Download - Digital Gaming By Luke barrier
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Article By Luke Barrier
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Article By Luke Barrier
Contents
Main genres action games Page 3
Main genres Adventure games Page4
Simulation Page5
Combat Page6
Areas involved in development design side Page7
Computer side Page8
Gaming platforms and environment/platforms/PS3 Page9
Gaming platforms XBOX 360 Page10
Gaming platforms DS Page11
Environments 2D, 3D, 4D Page12
Environments Kinect Page13
Environments Si axis Page14
Influences of games concerns Page15
Influences of games benefits Page16
Psychological effects of games on individuals and society Page17
Evaluation of effects on individuals and society Page18
Bibliography Page19
Bibliography Page20
Bibliography Page21
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Article By Luke Barrier
Main genres of computer games
Action games
These are games in which the user has
to get involved in they are full
of fighting, war, adventure
and visual effects usually free
roam games with a small
storyline but huge maps and
levels. The games can vary in
what action is involved such as
shooters, racing. They are
designed to be physically
challenging testing hand eye co-
ordination and reactions. A good
example of an action game would
be Duke Nukem, this is a game that
the user controls the avatar and runs
around fighting enemies and
collecting items. Fig 1
Role-playing
This is a type of game where the user
controls an avatar and develops his/her
personality they often allow the user to
make the character look how they want
them too. These games are designed to
allow the user to lose their selves in a
world which they prefer to be in
where they can be someone else, like a
night elf or ogre etc... a good in fact
the best example of this would be
Wow (world of war craft)this is the
biggest online roll playing game in
the world it also falls into the
category of MMORPG (Massively
multiplayer online role playing
game) these types of game are
massively based on fantasy worlds
and characters. Fig 2
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Article By Luke Barrier
Adventure games
An adventure game consists of a
character usually on a quest which
follows a storyline, along the way
the character usually finds
themselves facing difficult puzzles
and problem solving, these types of
game are usually a single player
game and is often difficult to turn
into a multiplayer game a good
example of this would be the secret of
monkey island, this is a game where
the main character is a young teenage
boy named Guybrush Threepwood who
sets out to become a mighty pirate
solving mind boggling puzzles along the
way. Fig 3
Strategy games
A strategy game is a game which is a
mixture of adventure, puzzle and
action game that involves the user to
take strategic decisions and figure out
risks and routs, strategy games come
in many different styles such as
worms down to splinter cell one is a
team of little worms where you
have to make decisions to aim and
fire weapons and to figure out the
wind strength and the other is a
game based on a secret agent
having to sneak around and make
decisions which range from killing
enemies to evading them or
distracting them. Fig 4
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Article By Luke Barrier
Simulations
There are many different
simulation games
ranging from racing
games such as the
latest Gran Turismo
to flight simulators.
These are games that
are for fun but also
taken seriously by
enthusiasts especially
the latest golf games
whilst using gadgets
such as the play station
move as the golfers
swing has to be next to
perfect to hit the ball
straight. Fig 5
Sports games
These games are based on
all sorts of sports so the
user can play as his or hers
favourite athletes and
teams these games include
football, cricket, rugby,
golf, formula1, touring
cars and many others.
These games make good
multiplayer and online
games due to how
competitive they can
be. Fig 6
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Article By Luke Barrier
Combat games
These sorts of games are
usually arcade games
where you pick a player
and you have the choice
between 2 players vs.
mode or 1p vs. computer,
the aim of a combat game
is to be the victor by
beating your opponent by
using combinations and
other techniques. Examples
of combat games are street
fighter and Tekken. Fig 7
Educational games
An education game is
designed to train your brain
in a fun way by setting
challenges which include
language tests, mathematics
and puzzles, by doing this
it allows the player to
learn whilst entertaining
them. These games are
games like Brain Trainer
and art class for the
Nintendo DS. Fig 8
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Article By Luke Barrier
The areas which may be involved in games development
There are two sides of development which are design side and computer side so here are a list
of areas that are usually covered in development.
