P1X3L

Backstage Passes to videogame design!

P.18

Most Copies of Video Games Sold P. 27 Take a Video Game personaity Quiz P.17 Who are more dedicated gamers?

Girls or Guys?

P. 8

Juhi Patel

Biographies Meet the crew

Madeleine Reinhardt is a strong-

is a courageous 15-yearold. She enjoys playing tennis and plays for the school tennis team. Her favorite video games is Super Mario Bros. She also likes listening to Lana Del Rey, and she loves to spend time with her family and friends.

Juhi enjoys spending time with her labrador named Andy.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

willed 15-year-old that enjoys painting and snowboarding. She has been swimming for nine years and competes on the LBJ swim team. She spends every spare moment of her time (if she’s not doing homework, that is) listening to electronic music. She also loves the Assassins Creed series and Call of Duty: Ghosts.

“You may all go to Hell and I will go to Texas.”Davy Crockett

Ivy Smith

Emily Yi is a whimsical 14-year-old. She

is an affable 14-year-old and LOVES to dance. She dances at Ballet Austin and will be in The Nutcracker this year. Ivy loves Mumford & Sons and Imagine Dragons.

She likes reading all kinds of books and follows the Supernatural fandom religiously with her brother. She loves hanging out with friends and family, and is an avid SIMS 3 player.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. Its not.”

- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Zac Zalles

is a... special 14-yearold and a recent convert to the Game of Thrones fanaticism. He has landed squarely into the realm of PC gaming, truly a glorious place. Zac loves Mumford & Sons and The Postal Service, along with DOTA 2, a game he knows way too much about. He enjoyed free time, back when it existed, and likes to read. “ Let them see that their words can cut you and you’ll never be free of the mockery.

If they want to give you a name take it make it your own. Then they can’t hurt you with it anymore.”

-Tyrion Lannister

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loves to draw on paper and graphically. She loves Pokemon and any other console rpg.

Emily lives in Austin with her Dad and sister, plus Mom, Stepdad, three dogs and one cat. She is the youngest in the family and proud to be it.

“Life will hit you, hard, in the face, wait for you to get back up so it can kick you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.”

- Sarah Kay

Letter From the Editor Welcome to the first issue of P1X3L Here at P1X3L we have been working on our magazine for about four months. Our magazine is here to share and provide information about video games that we have spend a lot of time researching. Through our magazine you will find alternative story formats, graphics and interesting feature stories brought to you by the P1X3L crew. We hope you enjoy the fist issue of P1X3L. -P1X3L Crew

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Table oF contents Death by Game?

Can games really be that harmful to us?

Girl Gamers vs Guy Gamers Know the difference.

Gameducation

How games can teach us.

Gaming Through the Ages A timeline of major gaming events.

Free to Pay

Why it’s bad and how it could be better.

Quiz Time

A quiz to find what game you should play

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Game Desighn

The flaws of a popular system.

Whats Your Game

A quiz to find what game you should play

Video Game Production A look into how games are made.

ilife

A look into how the iPhone changed everything.

Popularity ASF

The most popular recent games.

How Microprocessor are Made A look into how microprocessors are made.

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Who’s to Blame?

Hate the player or the game?

By Emily Yi

A Taiwanese boy was found dead in an internet cafe.

Who’s the culprit? Many articles say 40 hours of nonstop Diablo 3; but is it really?

Reports of public shootings are popping up all over the place. Most of society blames violent video games as the culprit. Not only that, but video games are supposedly a health risk to teenagers.

Consequently, people are neglecting their body’s needs when they are immersed in their video game world. Are video games really the ones that are to blame?

Are the victims completely free of guilt?

“I think that games can definetly produce the emotions that may lead some to violence, but that is really all they do.

And if we acted on that alone, scociety wouldn’t get as far as we are today.” said Tristan Wright a LASA highschool freshman.

“I am by no means saying that we should let anybody regardless Sources: www.apa.org www.pamf.org www.livescience.com

of age, maturity and psychological health play something like Resident Evil or Grand Theft Auto V, but I dont think that it is the video game’s fault but the person who coudn’t retrain thier emotions and think logically.”

