Expanding  In 2004 Nintendo moved away from traditional handheld games and released the Nintendo DS, which had an innovative touch screen interface. The system was to encourage a new generation of game players.  Mario  Brain Training  All ages

Better multiplayer  Playing on console games was a solitary experience for a long time. Most consoles had more that one controller, but never very many.  PC’s allowed games to be played across a network, but these were very slow until broadband became common.  Microsoft Xbox really started the online gaming revolution.

Concerns  There are various concerns about people playing computer games. These tend to get reported in the media on a regular basis, to the extent that many parents are extremely worried about their children playing for long periods of time.

Benefits  Hand-eye co-ordination – games encourage people of use different combinations of button in response to incidents happening very quickly on screen. Pilots, astronauts, athletes use games to help with their co-ordination.  Brain training – every game platform now boasts the ability to develop brain training skills. Numeracy and literacy skills can be improved.

 Thinking and strategy skills – taking on the role of a military commander or creating whole civilisations. These games teach tactics and forward thinking, skills that you need in the real world.  Future impact – can take the place of films as their stories get better and better and become available on many different platforms.  Mainstream application – chat is no enabled trough games - headset, tams can play and strategize together as a team.

Psychological factors  Games are so popular because they engage thoughts and feelings at the same time.

Health  Repetitive strain injury (RSI) this is the result of performing the same movements over and over again. Symptoms are pain and weakness in the areas for the injury – thumbs and fingers.  Lack of exercise – most games involve no activity what so ever. This inactivity for pre- longed spells can become unhealthy and players run the risk of becoming overweight or conversely too distracted to eat regulary.

 Eye strain – eye strain can be made worse when playing games in a poorly lit room. Think – what other health issues can you think of?  Temper  Over excitement that results in negative behaviour  Blur between reality and fiction.