Gamer

If you’ve caught either of the hyperactive “Crank’’ movies, the last thing you’d expect from the filmmaking team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (or “Neveldine/Taylor,’’ as they aggressively brand themselves) is a boring ride. Yet for long stretches of the PlayStation-minded “Gamer,’’ the action does drag. The duo goes lighter on the anything-goes screwiness that’s really their creative redemption, and instead focuses on the sort of “legit’’ grittiness that didn’t do much for “Terminator Salvation,’’ either.

Despite the nerdy stereotypes, there is nothing antisocial about video gamers. Thousands gathered to play and party at last weekend's PAX East gaming convention at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, and on Saturday night about a hundred gamers took the party across the street to the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. Irrational Games, of Quincy, hosted the get-together to thank fans of its 2007 hit, BioShock, and to stoke anticipation for the upcoming sequel: BioShock Infinite, to be released Oct. 16. Many of the guests were "cosplayers": people who delight in dressing...

Parents, don't put away those video games just yet - today's gamer may be tomorrow's top surgeon. Researchers gathering in Boston for the American Psychological Association convention detailed studies suggesting video games can be powerful learning tools - from increasing the problem-solving potential of younger students to improving the suturing skills of laparoscopic surgeons. One study even looked at whether playing "World of Warcraft," the world's biggest multiplayer online game, can improve scientific thinking.

FOXBOROUGH - Chad Ochocinco took heavy criticism last week for describing the Patriots offensive output from Week 1 as video game numbers. But if Tom Brady continues to put up ridiculous numbers - he has 940 passing yards through two games - Ochocinco might not be able to help himself from speaking out again. Brady is the first quarterback in NFL history to follow up on a 500-yard outing (517 against the Dolphins) with a 400-yard performance. He completed 31 of 40 passes for 423 yards against the Chargers in yesterday's 35-21 win. He's also the seventh quarterback in NFL history to post back-to-back...

Say what you like about the makers of horror films, they generally have a nose for the seediness of teenhood -- the smeared crash pads, the snotty talk, the festering hormones. In "Stay Alive," a cheap 'n' cheerful slasher flick/promo clip for a video game that hasn't been released yet (it must be in the works), writer/director William Brent Bell demonstrates once again the genre's deep and sincere affinity for time-wasting adolescents. A cabal of Red Bull-crazed online gamers in pre-Katrina New Orleans get their hands on an illicit preview copy of a new game called Stay Alive.

These are potent days for video gamers. The baby steps taken by Pong, Space Invaders, and Doom have become the thundering footfalls of Halo, Gears of War, and Mass Effect. The industry rakes in billions. Production budgets for some games rival those of movies. The problem is, no one knows how to talk about gaming — these Xbox and PlayStation binges that nervous parents worry could turn their kids into hollow-faced, emotionally-stunted, Dorito-eating dorks. As with any mass movement accelerating into the passing lane of pop culture, gaming requires its own...

FOXBOROUGH - Chad Ochocinco took heavy criticism last week for describing the Patriots offensive output from Week 1 as video game numbers. But if Tom Brady continues to put up ridiculous numbers - he has 940 passing yards through two games - Ochocinco might not be able to help himself from speaking out again. Brady is the first quarterback in NFL history to follow up on a 500-yard outing (517 against the Dolphins) with a 400-yard performance. He completed 31 of 40 passes for 423 yards against the Chargers in yesterday's 35-21 win. He's also the seventh quarterback...

NEW YORK -- Is "frags per round" going to be the batting average of the 21st century? Professional computer gamers certainly hope so. Players of Counter Strike, a popular title in competition at the US finals of the World Cyber Games last week, count their prowess in how many enemies they can shoot to pieces, or "fragment," in a frantic two-minute round of virtual gunplay. Time and demographics, boosters say, argue for video game tourneys becoming the next big spectator sport in the United States, where more than 108 million Americans now play computer games, according to...

Rather than reach for the television remote control when she wants to be entertained, Karalyn Valente goes online to play EverQuest, Ultima Online, and other video games -- a gaming habit shared by millions in the United States. Valente, a 29-year-old graphic artist from York, Pa., said she devotes about 30 hours a week in vast online worlds and spent more than $1,500 on games last year. "I watch less and less TV. I turn it on and the shows are just idiotic," Valente said.

Udonis Haslem insists he meant no harm. The NBA deemed otherwise, and the Miami Heat will be without one of their co-captains when they try to close out the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. Haslem was suspended for Game 6 of the Miami-Indiana Eastern Conference semifinal series, a matchup where emotions boiled over in a runaway Heat victory on Tuesday night. The NBA also said Miami reserve center Dexter Pittman will miss three games in response to his flagrant foul against Indiana backup guard Lance Stephenson in the final seconds of Game 5. Indiana's Tyler Hansbrough...