It’s hard to generalize something as broad as video games. Even more so when human behavior is a factor. While there are admittedly many violent video games, there are a lot of enriching and beneficial aspects about video games as well.

Christopher J Ferguson PhD, Associate proffesor at Steston University says, “Recent research has shown that as video games have become more popular, children in the United States and Europe are having fewer behavior problems, are less violent and score better on standardized tests.

Violent video games have not created the generation of problem

youth so often feared.”

Video games can help with spatial reasoning, visual recognition, logic and critical thinking.

Plus there are safety warnings and limits that can improve positive gameplay.

There are ESRB ratings, an age guide system similar to movie ratings on all games, and sometimes there is the option of not showing blood or gore. Also videogames can be a new modern way for teenagers to find common ground and interact socially.

“Video games affected me socially and indirectly. Every game has a fan group and if you share that common interest that can really help make

friends in an unfamiliar situations,” said Wright

This way teens can play together in a way that makes them work together. Playing Black Ops can help teamwork because there is a version that requires player to work together to win. Playing in competitions can stimulate the brain and give it quite a workout. Even though there are anomalies in which the player show violent tendencies, video games are not the sole problems.

“Violent video games are like peanut butter,” Ferguson said.

“They are harmless for the vast majority of kids but are harmful to a small minority with pre-existing personality or mental health problems.”

Violent video games are like peanut butter, they are harmless for the vast majority of kids, but are harmful to a small minority with pre-existing personality or mental health problems.

-Christopher J. F.

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VSGuy Gamers

Girl Gamers

11% of female gamers play XBox 9% of female gamers play PS3 80% of female gamers play Wii

2 out of every 5 gamers is female

28 million

female gamers are mobile gamers

by Madeleine Reinhardt

38% of male gamers play XBox 21% of male gamers play PS3 41% of male gamers play Wii

The average male gamer spends 8 hours a week playing video games

The average age of male gamers is 37 years old Sources:

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http://www.clker.com/ http://visual.ly/video-game-statistics http://visual.ly/video-game-industry-statistics http://blog.sharpschool.com/21st-centurylearning/do-video-games-really-work/

Gamer Fun Facts

By Emily Yi There is a galaxy of gamers out there. Female, male etc... Whatever gender you are, there’s no question that video gaming is becoming considerably popular in society today. From Pong to GTA V, Mario and Mine craft, one-up with a few fun facts about the gamer him(or her)self.

Sources: http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2013.pdf http://www.theesa.com/facts/gameplayer.asp http://www.statista.com/statistics/273258/us-computer-and-videogame-sales/

v

63% PC Gamers

67% 43% 68% Console Smartphone Use Other Gamers Gamers devices

Three out of five U.S. Citizens are Gamers Two out of Five gamers are female

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Gameducation

By Ivy Smith

This article will talk about educational factors in video gaming and how video games can be be benifical to players.

People are always criticizing the negative effects that video games have on children’s minds. Yet, it turns out that video games may just have the opposite effect on children after all.

Video games aren’t just harmless. They may also enhance knowledge to whole new levels.

“Video Gaming in general has become much more educational,” said Eric Peterson, Head of Production for Cloud Imperium Games.

“As children develop they tend to enjoy the visuals and tactile experiences in video games, and it allows them to learn things in a much more creative and entertaining way.”

Video games are said to be good for learning not just because of the education factors in them, but also because they are actual games. In most classrooms, kids will have more desire to learn if it is put into a game format. Games can inspire people because there is always competition, whether it’s your

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classmate or a boss in a video game, there is someone to beat.

That competitive buzz stirs peoples blood and makes them want to win. If someone is trying to win the game, they’re going to learn how to play, and the skills that are required to win.

A lot of times school doesn’t offer a fun and interactive way to learn, but video games do.

Another factor as to why video games are good for learning is the’re socially acceptable.

Most everyone plays or has played a video game in the past. School hallways are overflowing with chattering voices sharing their various gaming experiences.

Video games are considered “cool” in average high schools.

This makes it so that more people will play them.

The way schools teach can sometimes hinder children’s future potential because they have not been taught how to use their knowledge in the real world and in real situations.

