at the same time.

One of the largest video game manufactures, Activision Blizzard, already generates more than $1B in revenue and more than $500M in profit from its World of Warcraft subscription business. Clearly this is the wave of the future.

Another new focus is what gaming experts are calling the "casual" market. This is how video game product managers are trying to expand their potential customer base - they are trying to create products that appeal to game players who don't have a lot of time to learn complicated rules. One of the better examples of a popular casual game is Guitar Hero.

Another key decision that video game product managers need to make is to pick which game console they will develop games for. For example. games made for the Nintendo DS can be developed more cheaply than those for consoles, manufactures can experiment far more cheaply in ways that they can't do for the PlayStation or the Wii.

The Future Of Video Game Products

The video game business is a rough business to be a product manger in. Publishers need to sell about one million copies of a game on the PS3 or Xbox 360 just to break even. This constant pressure to be successful is generating creative new ideas for product managers.

One new idea that has only just reciently started to show up in video games is the idea of in-game advertising. Sponsered ads can show up on billboards, on character's clothing, or even as shopfronts in the environment. Because so many of these games are online, ads can be changed over time - nothing is fixed.

An additional way to make money that is just starting to be implemented is that the game is free for gamers to play, but they must pay for extra items such as new gear for their players. With certain market sectors, e.g. teen girls, this can produce rich rewards.

Final Thoughts

Every product manager yearns for the opportunity to be responsible for a product that is truly popular and video games sure seem to fit that description. However, the video game industry is a rough and tumble battlefield that punishes products that fall behind and insists on constant innovation.

Even if you are not working in the video game industry, you can still learn from what they are doing. Moving as much of your product support and update process online to reduce costs and boost customer interaction is one innovation that we can all explore doing.

If product mangers can find ways to work innovations from the video game into how they are managing their products, then they will have have found yet another way that great product managers make their product(s) fantastically successful.

Dr. Jim Anderson
http://www.TheAccidentalPM.com

Dr. Jim Anderson has been a product manger at small start-ups as well as at some of the world's largest IT shops. Dr. Anderson realizes that for a product to be successful, it takes an entire company working together. He'll share his insights and guidance on how to make your products a fantastic success.

Subscribe to the FREE Accidental Product Manager newsletter to get the information that you need to have a successful product and a successful career. Go here to to get your free subscription: http://tinyurl.com/p4ru9d

The good folks over at the Microsoft Corporation have plenty of reasons to celebrate these days as their company stock is on the rise. This can be attributed mostly to the incredible success of the video game Halo 3, which was released on Monday, September 25. This futuristic first person shooter game has had a devoted following since the first version was released in 2001, and they are the indirect driving force behind the increase in the Microsoft stock price.

On September 24, 2007, the day before the release of the Halo 3 video game, Microsoft saw their stock value increase by as much as 3.35 percent. By the end of the day it had settled at 29.08 dollars per share on NASDAQ, up by 1.5 percent. About a week later on Monday, October 1, it opened up at 29.46 per share, and things are expected to improve even more for Microsoft during the week.

Halo 3 has been flying off the shelves since September 25 with a record breaking 170 million dollars made on the first day. With the holiday season coming up, Microsoft is hoping that all the publicity and sales will be focused on their Halo 3 video game and Xbox 360 video game consoles instead of on Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii, as it was last year.

Even with all of the business Microsoft has lost to Sony and Nintendo lately, they are still doing very well overall. They are a huge corporation with annual revenues reaching 50 billion dollars. Their Entertainment and Devices division makes up only about 12 percent of that amount, but it is the fastest growing part of their company. In 2007 this division grew by 28 percent. This kind of growth has caused Microsoft to take their video games and video game consoles very seriously.

The Halo 3 video game cost Microsoft 60 million dollars to make and another 20 million dollars in promotion and marketing. They are predicting that overall Halo 3 will make about 600 million dollars with a profit margin that is astronomical compared to most video games. So far, sales have exceeded expectations and it seems certain that they will continue to do so.

Video games like Halo 3 are not typical in their success. In fact, most video games lose money. But this game is different, for it has a cultural phenomenon surrounding it. There is a very large customer base that adores this video game and just cannot get enough of it. The first two installments of the Halo franchise sold 15 million video games.

Sales of the Xbox 360 video game consoles had been lagging in recent months due to the popularity of Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. The Halo 3 game should help to improve their sales. Microsoft is hoping that this highly publicized chapter in the Halo video game franchise will also help to sell a lot of their Xbox 360 video game consoles that come with a Halo 3 theme and design.

The rave revues and excitement surrounding the Halo 3 video game has given stock investors confidence in Microsoft. They are predicting that this video game and its related products like Xbox 360 video game consoles, action figures and the Xbox 360 Live game that subscribed members can play on the Internet will put Microsoft far ahead of its main competitors Sony and Nintendo.

Playstation 3 and Wii consoles have dominated the hearts and minds of those who play video games due to their technological advances, but neither of those two video game consoles has a game like Halo 3 attached to it with such a huge fan base.

Microsoft has been very clever to marry the Halo 3 video game to their Xbox 360 video game console. Having the Halo 3 name and design on the console is sure to boost the sales of it and bring in more revenue to Microsoft through their Entertainment and Devices division.

So far, those who play video games are giving Halo 3 rave revues and it looks like Microsoft has hit a home run with this product. They are well on their way to regaining the crown as the king of video games and video game consoles. Halo 3 has proven to be a very good investment for them, and this has helped the value of the Microsoft stock. It has risen almost 2 percent in just one week and things are looking good for this scrappy, creative and innovative company.

Michael P. Connelly is an Author, Artist and award-winning Filmmaker who writes on a variety of topics that effect people in their every day lives.