Design side
Story board - This is the general idea of
what the game is about and the different
movements the character makes and the
scenes where he/she will be in the order of
the game. Developers use this as a pre-
visualisation of the game sequence. Fig 9
Mood board -This is what developers use
to create the feel of the game, for example
if the game was a dark and scary game the
developers may include dark and gloomy
images and colours such as black dark red
and blue and may also include horror
images.
Brainstorm- This is where the whole team
will sit around a table with a large sheet of
paper and throw ideas around and picking
out the good and eliminating the bad this
is one of the first processes in development
and is a good way to gain the content for
a game.
Script-This is where the team develop a
script (the text for the characters to learn)
for the characters such as lines for the
characters to say during the game and for
the video content during the cut scenes.
Characters-This is where the team sit
around to develop the characters as far as
how they want them to look the names
and the personalities they want the
characters to have.
Genera’s- This is where the design team
decide what genre of game they want to
create.
Story line- This is the main storyline for the
character this will tell you who he is what
he is doing and where he wants to be and
the things he will be doing along the way
to achieve his/her goals.
Sound tracks- This is for the team to add
more effects to the game. Choosing the
right sound effects can make all the
difference, example if you had a children’s
game it would be happy music buy if you
had a horror you would want thrilling
music like a dark orchestra sound.
Artwork- This is where the team will be
dealing with what they want the scenes
and characters to look like they would
draw up a rough sketch and a detailed
sketch, another thing would be the
advertising posters the team would have
someone designing them.
Facts and history- Depending in the type of
game you are creating you would have to
make sure you know the facts unless it’s
complete fantasy for example if you are
doing a world war 2 game you need the
facts to put the content into your game so
it would require a little research to be
thrown into the brainstorm.
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Article By Luke Barrier
Computer side
AI (artificial intelligence) - This is where the
team develop the artificial intelligence that
needs to be included in the game (the
computer generated enemies/friends). This
will allow the user to fight battles in a
single player mode allowing the computer
to react to your decisions using a counter
attack or to help you if there on your
team.
Graphics Processing- This is where the team
decide what sort of graphics there going to
be using (shadows resolutions and water
reflections) to help know what sort of
hardware would be needed to run the
game also to check that it would run on
the latest consoles and that it does not use
too much of the graphical memory, they
would also cover putting the models into
the game and creating the movements for
the characters.
Consol Compatibility- This relates to the
graphics and the programming, the team
would have to make sure it is capable of
running on the graphics cards provided in
a consol and also that the consol can read
the coding as each consol can only read a
certain programming language, this
requires the whole game to be written in
several different languages so that the
consoles can recognise it.
Programming- There would be several
programmers each writing different code
for the game they would work together
and alone, another thing as mentioned
before they would be working to get the
game programmed to work and different
platforms e.g. ps3 or XBOX 360 this
require time and money.
Beta testing- This is where the developers
will test the game, employ game testers or
even release it to the public on a trial
period to test it for glitches or faults and to
gain positive and negative feedback. This is
a very good idea as it will keep the
customers happy and prevent recalls or
updates in the future.
Modelling- This is where the team will take
their artwork for the game and turn it into
a digital 3d model using modelling
software, in this step the team would also
create skins for the models such as face
skins and cloth skins.
2D, 3D, 4D- This is where the team will
either make the game 2 dimensional which
is flat or 3 dimensional which the character
appears to be viewable from all angles and
can move around the screen freely, also
the game designers may want to include
some sort of feel sensation (4D) this is like
a vibration on the pad when a gun is fired.
Collision detection- There will be a
dedicated team which will figure out all of
the collision detection. Collision detection
is when your character makes contact with
objects and other characters, this will allow
a series of different events to happen
during contact e.g. a new character is
spawned and old character dies.