“Decades of research, however,

Image courtesy of Flickr upload bot

have shown that students taught under such a regime, though they may be able to pass tests, cannot actually apply their knowledge to solve problems or understand the conceptual lay of the land in the area they are learning.”

According to Dr. James P. Gee, University of Arizona.

The way schools teach children can sometimes hinder their potential. They have not been taught how to use their knowledge in the real world and in real situations.

Games have various simulations that can boost children’s and teen’s prospective futures.

There are tons of elements that

Lots of young people pay lots of money to engage in an activity that is hard, long, and complex. As an educator, I realized that this was just the problem our schools face: How do you get someone to learn something long, hard, and complex and yet enjoy it?

-Dr. James P. Gee

All education is important and any tool that helps knowledge get absorbed or learned in a more efficient manner is fantastic for everyone.

-Eric Peterson

LeapFrog is a game company that makes educational games for young children. They can teach children according to their specific learing levels.

In the picture above a little girl plays with a Leapster, which is one of LeapFrog’s portable game consoles.

are educational in gaming. The first and one of the most influential is the identity that players create for themselves in games.

Not all games have this identity, but most of the more popular games have an option where the player can either create himself or use the player the game has. This identity makes the player appreciate work and the world that he is currently “living” in. When the player customizes their own player, he influences what skills his player will have, and he can customize the game to fit his own learning styles. website.education.wisc.edu/ www.academiccolab.org/ www.academiccolab.org/

Interaction is another huge element of education. In some games, when the player is going through the story, he can interact with the other characters.

The choices that he makes and what he says to these people will influence how the game is played. In the game Fable, if the player makes good choices and decide to be a good person, he will look beautiful.

But, if the player makes bad or evil choices he will look hideous. This teaches players about good decision making, making fast desicions and what to do when new problems are thrown at their faces.

In games there

tons of risks that the players must take to reach the final goal and beat the game, but if the player fails and loses the game, he can just start from the previously saved game. This motivates players to take risks and fail. When players fail to certain bosses, it gives them insight on how they work, so they are easier to beat later.

Another factor video games have that is educational is their levels. The players face earlier levels so that can form assumptions on how the later more complex levels will be laid out. These levels get increasingly more challenging, which lets the players overcome each challenge but then get thrown a new one. This inspires the players to revise their new win and start thinking of new ways to beat the level.

When players play in games that they are required to be on teams for, they are learning how to work well in a team to reach a common goal.

All of the above elements in video games give players control and

ownership over what they are doing, which they would not find in any school environment.

“None of this is to say that video games do these good things all by themselves. It all depends on how they are used and what sorts of wider learning systems (activities and relationships) they are made a part of,” Gee said.

All games help kids enhance their academic skills but provide fun at the same time. There are many video game companies like LeapFrog that specifically design games that help children grow academically, but their not the only games that do this.

“The cutting edge is realizing the potential of games for learning by building good games into good learning systems in and out of classrooms and by building the good learning principles in good games into learning in and out of school whether or not a video game is present,” Gee said.

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The New Lokia 4.0.2.3!

• Can hold up to 16 GB in one device • Automatically transfers documents onto your cloud • Security from malware

Bolex

Bold. Bright. Brilliant.

Gaming Through The Ages timeline

BY IVY SMITH

This timeline will give you a quick and easy understanding of how gaming has changed over time. The gaming industry has evolved a lot since the first games were invented. Ideas, interests and technologies have changed as the years tick by and new trends come into style.

1972

Art Credit: en:Image:Pong.

-Atari employees created Pong. The game was modeled after table tennis. Pong was one of the very first arcade games made, and it quickly rose to fame, starting the video game franchise.

1969-Lunar Lander

is created by Jim Storer.

The object of the game was to land a spacecraft on the moon.

1981-Nintendo creates the game

Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong fights against Jumpman (who we now know as Mario) in this game. The more well known Super Mario Bros. comes four years later.

1980

-PacMan is made by Namco Toru Iwatani. It is a huge hit and soon becomes the very first arcade game to be played in private homes.

1988-John Madden Art Credit: Diego Moya

Football comes out. This game sets the stage for many sports games to come in the future.

