Destination: Rutland

Nowadays we are living in the technological era and thus when talking about video games, devices or apparatuses we have a wide variety of options. "The Gaming Experience" gives anyone the ability to interpret and experience the real world under a different set of eyes. There are three major well-known companies and brands involved in the video-game industry:

• Nintendo: Originally founded and created in Japan, Nintendo was established in 1980 in US soil. One of its first services provided to the public was the classic coin-operated Donkey Kong game. Since then it has diversified and evolved in terms of consoles such as:

  • Home: Nintendo Game Cube --> Wii --> Wii U --> Nintendo Switch  

  • Handheld: GameBoy --> Nintendo DS --> Nintendo 3DS --> Nintendo Switch 

Both of the device types lead to their current "gold-standard" console: the Nintendo Switch as it can be used as a home device with a TV or a handheld device that can be carried anywhere.
On the other hand, Nintendo-exclusive franchise video games are: 

Pokemon: Legends Arceus and Brilliant Diamond & Shinning Pearl

Mario: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Strikers: Battle League, Super Mario Oddissey 

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Breathe of the Wild 

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• Microsoft: Billionaire magnate Bill Gates expanded his worldwide corporation into the gaming branch with the incorporation of Xbox (which represents Microsoft Gaming). The evolution of the Xbox console started 20 years ago in 2001 and its major starting video-game was Halo.

  • Home Console: Xbox --> Xbox 360 --> Xbox One --> Xbox X and S 

The platform of Xbox offers two pay-to-use main services

• Xbox Life Gold: gives access to online play (which is crucial for most multiplayer games except for some fan-favourite games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, Rocket League, Call of Duty: Warzone and Roblox as they are all denominated "free-to-play"). Additionally, Xbox Life gives a limited selection of monthly free-games and discounts. Current price for service is : $11.99 (CAD) per month. 

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: includes all the perks mentioned for Xbox Life Gold. Additionally, it offers an online library with over free and available 100 games (in other words it can be described as the "Netflix" for video games). Finally, one last bonus incorporated by the Xbox Game Pass is the cloud gaming. Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) is a service that allows the owner to play console games on other devices that are compatible with Microsoft gaming (i.e.: iPhones, iPads, Windows PC or Laptops). Some benefits of Cloud Gaming include the option to play the same game across different devices and avoid the need to download or start a new file (which is largely time-consuming). Current price for Game Pass Ultimate is $16.99 (CAD) per month .

For a more detailed comparison between offers, please visit Microsoft webpage. 

 

• Sony: The Japanese multinational conglomerate entered the digital entertainment industry with the launch of their PlayStation console in 1994 and with one of its most popular video-game being Crash Bandicoot. Since 1994, Sony has evolved and diversified its services:

-Home: PlayStation (PS1), PS2, PS3, PS4 --> PlayStation 5 

-Handheld: PlayStation Portable (PSP) --> PlayStation Vita 

-Accessories: PlayStation VR (virtual reality)

The platform of PS offers two pay-to-use main services:

• PlayStation Plus (PS PLUS): gives access to online multiplayer games (except for free-to-play games such as: Fornite, Apex Legends, Rocket League and Call of Duty: Warzone). Additionally PS Plus offers a limited amount of free games per month, the "share play" feature (basically you can play a game with friend or family members without them needing a copy of the game), exclusive deals/promotions and early trial for betas and demos (these are partially or fully previews of certain upcoming soon-to-be-releasing games). PS Plus is an equivalent to the Xbox Life Gold offered by Microsoft. 

• PlayStation Now (PS NOW): gives access to on-demand and up-to-date library of games which can be either downloaded or streamed (either way any progress in the game will be automatically saved). PS Now does not need PS Plus subscription to use any available game's multiplayer modes. Additionally, the user gets the opportunity to play PS exclusive games (i.e. Uncharted, The Last of Us, etc.) on Windows PC and even play old-favourite classics (games from previous generations such as PS2/PS3). To ensure a smooth uninterrupted gameplay, a reliable and high-speed Internet connection is required to avoid any buffering and/or lag.