Networking- The team will need to know
if the game is going to be online interactive
multiplayer. If the game is multiplayer the
team will need to set up networks and
servers which are powerful enough to
contain all of the users online. Fig10
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Article By Luke Barrier
The gaming platforms and environments
Platforms
Playstation 3- This is the latest version
of the Playstation consoles this is a
dedicated platform designed to work
specifically with Playstation products.
Playstation is designed by Sony and is
currently in a head to head
competition with the Xbox 360 by
Microsoft. The Playstation 3 is capable
of many different functions such as
being able to run the latest HD and 3D
games to watching Blu-ray movies in
1080p and 3D this console allows the
user to be completely up to date with
the latest products on the market as you
can access the internet via WIFI and
download the latest content. Fig11
PSP- The PSP is the Playstation
Portable which is absolutely
dedicated to the games. The PSP is
capable of DVD playback and can
also hook up to the internet it also
allows you to listen to your
favourite MP3 format music and
is pretty much a miniature PS3.
This hand held device has
stunning graphics and in my
opinion worth every penny.
Fig12
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Article By Luke Barrier
Xbox 360- This is the latest version
of the Xbox console, Xbox have
recently released a new version of
this console called the kinect which
they added a new port for the kinect
to plug in to, a better cooling system
and WIFI to connect wirelessly to the
internet. This is also a dedicated
console which is purely for gaming
and home entertainment. It has the
ability with an adapted player to run
HD movies however it cannot play
Blu-ray movies. It runs games in HD
and 3D and in personal opinion holds
the market for the best games. XBOX
360 is made by the Microsoft
Company. Microsoft released this
console to challenge Sony’s PS3. Fig13
PC- The PC is not a dedicated
console however it is still the best
platform to run a game on
providing your willing to put the
money into it. PCs can have all
of the latest hardware ploughed
into them allowing them to
constantly upgrade their
performance this means they
have the ability to run the best
games at the highest quality.
Most gamers prefer a PC
compared to any other
console as they appreciate its
capabilities to run their
favourite games to
perfection.
Fig14
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Article By Luke Barrier
Nintendo DS- The DS is a
hand held device created for
the gaming community on
their travels. The DS has fairly
good graphics and recently
they have released a HD
version compatible with 3D
games so they are crystal clear
and cool to play. The DS is a
dedicated console and also has
the capability to take photos.
Fig15
Nintendo Wii- This console
is designed not only to
entertain the user but to
help keep them active, it
has two wireless remotes
which are connected via
an infrared connection,
the Nintendo Wii
console picks up on the
movement of the
remote allowing the
user interact with the
games on a massive
physical level. This
console is capable of
standard definition
DVD playback and has an old Game cube
Graphics card which states that it’s not all about the graphics but
also about how much fun is involved it is one of the best party based consoles out
there. Fig 16
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Article By Luke Barrier
Environments
2D- This is the traditional type of computer
games based around vector images. Two
dimensional graphics are somewhat more
preferred than three dimensional as there is
much more control of 2D graphical models
than 3D.2D is usually HD and standard
definition such as 360p. Fig 17
3D-This is a three dimensional shape
which can be viewed from multiple
angles 3D is advancing more each
day because currently 3D have
advanced to defining the depth of
the characters and scenery. When
using 3D graphics in games the
graphics are based on Photographical
images rather than vector or rasterised
images (they lean more toward the
realism), again 3D graphics help keep
the user engrossed in the game as it feels
more realistic for them.
Fig18
4D- Game developers use 4D to create an
environment which helps make the user feel more
involved in a game, 4D is used especially in simulation
games to get the feeling of bumps, knocks and
vibrations such as turbulence in an airplane.
Fig19
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Article By Luke Barrier
Kinect- The Kinect for the XBOX 360 crates
a physical involvement in gaming this allows
the user to feel like they are actually there in
the game, to aid this Kinect takes photos of
you during the game which also make you
feel more involved. The Kinect is also good
in a party environment as it creates fun and
exiting challenges for you and your friends.