Video Game Consoles Through THE AGes timeline

BY IVY SMITH

It is the very existence of the game. This simple box is the vessel for whole worlds and adventures just waiting to be turned on a played! There are many different versions of the gaming console, but they all serve the same purpose. Over time, they have changed to be compatible for more complex games.

1985

-Nintendo Entertainment System is released in the United States and soon becomes the most sold video game console in the world.

1967-the first video gaming con-

sole is made by german television engineer Ralph Baer. This console connects to a TV, and lets players control two squares on the screen. This console became known as the Brown Box.

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1990-The Neo-Geo is

created. This console was popular because it had arcade game quality but was for private homes.

1989-Nintendo releases

1995-Sony develops the

Game Boy, which was the first big handheld game console made. It had an 8-bit CPU, the NES, and a black-and-white LCD screen.

Play Station. This was a huge step forward for the gaming industry because now with the 32-bit operating system, it allowed for 3D games.

Art Credit: Evan-Amos

Sources: http://www.icheg.org/game-history http://content.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,2029221,00.html http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/26705 http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/video-game-history--19 http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/history/timeline_flash.html

1993

-Mortal Kombat is released, which produces widespread controversy on the amount of blood and gore shown on screen. This game was so controversial that the video game rating system was born.

2001-Halo: Combat Evolved comes out on the Xbox. This game is a First Person Shooter games, which has dominated the gaming industries for years.

2000-The Sims, created by Will

2013

Wright, soon becomes the best selling video game of all time. This real life simulation game lets you live a life through your sim.

AArt Credit: Zach Vega

-Grand Theft Auto V, is a game where the player has free reign to do whatever they want in a virtual world of crime.

2006-Sony releases the Playsta2001-Microsoft releases the Xbox.

The Xbox worked much better than any of the other 128-bit consoles because of the use of PC technology.

tion 3, and Nintendo releases the Wii. The Wii features a controller that detects movement in three directions and allowed the players the playArt Credit: Bollinger interactively.

2004-The NIntendo

2013-The

DS is released. This handheld device had touch and dual screen technology.

Xbox One and Playstation 4 are the future of video game consoles.

Art Credti: Evan Amos

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Free to pay

A game is ultimately a tool to make money. Game companies create a game in order to get richer. No matter how much effort is spent in making a game, or how amazing said game is, if it doesn’t bring in the bucks it’s considered a failure. This is a fairly obvious notion. It is important because it has led to one of the most infuriating things that I, as a gamer, have ever experienced.

Free games can be successes, and often are extremely popular.

From Flash games online to large PC games like Team Fortress 2 or DOTA2, it has been made extremely clear that an inherently free game can make its creator money. A game such as DOTA2 handles this in what I think is the best way possible, by making decorative items that enhance the way a character looks but not how the game is played and gives no advantage. These games make money by finding a base of people who enjoy the game and also enjoy

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Opinion The following is a rant on a topic that I find extremely annoying; games that are free but players loose oportunites and playablility unless he/she pays. This is how I feel, and I understand that this is just my opinion, but it’s something I dislike heavily and want to see it exterminated. Thanks for taking the time to read and enjoy!

cosmetics, or have money to spare. This is, in my eyes, a respectable tactic.

What is not respectable is when game developers consciously decide that some advantage or portion of the game will be restricted to paying customers, even when they have released the game as free. Now mind you, I have no problem spending money on video games. If there is a game I want I will buy it, and have no qualms about doing so. My problem with paying arises when it is in a free game, one that has been released without an expectation of immediate monetary gain. Because you are releasing a free game, you should have the mindset that you aren’t going to be making much money, and instead want to spread a game around.

Many online games will have Member-only areas where only those who pay can go. Adventure Quest, an online game that works like most other online RPGs, has almost a third of its overall map restricted

in this way. The main storyline is restricted by whether you have paid the Member fee.

The way I see it, if you want to make money with a game you should release it retail or have it cost money. Often the presence of these “Free to Pay” systems denotes a shoddy game that the creator didn’t believe was good enough to sell retail, but still wanted to make money and didn’t want to improve the flaws the game has.

Another system that is infuriating to play with is one that allows players to get better items or gear by paying for them.

