‘Call of Juarez’ continues to show the cultural divide

Can videogames ever be taken seriously? Ubisoft, the third largest multi-platform publisher announced Feb. 7 that  they will release the third game in the “Call of Juarez” series, developed by Techland. The latest entry, “Call of Juarez: The Cartel,” allows the gamer, as the press release says, to “embark on a bloody road trip from Los Angeles to Juárez, Mexico, immersing yourself in a gritty plot with interesting characters and a wide variety of game play options.” Very little, aside from a vague press release and few screenshots (which really look more like concept art) has even been released on the game.

Video Game Playing — Addiction or Just Plain Fun?

EL PASO, Texas — Equipped with a sniper rifle and shotgun, a Spartan II soldier takes one furtive step at a time under a blistering sun, trying to elude the enemy. Suddenly, he sees an enemy soldier and he goes to fire his weapon — but it’s too late — and a kill-shot to the head drops him on the spot. “Headshot,” the sniper yells out as six friends — all in their 20’s — in two teams of three players battle in the virtual warfare of Halo3. Playing video games, a way of life for the six of them, dominates their free time. But parents and doctors wonder if this behavior amounts to a dangerous addiction or just social interaction.

Gaming Technology

Gone now are the days when Mario saved the Princess from the clutches of the evil Bowser, aka King Koopa, on a simple 8 bit video game console. Today the video gaming industry has not only grown technologically, gamers have continued to grow in age along with it, and that’s actually a good thing.