Many kids today spend thousands of hours playing video games. Progressing from GameBoys™, to GameCubes™, Wii™ and XBox™, to the final frontier of the Massive Multiplayer Online games, it looks to have taken over their life. Is there a way to capitalize on this obsession and find a career that is equally (or at least almost) as appealing? Take up the quest and discover a brave new world of future jobs that video game geeks might really love.

Video Game Designer

First and foremost, of course, is the job of creating video games themselves. The facts are these: the video game industry has surpassed movies in terms of the dollar value generated. Amazing!  Not only is this industry continuing to expand, but it also appears to be relatively recession proof. What does it take to have a career in video game creation?  First, you need to understand that there is not just one kind of video game job out there, but many. It takes a team of people with multiple talents to pull off the creation of an exciting new game. The jobs and skills involved include artists – storyboard artist, character artist, animator, texture artists, programmers, including sound and audio engineers, game designers – character design, level design, overall design, game producers – project management skills, and writers – software documentation, storytelling, character scripts. There has been a recent explosion in colleges, technical institutes and certificate programs to help you get the skills you need to get into this industry. While I was researching this industry, though, I found out that there are a lot of other up and coming careers that use a lot of the same skills and may be equally appealing.    

Simulation Engineer

Just as the job of the video game designer and programmer is to make a convincing virtual world, there is a “real life” application of this for a number of industries- simulations.  At one college they talked about how some students were using electrical impulses from the heart to render 3 dimensional images of the heart in real time to help doctors examine what could be wrong.  At RPI they are working on creating a simulation of a surgical procedure for doctors to get practice before they cut someone open! Beyond medical applications, simulations are gaining ground in aerospace, automotive engineering, and many other industries.  Of course, the military has been interested in simulation for a very long time.  Some of the college video game degree programs are recognizing this trend and have added “simulation” into the title of their program (for example, Daniel Webster Colleges’ “Gaming, Simulation and Robotics” BS degree or the University of Baltimore’s “Simulation and Digital Entertainment” degree). Scientists, engineers, defense planners and educators all use simulation to facilitate their jobs.
Mobile Application Developer

Another huge career trend is the explosion of applications for all kinds of other devices. Just look at the iPhone or the iTouch.  What can’t these things do? Creating content, software applications and who knows what else for all kinds of mobile devices is hot. So “Mobile Application Developer” is a career that is here now and will expand in the future. This is also a career that colleges and universities are already recognizing. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute offers a degree in “Electronic Media Arts and Communication”; Worcester Polytechnic Institute offers “Interactive Media and Game Development”.  Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has a BS in “New Media and Interactive Development”; Champlain College offers a degree in “Software Engineering for Emergent Technologies”.

Computer Forensics and Cyber Security

The other really hot area highlighted at colleges like RIT is computer forensics and cyber security specialists. You only have to listen to the latest news about hackers stealing 135 million credit card numbers to see why these are hot job areas. Computer forensic specialists work with criminal justice folks to dig into all the computerized records and data associated with criminal cases. We are only going to get more connected in the future, making us even bigger targets. If you like figuring out how to get around what someone else made, why not consider putting your talents to good use for everyone’s benefit?  DePaul University offers a degree in “Information Assurance and Security Engineer”; RIT has “Information Security and Forensics”, while Champlain college offers “Computer and Digital Forensics”.

These careers are real, growing, and educational resources are available now!  If you are a gamer, or if you know a gamer, there are cool careers to get into. The US Department of Labor predicts that IT jobs will be among the fastest growing and highest paying over the next decade. These jobs will be critical to the nation’s economy and security, and offer the highest entry level salaries with a bachelor’s degree of any out there. Check them out, and look into the schools and programs that most excite you.

If you are into your speed, then there is a superb online range of toys available with some exciting racing car games from Scalextric sets and Meccano Tuning, GXRacers, GXSkate, Nitro petrol cars, RC helicopters, planes and an even more impressive range of Remote Controlled Cars for kids of all ages.

First up is GX Racers stunt car range and GX Skate trick skateboards, based on a revolutionary gyroscope and rip chord technology. A number of racing track sets which can be used for both the GX racing stunt cars and GX Skateboards that can perform amazing tricks and flips. The Max Air Jump racing set demonstrates this by launching cars that can reach up to 10ft in the air with a realistic fire streamer fanning out on take off.

One of the most anticipated racing car toys to be released launched this year is the GX Racers tightrope  set, where you attach the track to any two points in a room – just watch the cars perform an amazing walking stunt across your living room.