Most of the time this is done with two separate currencies, one of which can be earned, and one that can only be bought.

Items in these games will be purchasable with both currencies, albeit at an inflated amount of the free currency. Some of the best items will be only accessible with paid currency. This leads to a discrepancy in the online system, where the players who have spent the most will have the best gear, thus giving them an advantage over anyone who is just playing the game for

fun, or doesn’t want to spend money. Often this can render skill fairly useless, as you can be beaten by someone worse than you who has spent money.

If a game designer wants to make money with a game, he should release a good game on retail that will earn money. If he wants to make a game for people to have fun with he can release it for free.

What shouldn’t happen is a mix of both where the best aspects of the game are still there, just not allowed for those who don’t want to pay.

Even a retail sequel containing these best bits is less annoying than having them in reach but not wanting to pay.

In the end, this system is really only frustrating because I don’t like to pay for what is already in the game, especially when there is a wide open retail market waiting for new games, and it’s not just me. A large amount of the community recognizes this system as frustrating and useless, and something that needs to be dealt with.

-Zachary Zalles

Video Game Personality Quiz

by Madeleine Reinhardt

This quiz will show you which video game you should play next. Are you a Mario Kart person or a Halo 4 person? Bioshock or Pac-man? Find out which game is right for you by taking this quiz.

Madden NFL 25

No

Call of Duty: Ghosts

No aliens

start

do you enjoy firstperson shooter games?

Aliens or no aliens?

Yes

Halo 4

Aliens

Console gaming or mobile gaming?

XBox, Wii or PC?

Console

XBox Multiplayer

Single or Multiplayer?

Single player

are you an overlycompetitive musical person?

So you’re one of THOSE people.

Do you like Mario?

no

yes Who doesn’t like Mario?

Seriously

iPhone or DS? I beg to differ.

iPhone

Flow

DS

looking for something different than Angry Birds?

puzzle and creative games or adventure games?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

PC

Wii

Mobile

Street Fighter X Tekken

Super Mario Galaxy

or

no?

Mario Kart

Plants vs.

Zombies

Guitar Hero 5

SpaceBall: Revolution

puzzle

adventure

sports games or quest games?

sports

are you into snow boarding?

no

Pokemon X and Y

yes

quest

Legend of Zelda: Spirit Train

Snowboarding Xtreme

Sources: http://visual.ly/how-pick-perfectvideo-game http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/ dY-LkWE/What-video-game-genrabest-suits-you http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article3794999.ece http://visual.ly/video-games-industry-transition

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Behind the Scenes of Video Game Production

by Madeleine Reinhardt

If you are one of the 183 million Americans that play video games, you know the thrill and sense of adventure that keeps your eyes glued to the screen for hours on end.

You know the magic of experiencing your favorite character’s world through their eyes. Producing games like these requires a skilled team of specialists that can work for years on a single game alone.

Whether its writing music, developing characters or casting actors for roles, there are many steps that go into making video games. Take a look into the life of game producer, Alex Keller, to find out how video games are produced, and even how to become part of the action.

“We will be getting ready to do an update which involves doing research, temporary voiceover recording, importing that information, all the while doing casting, checking out actors and trying to figure out who’s going to work best for the particular role, and then interfacing with all the different departments here on those issues” he said.

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This game, DC Universe Online, is in the middle of production right now, but back up to the beginning of the game design process. Designing a game all starts at the concept phase, where each element of the game is realized and planned out.

Think of it as the “blueprint” phase where all of the ideas and most of the details are generated and the licensing for the game is approved.

The next step in game development is the pre-production phase. This is where a more detailed concept of the game is developed and the main designers produce a highly detailed technical report, telling what type of engine the game will be produced on, and all of the technology this game will utilize.

The most important stage in game development is the production phase,where most of the money is invested. In this phase, all departments are working simultaneously.

There are tools programmers, interface programmers, engine programmers, and the artificial intelligence programmers working together, as well as

Image courtesy of “blurppy”.

the audio department, and animators and artists that develop the visualization and movements of all elements in the game, including characters, objects, background, environments and text. The prototype version of the game is made.

