Infinite Lives

• Copperpott’s Cabinet of Curiosities. – Indie Games Are Go!
  Johnny Copperpott’s list of 11 indie games, specifically intended for folks who do not play indie games (yet)

• lastyearsmodel.org – Get Great Gadgets. And Keep Them.
  Happy Earth Day! Last Year’s Model is a website/movement, authored by Anil Dash and others, that opposes the fast-growing problem of electronic pollution by promoting, you know, not buying a new DSi or cell phone or whatever. In these dark days, it’s become much easier to differentiate between luxuries and half-luxuries. With a little know-how, elbow grease, and making-do, you can most certainly sustain yourself with Last Year’s Model. (also via .tiff)
• GamePolitics – Grand Theft Childhood Author Challenges NIMF Game Addiction Data
  The results of a recent study suggest that 8.5% of child gamers exhibit symptoms of ‘pathological’ addiction to video games (other news outlets have taken the liberty of embiggening the reported numbers up to "1 in 10 gamers!" as being addicted). More fearmongering meant to win research grants and page views? ‘Fraid so. Dr. Cheryl Olson, Harvard: "The concern here is labeling normal childhood behaviors as ‘pathological’ and ‘addicted.’ The author [Iowa State University’s Prof. Douglas Gentile] is repurposing questions used to assess problem gambling in adults; however, lying to your spouse about blowing the rent money on gambling is a very different matter from fibbing to your mom about whether you played video games instead of starting your homework."
• Sarien.net – Instant adventure gaming
  OK, this is great. Conci and I were playing Space Quest 2 on Sunday morning, and I was totally tickled by how smart the game really seemed—that is, at anticipating what you’d try to do, what you’d try to type in. Now Space Quest 2 is free in your browser. Anyway, I’m off to try out Black Cauldron; I bought the game on 5.25 floppy in, like, 1994, but I’ve never actually played it. P.S. The multiplayer functionality is really freaky. (via .tiff)
• NintendoLife: WiiWare – WiiWare Games Now Available On Amazon
  Guess what! You can totally buy a digital download code for 2D Boy’s World of Goo on amazon.com. Frankly, I think this is fantastic: who else is sick of entering her credit card number one painful digit at a time using the Wii remote? Hopefully coming soon: being able to buy download codes directly from the developers. (via tweetmeme)

• NYTimes.com – More Wii Warriors Are Playing Hurt
  "In the moments after I felt the pop in my left shoulder, the sensation I felt was not pain. It was panic. How exactly does a 40-year-old man explain to his wife that he might have torn his rotator cuff during a midnight game of Wii tennis? ¶ "Dr. Charles Young made me feel better without even examining me. ¶ "Late last year, Dr. Young, an orthopedic surgeon, spent about an hour experimenting with the balance games and strength-training exercises on his new Wii Fit. Running on a virtual trail. Slalom skiing. Walking on a tightrope. ‘They have this hula-hoop one where you’re supposed to spin yourself in a circle and try to get a high score,’ said Dr. Young, who is completing a sports medicine fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. ‘I was really hurting.’" (via current.com)
• EDGE Online – The Friday Game: Scarygirl
  Meant to mention this great Edge piece, erm, last Friday. Basically ‘Nathan Jurevicius for Beginners,’ it’s the first in a new column all about the little-known histories behind brand new games. This week: vinyl toys. Love it!
• AMC – Blogs – SciFi Scanner – In Defense of Super Mario Bros.: Faithful ‘Til the Bitter End
  Having raced through Nathan Rabin’s sublime "My Year of Flops" last week (http://www.avclub.com/features/my-year-of-flops/), I felt pretty enthusiastic about Anthony Burch’s assessment of Super Mario Bros—the movie with Dennis Hopper, I mean.

Follow us on Delicious! »