Video Games - From Stationary to Mobile

Surely you have played at least one video game at one point in your life. Or at least watched someone you know play one. Or if not-and this seems very pathetic, no offense-at least heard about the existence of video games in today's modern world through the news or by word of mouth. If you've played video games (congratulations for keeping up with the times) you may have done so first on a Game Boy or family computer.
And what game, shall we guess. OXO (a virtual tic-tac-toe)? Pong? Spacewar? Asteroids? Pacman? Oh the list could go on and on... Family feud? Lemmings? Solitaire? Mortal Kombat? Super Mario Brothers? The Sims? Yes, that's essentially an overview of the history of video games. From video arcade games to first-generation consoles; from home computer games to the golden age of handheld LCD games during the decline of the video arcade ones; until we come to the rise of cell phone games.
It was Nokia that turned mobile phones -- then just a gadget for calling and texting -- into video game platforms in 1998. The advent of cell phone games began with Snake that already came installed on selected Nokia units, and soon after, every other mobile phone provider had a time-killing game on their products. These games back then could be played for short periods of time, such as waiting for your order at a fast food restaurant; they shorten battery life quickly and would appear ancient when compared to the cell phone games of today because they were monochromatic and very simple in mechanics and graphics (Pairs? Bricks, anyone?).
Nokia again upped the ante for mobile gaming in 2003, five years from the first release of Snake, with the launch of the Nokia N-Gage, a handheld gaming platform. It may not have been a huge success financially but it sure encouraged many game developers to create more games and mobile phone providers to release more advanced products with better color screens, memory and processing capability to improve the gaming experience with them.
Cell phone games continued to increase in popularity as more sophisticated technology was developed for our trusty gadgets. Nokia's N-Series smartphones released in 1995 and Apple Inc.'s iPhone released in 1997 added more allure to the idea of mobile gaming. Apple Inc.'s App Store reportedly sold more games than any other applications in 2008-a sure sign that the appeal of mobile gaming is only getting stronger.

Video Game Testers - Get Paid to Play Video Games

With the complexity of games ever increasing, the need for video game testers is greater than ever. It makes sense for a company to outsource their game tester, as the software programmers can then focus on doing their jobs, instead of trying to sort out every single glitch and bug right from the start.
Becoming a games tester is a huge aspiration for many people, as you can basically get paid to sit at home and play video games all day! When a company is looking to employ video game testers, they usually look for a few things. Firstly, you must be over the age of 18, as some games contain graphic content, which you must be over 18 to play (or test). They are also looking for someone who will treat this as a 'real' job, and is not just looking to get a free ride. Saying that, if you don't see your career in the video game industry, or as games tester, that's fine - they won't discriminate against you for this. Saying that, you do have to remember that you will have deadlines to reach, and you will be asked to do certain things.
Most companies won't expect you to have much experience when they hire you as one of their video game testers, but they will expect you to have a passion for video games, as well as a strong knowledge of the industry (i.e. what new products are coming out). Finally, when going for a job interview, remember that there are many companies, and that you might not get hired first time, so don't worry if you don't get it. Overall, it's important to convey your love of video games, and you should be okay.

Video Game World and the Real World

Children who come from a split up home as the result of divorce often have underlined self-esteem issues. Quite often, these children turn to something else, for comfort and peace. All too often, however this place is the video game world. This is not to say that all children will revert to this and not all video games are bad. It is a bad thing when your child cannot distinguish between the video game world and the real world.

If you have recently been, through the process of divorce and if you have children you must help them. Please talk to your children about the situation. Do not take for granted that the child will understand what is happening or that he or she will simply have to accept the divorce. The child no matter what age younger or older must understand that the divorce is not his or her fault and sometimes two parents are, better off apart.

This is difficult for any child at any age when they are so used to both parents being in the same household. However now dad is in one place and mom is in another. If it is at all humanly possible, the adults should think of only the child's feelings when the two parents meet of any reason. Arguing and disagreement only adds to the already disturbed child. Any disagreements of the parents in the presents of the child may if fact, send them further into the video game world.

After the separation and divorce or even during the process if you notice your child beginning to talk more and more about only the video games or the characters in the games. Alternatively, if your child is only interested in the video games and nothing else this is a real sign of trouble and the child is having difficulties. In this video game world, there are many escapes from what is going on in the real world.

In the video game world, there is violence so the child can lash out at the feelings that they are having or experiencing. The game world also has adventure and some form of security for the child as the game is constantly there where the parents cannot be. Your child may slip into this video game and it could be difficult for him or her to rejoin the real world.

Therefore, even though it is difficult for you to deal with all of these things while in the process of a divorce you must still help your children and you must allow them to talk to you about the situation. You do not want your child to slip into this make believe world with no way out.