GXSkate is the new phenomenon in Skate Board stunts and tricks appealing to kids of 6 years an older. Take the GX Skate Half Pipe Set that can perform all the amazing GX Skate stunts and tricks. Ride the half pipe, grind on rails and run along the tight rope. It can also be connected to your Stairs & Rail Grind and used in conjunction with the 360 Sidewinder Set.

There is also the high performance nitro cars,radio controlled planes, RC boats and helicopters. Aimed at teenagers and older, there’s some great fun to be had with the either the nitro petrol driven cars and buggies or the electric version.

Start off with the entry level and intermediate electric cars with the scale 1:24 Buggy or the scale 1:10 electric truck.

What makes these RC cars different to traditional  cars is the shaft driven four wheel drive and independant suspension on each wheel, real working differentials and advanced digital proportional Steering and Acceleration – all make for amazing performance.

For the speed freaks amongst us try the nitro petrol range off road Buggy a strong performing model that look visually stunning with enhanced blue machined aluminum parts and polished aluminum exhaust – a truly awesome looking and performing buggy.

For the younger audience there’s always the ever more popular Meccano tuning range that with futuristic ultra designed parts and an easy and fast construction system. Build two cool remote control cars from one set and connect an MP3 player and listen to music through the high quality on board loud speaker.

Meccano Radio Control Cars also have realistic sound effects, screeching tires when it goes round corners and a ‘Vroom’ roaring engine when you accelerate. Using optic fibers the Meccano Tuning RC Car has fully working flashing headlights and rearlights and even a neon lighting under the chassis. Use the full function RC controller to turn left, right, forward and backward and decorate your racer with the some cool stickers to make a stunning looking Radio Controlled car.

All these amazing toys can be purchased online.

A Peek at the 2009 Golf Digest Hot List

Whether you’re a golf equipment fanatic or just a casual observer of the latest offerings and trends in golf clubs and accessories, the 2009 Golf Digest Hot List is a golf equipment smorgasbord. From drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, to irons, wedges and putters-oh, and bags and balls, too-the equipment gurus at Golf Digest break it down in their popular annual equipment ranking.

The Process

If you’re wondering how golf equipment experts rate, for example, Callaway drivers or TaylorMade irons, think Excel spreadsheets with thousands of data points, hundreds of pages of technical data from golf equipment manufacturers, scientists, a four-part judging criteria, and a two-week visit to a San Jose, California, resort for field testing.

The process is, in a word, exhaustive. Golf Digest evaluated the “universe” of golf clubs-471 entries, to be exact-and judged them across four weighted criteria: 1) performance (40%), 2) innovation (30%), 3) look/sound/feel (20%), and 4) demand (10%). 

After all the facts and data were collected, the judges engaged in nine days of meetings that included 800 debates to arrive at the 116-club Hot List. Along the way, they ate a lot of take-out food.

 Following is a peek at this year’s list. 

Drivers

Golf Digest breaks down the golf drivers category into two parts: drivers over $350 and drivers under $350. Then it splits the two categories into gold and silver winners.

Three of the gold winners in the over $350 category are the Callaway FT-9, PING Rapture V2 and the TaylorMade r7 Limited.

No one is better than Callaway at using multiple materials, said the judges about the FT-9. Players like the look, balance and carry of the PING Rapture V2, which has a similar look to the PING G10. The TaylorMade r7 Limited has movable weights and features an Ozik shaft. Some said it produces the best feel of any club on the market. 

Gold winners in the under $350 category included Adams Speedline, Callaway Big Bertha Diablo, PING G10 and TaylorMade Burner. 

Irons

Irons were broken into three categories that correspond with playing ability and interests: game improvement, super game improvement and players irons.

Gold winners in the game-improvement category included Callaway X-22, PING G10 and TaylorMade Burner. One player said he could hit the Callaway X-22 irons blindfolded. Sign me up, he said. Callaway X-22 led in the Demand category, which is an assessment of reputation, interest, intrigue and excitement. The PING G10 is a long-time category leader, and the TaylorMade Burner irons really shined, leading in three of the four judging categories: performance, innovation and look/sound/feel.

TaylorMade also had a gold winner in the super game improvement category: the Burner Plus, which features an oversized clubhead and hefty offset to help get the golf ball in the air.

In the players irons category, Titleist AP2 rose to the top, along with TaylorMade Tour Preferred, Callaway X-22 Tour, Callaway X-Forged and PING S57 models, four among the total of six gold winners.

Putters

Arguably, there’s no golf club more important than the putter. Golf Digest took a close look at two main categories: blade putters and mallet putters.

Gold winners in the blade putter category over $200 included the Odyssey Black Series I #6, TaylorMade Daytona TP-KIA MA and Titleist Cameron Studio Select, which led in three of four criteria: performance, look/sound/feel and demand.