CLICK HERE For More Information on the topic of this article [http://www.video-games-giant.com]

If you're interested in pursuing a career as a video game tester, but still have some doubts about it, then you will want to read this article. In it, I will answer the questions of most aspiring young game testers and talk about the different games that are tested.

The games you will test as a video game tester largely depend upon the developing company you are working for. The simple fact is that no matter what company you're working for, you'll be testing games that have yet to be released to the public and are nearing the final stages of development. Typically, you will test games in a variety of different genres, which means you should have some level of expertise in all the different types of video games (FPS, MMORPG, RTS, RPG, Racing, Sports, Etc).

If you are a specialist in only one particular game type, such as role-playing games or racing games, and nothing else, then you won't likely make for a good professional video game tester. That's not to say you won't get any game testing jobs. It's just that you won't have as large of a "job field" as most other game testers. Generally speaking, if you're going to make it as a professional video game tester, then you simply must be skilled with different video game genres. There is really no other way to look at it.

Why must you be an "expert" in a multitude of different video game types? Simply because the game company that hires you will determine what type of video games you will be testing. You can't pick and choose what game you want to test; it doesn't work that way, unfortunately. On a side note, many video game tester jobs will involve testing computer games. This is due to the fact that PC video games are prone to having many glitches and bugs. Don't worry about being a PC game tester though, as there are plenty of companies that focus purely on console gaming systems. However, it wouldn't hurt to get some PC gaming experience.

When you're done testing a game, it is yours to keep with no strings attached. This is a great way to amass a library of awesome video games for free. It's true these videos games won't be technically "complete", but that's just a technicality. After all, a free video game is still a free video game.

Generally, the games you will test will be sent via snail-mail, along with a "Glitch/Bug" report form that you will fill out after you've completed the game testing. And, just in case you haven't caught on yet, this means you will be getting paid to play video games from the comfort of your own home!

Video game testers really do have it made. They get paid to play the coolest and most technologically advanced video games, and they get to do it from their very own home. Honestly, what more could any gamer ask for?

Sean Saunders Spends Most of His Time Playing Video Games And He Now Has A Very Successful Career as a Professional Video Game Tester. If You Too Would Like To Get Started With Paid Video Game Testing, Visit Gamer-Testing-Ground.com, The Number One Resource For Video Game Testers Everywhere.

If You're Not In A Big Rush To Get Your Testing Career Started and Would Just Like More Information on Video Game Testing, Go To... http://www.squidoo.com/BeAVideoGameTester/

The popularity of video games continues to increase every year, with new video game console ownership at all time highs. With the increase in console ownership comes an increase in the number of video games purchased each year. Video games sell for an average price of $50 for a new title and most gamers purchase a number of new games every year. With most gamers spending hundreds of dollars on games every year, many are looking for ways to reduce their costs while still being able to play as many games as they would like. How can gamers play unlimited video games for a fixed price and save money? The answer is video game rentals.

The costs for buying vs renting video games will vary from person to person, yet this quick look at the basic costs will provide a good estimate for the video game users of different levels. The numbers used for the analysis are estimates based on general market research and are only intended to provide a general idea of the costs and benefits of renting vs buying at various game playing levels.

Heavy Gamers - 2+ Video Games Per Month Average

For heavy gamers the number of games played per month will be set at 2. There are gamers who play more than this (some hardcore gamers play many more!), but two games will be used for this comparison. The average price of a new video game is approximately $50, so the cost of purchasing video games would be set a $100 per month. This equals $1200 per year in video game purchases.

For comparison, we will use the 2 game at a time plan from GameFly. This plan costs $22.95 per month. So the yearly total for renting 2 games at a time is $275.40. A heavy gamer could therefore save as much as $924.60 a year by renting video games instead of buying them.

Moderate Gamers - 1 Video Game Per Month Average

For moderate gamers the number of games played per month will be set to 1. The rest of the figures will remain the same. Under this scenario, the annual costs of purchasing video games will be $600 vs $275.40 for renting. A moderate gamer could therefore save approximately $324.60 per year by switching to renting video games.

Light Gamers - 1 Video Game Every Two Months Average

For light gamers a slightly different set of numbers will be used. Light gamers will be set at purchasing one game every two months. Due to the low number of games played, it is more accurate to assume that they would be using a one game at a time plan. So we will use GameFly's single game plan of $15.95 for the rental costs, or $191.40 per year. So the costs of purchasing one game every two months would be $300 per year. Therefore a light gamer could expect to save approximately $108.60 per year by renting video games vs buying them.

So looking at these figures, it is obvious that heavy gamers, moderate gamers and even most light gamers can save money by renting video games vs buying them. Most gamers who start renting video games also find that they end up playing more games than before. This is due to the fact that most video game rental companies have unlimited rentals, so there is no additional cost for playing more. In addition, gamers who rent can try games that they otherwise may never have tried. If you rent a video game and do not like it, simply put it back in the envelope and send it back. Your next game will arrive just a few days later.

So can gamers save money without having to cut back on their gaming? The answer is a resounding yes. Gamers can play unlimited video games and save money by renting video games.

Justin H Martin is the head writer for [http://www.videogamerentalsinfo.com], the leading website for information on video game rentals. The website contains extensive information on video game rental companies and provides detailed comparisons and ratings on each company. You will also find special offers and free trials from the top providers of video game rentals [http://www.videogamerentalsinfo.com].

Starting a career in the video game industry used to a difficult thing; there were very few options and very few schools that could teach the required cutting edge skills. If you wanted to choose this path you had to be self taught. Today this dilemma has been turned upside down. You now have a plethora of schools to choose from and lots of programs and specialties to decide amongst. Here is some advice on what the industry has to offer and what you can do to prepare yourself.