The Kinect also allows voice interaction so
that the user can give the console commands
such as turn on turn off or start game.
Fig20
Dance mats- Again great at parties creating a
fun and energetic environment for the user to
really get involved with. Whilst creating a fun
environment it also provides a good physical
work out which we don’t realise were doing
as you get engrossed in the game.
Fig21
Wii controller- The Wii controller is similar to the
other environments in the fact that they require the
user’s physical energy to control the avatar by
throwing the controller around like a mad man,
Fig22
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Article By Luke Barrier
SI Axis- This allows the user not only to use the
controllers buttons but also to move the controller
around to control the avatar and other in game motions
e.g. this is good with car games as you can use it for the
steering creating a feel factor which the user has to
physically pretend that they are steering a real car.
Fig23
Playstation Move- This is another
controller that requires the players
physical movements to control there
character, these sorts of pad create a very
energetic environment where a player can
lose himself in a game such as tennis or
golf.
Fig24
Eye toy-This is a camera which the
user has to move around in front
of to interact with the game this can
become humorous and physical
keeping the user involved. It works by
using gesture recognition to process the
images taken allowing the interaction.
Fig25
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Article By Luke Barrier
The influence of games including Concerns & Benefits
Concerns
Addiction- Games can become very
addictive this is becoming more and more
of a known addiction each day, though
game addiction is not actually a recognised
addiction it has the same effects on the
gamers as it does on people who get
addicted to gambling. It is a small yet
highly effective Psychological technique
which is implemented into the game to
keep you playing it, basically the
programmers give you unlocks and
experience points amongst other prizes
throughout the game, this triggers
something off in the human brain which
tells you to proceed until you achieve your
new goal.
Influence- Games can have influences on
people mainly in younger people who try
to re-enact there favourite characters and
games. Though this does not seem harmful
there have been cases where it has lead to
the death of someone, in this article
(http://www.geek.com/articles/games/8-
year-old-shot-killed-reenacting-ps2-game-
2001123/) I Read that a 12 year old boy
and his younger brother were re enacting a
PS2 game where the aim of the game was
anti terrorism, the boy accidentally shot his
8 year old brother which later lead to his
death. I do not blame the boy or the
game creators as this game is rated T for
teen content, This accident was due to lack
of responsibility by the parents.
Eye problems-Eye problems are a major
concern when it comes to gaming as
staring at a screen all day puts un-necessary
stress on the eyes and is becoming more
popular in children.
Lack of education-People are now saying
that there children are lacking in education
as they get in from school and go strait on
to there computers and play there games
all night. This could be a concern but again
could be prevented by better parenting.
Hacking-This is a huge concern as this can
lead to theft of your personal information
and even your money. Currently in the
news is the massive catastrophic mistake
about Sony’s lack of security which caused
one of the biggest hacks in history leading
to the theft of in excess of 77,000 of there
customers private details including home
addresses, telephone numbers and bank
details, this is living proof that how
perfectly possible it is and that it is of huge
concern.
Neglect-This may not seem likely but it
does happen, there was a case in the
Japanese news about a young Japanese
couple with a baby. The couple became
increasingly addicted to an online role
playing game where the task was to
protect your young offspring from
enemies, the couple was that addicted to
the game that they forgot about there own
daughter who was later found dead and
had starved to death, the baby girl died of
mal nutrition and the couple were jailed
for neglect to there daughter, the mum of
the baby is now undertaking heavy
psychiatric help.
Money-There is a high concern about
money issues as not only are games
expensive but there are cases where people
have quit there jobs and even dropped out
of education to play there games. Another
way money is a concern is there are
people who place real wagers online and
games like online poker and can end up
losing thousands of pounds.
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Article By Luke Barrier
Benefits
Healthy activities- Some games offer
healthy activity such as the Wii fit which is
a series of fun games designed to keep you
healthy by making you follow a step by
step exercise tutorial in the form of a
game, this has literally helped thousands of
people get into shape and to maintain a
healthy life style.