PlayStation has announced that starting June 13, PS Plus will be merging with PS Now and three different membership plans will be offered to the public (main difference is the time length of plan):

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Best Buy, Costco, GameStop, Walmart and Toys R Us are some large corporation that officially sell and distribute Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft products. Value Village sells second-handed and used video games at cheaper prices but without any return policy. Playstation Gift Cards are sold separately from the games and consoles and can be used for shopping games online via the Playstation Store. They are a form of online currency and are available on your typical convenience stores such as: Circle K. 

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Modern games have the option for the online multiplayer feature, where people get the chance to interact and play with each other primarily via the Internet. Anyone entering the online community must be aware of all the benefits as well as all the dangers specially for individuals of young age.

• Privacy: Setting up an online account requires a profile and a nickname. Nicknames should be as random as possible without any real connection to your actual name or age. Never use a real image of yourself for the profile picture of your account. Never use the same username for different games. Personal information should never be disclosed to anyone under any circumstances. 

• In-game Chat: Global public chat is available in most PVP (player vs players), strategy or open-world games. The chat can be sometimes used in a negative way as anyone is free to say or write anything they want including bad/foul language and even promoting cyber-bulling or harassment. Some games allowed you to configure the chat figure to restrict or disable in-game chat.

• In-game Cost: famous free-to-play games (i.e. Fornite, Roblox) offer no-cost access to their main features and instead they charge users for: special clothing, animations, accessories and special abilities. Most of these in-game purchases require a credit card/debit card or a gift card (virtual currency), it is highly recommended to use gift cards to avoid using the credit card repetitively to avoid any fraud or stolen information. 

• Malware or Viruses: as a general concern any links sent or open during online play could lead to the unintentional download of infected content. 

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PC Gaming vs Console Gaming 

The never-ending battle between two similar but different concepts. Unless the PC quality in terms of hardware and software it would not be a fair comparison with a modern-day console. Here We Go!

PC Gaming: Some basic terminology will be discussed

Typically a gold-standard gaming PC will have a higher cost than a new generation console. 

• Graphic Processing Unit (GPU): in simple terms, it creates images, scenes and animation that would be display in a monitor or laptop screen. 

• Memory (RAM): short-term and easy-to-access storage for any game information or saved files. Higher RAM will lead to an increase in games responsiveness and frame rates as well as speed of information. 

• Hard Drive or Solid State Drive (SSD): permanent long-term storage for game information.  SSD are preferred over HDD as the former is faster, durable and consumes less energy. 

Please visit the Geek Squad Services or the National Computer Resources for additional help

 

Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

Video-game ratings are given based on story content, suitability for certain audiences, online interaction and game development/progress. There are six main rating categories:

• Everyone: suitable for all ages

• Everyone 10+: suitable for ages 10 and up 

• Teen: suitable for ages 13 and up

• Mature 17+: suitable for ages 17 and up

• Adults Only 18+: suitable for adults 18 and up, prolong scenes of violence or sexual content

• Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+: not yet assigned but anticipated to be 17+. 

The ESRB is mostly associated with physical (boxed) games while the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) classifies digital games and mobile apps. Both rating systems should be easy-to-see and available before the costumers make a decision to whether purchase a game or not. All manufacturer, retailers and/or official storefronts must display an official ESRB or IARC ratings.

Parental Control is a must-use tool that helps manage children's access to the gaming experience. Parents will have the chance to limit access based on age, budget, time, communication and consoles.

IGN and Metacritic are platforms that provide up-to-date reviews of new and vintage video-games. IGN offers reviews from well-known experts that have experience with gaming system, programming and gaming dynamics.  On the other hand, Metacritic offers reviews based on the public gaming community (comments from people that played the game) as well as expert opinions. Both platforms focus on giving any reader an understanding of the video-game mechanics, services and game style.

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