Planking And Its Origin

Planking or the so-called Lying Down game has a disputed origin. It involves an activity where one has to lie face down in an unusual location. The weirder the location the better it is. Both the hands must touch the sides of the body and the toes must point towards the ground. The most integral part of the game is to take a photograph of the person in that position, and upload it on the Internet. The players strive to find the most incongruous locations and outdo each other. The term "planking" literally means to act like a wooden "plank", hence the name. Therefore the body must be maintained rigidly for it to qualify as good planking. Planking also refers to holding the body flat, when it is supported in some regions, whereas some other parts are suspended.

Comedian Tom Green is the one who claims to have invented the game of planking as early as 1994. Again Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon claim to have invented the game in the year 2000. Which of these is correct has not yet been proved. Apart from these two other groups also claim to have invented the prank. One group claims to have invented it in Somerset in the year 2000 as the "lying down game" and another eight years later in South Australia by the name of "planking". Even in this case, no one knows the truth, except for probably the true founders. However both these groups have Facebook sites which boast of a lot of fans.

This game of lying down or planking has spread to a lot of places and is known by different names, in different places. It was known as "extreme lying down" in Australasia where it was introduced in 2008, as "facedowns" in USA and Ireland where it was introduced in 2010. Introduced in 2004 in France and in 2011 in Australia, New Zealand and worldwide as "à plat venture" or on one's belly and "planking" respectively.

The growth of planking is nothing but an example of 'meme'. It refers to an idea which initially goes viral online to become a worldwide trend in no time at all. The game is based upon "exhibitionism". The heart of the game is nothing but the fact that everyone wants their photograph to become the most popular on internet. Go ahead give it a shot and see if you enjoy the experience.

To Know More About The Thrills Of Planking, Visit Us.

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Talk To Me Goose

Flight Sims have been a staple of PC Gaming. It's weird to think that you can play a flight simulator on a console.

It's a shame too, that you can't. Hold on a sec. Not so fast. There is one game out there. One lone wolf that even the most purists flight sim enthusiasts would give a nod to. It's got great graphics, fighter aircraft with unique characteristics, including speed, ceiling, payload, etc, etc. See, I've already lost the non Flight Sim crowd. But before you leave, you might be well served to finish reading this because you just might be interested in this one.

Let me take you back for a sec to my experience with Flight Sims. It goes like this:

Chuck Yeager's Air CombatJane's Fighters AnthologyJane's Israeli Air ForceJane's F/A 18and it's all pretty much downhill from there.

Nothing commercially viable was left. I don't know what happened.

So one day I'm strolling through Gamestop and I see this used Xbox 360 game. No not the Ace Combat Series. It seemed different. The box was calling me. It was expensive, but I felt a connection with it.Needless to say I walked out with it. After all, it WAS calling my name.

I start to play it and lo and behold, I have limited ammo. I'm not flying at the speed of light, I'm flying at 250 knots and it's taking me some time to get up to that speed. When I climb, my speed drops. If I make a tight turn, same thing.

Ok, so now I go back and equip my aircraft for some single missions. Oh my gosh, Phoenix missiles for my Tomcat! Sweet.

Then there's multiplayer. Only online of course. So, I get on. I figure I'll shoot a few folks down and call it a night.

The mission starts. I spot a bogey on my radar at 11 0' clock. I know what he is flying because we got to see in the lobby. Su-27. No biggie right.

I'm flying my big grey Tomcat loaded with 4 Phoenix missiles and a couple of Aim 7's I think.

Next thing I know he's got a lock. Still, I'm not worried.

He fires. Still not worried. We're going head to head and I'm going to take this turkey out. I can't see him but he's on my radar.

What happens next leaves me in complete shock.

I explode.

I spend the next couple of months learning to dodge a missile. Then another couple of months learning to dog-fight in without running out of guns.

I had found what I was looking for. A Flight simulator on the Xbox 360 where I could pit my skills against the best online. With time I unlocked almost all aircraft including the F-22, but my favorite was and still is the Russian Su-27. This game has the mechanics down so well you can pull a Cobra maneuver in the Su-27 if you know what you're doing.

So what is this game? Over G Fighters

Come find me at http://www.ludos-mundi.com/ and I'll fly with you.

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Choices You Have to Make When Repairing the Red Ring of Death

The Red Ring of Death Choices

If you have contracted the Red Ring of Death on your Xbox 360, first of all I would like to say that I'm sorry that you have to go through this. Before I knew the techniques that I'm about to tell you, I have wasted countless Xbox's in hopes of finally curing the Red Ring of Death. I'm here today to help you not go through what I did, so that you will be more educated than I was, so that you don't make the same mistakes that I did.

Is It The Real Thing?