Work skills-During gaming there are skills
which can be obtained without even
realising it. An example of ways you gain
these skills are in games such as call of duty
where groups of online players form clans
where they make strategic decisions to
eliminate there opposition which shows
that they learn to work as a team even if it
is over a social network.
Socialising-Gaming is a really good way to
socialise with others, although most
conversations on the networks are full of
vulgarity and snide comments to each
other, researchers discovered after a long
study that the vulgarity and swearing to
each other was mainly between the people
that were friends and already knew each
other , in fact when an unknown person
joined in there games the language and
vulgarity became less or in cases stopped
all together.
Creativity-Games have influences on
people that are also good, Games create
an active imagination in youngsters and
can be beneficial towards there future,
people who have active imaginations are
generally good at writing and artwork and
could lead them to a successful career.
Entertainment- Games are a great way of
entertaining yourself, they let you lose
yourself in a fictional reality where you
become whoever you want to be and do
whatever you want to do. Studies show
that games are in fact more entertaining
than films and television, further more can
also create friendships when online and are
great at family parties.
Educational- There are certain games which
are designed to stimulate the brain and get
your mind thinking such as puzzle games
and word games, these games help keep
your mind active and can help kids learn
new words and languages whilst having
fun.
Careers-There are loads of job
opportunities out there yes but the more
we enjoy games the more demand there is
for them, the demand on games creates
more jobs in the industry, Games even
influence people to go to college and
study gaming to get a career in game
development. There is currently a game
called angry birds which was bought by EA
for approximately 13 million pounds the
game was developed by a bunch of
students for the apps industry created by
apple.
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Article By Luke Barrier
Psychological effects gaming has on individuals
There are many types of genres of video games as I have pointed out throughout the article,
however after doing a bit of research it seams as though the main effects are developing in
young adults and children mainly through violence in games. Scientific researchers say that the
main cause of the aggression in children who play these games is caused by the child losing or
being defeated, this shows that the children are completely involved in these games and take
them very seriously.
There was one case which I found a little disturbing and was posted all over YouTube. A
young teenage boy had been cut off from playing the online MMORPG game World of war
craft by his mother and the results of this were shocking, the boy flipped out and started
wishing he was dead and saying that he hated his family whilst punching and kicking in a
huge tantrum, this goes to show just how much these people are psychologically addicted to
these games. See for yourself (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YersIyzsOpc)
In another case there is one man who actually prefers world of Warcraft than his wife and
children he is so engrossed with his World of Warcraft game I would go as far as saying this
man had actually lost track of what was real and what was fantasy, his whole life evolves
around this game and it means more to him than his family. This article was posted on
yahoo answers.
Article
Why does my husband prefer to play
computer games over family, his home
responsibilities, etc?
I know they are addictive, but there is so much to do. I feel so embarrassed that these games
are more interesting than the kids and me. He was so excited to move into our first house, but
it's been 6 months now and he spends way more time on World or Warcraft than anything.
Over the past couple days he's been moping around the house. I asked why, he said he wanted
to play his game.
Any suggestions?
So in conclusion not only does gaming make people more aggressive but it can actually make
people feel down and depressed because they miss the game and can also make people lose
track of reality and there priorities. As mentioned previously this is due to the psychological
implementations in the game such as unlockable content and reaching new levels for
characters.
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Article By Luke Barrier
Evaluation of the influences on individuals and society and the rise in gaming
All in all from the research which I have done it has come to my attention that people who
are into games and people who let there children play games need to be aware of the risks,
they should keep a close eye out for signs of psychological attachment to games. I have come
to the conclusion that games are a massive influence in this day and age throwing out both
good and bad factors. Although games are addictive they can also be helpful if they are not
abused e.g. weight loss, learning and socializing. They are also brilliant for meeting new
people and making friends in a safe environment. I believe that gaming can be of good
benefit to the community if they use it right and follow the rules such as age restrictions and
only allowing a few hours of play each day.