The video game industry has changed over the past ten years. It has matured and is now a full-fledged industry. This means that there are plenty of opportunities to find a rewarding career without being a hot-shot game programmer. As a matter of fact, the days of the hot shot developer are pretty much over. In today's world the creation of a state of the art video game now requires a dedicated team of employees with a wide range of skills and interests.

What does this mean for you? It means opportunity in a lot of different disciplines and it means that you have to specialize within a subgenre of the big picture of "Making Video Games". But before you pack off and go to a video game school or dish out the dollars for an online school there are some things you should do and some things you need to know.

1. Learn the basic concepts of game design

Have an understanding of video games, how they're played, and what they're all about. You should have a feel for the game industry; know what games are out there, what styles of play they have, and how they handle the game playing experience. Chances are good that you already fulfill this requirement.

Have an understanding of the underlying principles of game design. There are several ways that you can do this. I recommend one or both of these methods to get you started in this:

Build Mods - Mods are modifications of existing games. Quake is a famous game for this approach. You use the mod builder software and you build levels or worlds that can be added right into the game itself. The Mod sub culture is very vibrant and you can find a lot of support and help. To gain even better experience that translates well into a corporate environment you should join a volunteer Mod development team. This gives you good teamwork experience and gives you insight on how a video game project is broken down into pieces.

Get a free or inexpensive Game engine development suite and build your own games. You can build adequate and fun to play games on your own this way. I recommend you do this with the Genesis 3d Game development software. It is completely free.

2. Get familiar with some of the professions in the industry and the tools that are used.

There are a whole host of tools that game design teams use. And the tools you would use are dependent on what role you would play on the team. Here is an overview of some of the different jobs in the industry and what software tools they would use.

If you like drawing and painting with traditional tools you might want to consider being a concept artist. They do all their work with off computer art tools. They would conceptualize and draw the scenes and the creatures in a game.

If you think you might like computer designing worlds and scenes in a video game you should consider being a 2-dimensional artist. They create all the structures, textures and backgrounds in game worlds. Photoshop is the de-facto program for this job. If you can afford a copy of this program you will get a definite insight into this career path. If you cannot afford Photoshop you should consider getting Paint Shop Pro. It is less expensive and very similar to Photoshop and it will give you a good foundation into the world of 2-dimensional artwork.

If Characters and models are what you are enthusiastic about you should consider becoming a 3-Dimensional Model Artist. This type of artist is concerned with making the characters, monsters, creatures and objects that inhabit a video game world. In this area of game art the choice of software is not as straight-forward as in the 2d art. The most accepted software is 3D studio Max. Two other popular programs are Maya and SoftImage. If you are looking for a free 3d modeling tool that will get you started you may want to get Milkshape. It is a tool designed for the game Half-Life.

The concepts of modeling are universal so the skills will transfer from one tool to the other. You will just have to learn the specifics of the new tool which will be easy enough.

Animator - This is the person that makes the characters and objects in the game move. It is a very specific skill and it takes good understanding of animation to get things right. There are many software programs that are used for animation and they include Macromedia Flash, Alias/Wavefront, 3D Studio Max and Lightwave 3D.

Programmer - This is something that is a little more traditional when we think of video game making "Programming" and it is a very wide field that can find you doing almost anything in the video game making arena. A programmer could be called upon to do any number of things from managing a database to designing the artificial intelligence within a game or creating specialized software tools that other designers use to create the game.

Other Opportunities in Video game design - There are many other jobs in the video game industry ranging from Script and story writer to even network administrator or computer maintenance and repair technician.

Today there are many different career paths that can be taken into the video game industry. This requires you to specialize in a set of skills. Understanding what these different skills are and getting a head start now will increase your marketability in the very competitive video game industry.

Will Kalif is the author of two self-published epic fantasy novels, an avid classical guitarist and an amateur video game designer. You can download free samples of his work and tutorials at his website:
Storm The Castle - Creativity and Fantasy with an edge

Or you can visit his site devoted to fantasy on the web at:
The Webs Fantasy Guide

How To Become A Video Game Tester is a commonly asked question onlin, probably because it seems to be such an attractive job! Just imagine being able to get up and the only work you had to do is get paid for playing video games.

That said and it sounds wonderful in theory but what do you need to know to learn How To Become A Video Game Tester? Today I am going to tell you a bit about how video game testing begun and explain why it is not as simple as just playing games for money!

When video games first started in the 80's there really was not much need for video game testers as a lot of the testing could be done by the programmers who were designing the games. This was mainly due to the size of the games that were being designed. As time went on and the video games became more complex there became more and more bugs in the games that the programmers themselves simply did not have time to spot or test for.

This was when the video game tester was born! The reason being was if a game was released that was too buggy and it got bad reviews then this would lead the video game company to lose a lot of money!

So what does a video game tester actually do?

Well in short what a video game tester does is during the building of a paticular video game, when it is nearly complete say 80% it is up to the video game tester to play the game and test for any errors or glitchs that may be in the gameplay, normally they are called bugs.

To learn How To Become A Video Game Tester you will need ti have good attention to detail and excellent communication skills as you will have to relay the info about the video game directly to the company or you might have to write it to them.

The pay for a video game tester can be quite high but does depend on your experience, also if you are wanting to know How To Become A Video Game Tester it is advisable to get a video game tester job part time at first and build up some experience to get the higher paid jobs!

So what can you do to learn How To Become A Video Game Tester?

The first thing you should do is seek out a video game developer as this can be an excellent starting point and they are the most likely to be able to land you a job. Although if you are not lucky enough to know a video game developer then I suggest you search the net for websites of game development companies and either search for video game tester jobs on the website or give them a call!

There are loads of video game development websites out there so if you ring enough you should strike gold. Another way you can learn How To Become A Video Game Tester is to search the net for sites that have done all the hard work for you and contain databases of video game tester jobs!

I hope this has helped you learn How To Become A Video Game Tester and helps you find your dream job!

