http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The sense of immersion in role-play and computer games is sometimes viewed as dangerous, as players' strong perceptions of fictional worlds are assumed to make them lose contact with reality. On the other hand, players' immersion also implies a potential for improved learning, since it enables them to 'experience' new places and historical eras. Yet a new study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that immersion in online role-play games requires a lot of hard work. http://phys.org/news273927445.html Technology Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:57:36 EST news273927445 Online role-playing game developers can get ahead of the competition by giving gamers more opportunities to get social, collaborate and take control of their online personas, according to a study from the University at Buffalo School of Management. http://phys.org/news272301816.html Other Sciences Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:23:57 EST news272301816 Hackers staged a surprise attack on the online role-playing game World of Warcraft and "killed" some virtual characters, the company operating the game said Monday. http://phys.org/news268916623.html Technology Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:20:01 EST news268916623 (AP) -- British officials have given their word: "We won't read your emails." http://phys.org/news256551659.html Technology Fri, 18 May 2012 09:21:08 EST news256551659 Blizzard Entertainment, publisher of "World of Warcraft" and other hit videogames, announced Wednesday that it is cutting 600 jobs. http://phys.org/news249760864.html Technology Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:01:14 EST news249760864 Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new method that can accurately predict the behavior of players in online role-playing games. The tool could be used by the game industry to develop new game content, or to help steer players to the parts of a game they will enjoy most. http://phys.org/news227266952.html Technology Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:20:01 EST news227266952 The Doors' hypnotic rhythms provide the musical backdrop as students in Chris Haskell's educational technology class use laptops to work their way through their final quests. http://phys.org/news225563520.html Technology Wed, 25 May 2011 21:40:01 EST news225563520 (AP) -- Activision Blizzard says its first-quarter net income and revenue grew, helped by strong demand for digital offerings such as downloadable content for the popular "Call of Duty" games. http://phys.org/news224176643.html Technology Mon, 09 May 2011 16:17:44 EST news224176643 (PhysOrg.com) -- You may remember that just a few days ago, the folks over at Google decided to play a little prank on the world. For April Fools Day they created a spoof video about a supposed new feature, Gmail Motion. If you didn't get to see the prank first hand, you can take a look at Physorg's coverage of the joke. http://phys.org/news221228079.html Technology Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:00:02 EST news221228079 Innovators and trendsetters are heading to Texas for a technology festival renowned as a springboard for Web sensations such as Twitter and Foursquare. http://phys.org/news219041316.html Technology Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:00:01 EST news219041316 (PhysOrg.com) -- Creating Wikipedia has so far taken about 100 million hours of work, while people spend twice that many hours playing World of Warcraft in a single week, notes Jane McGonigal, a game designer and researcher at the Institute for the Future. McGonigal has written a soon-to-be-published book called "Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World." http://phys.org/news211134233.html Other Sciences Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:24:02 EST news211134233 (AP) -- Continued strong demand for the latest "Call of Duty," "StarCraft" and "World of Warcraft" video games helped more than triple Activision Blizzard Inc.'s third-quarter net income and pushed overall results well above Wall Street's expectations. http://phys.org/news208111582.html Technology Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:20:01 EST news208111582 Amid a barrage of criticism, Activision Blizzard, maker of World of Warcraft and other popular videogames, dropped a plan Friday to require users of its forums to start posting their real names. http://phys.org/news197906860.html Technology Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:07:52 EST news197906860 Activision Blizzard, maker of World of Warcraft and other popular videogames, is drawing fire over its plan to require users of its discussion forums to start posting their real names. http://phys.org/news197833284.html Technology Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:41:39 EST news197833284 (AP) -- Activision Blizzard's move to require people to use their real names if they want to post messages in online forums for games is the latest sign that online anonymity is falling out of favor with many companies. http://phys.org/news197730094.html Technology Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:01:49 EST news197730094 (AP) -- Continued strong sales of "Call of Duty" and a steady stream of revenue from "World of Warcraft" subscribers helped double Activision Blizzard Inc.'s first-quarter net income. http://phys.org/news192384220.html Technology Thu, 06 May 2010 17:03:53 EST news192384220 (AP) -- It's been a rough year for the video game industry, but Activision Blizzard Inc. reported a profit for its third quarter because of a good response for games such as "Guitar Hero 5" and "World of Warcraft." http://phys.org/news176664093.html Technology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:40:01 EST news176664093 (AP) -- Chinese regulators are fighting over the right to oversee "World of Warcraft," a popular online game, in a bizarre battle that has thrust bureaucratic rivalry for control of the Internet into the open. http://phys.org/news176556977.html Technology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:20:01 EST news176556977 The first US retreat for Internet addicts has opened its doors, welcoming a teenager that was captive to World of Warcraft online role-playing videogame. http://phys.org/news170065097.html Technology Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:10:01 EST news170065097 Media group Future announced Thursday it has teamed up with videogame publisher Blizzard Entertainment to launch an official magazine about the hugely popular videogame "World of Warcraft." http://phys.org/news170000771.html Technology Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:50:05 EST news170000771 (PhysOrg.com) -- Brain Computer Interfaces measure electrical signals from the brain and convert them into data that can be used by a computer. You can move a cursor on your screen, for example, simply by thinking about it. Now, researchers at the University of Twente have succeeded in measuring a person’s frame of mind in order to create a game environment. In World of Warcraft, a friendly elf can change into an aggressive bear without any physical action being necessary. http://phys.org/news162746885.html Technology Thu, 28 May 2009 16:28:57 EST news162746885 (AP) -- When Jerald Spangenberg collapsed and died in the middle of a quest in an online game, his daughter embarked on a quest of her own: to let her father's gaming friends know that he hadn't just decided to desert them. http://phys.org/news156395887.html Technology Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:18:47 EST news156395887