The first thing that you want to do is make sure that your Xbox really does have the Red Ring of Death. Check all of your cables that hook up your Xbox and make sure that they are snug and not hanging off your Xbox by a thread. After checking, make sure that you have a steady power supply. Unplug your power brick and make sure that everything is fitting into their respective places and that you don't have anything reversed. Once that is done, plug your power brick back into the outlet and see if it works. If it fixes your red ring of death, than stop reading this dang article and go play some halo! If, unfortunately, it still doesn't work try plugging all of your cables into another socket in your house. Sometimes when the power goes out in your house or when something goes wrong in the electrical department, it can temporarily give your Xbox the red ring of death.

If you have tried all of these steps, and restarted your Xbox and it still gives you the lights, it's time for some repair.

Why Red Ring of Death, Why!

When you have finally decided that it is indeed the red ring of death, you have a choice to make. You can either send it in to Microsoft or you can take the chance and repair it yourself or at your local repair store if you have one near you. There are pros and cons to each of these choices which I will explain in detail below. Please consider both choices and pick the one that is most suitable to you and your situation.

Choice #1: The first choice is to send it to Microsoft. This is a very smart choice under certain circumstances. If your Xbox still has a warranty, than this should be the choice that you make, no questions asked. Microsoft will repair your Xbox for free and send it back to you. Now at first this seems like a great idea, but going the easy way does have some consequences. If you send your Xbox in to Microsoft for repair, and you have a warranty, it can take six to eight weeks just to get your Xbox back! I have experienced that and let me tell you, it's not fun at all. Although it is free, waiting for that length of time sucks! So if you're willing to wait that long just to make sure that you get your repair for free, then so be it.

If you don't have a warranty, than please, for the love of it all, don't send it to Microsoft! They will charge you a heavy sum of shipping and handling and a hefty charge of over one hundred dollars just to fix it. There is a better way for people to fix the red ring of death without warranties, which I will expand upon below.

Choice #2: The second choice is to just forget about all of the corporate and business trouble, and just repair it yourself. Believe it or not, this is a very easy thing to do! When you actually look into it, you will be very surprised at the easiness and the quickness of the repairs that Microsoft charges over one hundred dollars for. Repairs done by the average person with no technical or electronic experience can and will take only about an hour, and are very cheap compared to the price that Microsoft advertises. These repairs can be done with mostly household tools, and a very meager amount of money. If you are one of those people who does not have a warranty, or you are someone who doesn't like waiting eight weeks for Microsoft's repair, this is the smart choice to go with. If you are interested in the self repair process, I have placed a link in the resource box to a website that will teach you all you need to know about self repair, and will have you beating the red ring of death in no time!

If you are taking the self repair route, here is the website that will help you and guide you on your journey to fixing your Xbox and ridding yourself of the red ring of death. So click the link below and get started.
http://squidoo.com/how-to-repair-the-red-ring-of-death

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Designer's Block and Troubleshooting

Let's say you've gone through game design school and you have several successful games under your belt, yet, at some point or another, you get stumped for ideas.

Developing a game isn't an easy task, as it takes time to come up with ideas for a game and its many plots. It's easy to get stumped when you're trying to develop something, but everyone gets stumped now and then. Designers have a lot on their plate, as they have to compete with all the other designers and companies out there for that one game that will blow the competition away.

The game designer is the overall heart and soul of the project. In many cases designers are brought on board to bring life to a game that's been given the go ahead by an executive. Yet getting stumped can be a major headache, especially if you're on a deadline and you have to come up with something.

If you're currently in game design school or are thinking of going, it's important that you're able to come up with ideas that aren't emulating something that's already been done. It's very easy to fall into that trap and create something that upon first viewing will look like something you've seen a million times before.

After I had finished game design school, I was brought on to create a variety of games for a new studio. The basic elements of the game were there, yet after a while the team I was working with got stumped and drew a complete blank on how the particular game we were working on should progress. Let's say there were many hours of heated discussions and numerous avenues as to how to let the game flow, but it was impossible to come to common ground on many parts of the game.

Much of it was how derivative the game was in relation to other games on the market. I felt that even if a game borrows from another, then it should have its own spin and at least attempt to be original, while others on the team just wanted to rush things through and get the game out. That was a red flag for me, as I had learned in game design school to keep all your ideas as original as possible.

It's important to try not to appear too eager to just rush something out. A game should have integrity and most designers would likely agree. If you should happen to get stumped, stick to your guns and do your best to work it out. What also helps is to hold onto other ideas you may have developed over the years in case you should find yourself getting stumped. A lot of the time, these backburner concepts can give you inspiration to overcome any block you may encounter; so hold on to your notes!

