Description:

Description:

Description:

Description:

Description:

Many parents worry about the influence of video games on their childrens lives. The game console may help to prepare children for participation in the digital world, but at the same time it socializes boys into misogyny and excludes girls from all but the most objectified positions. The new "girls games" movement has addressed these concerns. Although many people associate video games mainly with boys, the girls games movement has emerged from an unusual alliance between feminist activists (who want to change the "gendering" of digital technology) and industry leaders (who want to create a girls market for their games). The contributors to From Barbie to Mortal Kombat explore how assumptions about gender, games, and technology shape the design, development, and marketing of games as industry seeks to build the girl market. They describe and analyze the games currently on the market and propose tactical approaches for avoiding the stereotypes that dominate most toy store aisles. The lively mix of perspectives and voices includes those of media and technology scholars, educators, psychologists, developers of today's leading games, industry insiders, and girl gamers. Contributors: Aurora, Dorothy Bennett, Stephanie Bergman, Cornelia Brunner, Mary Bryson, Lee McEnany Caraher, Justine Cassell, Suzanne de Castell, Nikki Douglas, Theresa Duncan, Monica Gesue, Michelle Goulet, Patricia Greenfield, Margaret Honey, Henry Jenkins, Cal Jones, Yasmin Kafai, Heather Kelley, Marsha Kinder, Brenda Laurel, Nancie Martin, Aliza Sherman, Kaveri Subrahmanyam.

Description:

Provides a comprehensive guide to the rules, strategies, and odds for more than 250 games, including a wide variety of board, solitaire, parlor, card, children's, and computer games, such as Scrabble, Chess, Backgammon, Gin Rummy, Poker, Minesweeper, FreeCell, Contract Bridge, and more. Original.

Description:

Description:

Microsoft's Xbox now accounts for 37 percent of the game console market, and the new Xbox 360 is due out for the 2005 holiday season, months before Sony's PlayStation 3. When gamers take the new Xbox home, however, they'll soon discover that it's more than a just a game machine-it's a full-fledged home media hub with more power than most PCs. This friendly guide shows how to maximize both gaming and non-gaming features of this amazing machine. <ul> <li>Topics covered include hooking up Xbox 360, taking advantage of HDTV and Dolby capabilities, using built-in digital video recording and wireless functions, storing media files, playing music, and displaying photos <li>Shows how to have even more fun by taking an Xbox online for massively multiplayer gaming, instant messaging, and more <li>Discusses the social potential of the Xbox, which people can use to make new friends, join groups and teams, and even throw fantastic parties <li>Includes tips for securing the Xbox from online threats </ul>

Description:

Description:

Description:

Description:

Description:

Description:

Description: