Who Plays Video Games?

With the great number of video games for sale and the huge variety of video games that are downloadable through the internet, it probably will not surprise you to learn that 60 percent of the American population has played some kind of video game. They are rivalling baseball as the great American pastime. Indeed, there are versions of baseball and NFL available as video games. Video games grew out of our fascination with computers and they are played by young and old alike. Video game playing is not limited to kids and teenagers, although children are starting to play video games at younger and more tender ages. Nearly half of all American children aged 4 to 6 are estimated to have played video games, and a new market has sprung up to develop video games to involve toddlers and make computers more attractive for them to use. More attractive to children! Kids take to computers better than ducks to water, and stay connected for life. As of 2005, a quarter of the children in the aged four to six age group who have played computer games say it is a regular habit. The toddler, of course, cannot yet talk about their video game habits. But their parents report that children, especially boys have lost interest in playing with their traditional toys like action figures, Legos, and puzzles and prefer video games. However, kids are not the primary users of video games. Their parents played video games as children and teenagers. We are now experiencing the phenomenon of second-generation video game players. Video games have been around since the 1970's, clearly enough time for some third generation players to come upon the scene. Side to side, mouse to mouse with the kids are the adults who have never stopped playing or who began playing as adults. Adults represent the largest group of video game players and the average age of video gamers is 29. Certainly, the older generation has the good sense to avoid this costly, time consuming habit, you may think. Think again - 17 percent of gamers are 50 years of age and older. If this keeps up, retirement communities are no longer able to offer Bingo and Cribbage as recreational bonuses. The baby boom generation will head into its twilight years amid Dungeons and Dragons competitions.The joy of mindlessly zoning out in virtual reality instead of actually doing something or speaking to someone is so compelling that video games are now a multibillion-dollar business. The video game companies often rival the stock exchange earnings of energy corporations and pharmaceutical companies. Nintendo often beats the earnings of major Hollywood studios. In 2004, 9.9 billion dollars was spent on video games, on consoles like PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube, and on hand-held systems like Game Boy and Nintendo DS in the U.S. alone. Of course, America is the leader in video game retail but the rest of the world is far behind, making video game stocks a hot commodity. But no one is interested in "playing " the stock market anymore; they're all to busy playing video games.

Video Games Are Captivating Teens

Video games are pervasive in the lives of American teens. These teens include boys and girls, and teens from all socioeconomic arenas. Opportunities for gaming are everywhere, and teens are playing video games frequently. Teens who play daily typically play for an hour or more.
AMAZING STATISTICS
97% of teens ages 12-17 play computer, web, portable, or console games.
86% play on a console like the Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii.
73% play games on a desktop or laptop computer.
60% use a portable gaming device like Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, or Game Boy.
Most teens do not limit themselves to just a few different games, and choose to play many different types of games. Daily gamers are more likely to play a wider range of games.
80% of teens play five or more different games, and 40% play eight or more types of games.
55% of daily gamers play eight or more types of games.
Girls play an average of 6 different game genres; boys average 8 different types.
BENEFITS OF PLAYING VIDEO GAMES
For most teens, gaming is a social activity and a large part of their social experience. Teens play games in a variety of ways, including with others in person, with other online, and by themselves.
65% of teens play with other people who are in the room with them.
27% play games with people who they connect with through the internet.
82% play games alone, although 71% of this group also plays with others.
When teens are playing video games, especially with the newer portable players, they are being occupied in a quiet, non-disturbing manner.
PARENTS SHOULD BE INVOLVED!
Parents need to be involved in their teen's gaming in the following ways:
Monitor and approve the games they are playing. Don't approve or reject just on the basis of title. Websites that offer games give reviews on the games they sale so take the time to read the reviews.
Monitor the time your teen plays. As indicated earlier, playing games has benefits, but like anything that is good, too much may create negative results.
RESULTS!
Video games are definitely a huge part of teen's activities today. Every parent wants to keep their kids happy; and therefore, give in to this teen craze.
There is a large market selling console video games and many games to choose from. One of the best ways to help meet the need for video game resources is to purchase from an affiliate marketing website such as These sites often give good deals by offering rebates. If video gaming is going to be pervasive in your child's life, boy or girl, please stay involved, choose wisely, and purchase wisely.

