Welcome
to the 1,297th
edition
of Loading...
Loading... is the premier daily
MMOG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
If you're a hardcore gamer, you're more likely to have
Attention Deficit Disorder. Is there a legitimate link between ADD and
gaming, or are people in politics, science and the media simply seeking
any excuse to vilify video games? And is ADD really a bad thing? Karen
"Shayalyn" Hertzberg tackles this touchy topic in today's
href="http://tentonhammer.com/2010/mar/24">Loading... It's
the ADD, I Tell Ya!
The Pulse
You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result
is the Ten Ton Pulse (
target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here
are today's top 5 Pulse results over the
last week:
- World
of Warcraft - EverQuest
II -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/265">The
Secret World - Star
Trek Online - Dungeons
and
Dragons Online
Biggest
movers today :
- City of Villains (UP 23 to #14)
- Vanguard (Down 4 to #10)
- Age of Conan (Down 3 to #6)
- 2/1
- Global
Agenda
(release date) -
style="font-weight: bold;">2/1
- Mortal
Online (release date) -
2/2
size="-1">
- Star
Trek Online
(release date) - 2/16
- href="http://everquest2.station.sony.com/expansions/sentinelsfate/index.vm">EverQuest
2: Sentinel's Fate (expansion) -
2/16
- LotRO:
Oath of the
Rangers (content update)
Releases
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/1004">
- March
2010
- APB - April
2010
- href="http://www.cityofheroes.com/news/game_updates/issue_17/issue_17_overview.html?utm_source=COHemail&utm_medium=US&utm_campaign=banner">City
of Heroes: Issue 17 -
style="font-weight: bold;">Spring 2010
- Mytheon - TBA
2010
- Final
Fantasy XIV
-
style="font-weight: bold;">Spring 2011
- Star Wars:
The Old
Republic
Upcoming
Events
-
style="font-weight: bold;">3/26 - 3/28
- PAX
East 2010 -
style="font-weight: bold;">4/17 - 4/18
- Ankama
Convention #5 -
style="font-weight: bold;">6/15 -
6/17 - E3
Expo -
style="font-weight: bold;">6/25 -
6/27 - Looking
for Group
Expo -
style="font-weight: bold;">8/5 -
8/8 - href="http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/">SOE
Fan Faire 2010
Week Only***
Win a 12-issue
package of Aion Magazine through Ten Ton Hammer simply by
posting
in our
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=563">Aion
forums. Five winners will be picked at random and contacted
Thursday, March 25th. Post as much as you want between now and Thursday
night for your chance to win.
Loading...
Daily
At my son's first grade parent-teacher conference, his teacher placed
her hand on top of mine and said gently, "Have you ever considered
having him evaluated for ADD?"
Truth be told, I had. Although I didn't consider my son to be one of
those kids who was bouncing off the walls (to me he seemed pretty laid
back), and he didn't have any behavioral problems, I had to admit that
he seemed to have a very hard time focusing his attention now that
school compelled him to, and his grades revealed as much. So, with his teacher's hearty encouragement, I took my child to a psychologist
who specialized in Attention Deficit Disorder.
After evaluating my son, the psychologist greeted me with a firm
handshake and said, "There's no child more classically ADD than this
guy!" She seemed thrilled by the pronouncement, declaring with abject
delight that he had "fifty different ways to sit on a chair." Although
my boy wasn't overly hyperactive, he definitely was fidgety,
distractible, prone to procrastination, forgetful, a multitasker, and
more of a starter than a finisher.
With diagnosis in hand, I did a ton of research to figure out
how best to help my son succeed. In doing that research, I discovered
something shocking--I had ADD, too, and I probably always had. My
doctor concurred that it was most likely, since ADD is genetically
linked. I was stunned by the revelation. Perhaps the reason so many of
my own teachers throughout the years had written things like "not
meeting potential" on my report cards wasn't simply because I was dumb
or lazy, or that I'd "forget my own head if it wasn't attached," as my
grandmother had always told me.
Through all this, I learned that ADD, despite the nomenclature, isn't a
deficit, nor does it feel like a disorder. The truth is, given the
right motivation, people with ADD are incredibly creative and
intelligent. Sometimes we frustrate the non-ADD people in our lives--I
can't count how many times I've had to remind my husband that if he
doesn't write down whatever it is he wants me to do for him it simply
isn't going to happen because there's no way in hell I'll remember
it--but we're nothing if not interesting, spontaneous, and joyously
random.
I like cheese.
Onward!