The final phase of the game is post production. This is when testing occurs and bugs in the game are identified. The graphics and gameplay are also polished and cleaned up. The final version of the game is made, then sent to manufacturers for release.

Programming is a very important part of the game production process.

Being a game programmer can involve creating the base engine of the game, developing the physics in the game world, simulating

The new DC Universe Online video game. intelligence in enemies and opponents, or even scripting the game, depending on what kind of job you have.

“If you’re interested in being a game designer, doing sound design for games, or anything like that, get in and start doing it. Because if you want to try and find a job, there’s nothing that works better for you than having finished products... there’s nothing that demonstrates your abilities better than getting your hands dirty and having something to show for it” Keller said.

The gaming industry is very competitive, but as shown, it can be very rewarding. So if you aspire to work in the gaming industry, whatever job you choose, go for it.

There’s nothing that demonstrates your abilities better than getting your hands dirty and having something to show for it.

-Alex Keller

Sources: www.buzzle.com www.aigamesnetwork.com

The Ultimate Gamer Headset

fuck

Retro Sound

The Trends

gaming, are Classifications trends. ClasIn In gaming, therethere are trends. ofpossess games similar whichtraits. all Ofposof sifications games which all similar traits. a simgamer tensess a gamer can find intrest Often in games can find interest in games simply ply because of thier genres. These are the because theirtoday. genre. These are most popularofgames the most popular genres today.

By Zac Zalles Shooter 21.2%

www.theesa.com www.mygaming.co.za

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Let s

! y a Pl

Now an iPhone app!

Sprout is a fun interacitve multi-phone app that is fun for all ages!

iNeuro The reference neurochip for everyone

iNeuro is not recomended for those under the age of 18, if you are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant do not go through with this implant. you may die and we will not be held responsible. Symptoms may include vomiting, headaches, viruses, malware and possible mind control. The side effects are only temporary, so if symptoms persist call your technician and/or your neurologist, for symptoms can be fatal.

Xbox one

Or

PS4

by Emily Yi

Its the question of 2014: Xbox one or PS4? For all console gamers these two revolutionary systems are competing for first place. the diagram below is a pro and con chart of the Xbox one and PS4

Vibrating Impulse triggers

Facial recognition

Touch Pad

New and sleek controler that is easier to hold

Easy to Hold controller

New In Xbox one:

1. 8-core x86 processor 2. allows easy smooth transition between your game and the apps 3. 8GB of RAM 4. 500GB of hard drive 5. You can watch Blu-Ray 6. New controller 7. easier access to all button and triggers

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New In Playstation 4:

1. 8GB of RAM 2. play games even while downloading 3. connects with PS vita 4. LED lights for a to pass on identification and information 5. the share button for facebook 6. built in speaker stereo http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/innovation http://us.playstation.com/ps4/features/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7iEyjkHCp0 https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=4u2KOZYGb-c

Photo Courtesy of Yutaka Tsutano

iLife

How Apple’s iPhone changed the world.

By Zac Zalles

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The iPhone 5

Each day, normal people walk around with a world in their pockets. Though many

take it for granted, they have a device that can access more information than supercomputers could just a few years ago.

Until the early 2000s the idea of a portable computer possible of the feats an iPhone could accomplish was just a dream. Now, though, it’s practically become a household item, lining the pockets and leading the lives of millions daily.

“No one had put all the technology together in such an elegant design before,” said Omar Gallaga, tech culture writer for the AustinAmerican Statesman.

The iPhone was a revolutionary piece

of technology that became commonplace shortly after its creation. A change of such magnitude had ramifications stretching across all of technological culture. Information sharing, technological growths, even gaming was affected by the creation of the iPhone.

Now, this doesn’t mean technology was primitive prior to the iPhone. However, there were many pre-iPhone changes that some would say had larger effects than the iPhone.

“People my age remember not having email, we remember not having smart devices, or camera technology... and back in 2008 we had no idea that technology would

become such a big industry,” Gallaga said.

When the iPhone was made it was a big deal. Apple, already established as a desktop mogul, was deciding to create a mobile system? Especially when this magic new device could accomplish the same feats a desktop computer could, it seemed like insanity.