I do think that the negative influences such as aggression and addiction should be taken more
seriously and should have more money put into the research on how we can resolve these
situations. I think that the aggressive side of things can be sorted out by parents just by
preventing there children from playing violent games whilst under age. I read about groups
that children can join to get them back to socialising with people in reality which I think is
really good idea and should be made more advertised to the public.
It seems that since the sudden rise in the gaming industry has hit that more and more cases of
addiction are developing across the world and that it could get worse, I think this point needs
to be shown and broadcast on television showing some of the cases such as the incident in
Japan with the baby girl, my reason for this is because that was such a serious incident I
would like to know that it is at least trying to be prevented from happening again.
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Article By Luke Barrier
Bibliography
Any images listed below do not belong to me and belong to the owner who published them
on the websites. I do not claim that any images are mine and are simply using them as
examples.
Image: Fig1
Duke Nukem time to kill
http://s.uvlist.net/l/y2005/7/2286.jpg
Image: Fig 2
World of Warcraft
http://guidesmedia.ign.com/guides/16985/images/wow_selection01.jpg
Image: Fig3
The Secret of Monkey Island
http://geekadelphia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/monkey_island_omg.jpg
Image: Fig4
Splinter Cell
http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/731/731810/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-double-agent-
tba-20060908025625635.jpg
Image: Fig5
Flight simulator
http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/725/725926/flight-simulator-x-
20060816000035462_640w.jpg
Image: Fig6
Formula 1
http://www.3d-game.co/wp-content/thumbs/f11.jpg
Image: Fig7
Tekken vs. Street fighter
http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs50/f/2009/277/0/e/Tekken_vs_Street_Fighter_by_lightwave12.jpg
Image: Fig8
Brain training
http://www.itreviews.co.uk/games/g262.htm
Image: Fig9
Development
http://www.psfk.com/2010/12/the-game-of-game-design.html
Image: Fig 10
Model
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Article By Luke Barrier
http://www.prlog.org/11450000-3d-modelling.jpg
Image: Fig11
PS3
http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/playstation_3_ps3.jpg
Image: Fig12
PSP
http://www.webtechgeek.com/NewYorkPics/Sony-PSP-front-back.jpg
Image: Fig13
Xbox360
http://www.coderetard.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/black-xbox-360.jpg
Image: Fig14
Alienware PC
http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/03/07/alienware_cfx_1.jpg
Image: Fig15
Nintendo DS
http://www.scenicreflections.com/ithumbs/Nintendo_DS_Wallpaper_18u69.jpg
Image: Fig16
Nintendo Wii
http://www.nintendo-wii-gameconsole.co.uk/assets/images/Nintendo_Wii_Console_Black.jpg
Image: Fig 17
2D game
http://www.yoyogames.com/extras/image/name/san2/2/418002/original/halozero.jpg
Image: Fig18
3D game
http://www.game-stuff.com/collection/fantasy_buildings_collection/04.jpg
Image: Fig19
4D duel shock mechanism
http://www.precisionmicrodrives.com/uploads/media_items/24mm-vibration-shaker-
motor.260.260.r.s.jpg
Image: Fig20
Kinect
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z32m-
3q5XWc/TH4aw9VQBKI/AAAAAAAAAC0/dBro0kuqIMA/s1600/kinect-everything-01-top.jpg
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Article By Luke Barrier
Image: Fig21
Dance mat
http://www.lygotech.com/products/PS2%208-WAY%20DANCE%20MAT.jpg
Image: Fig22
Wii remote
http://cnmat.berkeley.edu/system/files/sensor_modules/WiiRemote1.jpg
Image: Fig23
Si Axis
http://www.port-all.org/wp-content/uploads/Sony%20Sixaxis%20Playstation.jpg
Image: Fig24
PS3 Move
http://regmedia.co.uk/2010/09/10/move_1.jpg
Image: Fig25
Eye toy
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/EyeToy_camera_1.jpg