Michael Fieldings is a qualified computer programmer and has ten years experience in IT. He writes articles and product recommendation on anything that can better your IT World!

For more info on How To Become A Video Game Tester and to learn how you can get your dream job in as little as 1 week Click the link below How To Become A Video Game Tester

When it comes to online video games, the market is a strong one, and being a video game designer can be a lucrative career. Unlike technological fads that may come and go, the video game industry has only grown stronger since its beginning, and video games are appealing to a wide demographic. A video game designer will be in constant demand as long as he or she has the training and the skills to keep up in this highly lucrative and competitive business.

The Art Institute Online has a comprehensive program that can get people into the video game designer business quickly and successfully. Their Game Art and Design Bachelor degree program helps students focus on all aspects of video games, including producing detailed graphics, scene and set design, animation, background, and characters. A successful graduate of the Art Institute Online's Video Game Design program will be qualified to enter into the video game industry as a sought-after video game designer. Video Game DesignerVideo game tester, background artist, conceptual designer; these are just some of the fields that a graduate of the program will be able to enter.

If you are interested in enrolling in The Art Institute's Online Video Game Design program, then this probably means that you love video games. Although it may seem like a moot point, it is an important one. The video game industry is a fast-paced and intensive one, and in order to succeed in the business, video games should be one of your life's passions. Believe it or not, potential employers are going to be looking for this as well as training and skill. Employers look for experience in playing an assortment of video games as well as being able to design them. You need to be able to know what is currently popular and what is becoming yesterday's news; what is a well designed and produced video game and what is low-quality. A good video game designer needs to have his or her finger on the pulse of the video game playing public.

The Art Institute's Online Video Game Design program is constantly updated to include any new technology that has recently developed. This, coupled with your love for video games, makes a strong combination when you are applying for positions in the video game industry. The The Art Institute will give students a firm foundation for beginning a good, solid career, and for continually advancing as a successful video game designer.

With a Video Game Design program that is offered completely online, students can work any day of the week at the time that's convenient for them by completing assignments and participating in online discussions. Courses are six weeks long, and very study-intensive. No more than two courses should be taken at the same time. Instructors at The Art Institute Online are available for consultation through email or during the course of the online discussions. Students taking online courses through The Art Institute Online will receive the best training, as well as a consistently strong support network.

There is every reason in the world to turn your passion for video games into a lucrative career as a video game designer. Why simply play video games in your spare time when you can be designing the kind of games that you wish were available to you right now? The Art Institute Online can help you reach your goal of becoming a video game designer, and help ensure that you will always be involved in a business that you love and that is financially rewarding.

Copyright 2006 Michael V. Gruber, MPH

Find free information about online design degree programs that educate and develop artistic and imaginative students for careers in the fields of commercial art and design at http://www.design-degree-online.com.

It's possible for you to become a video game tester. You can't just become a video game tester just like that. There are some things you need to know, have and do in order to become a game tester.

What are the things you need to know?

There is a reason why game manufactures assign jobs to interested video game testers. Your responsibility as a video game tester is to discover bugs in any game you are given to test. If you aren't experienced in playing video games, I tell you, you are not qualified for this job. Tell me; are you able to detect bugs in a video game? What is these bug you are talking about? Bugs are errors made why designing video games. As a human being, we have this spirit in us that tells us that this thing should be this way, that way or the other way round. If you are the type that has been playing games since you were a kid, I believe you would be able to detect bugs. Your job as a video game tester is just to detect bugs, write it in a report and your assignment is through, the next step is to submit to the report to the company, and then wait for your pay check. I tell you, detecting bugs is not so easy but you can do it. What you need is a short course on how this job is done and with it, you would conquer.

The short course I am talking about will guide you to successfully pass your first test. If you are able to impress the person that gave you the games to test at first, you've got a contract to continue to test and test games until you don't want to test anymore.

Furthermore, the compensation for testing games is encouraging. Won't you be okay with $40 to $150 per hours times the total number of hours you spend testing a particular game? There is no way you won't be okay with that salary. The video game industry is a multi-billion dollars industry, it even makes more revenue that the film industry.

Salary of a video game tester

The pay is okay compared to other testing jobs. You are paid with regards to the number of hours you spend testing games. The pay ranges from $10 to $150 per hour, which means that the more hours you spend testing video games, the more money you are going to earn.

Where to find a video game testing job

After you are familiar with what video game testing is all about, the next step is to apply for a video game testing job. This is another difficult stage of a video game testing career. It would be easy if you have the connections and know how to make them, but if you don't, it won't be so easy like eating hamburger and coke. All hope is not lost because I am going to offer you a guide on how to find one. How am I going to do that? It's possible to see a video game testing ads on the newspaper, classified sites and game magazines. Find these stuffs, both old and recent ones, and check if you can see any openings. If you see one, use their contact information like email, phone no or website to locate them and enquire if there is any opening for a video game tester.

Think of any game manufacturing company. Let's say, Microsoft Xbox, Sony, Nintendo and the rest of others. They normally post openings for video game testers in their website. I recommend you browse through their websites. Who knows? You might be lucky to find one. Apply for it with sufficient reasons why you are going to make a good testing job. Video game companies accept ages from 15 and above. There's no special degree to get a video game testing job but if you've got one in a video game related field, it will be an advantage. If after trying all these and you are able to get one, I recommend you try out some websites that have the listings for game companies that are hiring. One of them is gametestingground. They have a database of video game companies looking for video game testers with their contact info, how to apply and make sure you get the job.

