For decades, educators have been scrambling to find better ways to prepare students for the real world. It began with the mildly apocalyptic government report, A Nation at Risk, which warned that an outdated school system was unwittingly sabotaging America’s economic superiority.

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Lonut Silviu Savin, a Romanian Counter-Strike gamer, was devastated when his mother attempted to stop his addiction to the game by simply not paying the internet bill. The adoptive mother paid alright; with her life.

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A few days ago the Hezb al-Islam militia in Somalia banned the playing of video games, citing that: “…they destroy our social traditions.” The insurgent group is in a fight for power with the government and is arguably winning…

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We have discovered that video game players perform 10 to 20 percent higher in terms of perceptual and cognitive ability than normal people that are non-game players. …We know that video games can increase perceptual abilities and short-term memory. They allow the player to focus longer and expand the player’s field of vision compared to people…

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As videogames become more ingrained in our culture, they pop up more often films, literature, and television. Nowadays, most big-budget Hollywood projects write name-brand games into their scripts when called for.

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The National Institute on Media and the Family, the anti-gaming organization behind the MediaWatch Video Game Report Card, has closed its doors.

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An anonymous reader writes “Gamers are used to confronting invading terrorists, nuclear attacks, and natural calamities—in virtual form. But those living in New York State could soon receive warnings about real emergencies through their favorite video console. State authorities are testing a plan that would see the Emergency Management Office issue alerts over online gaming networks in addition to regular channels.”

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Collector’s editions seem to be growing, in terms of both size and popularity, but is anyone actually buying these expensive and extravagant sets? Ars talks with David Riley from the NPD Group to see, and looks at the value of some of the upcoming collector’s editions.

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For every high point in gaming (the long-awaited release of Modern Warfare 2), there’s a depressing low, whether it’s a game not living up to the hype, a delay or some other nonsense. With that, join us as we look back at 2009, the year of suck. Grab yourself a hankie.

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We came. We saw. We ate terrible meals at 34,000 feet.

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