In the blade putter category under $200, top picks were the Odyssey White Hot Tour 1, two PING Anser models and the TaylorMade Daytona.

Gold winners in the mallet putter category included the Odyssey Black Series I 2-Ball, PING iWi Craz-E and TaylorMade Itsy Bitsy Spider. And leading mid-mallet putters were Odyssey, Titleist Cameron and MacGregor models.

Bags

Hot List judges took a look at lightweight carry bags and “do it all” cart bags, selecting their 21 favorites. Leading the list of gold and silver winners were models from Callaway, PING, TaylorMade, Titleist, Bag Boy, Nike, Ogio, Sun Mountain, Wilson and Izzo.

What Tour Pros Play

What do the top tour professionals play? Following is just a sampling.

Callaway: Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Annika Sorenstam

TaylorMade: Kenny Perry, Sergio Garcia, Paula Creamer

PING: Angel Cabrera, Lorena Ochoa, Hunter Mahan

Titleist: Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson, Adam Scott

Some people like cooking, and if you’re reading this article, you probably do too. However, it’s not so easy to have the time it takes to prepare a good meal. Throw in the time you need to get the ingredients and it’s something hard to do. Fortunately, there’s a new game from Nintendo that will let you prepare your meals anywhere. It’s called Cooking Mama.

Cooking Mama is one of the most fun games for Nintendo’s latest portable video game console, the DS. You take the role of a chef and try to prepare several dishes, according to “Mama’s” recipes. The game is unique in the sense that you don’t press any buttons at all. Instead, you use the DS’ touch screen and the stylus to imitate cooking movements. For example, if you want to chop something, you tap on the screen each time to cut a slice or a piece off. If you want to stir something, you make circles with the stylus. You can even cool something with your breath by blowing on the microphone.

There are 15 basic recipes you start with, but completing them unlocks over 70. Dishes come from all the world, so there’s something for everyone. Don’t be surprised if you get hungry after a bit of playing.

Casual Players and Hardcore Players.

One of the great things about this game is that it appeals to both casual and hardcore players. People who don’t normally play video games aren’t much keen to play games that require pressing one of 6 buttons to throw a punch. It isn’t natural to them. But since the stylus reflects the actual movement (for example, chopping from the top to the bottom) it feels much more normal to them. Also, there isn’t a “game over” screen. If your performance isn’t that great, “Mama” fixes it so you move on. This way anyone can go through the end of each recipe.

For the hardcore games, the game evaluates your performance and gives you a medal based on your performance. While anyone can finish a recipe, it takes great skill to get a medal gold.

Other Cooking Games.

If you don’t have a DS, you can still play cooking games on your PC. There are many games related to cooking on hundreds of sites. One of such games is called Better Barbecue Challenge. In this game, there is some meat on a grill and you need to cook it from both sides. If you turn it over too early, it’ll be too raw. If you turn it over too late, it’ll burn. It’s not as simple as it seems, which allows for a fun challenge. One of such games is called Better Barbecue Challenge. In this game, there is some meat on a grill and you need to cook it from both sides. If you turn it over too early, it’ll be too raw. If you turn it over too late, it’ll burn. It’s not as simple as it seems, which allows for a fun challenge.

So, as you can see, there are many options on both consoles and Internet for you to practice your culinary skills. Some of them are simple, and some are complex enough that they’ll make you want to try them out in your real life kitchen.

Guess what Elmo from Sesame street is back, and livelier then ever!. Easily one of the best toys of 2008, Fisher-Price Elmo Live is a one of a kind play experience for your child. Do not confuse this toy with Tickle me Elmo!! This is a SIGNIFICANT improvement. Elmo comes alive when touched on one of its sensors. He then sings songs plays games and so much more. Fisher price Elmo Live is a top toy on the wish list for 2009! The Fisher-Price Elmo Live children’s toy does much more than its predecessor.

This dolls comes in at 11 inches tall and under 4 pounds for weight. A light weight doll with a heavy weight personality, Elmo live will provide children and adults alike with hours of entertainment.

In the box Elmo is to be found in a sitting position but thanks to amazing advancements in technology, Elmo doesn’t stay sitting for long. Elmo can be switched on with a switch in his hand.

When your child presses his stomach, Elmo will recite an intro line and then begin moving and dancing around. Kids will love the hours of entertainment provided !!

Every Fisher-Price Elmo Live comes with several of Elmo favourite songs. your child will be singing with these songs in no time!!

Your child can rub or tickle Elmo’s foot, nose, back and stomach and get a hilarious and fun reaction out of him. When Elmo talks to you and your child, he moves his mouth for an incredible realism that is like nothing you’ve ever seen before..

This toy is voted T.O.T.Y. (Infant/Preschool Toy of Year) 2009