GameTestingGround is a site that contains step-by-step guides on how you can learn the works of a video game tester and they also have listings of video game testing openings around the States. Visit them today and begin your video game tester career. Check it out at http://gamertestinggroundreview.blogspot.com/

The first video game that most people remember was a basic computerized version of table tennis, called "Pong". This is not because it was the first video game - there were many others floating around university campuses long before Pong debuted - but because it was the first video game to gain massive popular appeal. Today, video games are a lucrative entertainment industry, rivaling films for popularity and even intertwining with Hollywood - movies are made from popular games (such as Doom and Resident Evil) and games are created based on popular movies (such as Transformers and Star Wars). In fact, the first movie tie-in video game ever created was based on Star Wars in the 1980's, when video games were first emerging as a competitive force in popular culture.

It's tempting to be dismissive of video games as a toy for kids or a hobby for nerds, but they are really much more pervasive and widely popular than that. Their history is filled with ups and downs. Video games did not achieve world wide success overnight, but rather over a long period of time and in fits and starts.

After the sudden popularity of Pong in 1972, the industry enjoyed a brief period of commercial success, where a few of the best-known early games emerged, such as "Tank" and "Blockade", but it didn't last. In 1977 the public lost interest in video games and the bottom fell out of the market. This, too, was short-lived, however, as the video game began to reemerge in 1978 with the release of a game that is still popular with video game fanatics to this day: "Space Invaders". Space Invaders was the first game to give players the incentive of besting other players' "high score" and was an enormous success. Space Invaders was followed in 1980 by a little game known as "Pac-Man", an unprecedented success by any standards that put video games firmly back into the public imagination. For the first time, a video game character was so popular that merchandise tie-ins such as keychains and bedsheets were sold bearing its image. After Pac-Man, the public was clamouring for new games, and the companies that designed them were falling over themselves to come up with the next big thing. The next big thing ended up being released by a small Japanese company called Nintendo and featured an ape called "Donkey Kong" throwing barrels at a little jumping man who was trying to save his girlfriend. The little jumping man didn't get a name until Donkey Kong's sequel, "Donkey Kong Jr.", was released and they decided to call him Mario. He would go on to become the single most popular video game character in the world.

The first few years of the 1980's also saw the emergence of the home game console. The Atari 2600, the Intellivision console by Mattel and ColecoVision consoles all improved upon previous graphics and gameplay, but in the rush to cash-in on video game popularity, the market found itself overcrowded and the public once again lost interest. In 1983, the bottom fell out of the industry for the second time. However, this was also a short-lived setback. Home computers brought back the video game as a popular form of entertainment, and consoles made a major come-back in the 1990's. Though there were popular consoles during the latter part of the 1980's - the Nintendo Entertainment System comes to mind - the console really took off when they developed to the point that sophisticated, realistic graphics began to be possible with the innovation of 64-bit technology. At that point, Sony created its famous first console, known as the PlayStation. The PlayStation went head-to-head against Nintendo's acclaimed 64-bit console, the Nintendo 64, without a clear winner.

The popularity of PlayStation and the Nintendo 64 led to the next generation of consoles from both of those manufacturers, but also saw computer software giant Microsoft enter the fray. In 2000 and 2001, the PlayStation2, the Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox were all released in quick succession, and despite the presence of three major consoles on the market, they all enjoyed a high level of success. Video gaming had reached a level of popularity that, unlike in 1983, allowed it, as an industry, to support them. It had truly become entertainment for the masses.

Currently, the three major console manufacturers each have new consoles on the market: the PlayStation3, the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox360. Each company has tried to come up with new gimmicks and innovations to beat out the others for the affections of gamers.

What's best for hardcore gamers, however, isn't necessarily what's best for everyone. While the PlayStation3 is competing for the same market as the Xbox360, the Nintendo Wii has taken a different approach, appealing to a broader, more family-friendly audience. With its innovative new controller that works by waving it around in the air, rather than pressing buttons, and its family-friendly games - many featuring the famous Mario from their Donkey Kong days - they have managed to create the sold-out, must-have console for the second Christmas season running.

The competition between Playstation3 and Xbox360 is more heated, however. Though they have only been out for about a year, it looks like the Xbox360 is just barely ahead of the Playstation3 in appeal to gamers. Its stunning graphics and capacity for massive online multiplayer games - developed through Microsoft's extensive experience in home computer technology - has a lot of gamers convinced it is the best console available for serious video game fanatics.

Many people think that the next big innovation in video game technology will be in the field of virtual reality, a medium that has been in development for some time and never quite seems to get off the ground in a commercially viable way. This may change, however, as processors get faster and smaller and the components needed to build sophisticated electronic equipment become cheaper and easier to make.

Regardless of where video game technology goes next or who will win the console war, it seems pretty clear that video games are here to stay. Who knows - one day, they may even usurp movies in popularity.

Sarah Corlett runs the successful toy safety resource 21st Century Toys: [http://www.21st-century-toys.com] and the Xbox 360 source: http://www.xtreme-xbox.com

What if I showed you how you can make $2000 per month, just by playing games?

Don't believe me? By the end of this article your perspective on work will have completely changed. Why? Because you'll have learned that you don't need some run of the mill job to make a living. And you'll have greater insight into how you can slowly accumulate wealth as a video game tester by doing what you love. At the end of this article, I provide a link that will get you started right away. In the meantime, read on to learn more about this fantastic money-maker!

It must be every young person's dream to get one of the video game tester jobs available in the industry. And now that dream is completely possible for anyone who shows interest and takes just a little initiative. That's right, you can have a video game tester job by next week if you put your motives into action today.

All video game tester jobs have immense appeal to everyone who enjoys video games. Imagine being paid to do what you enjoy doing most of all. One reason for applying for one of the video game tester jobs is that it gives you a foot in the door of the video games industry. Of course those who have programming or artistic qualifications may find it easy to break into the industry without applying for one of the video game tester jobs but for those without such qualifications it is not so easy.