Playstation 3: the Blu-ray Player

All around, the Sony Playstation 3 is a complete home entertainment system for your entire household. With the system, you will be able to play Playstation, Playstation 2, and of course Playstation 3 games. Besides being able to play games that date back generations, to games that are the most technologically advance with 1080p high-definition, the Playstation 3 serves another function and another purpose. A purpose that's worth its weight in gold. The Sony Playstation 3 is a Blu-ray Player!But how does the Playstation 3 compare to a standard Blu-ray Player?The Playstation 3, compared to a stand alone Blu-ray player, has one massive advantage. Price! A standard Blu-ray player can cost anywhere around $850 dollars to a whopping $1,300 dollars. It is obvious that the average person won't be able to afford such a steep price. Here is one reason why the Playstation 3 comes into its own. Priced at $499 dollars to $599 dollars, the Playstation 3 is by far the cheapest and most affordable Blu-ray player to date. Allowing a boarder audience to enjoy high-definition Blu-ray movies from the comfort of their homes.What about quality, functionality and is the Playstation 3 easy to use as a Blu-ray Player?With some of the more state of the art technologies, the Playstation 3 could be considered better than all the Blu-ray players on the market today. From the moment you turn it on and insert a Blu-ray movie via the front loading disc drive, you will be blown away and surprised at the picture quality this little box provides. On average the Playstation 3 turns on and loads up a Blu-ray movie in about 22 seconds, which is highly impressive. Using the wireless gaming control or the soon to be released Playstation 3 remote controller, navigating throughout the Blu-ray movies enjoyable and easy to learn.Playstation 3: The Blu-ray PlayerSony has made a wise decision to integrate Blu-ray into their system. The Playstation 3 is hundreds of dollars cheaper even if you decide to purchase Sony Playstation 3 remote also, which is estimated to cost around $30 dollars. Even before the release of the Playstation 3, Blu-ray movie sales continued to increase as time goes on. Playstation 3 is the total package, so go out and get one.

How To Choose A Walkie Talkie Radio

The walkie talkie radio was developed during the Second World War to allow military personnel to communicate effectively while in combat situations. Strangely the term walkie talkie actually refers to the backpack radio models carried by troops, the handheld varieties being known as handy talkies amongst the troops. Today the walkie talkie radio is used in all manner of industries and in the home and like so many electrical devices has shrunk considerably from the original cumbersome models used throughout the war. In general the walkie talkie has a mouthpiece to speak into and a speaker to listen to messages; modern variants however also have earpieces for discreet applications. Predominantly the radio comes in two types; usually these are referred to as licensed and unlicensed in the industry. Licensed walkie talkies have a specific radio frequency that communications are transmitted across; typically this frequency is isolated purely for that set of radios. An example of this would be the radios used by racing pit crews in order for them to communicate with each other, the team director and the driver whilst he is out on the track. Unlicensed varieties are normally available in most electronic stores. These are not given a specific frequency and as such as susceptible to problems with cross communication from other radio devices. Because of these problems unlicensed models are normally cheaper than licensed versions. Considering the type of walkie talkie radio to purchase can be difficult with such a large range on the market today. Firstly it is important to assess the purposes the radios will be used for; for instance, hikers may wish to use an unlicensed model while security personnel would almost certainly need to look at licensed devices. As with any purchase it is important to research the different technologies out there before purchasing. With features such as weather channels, head set transceivers and wrist communicators there is a wide selection to choose from. At this stage it is important to stick to your needs and not buy a device with features that will never be used. The distance that radios will have to cover is also an important consideration. Anything fewer than two miles is normal although if the distance is greater than five miles, licensed models should certainly be looked at as a more appropriate option. If it is likely that multiple users will be operating the devices a compatibility system will be required. This will allow communication between many parties and will eliminate static and interference. The power supply is naturally an important factor and should be considered carefully, rechargeable models are perfect for uses with a ready power supply but for applications away from settlements changeable batteries are a better solution. When using the device it is important to learn how to scramble the radio communications. Many models use a voice scrambler to keep messages private while some have sub channels that allow for private communications within an existing network. As part of this it is always important to realise what is being said when speaking through the walkie talkie, conversations should be kept brief and specific to the task, anything confidential should be kept to face to face meetings. Many thought that the walkie talkie would soon become obsolete at the advent of the mobile phone. This is a fallacy however; there are certain instances where the two way radio is far more useful, such as in areas with little or no network coverage and situations where the time lag on cell phone communications is not preferable. Hopefully this information has given an idea of the uses of walkie talkies and how to select the right model for different purposes. As technology improves it is doubtless that these devices will become ever smaller and more adept at answering people's communication requirements.