I have the feeling many gamers would recognize themselves in the
href="http://www.adhdnews.com/adhd-symptoms.htm">ADD
symptoms list. I see facets of my own ADD self in many,
though not all, of the gamers I associate with. On the whole, we don't
seem to be the methodical type--we're action-oriented and driven to
things that stimulate our imaginations. Maybe to a fault, according to
an
href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/15/video_game_iowa_state_university_attention_test/">article
in The Register based on a University of Iowa study of the
relation between video game addicts and ADD.
Then again, another
href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-03-09-game-therapy_x.htm">article
(albeit an old one) in USA Today discussed video games as a means of
treating ADD symptoms by providing "incentive to improve focus and
concentration." Perhaps not every scientist, media pundit or disbarred (*cough* Jack Thompson *cough*) raving lunatic seeks
to discredit or vilify the gaming industry.
Are you a gamer who has (or suspects) ADD? (You can
href="http://psychcentral.com/addquiz.htm">test yourself,
if you're so inclined.) Has video gaming helped you, hurt you, or not
affected you one way or another? There's more to this topic
than I can cover in Loading... today, but if you show an
interest there'll be a more in-depth article to come. Head
over to our forum to
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=50337">talk
about it.
Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day
From our href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=567">Jumpgate
Evolution forum
Update?
Where
oh where have you gone, Jumpgate Evolution? Our community has been
waiting for you for so long, and now it seems you've disappeared into
the ether. We may not have any answers about the status of Jumpgate
Evolution, but we can sure commiserate about it. href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=50280">Join
us!
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"They're quiet... too quiet...
/shifty eyes
I'd really
like to see this game release but the lack of info from the dev's is
getting old. Even a 'hey guys we're still alive' thread would be fine. "
- kageyfna
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=32559">Tell
us!
New
and Exclusive Content
Today at Ten Ton Hammer
4 new Ten Ton Hammer
features
today! 96 in March! 326
in 2010!
GDC 2010
EVE Online Economics A Q&A with Dr. Dr. Gudmundsson
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eveonline/interviews/eveonlineeconomics">http://www.tentonhammer.com/eveonline/interviews/eveonlineeconomics
Dr.
Eyjolfur Gudmundsson is CCP's lead economist. Ten Ton Hammer caught up
with him at the 2010 Game Developers Conference, where he was on-hand
to deliver a great talk about CCP's initiative to rid EVE Online of
illicit currency, item, and account sellers.
Hero: 108 Online Hands-On Preview from GDC 2010
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/82623
Hero:
108 Online is shaping up to be a triumph, not just for teen-targeted
MMOGs but for anyone who loves a fine blend of gleeful anime kitsch,
innovative gameplay, solid visuals, and the entire gamut of MMOG
must-haves. Join Ten Ton Hammer and Gamania Product Director Kevin
Crawford for a hands-on preview of this exciting Cartoon Network
crossover.
MEDIA
New LotRO Spring Festival Screenshots
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/82646
Spring
time has come once again and that means the Spring Festival has
returned to The Lord of the Rings Online. Turbine has sent
over a new
batch of screenshots to give players a look at what's in this year's
festivities.
FEATURES & GUIDES
WoW: Top 5 Gold Farming Techniques
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/5-gold-farming-techniques">http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/5-gold-farming-techniques
Having
trouble filling your pockets with gold in World of Warcraft? Don't fall
for the gold sellers scams or work hard when there is easy and fast
ways to bring in the cash. We're willing to get you started by sharing
our five best gold farming techniques. Need to fill your pockets up
before Cataclysm? Start here.
Today's
Hottest Articles and Guides
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eveonline/interviews/eveonlineeconomics">EVE
Online Economics A Q&A with Dr. Dr. Gudmundsson -
Hero:
108 Online Hands-On Preview from GDC 2010 href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/82623">
-
style="font-weight: bold;">The Secret World
Details Emerge at
GDC 2010 -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/allraces/terminology">
style="font-weight: bold;">Starcraft II
Terminology Encyclopedia -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/reviews/dragonageawakening">Dragon
Age: Origins - Awakening href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/reviews/dragonageawakening">
(PC)
Review -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gdc2010/rotg">Age
of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gdc2010/rotg"> GDC
2010 Video
Presentation -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/82378">EVE
Online href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/82378">
Sins of a Solar Spymaster #40 - Make More Sandboxes -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gdc2010/swtor_erickson">Star
Wars: The Old Republic Lead Writer Interviewed at GDC 2010 -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/editorials/InexpensivePets">WoW:
Fashionable and Inexpensive Non-Combat Pets
- Democratizing
DDO
-
Turbine Reveals New
Facts and Figures at GDC 2010
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer
network!
- Karen "Shayalyn" Hertzberg
and the
Ten Ton Hammer team