There are two main types of video game tester jobs - paid and unpaid. The paid variety of video game tester jobs entails going into work every day (or at the very least reporting into work from home). The unpaid jobs involve the circulation of Beta versions of the software to volunteers for early feedback and help with debugging. Paid is obviously preferred and knowing this, we've provided a sweet little link at the bottom of the page that will give you more information on getting a paid video game tester job.

Having one of the video game tester jobs doesn't necessarily mean an easy life beckons. It is essential that video games are bug free and that they work as they should. Sometimes those who hold the video game tester jobs have not been involved in the original design of the game and don't have a vision of what the aim of the game is. In this case it is easy for functionality to be identified as a bug when it is in fact supposed to be there. And...that's pretty much the only negative I can think of. Other than that, you're getting paid for going about your regular routine. I should however warn you that just because you don't have to work 40 hours a week testing games, you should take this as some kind of a "whatever" side gig. You should treat the tester jobs you are given with some seriousness. After all, once you earn the respect of the software company you are testing for, you never know what doors can open up. Be smart and think long term.

It is not enough for those in video game tester jobs to simply find bugs. They must be able to record how they found the bug; what steps they had taken before the game crashed or behaved unexpectedly. They must be prepared to go the extra mile to help the developers provide the necessary fix.

It is, therefore, essential that those in video game tester jobs have a flexible approach to their work and an ability to look for a bigger picture when working. You may be asked by some software companies to really get involved in solving problems by listing specifics when reporting a bug. Again, look at this as a positive aspect to having a video game tester job. You're actually looked at as having a respected opinion. If you enjoy playing video games and show the hiring company a professional attitude, you will be given all sorts of opportunites. Maybe you have an interest in Designing Video Games. Maybe you have an Interest in making Video Game Music. Maybe you enjoy computers and are looking to get into the Information Technology field. In any of these cases, a Video Game Tester Job can provide the exact gateway you're looking for.

Other than that, you're home free to a sweet paycheck for passing the time away in your most enjoyable fashion. It's not as difficult as you may think to get a gig testing video games. I've included a link below to a site that will show you exactly how to do it. So click away and find out how you can reel in some extra dough having a great time scoring touchdowns, killing aliens, infiltrating the enemies base or playing any other game you can thing of.

Are you still sitting on your butt playing the latest PS3 game and NOT GETTING PAID? Don't be such a sucker. You can be making some sweet sweet cash right now for going about your normal video game playing routine. Click Here To Learn More About How To GET PAID Testing Video Games

Video games have become the number one choice for screen entertainment, surpassing TV/DVD viewing and movie-going. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 99% of boys, ages 12-17 and 94% of girls in the same age range play video games. Eighty percent play five or more different genres, with racing, puzzles, sports, and action being the most common. (1)

What they play, of course, determines whether the game is harmful or helpful to their developing minds and spirits. When kids play action-packed, fast paced, or violent video games, in particular, they increasingly need more powerful images in order to respond emotionally to the game. This is called stimulus addiction. The term "stimulus addiction" describes the habit that is formed as kids seek out more and more stimulating games to hold their interest. Instead of playing in their natural world, kids are spending more and more time playing in the artificially constructed world of video games.

Often kids start out with simple non-violent video games and move into increasingly violent games because violent games are the most stimulating. They require the part of our brain that reacts, rather than reasons. Violent video games focus on the constant need to destroy in order to stay in the game. Violent images increase arousal levels of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that excite and entice kids to keep playing. Video games today display more horrific violence, with sharp images and realistic graphics. Words, ideas, and images of brutality not ever imagined to be "entertainment" ten years ago currently fill up much of our kids' leisure time, habituating them to hyped stimulation in the process.

Although the fast pace and emotionally vivid images of manufactured horror are definitely habit-forming, even nonviolent games can become addictive.

Gamer addiction is a real tragedy of our times. Recently two parents expressed major concerns over too much time spent with video games:

A dad of a fourth grader overheard his nine-year old in conversation with a friend:

"I'll finish her off by ripping out her heart."

"No, cut off her head instead."

"But I want to rip her heart out."

"I want to see her head fly off."

"Oh, all right, let's see her head roll. There! Look at all that blood. Cool."

They were excitedly playing a video game they had just downloaded. This father felt lucky to overhear his son, disturbing as it was. He was able to steer the boys to non-violent games, more appropriate for their age and more in alignment with the family's values.

A mom of a fifteen year-old felt hopeless about what to do about her daughter staying up until two in the morning playing video games and not being prepared for school the next day. By coaching this mom to take the appropriate steps her daughter got back on track-with better grades and a much better attitude. It was a process that took a lot of will power on this mom's part. She stayed with it, despite difficulties, learning through the PCI? Coaching to reinforce positive behaviors and open up more appropriate possibilities for her daughter.

Online gaming, in the lives of too many high school and college students, takes precedent over academics, sports, hobbies, art, dance, and other forms of self-expression. researchers have found that a survey of 1500 teenagers indicated 25% were compulsive video gamers. Fifty per cent of those surveyed used the word "addiction" to describe a friend's gaming behaviors. Because excitement becomes the reward for playing and because the games are set up to reinforce behavior intermittently, they are extremely habit-forming, and even potentially addicting.

It's easy to get lost in the fantasy worlds of screen technologies. Now with hand-held video games children as young as four years old are playing video games-despite experts warning that this could be a very detrimental habit leading to dangerous life-long problems.

Parents, the good news is that there are focused strategies you can take to prevent stimulus addiction in our ever encroaching digital culture: Think carefully and act consciously. I will personally guarantee that these five seeming simple strategies are simply powerful. They can help your child or teen in profound ways.

