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Video Games

The 8-bit system looks dated by today’s standards.

Thirty Years Ago, Game Boy Changed the Way America Played Video Games

Nintendo’s handheld gaming system proved to be a huge success, thanks to its durability and battery life

Poker poses a challenge to A.I. because it involves multiple players and a plethora of hidden information.

This Poker-Playing A.I. Knows When to Hold ‘Em and When to Fold ‘Em

Pluribus won an average of around $5 per hand, or $1,000 per hour, when playing against five human opponents

New Research

A.I. Is Learning Teamwork by Dominating in Multiplayer Video Games

Google’s DeepMind labs trained bots play a virtual version of capture the flag, showing them how to work as a unit

Nine Innovators to Watch in 2019

These big thinkers are set to make news this year with exciting developments in transportation, energy, health, food science and more

Clean and compelling, Spacewar! pitted two player-controlled ships against one another and rewarded superior strategists. The PDP-1 lacked the memory to accommodate AI opponents.

How the First Popular Video Game Kicked Off Generations of Virtual Adventure

A simple contest of sci-fi strategy, ‘Spacewar!’ ushered in what is now a 140 billion dollar industry

High school students at the University of Maine Farmington's Upward Bound program play the World Climate simulation.

This Game Is Moving People to Take Action Against Climate Change

In the ‘World Climate’ simulation, people play delegates to UN climate negotiations and work to strike an agreement that meets global climate goals

Defense is the only option against a never-ending onslaught.

The Original ‘Space Invaders’ Is a Meditation on 1970s America’s Deepest Fears

One of the first digital shooting games reflected a fear of, well, invaders—a fear that still resonates today

Remember me?

The Hottest Place to Play Retro Handheld Computer Games? Try the Internet Archive

A new project hopes to save vintage technology before it is gone forever by preserving playable versions of your favorite old-school games

Awesome Con provided an opportunity for science fiction and real-life science to play off of one another. The Robot from Netflix's Lost in Space reboot (center) illustrates the former, while the NASA jacket of the con attendee on the right nods to the latter.

The Real Science Behind Your Favorite Nerd Culture at Awesome Con

Astrophysicists, vehicle technicians and biologists joined the party to bring cutting-edge research to fictional worlds

Video games can help train the brain to hear better.

Can a Video Game Train You To Hear Better In a Crowded Room?

A new study finds it’s possible to teach the brain to better distinguish between speech and background noise

The game, designed by Akili Interactive Labs, forces players to make rapid decisions.

Can a Video Game Treat ADHD?

It’s designed to stimulate neural pathways in the brain tied to sustaining attention and controlling impulsivity

The molds responsible for aflatoxins grow on a number of staple crops, including corn, peanuts, millet, wheat, cottonseed and tree nuts.

Could Video Gamers Make Our Food Supply Safer?

An effort to combat poisonous molds that contaminate crops is looking to tap the puzzle-solving skills of amateur gamers

Virginia Tech, whose Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) was instrumental in bringing the festival to fruition, exhibited on Day 1 a cutting-edge robotic fabrication system.

These Collegiate Innovators Are at the Vanguard of Technology and Art

A massive three-day festival spotlights the achievements of the Atlantic Coast Conference

A Minecraft rendering of the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C. Participants in Minecraft: Education Edition online festivities will be able to let their own imaginations run wild this Museum Day.

Family Travel

Fans of Minecraft Are Sure to Dig this Nationwide Museum Fest

The indie hit is the perfect game for a day devoted to unearthing knowledge

While tame by today's standards, the graphic violence in Mortal Kombat shocked parents in the 1990s.

How ‘Mortal Kombat’ Changed Video Games

According to one of its creators, the infamously gory game got caught up in a transitional moment in video gaming

Different collectors have different tastes. Practicing a variety of styles helps users find success.

Trending Today

New Video Game Parodies What it Means to Be an Art World Star

On Passpartout: The Starving Artist, you do everything from virtually impress collectors to dine on wine and baguettes

Children of the ‘80s Never Fear: Video Games Did Not Ruin Your Life

Inside the ridiculous media panic that scared parents silly

Can Playing Tetris Block Traumatic Memories?

New research suggests that the engaging, visual-spatial nature of the game may disrupt the formation “intrusive memories”

A new VR game puts you inside a James Joyce novel.

Cool Finds

This Game Turns James Joyce’s Most Notorious Novel Into Virtual Reality

But will it make you want to finish Ulysses?

Trending Today

New Foundation is Looking to Level Up Video Game Culture

The non-profit aims to preserve game code and the magazines, marketing materials and culture surrounding video games

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