As Gallaga said, “I remember when I started here in ‘97 people were already telling us that we’d all be carrying around these cell phones that would all be more powerful than the computers we had today and we were like ‘Yeah, whatever, people want bigger screens not smaller

“The iPhone was the first phone that was like ‘Oh, I get it.’”

-Omar Gallaga

screens.’”

To be sure, it was an interesting idea, especially when there were still advancements that Apple could make into their desktop computers. This questionable choice did prove wise for Apple, as the iPhone casted a good light onto everything else. “[The iPhone] created this ‘halo effect,’ I think they called it, which is when you buy an iPhone and you love it and you like the design and you start thinking ‘Well, if I bought an iPad I could use all the same apps,’ and you buy an iPad and eventually you end up with a Mac.” Gallaga said this was a primary factor in the success of Apple as a company.

It wasn’t like a phone was a new idea, either.

Gallaga, having lived through the pre-iPhone period, knows quite a bit on the subject.

“There were still a lot of cell phones before [the iPhone], and people were already moving towards cell phones,” not to mention the ever-growing desktop ecosystem, which garnered more followers and hardware every day. However, a portable device that could do anything you wanted it to was a completely new platform, and one extremely appealing to a large variety of different people.

Attempts at a streamlined mobile device capable of multiple functions were disastrous. Gallaga said that, “Cell phones used to be terrible, you couldn’t do anything

that promotes to people that that’s good enough,” said Gallaga.

One of the greatest effects that the iPhone had, however, was that of the community. Many up-and-coming software designers were ecstatic at a chance to try their hand at app-making, and that open-source design created a diverse marketplace where people could buy hand(or keyboard) made Even children are now part of the iPhone culture games. According to Photo courtesy of “tinkerbrad” with them, they were Store. Gallaga said that, Ryan Kim, the App Store now houses over clunky and hard to “What’s happening 1 billion apps, with a navigate, and just horrible is all the big game to deal with, and the companies have taken large diversity of genres. iPhone was the first everything in the middle, Gallaga as well has two kids and is proud that, phone that was like ‘Oh, and all the bottom stuff I get it.’” out and are only making “some app builders have done a great job This smooth, connected these high-end, big, making stuff that gets device shook up the Call of Duty games ... kids thinking.” competition and forced you’re not gonna have When the iPhone came other companies to rush anything to become a out, everyone who to keep up. Ryan Kim hit when all of your hits knew anything about found in his article “The fail.” tech knew, and soon iPhone Effect: How These companies that Apple’s phone changed have drastically altered after anyone who knew everything” that two their marketing strategy anyone found out. An entire population was major phones; the are not the only sign of Windows change in created, consisting of both hardcore fanatics Phone and the video and casual persons the Android game interested in making Phone industry. their lives easier. Such were both The fact a completely useful released that the device as the iPhone after the App Store drew in followers from iPhone, and could sell all walks of life, different likely as a games for likes and dislikes. The result of it.

99 cents intrinsically social portion In addition was bad of the iPhone used this to AT&T, for retail create a melting pot of internet games.

Apps, social medias and provider for “When the iPhone, the iPhone technology in general, -Omar Gallaga and we are still trying outpaced came to cope with the results Verizon for three years out it was pretty much today, all over society. and increased the consoles and PCs, that amount of their revenue was gaming, and it which was data sales switched the model from by about 20%. Even ‘Oh, I have to pay $60 something as far removed for a game’ to ‘Oh, I can from a cell phone as the pay $0.99 for a game status on gaming was and end up with a pretty adversely affected by good experience,’ and the iPhone and, more as the iPhone and other importantly the App smartphones evolved

“It switched

the model from ‘Oh, I have to pay $60 for a game’ to ‘Oh, I can pay $0.99 for a game and end up with a pretty good experience.”

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The Trendsetters

By Zachary Zalles

S a l e s

Video games nowadays are a huge market, and wildly popular. But this hasn’t always been so. A large amount of the “gamer” following that exists today joined within the last 20-25 years. This rise in popularity stems largely from the new and improved video games we are accustomed to. These games have inducted millions of people into this tight-knit community. Here are the Top 10 Best Selling Games of the last few months.