Five Essentials for Preventing Internet and Video Game Addiction:

1. Keep kids curious about non-screen reality.

Game playing and web surfing often stems from boredom. Kids who don't know what to do end up in front of a video game console or a computer. Yet, if there were other things to do, he or she may easily choose an alternative. Keep a list handy of age-appropriate activities, including lots of books from the local library. By enticing kids to turn to other activities when bored, chances are they won't get into a video game habit. They will know how to entertain themselves without the need for hyped stimulation. Make your home an enriched environment for all sorts of creative and artistic endeavors. Do what fires you up, too--you light a spark in your children every time you enhance and use your own creativity!

2. Give kids more control through appropriate decision-making.

Responsible autonomy means that kids make decisions and feel a sense of control over regular daily decisions. Video games tap into kids' need for control. If they only feel in control when they are playing these games, then they will naturally want to play the games more often. Give kids decisions in which you can live with either choice. An example for a young child might be: "Do you want to wear the blue of yellow shirt today?" Both have long sleeves and will keep the child warm. An example for an older child or teen might be: "When is a good day for you to help me with dinner this week?" You acknowledge that the child's schedule is in his/her control-giving over this decision when you can be flexible about the outcome. The more your child or teen makes, values, and sees the effects of his/her decisions, the less likely he or she will be crave external stimulus to feel pleasure. Mindful activities will become more pleasurable as your child develops a strong sense of self through internal control.

3. Broaden kid's sources of excitement.

In video game play, the excitement is the reward. The "high" of reaching another level, killing off enemies, or quickly pushing the right button at the right time engenders a rush that feeds on itself. Direct reinforcement multiplies the excitement and pleasure. If video game playing is the only source of a child's or a teen's excitement-then other activities will go by the wayside. Gamer addiction happens because there are few opportunities in which the young person feels that level of excitement brought on by a video game. When children and tees are excited about a pursuit such as sports or art, music or academics, community service or church then they have other avenues in which to feel excitement about the outcome. One of the major jobs of parenting in a media age is for moms and dads to broaden opportunities for kids to use their skills and talents. The excitement of living and creating must become the reward.

4. Teach children how to go inside themselves.

When kids know how to meander in their internal landscapes, they are more self-directed. They can entertain themselves more easily. Give children and teens time to just sit and think-even if for only five or ten minutes at a stretch. Just a tiny practice starts the bud blooming. Kids will come to need this kind of "inside time." Before asking a question you can say, "Before you respond honey, I want you to take a minute to think about your answer." Consciously giving "think-time" provides a powerful model that it's important to take the time necessary to carefully consider an idea. Most video games are fast. They do not grow that part of the brain that is used in thoughtful reflection. This takes time. It's not a quick decision. By encouraging children and teens to do some slow pondering inside themselves, parents counter gamer addiction.

5. Help children stay connected to the 3-D world through lots of physical activity.

When Play Station commands: "Play in Our World"-you better believe they know what they're doing. This is a well-thought out phrase to make children and teens believers that the video game world is the best world to play in. As illogical it may seem to most adults, youngsters do not have the thinking capacity to understand the long-term ramifications of this ad on attitude formation and the manufacturing of a need. To be "cool" a person better "play in their world." Playing video games with our kids can go a long way to modeling proper use of this great tool for a fun time-out for the real-world. But like anything else, it's a question of balance. If kids aren't getting enough exercise outside, for instance, their lives are out of balance in favor of the screen-machine. If kids don't find their competence in various 3-D world activities, they might as well be tethered to the 2-D world. Parents who take a breather to kick or toss a ball, bike or hike, model for kids the value of life beyond a small screen. By nurturing our children's innate propensity to explore the natural world, parents move kids out of the world of video games and give them the know-how and the spirit to create a better world-a world we will all enjoy playing in!

Copyright, Gloria DeGaetano, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

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Reference

1. "Video-game-player saturation hits new level," Seattle Times, September 18, 2008, p. A6.

Gloria DeGaetano, http://GloriaDeGaetano.com/ is the Founder and CEO of The Parent Coaching Institute http://thepci.org/ is an internationally acclaimed educator, author, and speaker, who originated parent coaching as a profession. A best-selling author, Gloria has written Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie, and Video Game Violence (with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman). Her latest book, Parenting Well in a Media Age, has won the 2007 i-Parenting Media Award for excellence. Ms. DeGaetano's books and articles have been translated into Spanish, German, Danish, Romanian, Korean, Chinese, and Turkish.

As an avid retro-gamer, for quite a long time I've been particularly interested in the history of video games. To be more specific, a subject that I am very passionate about is "Which was the first video game ever made?"... So, I started an exhaustive investigation on this subject (and making this article the first one in a series of articles that will cover in detail all video gaming history).

The question was: Which was the first video game ever made?

The answer: Well, as a lot of things in life, there is no easy answer to that question. It depends on your own definition of the term "video game". For example: When you talk about "the first video game", do you mean the first video game that was commercially-made, or the first console game, or maybe the first digitally programmed game? Because of this, I made a list of 4-5 video games that in one way or another were the beginners of the video gaming industry. You will notice that the first video games were not created with the idea of getting any profit from them (back in those decades there was no Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Sega, Atari, or any other video game company around). In fact, the sole idea of a "video game" or an electronic device which was only made for "playing games and having fun" was above the imagination of over 99% of the population back in those days. But thanks to this small group of geniuses who walked the first steps into the video gaming revolution, we are able to enjoy many hours of fun and entertainment today (keeping aside the creation of millions of jobs during the past 4 or 5 decades). Without further ado, here I present the "first video game nominees":

1940s: Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

This is considered (with official documentation) as the first electronic game device ever made. It was created by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann. The game was assembled in the 1940s and submitted for an US Patent in January 1947. The patent was granted December 1948, which also makes it the first electronic game device to ever receive a patent (US Patent 2,455,992). As described in the patent, it was an analog circuit device with an array of knobs used to move a dot that appeared in the cathode ray tube display. This game was inspired by how missiles appeared in WWII radars, and the object of the game was simply controlling a "missile" in order to hit a target. In the 1940s it was extremely difficult (for not saying impossible) to show graphics in a Cathode Ray Tube display. Because of this, only the actual "missile" appeared on the display. The target and any other graphics were showed on screen overlays manually placed on the display screen. It's been said by many that Atari's famous video game "Missile Command" was created after this gaming device.