Don't fall into the trap of just rushing something out because you feel you have to, even if you're under pressure. Game design schools offer the ability to explore different avenues in terms of troubleshooting and maintaining originality. This will benefit you in the end as you'll have the ability to concoct something unique and not just a carbon copy of something else that's already been done.

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Is Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo Forgetting Hardcore Gamers in Favour of Motion Control Gaming?

Back at E3 this year, the big three gaming companies, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all debuted their plans for the next year. All of the announcements followed the same particular trend.. Motion gaming. Nintendo planned on releasing their latest console called the Wii U, a completely redesigned device that utilises a new controller with a built-in touch screen display. Microsoft showcased more titles for their latest platform Kinect (a device that captures the users movements and actions, making people the controller) and Sony try to push their Move controller (based on the Wiimote, it interprets the user gestures and movements into the game). It seems like the big three are forgetting about the people who used to buy their products ten years ago, the hard-core gamers. In a bid to push their new devices to the main stream public, there was very little mention about games that didn't involve waving your arms in front of a TV screen or jumping up in down in your living room. Call me old-fashioned, but I care about games that are filled with game play and a deep story rather than games that leave me a in a sweat and looking like an idiot.

Ever since Nintendo released the Wii back in 2006, Sony and Microsoft have been playing catch up, desperately trying better Nintendo's attempt of making gaming available of the masses. Video games have long been associated with a small group of people, generally male and in their early teens. However Nintendo broke that trend and made a console designed for the mass market, bringing mum and dads, grans and grand dad's in on video gaming. To be fair to Nintendo, they have done well with the Wii. It was a great success, selling 89 million units so far (33 million more that the PS3 and Xbox 360) making it Nintendo's best-selling games control. As far as Nintendo is concerned they had achieved what they set out, making Video gaming more appealing to the main stream market.

However as a by-product of making video gaming more appealing to a wider audience, (In my opinion) the games became easier and less appealing to the hard-core gamer. I think, in a trade-off between making games more appealing to a wider audience, Nintendo have alienated the people who might have bought their controls 10 years ago. The question is, while the big three pushing their latest devices, how long will it be before we see established PS3 and Xbox franchises such as Final Fantasy, Call of Duty and Gears of War adopt motion controlling. I cant imagine playing my favourite games without a controller joystick in my hand. For example at E3 this year, Lion head studios (The developer of the Fable series) announced they would be releasing Fable: The Journey. The new title in the series would abandon the traditional controller, in favour of adopting Microsoft Kinect. Watching the trailer it looked very promising, letting the user cast spells and fire guns by just using gestures with their hands, until it became clear that you didn't control your characters movements, just where he fired his guns. Essentially the game's character was on rails, in a fixed place until you defeated the enemy's on the screen. The ability to roam around freely and adventure on your own (One of Fables previous selling points) has been removed in favour for motion gaming. I don't think I'm the only person to feel cheated that one of my favourite franchise title's gameplay had been watered down to take advantage of gimmicky motion gaming.

To close, I hope Sony and Microsoft don't forget about their loyal following that appreciate games which involve depth and gameplay and don't sell substandard games in order to appeal a wider audience. Call me old-fashioned or a skeptic but I would prefer playing Skyrim or Call of duty sitting on a sofa and not waving a remote in front of a TV, and I hope I'm not the only one.

For more articles and news on gaming, please visit blog.jackalcomputers.co.uk

Liam Miller
Jackal Computers
http://www.jackalcomputers.co.uk/

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Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics: Backdoor Pass

If you are an avid fan of the Mario and Sonic crossover game franchise, it is time to celebrate for the third installment.. This is the third version of the aforementioned franchise and is already gaining heat in the competitive video game market. Here are some facts related to the Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics the latest Installment.

· This game was developed by Sega Japan and will be distributed by Nintendo for the Japan market and Sega for North America, Europe, Australia, and other worldwide markets.

· This franchise is licensed by the OIC or International Olympic Committee.

· This franchise will be the official video game of the upcoming 2012 London Summer Olympics.

· Its predecessors were at the Olympic Games released last 2008 and the Olympic Winter Games released last 2009.

· The latest version was launched in North America last November 15, Australia last November 17, Europe last November 18, and Japan last December 8, 2001.

· In February 2012, a Nintendo 3DS version will be released.

· Instead of the usual white casing, this installment comes in yellow.

· Aside from the main characters, there are other 18 characters first seen in the Mario and Sonic franchise are included in the game.

· Characters for this game are characterized within four categories: all-around, speed, power, and skill.

· The characters in this installment are played the same way they were played in the previous installments.

· More focus and priority has been allotted to events and game modes for this particular installment as opposed to the two previous ones.

· Additional events are included such as soccer, badminton, and equestrian side by side with the events available in the first two installments.