These are potent days for video gamers. The baby steps taken by Pong, Space Invaders, and Doom have become the thundering footfalls of Halo, Gears of War, and Mass Effect. The industry rakes in billions. Production budgets for some games rival those of movies. The problem is, no one knows how to talk about gaming — these Xbox and PlayStation binges that nervous parents worry could turn their kids into hollow-faced, emotionally-stunted, Dorito-eating dorks. As with any mass movement accelerating into the passing lane of pop culture, gaming requires its own discourse.

If you’ve caught either of the hyperactive “Crank’’ movies, the last thing you’d expect from the filmmaking team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (or “Neveldine/Taylor,’’ as they aggressively brand themselves) is a boring ride. Yet for long stretches of the PlayStation-minded “Gamer,’’ the action does drag. The duo goes lighter on the anything-goes screwiness that’s really their creative redemption, and instead focuses on the sort of “legit’’ grittiness that didn’t do much for “Terminator Salvation,’’ either.

Parents, don't put away those video games just yet - today's gamer may be tomorrow's top surgeon. Researchers gathering in Boston for the American Psychological Association convention detailed studies suggesting video games can be powerful learning tools - from increasing the problem-solving potential of younger students to improving the suturing skills of laparoscopic surgeons. One study even looked at whether playing "World of Warcraft," the world's biggest multiplayer online game, can improve scientific thinking.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Matt Ringel knows there's a certain image that comes to mind when you start talking about hard - core video gamers: think teenage boys with messy hair and dark circles under their eyes from staying up all night, their eyes glued to a screen and their fingers frantically flitting about a keyboard or a controller. It's an image Ringel knows well. A passionate gamer even as he closes in on 40, Ringel has spent his fair share of long nights playing with his friends.

Rather than reach for the television remote control when she wants to be entertained, Karalyn Valente goes online to play EverQuest, Ultima Online, and other video games -- a gaming habit shared by millions in the United States. Valente, a 29-year-old graphic artist from York, Pa., said she devotes about 30 hours a week in vast online worlds and spent more than $1,500 on games last year. "I watch less and less TV. I turn it on and the shows are just idiotic," Valente said.

Say what you like about the makers of horror films, they generally have a nose for the seediness of teenhood -- the smeared crash pads, the snotty talk, the festering hormones. In "Stay Alive," a cheap 'n' cheerful slasher flick/promo clip for a video game that hasn't been released yet (it must be in the works), writer/director William Brent Bell demonstrates once again the genre's deep and sincere affinity for time-wasting adolescents. A cabal of Red Bull-crazed online gamers in pre-Katrina New Orleans get their hands on an illicit preview copy of a new game called...

SINGAPORE -- "And it's a goal for Singapore!" the commentator screamed as fans erupted, pumping their fists and roaring to celebrate an equalizer against Romania. But far from an ordinary soccer match, this game was contested by two gamers pounding away at keyboards at the World Cyber Games -- the computer industry's equivalent of the Olympics. The total prize money of $430,000 at last week's event is more than some Asian Tour golf tournaments pay out -- and some of the 700 game enthusiasts from 67 countries who gathered in Singapore for the tournament play for a living.

Despite the nerdy stereotypes, there is nothing antisocial about video gamers. Thousands gathered to play and party at last weekend's PAX East gaming convention at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, and on Saturday night about a hundred gamers took the party across the street to the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. Irrational Games, of Quincy, hosted the get-together to thank fans of its 2007 hit, BioShock, and to stoke anticipation for the upcoming sequel: BioShock Infinite, to be released Oct. 16. Many of the guests were "cosplayers": people who...

SINGAPORE -- "And it's a goal for Singapore!" the commentator screamed as fans erupted, pumping their fists and roaring to celebrate an equalizer against Romania. But far from an ordinary soccer match, this game was contested by two gamers pounding away at keyboards at the World Cyber Games -- the computer industry's equivalent of the Olympics. The total prize money of $430,000 at last week's event is more than some Asian Tour golf tournaments pay out -- and some of the 700 game enthusiasts from 67 countries who gathered in Singapore for the tournament play for a living.

NEW YORK -- Is "frags per round" going to be the batting average of the 21st century? Professional computer gamers certainly hope so. Players of Counter Strike, a popular title in competition at the US finals of the World Cyber Games last week, count their prowess in how many enemies they can shoot to pieces, or "fragment," in a frantic two-minute round of virtual gunplay. Time and demographics, boosters say, argue for video game tourneys becoming the next big spectator sport in the United States, where more than 108 million Americans now play computer games, according to the Yankee...