Playstation Nation

When Olivia Bruner saw video games overtaking her young sons' lives, she decided to learn the facts behind addiction. What she found was shocking: that most games are designed to be highly addictive-triggering physiological reactions in the brain similar to those associated with substance abuse-and that one out of five kids becomes addicted to computer and video games. And while many parents screen the content of games to protect their children from violent and sexual themes, few understand the forces causing their children to become hooked on the "digital drug." This book arms parents with the facts they need and concrete steps to protect our children from this very real epidemic. A must-read for all parents.

When Olivia Bruner saw video games overtaking her young sons' lives, she decided to learn the facts behind addiction. What she found was shocking: that most games are designed to be highly addictive-triggering physiological reactions in the brain similar to those associated with substance abuse-and that one out of five kids becomes addicted to computer and video games. And while many parents screen the content of games to protect their children from violent and sexual themes, few understand the forces causing their children to become hooked on the digital drug. This book arms parents with the facts they need and concrete steps to protect our children from this very real epidemic. A must-read for all parents.

Media Today puts students at the center of profound changes in the twenty-first century media world -from digital convergence to media ownership- and gives them the skills to think critically about what these changes mean for the role of media in their lives.

Presents advice for teenagers for overcoming an addiction to online activities and finding a more balanced life that includes relationships with friends and family.

The start of the 21st century has seen an explosion of online media, with creative content becoming a driving force for competitiveness. As twin engines of the digital economy, much has been said about both creativity and entrepreneurship but less about their relationship.

In Respawn Colin Milburn examines the connections between video games, hacking, and science fiction that galvanize technological activism and technological communities. Discussing a wide range of games, from Portal and Final Fantasy VII to Super Mario Sunshine and Shadow of the Colossus, Milburn illustrates how they impact the lives of gamers and non-gamers alike. They also serve as resources for critique, resistance, and insurgency, offering a space for players and hacktivist groups such as Anonymous to challenge obstinate systems and experiment with alternative futures. Providing an essential walkthrough guide to our digital culture and its high-tech controversies, Milburn shows how games and playable media spawn new modes of engagement in a computerized world.

Includes thousands of links to gaming sites and secrets on playing the games. CD-ROM contains cheat codes and game hacks, trial versions of new games, and a complete HTML version of the book.