· The Wii version will incorporate new features such as the "Dream Events", Cooperative Mechanics, and Party Mode.

· Sega and Nintendo regards the Olympic Games as the true testament of competitiveness and sportsmanship hence it has been chosen as the setting for the Mario and Sonic crossover game.

· Sonic the Hedgehog was a brainchild of Sega whereas the Mario character has for so long served as Nintendo's banner character.

· The predecessors have sold a combined 19 million units.

Perhaps the reason for the wide and unprecedented success of the Mario and Sonic crossover game franchise is the fact that it caters to various interests.

First and foremost it caters to video game fans.

Also it commands a following from avid fans of both the Mario and Sonic characters

Also the association with the Olympic Games doesn't hurt for even this has its own niche market.

Lastly, sports enthusiasts can also immerse themselves in sports-inspired video games through the franchise.

All these things considered, it's not hard to understand why Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics just like its predecessors is set to be a huge hit.

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ET And The Swordquest Series - How Atari Brought The Video Game Crash One Step Closer

If anybody that's flirting with middle age starts talking about old school video gaming in the home it doesn't take long for the name Atari to turn up does it? Back in the early 80's it was a part of almost everyone's life. Even the pretty girls that were cheerleaders played that horrid version of Pac-Man for the 2600 way back in the those glorious days of gaming.

I honestly believe that the Atari 2600 led two different lives during it's run in the late 70's and early 80's. When it debuted in 1977 and for the first 3 Christmases it existed it was a rich boys toy. It was a luxury to have one in your home. If you were lucky enough to have a friend who owned one it was a marvel to play. Sure the first games released were mostly simple and often lame but it was new and cool.

In 1980 Atari captured the rights the arcade smash Space Invaders and that blew the lid off of the home gaming market. Atari followed that up by bringing their arcade smash Asteroids home in 1981. These two titles justified parents caving in to their kids demands. Many consumers picked up an Atari just to play these two games.

Atari had some competition from Mattel's Intellivision which did boast better graphics and sound but didn't have access to the big name titles that Atari had locked up. The Intellivision was also more expensive than the Atari 2600. These were the golden years for the 2600.

1982 would also be a good year for the 2600 system. Activision made some classic games for the Atari and Pitfall was one of those games that my Mom put on layaway for me at the local Gaylord's department store that summer. By the fall a new home gaming system called the Colecovision was coming out and it looked awesome!

Atari had countered by introducing their new advanced Atari 5200 system into the marketplace. This is where I get confused on this whole subject. You see, once the home gaming market took off every jack-leg that could write some lame code started making games for the 2600 system.

Problem was the vast majority of the games stunk and were terrible. But Atari is just as much to blame as these shady companies. Remember how bad Pac-Man was? Sure, we lived in denial and played that garbage because it was the only home version out there when it was released.

The Colecovison was a big hit even though Coleco was caught totally off guard and couldn't produce the systems fast enough to meet demands during the Christmas season of 1982. Meanwhile Atari had there equally powerful 5200 but decided to keep riding their older 2600. By this time the old horse was panting pretty hard!

You would think that Atari would have had the common sense to slowly phase the 2600 out and start throwing their support for their far superior 5200 system. That however was not the case. Two things happened in the fall of 82 that ultimately spelled doom for Atari and the Video Gaming Industry as a whole.

For the Holiday Season Atari rolled the dice on two huge projects for the 2600. The Swordquest Series and ET The Video Game.The dice would come up snake eyes. The Swordquest series boasted four adventure games in a series and included a contest for solid gold prizes for players that could solve the puzzle.

The problem was the Swordquest games were terrible with gameplay that made no sense at all. It was heavily promoted by Atari and was a total flop. ET was a pure example of Atari being run by a bunch of corporate morons that knew nothing about programming and didn't really care about providing a quality product.

ET was thrown together in a mad rush just so the game could be shipped for the Christmas blitz of 1982. Then someone at Atari thought it would be a good idea to mass produce more copies of ET than 2600 systems that existed in American homes at that time.

As you might expect the game was a complete flop! Atari found themselves stuck with millions of copies of ET that they couldn't give away. Eventually Atari was forced to bury the unwanted games in a landfill in New Mexico. That was really the beginning of the end for Atari and for the home gaming market as a whole.

The Atari 2600 would would hang on for a couple more years and sales were still good in 1983. By 1984 the 2600 was badly outdated and market was so flooded with inferior games that it actually became kind of fun to hate Atari. They tried several times to renter the home gaming market but never were able to regain there top position in the marketplace.

I love classic video games and created a blog dedicated to 80's video games. Please feel free to drop by my blog at Video Gaming in the 80's My video gaming stories are your video gaming stories. Drop by and feel free to leave a comment http://videogaminginthe1980s.com/

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