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Surprise Gamer Revealed
A well-known novelist has revealed his secret gaming habits. Salman Rushdie, controversial for his novel Satanic Verses which caused outrage amongst extremist religious groups in the late ’80s, has told in his recent memoirs of his obsession with Super Mario World.
His third-person memoirs, entitled Joseph Anton, reveal that while he was in hiding after the issue of a fatwa by Iranian leadership in 1989, Rushdie became entranced by the world of Nintendo’s flagship plumber thanks to his son Zafar. He writes that he played the game as a form of escapism, and that it was a far happier alternative to the world he lived in the rest of the time.
However this is not the first time that Rushdie’s gaming preferences have made themselves clear; in his novel Luka and the Fire of Life (written for his son), the protagonist must battle through computer game-like levels in order to rescue his comatose father. Whether or not this is real gaming news, the fact remains clear that gaming will probably be taken more seriously in more ‘high-brow’ circles, both as an art form, and as a leisurely pursuit– which can only be a good thing.
Source: Nintendo Life
Wii is Good for Gramps
It’s been long-accepted that games such as Wii Fit have helped people stay healthy– even if they do just stay indoors all day– but a recent study shows that they may not just burn calories; they may actually help improve balance and posture in older players.
The study, carried out by Professor Cathy Craig of Queen’s University Belfast and researchers at Trinity College Dublin, found that games such as Wii Fit and others that utilise the Wii Balance Board help to improve balance and gait in older players. This can help counter mobility related injuries, something which one in three aged 65 and older fall victim to every year.
Writing as someone whose Grandmother regularly partakes in Wii-based exercise, the benefits of playing Wii with your grandparents are far too important not to reap. So everyone go and buy a Wii for your grandparents; exercise not only improves health, but mood too, and going by my Nan’s rage quits pre-Wii Fit she is a far friendlier gamer as a result.
Source: www.medicaldaily.com
The Louvre Embraces Nintendo 3DS
The Louvre has spoken about its revolutionary idea to replace its museum audio guides with Nintendo 3DS consoles. Last spring, the Louvre replaced its rented audio headphone guide system with 3DS systems, and associate director Agnès Alfandari has said that this was nothing short of a genius move. Only 4% of the Louvre’s visitors were hiring out the old system, and since the 3DS’s introduction into the museum, the experience has been richened.
The systems now contain around 3000 pages of content, detailing the artworks and their history, as well as enabling them to zoom in using photo files of the exhibitions to view them in detail without having to even be near them. Despite worries that the inclusion of such technology may lessen the experience of visiting a museum, it could actually enable a visitor to see more of the available works. Wi-fi technology also enable the user to see exactly where they are in the Louvre using an interactive map, guiding them to their desired attraction.
The Nintendo 3DS, with its wide range of capabilities both audio and visual, has proven an asset to the Louvre, and an institution of the French museum’s calibre’s approval may prove to further perpetuate schemes of this kind in museums around the world.
Source: France Today