1951: NIMROD

NIMROD was the name of a digital computer device from the 50s decade. The creators of this computer were the engineers of an UK-based company under the name Ferranti, with the idea of displaying the device at the 1951 Festival of Britain (and later it was also showed in Berlin).

NIM is a two-player numerical game of strategy, which is believed to come originally from the ancient China. The rules of NIM are easy: There are a certain number of groups (or "heaps"), and each group contains a certain number of objects (a common starting array of NIM is 3 heaps containing 3, 4, and 5 objects respectively). Each player take turns removing objects from the heaps, but all removed objects must be from a single heap and at least one object is removed. The player to take the last object from the last heap loses, however there is a variation of the game where the player to take the last object of the last heap wins.

NIMROD used a lights panel as a display and was planned and made with the unique purpose of playing the game of NIM, which makes it the first digital computer device to be specifically created for playing a game (however the main idea was showing and illustrating how a digital computer works, rather than to entertain and have fun with it). Because it doesn't have "raster video equipment" as a display (a TV set, monitor, etc.) it is not considered by many people as a real "video game" (an electronic game, yes... a video game, no...). But once again, it really depends on your point of view when you talk about a "video game".

1952: OXO ("Noughts and Crosses")

This was a digital version of "Tic-Tac-Toe", created for an EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) computer. It was designed by Alexander S. Douglas from the University of Cambridge, and one more time it was not made for entertainment, it was part of his PhD Thesis on "Interactions between human and computer".

The rules of the game are those of a regular Tic-Tac-Toe game, player against the computer (no 2-player option was available). The input method was a rotary dial (like the ones in old telephones). The output was showed in a 35x16-pixel cathode-ray tube display. This game was never very popular because the EDSAC computer was only available at the University of Cambridge, so there was no way to install it and play it anywhere else (until many years later when an EDSAC emulator was created available, and by that time many other excellent video games where available as well...).

1958: Tennis for Two

"Tennis for Two" was created by William Higinbotham, a physicist working at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. This game was made as a way of entertainment, so laboratory visitors had something funny to do during their wait on "visitors day" (finally!... a video game that was created "just for fun"...) . The game was pretty well designed for its era: the ball behavior was modified by several factors like gravity, wind velocity, position and angle of contact, etc.; you had to avoid the net as in real tennis, and many other things. The video game hardware included two "joysticks" (two controllers with a rotational knob and a push button each) connected to an analog console, and an oscilloscope as a display.

"Tennis for Two" is considered by many the first video game ever created. But once again, many others differ from that idea stating that "it was a computer game, not a video game" or "the output display was an oscilloscope, not a "raster" video display... so it does not qualify as a video game". But well... you can't please everyone...

It is also rumored that "Tennis for Two" was the inspiration for Atari's mega hit "Pong", but this rumor has always been strongly denied... for obvious reasons.

1961: Spacewar!

"Spacewar!" video game was created by Stephen Russell, with the help of J. Martin Graetz, Peter Samson, Alan Kotok, Wayne Witanen and Dan Edwards from MIT. By the 1960s, MIT was "the right choice" if you wanted to do computer research and development. So this half a dozen of innovative guys took advantage of a brand-new computer was ordered and expected to arrive campus very soon (a DEC PDP-1) and started thinking about what kind of hardware testing programs would be made. When they found out that a "Precision CRT Display" would be installed to the system, they instantly decided that "some sort of visual/interactive game" would be the demonstration software of choice for the PDP-1. And after some discussion, it was soon decided to be a space battle game or something similar. After this decision, all other ideas came out pretty quick: like rules of the game, designing concepts, programming ideas, and so forth.

So after about 200 man/hours of work, the first version of the game was at last ready to be tested. The game consisted of two spaceships (affectively named by players "pencil" and "wedge") shooting missiles at each other with a star in the middle of the display (which "pulls" both spaceships because of its gravitational force). A set of control switches was used to control each spaceship (for rotation, speed, missiles, and "hyperspace"). Each spaceship have a limited amount of fuel and weapons, and the hyperspace option was like a "panic button", in case there is no other way out (it could either "save you or break you").

The computer game was an instant success between MIT students and programmers, and soon they started making their own changes to the game program (like real star charts for background, star/no star option, background disable option, angular momentum option, among others). The game code was ported to many other computer platforms (since the game required a video display, a hard to find option in 1960s systems, it was mostly ported to newer/cheaper DEC systems like the PDP-10 and PDP-11).

Spacewar! is not only considered by many as the first "real" video game (since this game does have a video display), but it also have been proved to be the true predecessor of the original arcade game, as well as being the inspiration of many other video games, consoles, and even video gaming companies (can you say "Atari"?...). But that's another story, arcade games as well as console video games were written in a different page of the history of video games (so stay tuned for future articles on these subjects).

So here they are, the "First Video Game" nominees. Which one do you think is the first video game ever made?... If you ask me, I think all these games were revolutionary for its era, and should be credited as a whole as the beginners of the video gaming revolution. Instead of looking for which one was the first video game, what is really important is that they were created, period. As the creator of "Spacewar!", Stephen Rusell, once said: "If I hadn't done it, someone would have done something equally exciting or even better in the next six months. I just happened to get there first".

Ian Blake is a freelance writer/blogger from Planet Earth, Solar System. You may read similar articles at his History of Video Games Blog at --> http://www.retro-videogames.com