22,630,000

http://www.vgchartz.com/

4,977,500 4,436,100 3,308,500 2,611,100 2,412,900

1,757,400 1,536,800

1,447,200

1,395,100

GTA IV

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

FIFA 14

The Last of Us

Monster Hunter 4

Nintendo- Madden Saints Splinter Mine25 Row 4 Cell: craft land Blacklist

STEamdodecahedron Coming soon to a home near you*

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Release of the steamdodecahedron may or may not be related to the release of Half-life 3, and therefore may or may not ever come into existence.

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How Microprocessors are Made

By Juhi Patel

Nagesh Loke and Bharath Iyer don’t spend their day doing normal jobs. Their jobs requires critical thinking, problem solving, dedication, and experience. They both have to work with little information to make something big. They create something to make another thing process better.

Both of them design microprocessors.

Iyer works as a part of a team that research and designs microprocessors which are computer chips, then the chips are used in smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers and server computers.

Loke is involved in the design and verification of microprocessors and network interconnects.

Designing microprocessors mays seem boring but theres a lot more to designing a microprocessor. Designing a microprocessor has multiple different steps that evolve around multiple people. Not just the engineer themselves.

”I work as part of a team that does research and designs microprocessors (computer chips). These chips are used in smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers and server computers,”

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Image Courtesy of “AntiqueKid3”

Iyer said. would require a miniyears now. My field of

Iyer designs the mum of a BS in EE but engineering has been computer chips and more than likely it would driven by Moore’s Law. Loke makes sure the be a smart engineer For the first few years, final product works and who would’ve complet- processors for desktops does works as it was ed her MS from a good were the in-thing. Then designed. There are school” Loke said. laptops became the many components to

Schooling is an hot product and that designing a microproimportant part of engicycle persisted for a cessor and to ensure neering. Engineering re- few years. Last five the product works well. quires experience and to six plus years, it has

“My primary four years of schoolall been about smart job [contribution] is to ing. Theres many key phones and tablets. All ensure that the prodthings to engineering. these products have uct works as designed,” There are challenges to been evolving based Loke said. “I try my best overcome, but both of on a in-satiating human to make sure that there them have found many need to communicate are no bugs in the defavorite things about better and improve the sign of these products. their job. productivity. This has For example, if there is

Through the meant constant ina bug in the product challenges Iyer said, novation and I expect we designed, a video “My favorite part of my this trend to improve game might not work job is that I get to solve (for example, Google smoothly or render challenging problems.”

Glass),” Loke said. good graphics or play

Engineering can

Engineering is a high quality video etc.” be very competitive job that requires people

Loke and Iyer when all the people to change their thinking knew they wanted to are at the same level. as the years go on. They be an engineer at an Everybody is working have to think differently early age. They both for the same goals. and make sure thinking showed interest when Everybody is challengwhat’s in the future not they were in high ing each other, trying to in the past. school and had strong solve new problems. interests in math and

“I’ve been science an important working for over 15 key in engineering.

Iyer was also intrigued by legos and making different models.

“I have been working as an They also had positive engineer for the past 14 years. In influence from their parents.Loke and Iyer all these years, engineering has have also went through become very advanced, complex schooling to be and and more challenging. At the same engineer. time, computers and software have

“You need to advanced a lot making it possible have a bachelor’s degree in engineering (4 to solve engineering challenges that year degree program would have been extremely difficult after high school)” Iyer 14 years ago.” said. Anyone trying to -Bharath Iyer get a job in my field

Most Copies of video games sold

By Juhi Patel Mario is, to this day, the most popular game series and has sold about 450.22 million copies. There are many video games that have had great sucess. Keep reading if you want to find more about most copies of video games sold. These copies are the video games combined and not as an individual series.

Mario

450.22 Million Copies 219.28 Million Copies

The Sims

150 Million Copies 125 Million Copies

Tetris

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Final Fantasy

100 Million Copies 100 Million Copies

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Grand Theft Auto

125 Million Copies 102.04 Million Copies

Call Of Duty

Pokemon

Need For Speed

http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/entertainment/top-10-most-popular-videogames-ever-made/ http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment_300/317b_top_10_list.html