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**"The Art of Video Games"**
The Smithsonian will have an exhibit next year showing off the creative world of video games. An inspiration coming from Chris Melissinos, who has been an avid gamer since childhood. He had developed his first game by the age of 12. He began working for Sun Microsystems and was asked to create the exhibit for the Smithsonian this coming year. They hope to bring a better understanding of the Medium to people. Showing there is more than just "visuals" in the art the goes into video games. Showing the voice of artists in every sort of artwork, and bringing the world of video games to the stage will be seen as an innovative platform in the medium. For the original story visit: http://voices.allthingsd.com/20110403/video-games-as-art-with-an-upcoming-smithsonian-exhibit-pong-equals-picasso/?mod=ATD_search
 * By: Whitney Porter**

=PopCap launches experimental games studio with a sadistic sense of humor=

By Erin Moran
====﻿PopCap, which is a leader in casual games, has launched 4th & Battery, an experimental studio made to release some crazier and inappropriate gaming concepts. 4th & Battery's first game is called "Unpleasant Horse." Plants vs Zombies, Bejeweled, Peggle, Zuma, Bookworm and Chuzzle are a few of PopCap's popular and highly praised games. The iPhone will be the first platform to see these off the wall and highly addicting games.====

[|PopCap launch of 4th & Battery]

=Microsoft Looks To Set a Guinness World Record Using its Xbox Kinect system= By: Jeremy Los Athletic avatars will take center stage, as has announced plans to set the “world’s largest 100m sprint,” using its //Kinect Sports// video game. The event, planned for April 23, 2011 at 10 am CST will be open to Kinect Sports players with active Xbox Live accounts. Participants will receive a commemorative shirt for their avatars along with the honor of being a part of the festivity. According to the article, the record does not exist at the moment, so Microsoft will undoubtedly grace the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records.

With video games becoming increasingly interactive it is interesting to see if more records like this will be attempted. I, for one, will squeeze in front of the TV with a few friends stretched and ready to run in place for a few seconds in order to earn my place in the record books; oh and to get some new threads for my avatar. Read the full article at [|Game Informer]

**100 Classic Atari Games for iPhone and iPad**

A rich legacy of retrogaming in one app.


By: Bradley Tamura Do you remember games like Pong, Asteroid, Centipede? Well good news these games from Atari are getting a second chance at life. Recently Apple announced that Atari in bringing 100 Classic Atari Games to the iPhone and iPad. By doing this it is giving the new generation of gamers a chance to play the old classics along with giving old gamers a chance to relive their childhood. The app in "free" so that is a huge bonus, however you only get the greatest game ever...Pong! There are other ways to collect the other 99 games. The games are available in packages of 4 for 99 cents or all of them for $14.99. This app is a great deal and it acts as a "good history lesson." Article =The New Top Game on the ipad=

By: Whitney Porter

The creation of the ipad was a far more advanced version of any type of video game device. Along with this new technology comes a whole new playing field for gamers. "Sword & Sworcery" is a brilliant game that takes two different levels of imagination and puts them to work. Combining the fantasy side of "zelda" with the generational trend of "twitter". They were able to create a game of artistic involvement. With intriguing music and the endless wandering the game has been a huge success. This game has brought video games of this age and artistic sort if pop-art culture that has proven to be a hit. Original article can be found at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704559904576228763393011954.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalTechnology_LEFTTop ==

=Puget Systems Serenity PC Tech = =By Alex Pegnato =

The Puget Systems Serenity PC is now the one of the quietest gaming PCs. Not only is it practically silent, but it also stays relatively cool compared to other systems. It is built with a lot of padding to keep the system quiet, and the fans run at a much lower speed. I choose this topic because it shows a new development to PC gaming consoles. It makes it easier for gammers to hear themselves playing the games and well as less worried about over heating their systems since it stays so cool. This video is a review on this newer product by people who play video games and were able to test the system themselves.

**First 'M' Rated Game for Xbox Kinect** By Trenton Villanueva

Microsoft will soon launch its first "Mature" video game for the Xbox 360 Kinnect, according to mcvuk.com. The new horror game "Rise of Nightmares," developed by Sega, has received an 'M' rating in North America by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB). According to siliconera.com, "Rise of Nightmares" gameplay will include first-person perspective and killing monsters with sharp objects. Additionally, according to mcvuk.com, the ESRP rating guidelines explains, "A restrained character's hand is chopped off before he is killed." This game is set to launch later this year.

This story is interesting because it shows further development of the controller-free interface. While 'M' rated games, like "Resident Evil," have previously been released on the Nintendo Wii, "Rise of Nightmares" shows Microsoft's dedication of the development of motion-controlled games. By releasing such a violent game, Microsoft is finally moving the Kinect into the realm of adult oriented gaming, rather than younger oriented games that are currently available for the Kinect and common on similar platforms.