A new study claims that violent media and aggression are tied together the same way as smoking and lung cancer.
A University of Michigan study by psychology professor and researcher L. Rowell Huesmann finds that viewers of violent TV and videogames are more susceptible to increased amounts of aggression.
The study said that such content affects both adults and children.
"Exposure to violent electronic media has a larger effect than all but one other well-known threat to public health. The only effect slightly larger than the effect of media violence on aggression is that of cigarette smoking on lung cancer," Huesmann said, as reported by Science Daily.
"Our lives are saturated by the mass media, and for better or worse, violent media are having a particularly detrimental effect on the well-being of children," he added.
According to the study, kids in the US spend an average of three to four hours a day watching TV, with over 60 percent of programming containing violence.
"Children are also spending an increasingly large amount of time playing videogames, most of which contain violence. Videogame units are now present in 83 percent of homes with children," he said.
The guys over at Xbox 360 Rally have done a fantastic job and gone to all the effort of writing up a Complete List of FREE Xbox 360 Live Marketplace Downloads..
Kudo's must go to the guys for putting in such a great effort..
Please remember that this is a US-based list! If you live in, say, Canada or the EU and see items on here that are region specific.
The Xbox LIVE Marketplace is a true cornucopia of stuff. Whether it be classic arcade games like Paperboy, Time Pilot and Contra, or downloadable content for your favorite games, like Santa Claus outfits for Saints Row and expansions for Oblivion, Xbox LIVE is chock full o’ stuff for just about everyone. If you have the MS Points, you can open the door to all the world’s delight and joy.
But what if you’re broke? Are you just left outside in the snow, to stare in the window from behind the bushes to see all the joyous boys and girls playing with their horse armor and their extra Crackdown skins? Of course not! There’s stuff for you, too, cheap ass!
In fact, there is a LOT of free stuff for you. Whether it be extra content for your favorite game, or the most worthless of things (*coughgamerpicscough*), there is a surprisingly large amount of free stuff for your downloading delight on Xbox LIVE.
Xbox 360 is home to the most exclusives and biggest blockbuster games of 2007.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — July 10, 2007 — On the eve of the E3 Media & Business Summit (E3), against the backdrop of the Santa Monica, Calif., night sky, Microsoft Corp. tonight demonstrated its leadership in interactive entertainment when it showcased an unparalleled lineup of holiday blockbuster hits and exclusives for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system. Microsoft delighted a live audience of thousands, and many more watching the live online broadcast, with titles such as the epic finale to the groundbreaking “Halo®” series, “Halo 3”; the successor to the seminal “Grand Theft Auto” franchise, “Grand Theft Auto IV,” featuring exclusive content for Xbox LIVE®; “Madden NFL 08” with stunning high-definition game play; and the widely anticipated “Rock Band,” where players can perform music from the world’s biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band.
The Best Place to Play the Most Exclusives and Biggest Blockbuster Games of 2007
Xbox 360 is a great place to play the next chapters of “Grand Theft Auto,” “Madden,” and “Halo” — the best-selling franchises of the last generation. In fact, “Halo 3,” “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Madden NFL 08” are expected to account for one-third of all console new release sales in the U.S. during the second half of the year, according to a recent report by IGN Entertainment’s GamerMetrics. Xbox 360 has an unprecedented lineup of blockbuster titles available by holiday 2007, including these:
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation - (NAMCO BANDAI Games). “Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation” takes players up to the sky and into the heat of realistic air combat with next-generation audio and visual effects and online multiplayer action.* Available this holiday, only on Xbox 360.
Assassin’s Creed - (Ubisoft) “Assassin’s Creed” is the next-generation game developed by Ubisoft that merges technology, game design, theme and emotions into a world where players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and experience the art of a master assassin. Available this November.
Beautiful Katamari - (NAMCO BANDAI Games) Marking the debut of Namco’s beloved ball-rolling puzzle game on a next-generation platform, “Beautiful Katamari,” the fourth installment of the “Katamari” series, features levels of quirkiness, cosmic animations and musical stylings never seen before. Available this October.
BioShock - (2K Games). “BioShock” is the “genetically enhanced” first-person shooter set in the ruined undersea metropolis of Rapture. The game includes a great deal of interactive environments and player-driven choices, called emergent gameplay. Available this August, only on Xbox 360 and Windows®.
Blue Dragon - (Mistwalker/Artoon Co. Ltd.) Featuring the character design of Akira Toriyama, who designed “Dragon Ball Z,” and music by Nobuo Uematsu, the composer for “Final Fantasy,” “Blue Dragon™” is an epic role-playing game (RPG) centered on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends. Available Aug. 28, only on Xbox 360.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - (Activision). The new action thriller from the award-winning team at Infinity Ward Inc., “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” delivers the most intense and cinematic action experience ever. The epic title also delivers an added depth of multiplayer action providing online fans an all-new community of persistence, addictive and customizable gameplay. Available this fall.
Grand Theft Auto IV - (Rockstar Games) “Grand Theft Auto IV” is the next chapter of the award-winning “Grand Theft Auto” franchise, available Oct.16. “Grand Theft Auto IV” will feature episodic content through Xbox LIVE exclusive to Xbox 360.
Guitar Hero III™: Legends of Rock - (RedOctane/Activision). Fire up the fret board, crank up the amp and get ready to rock out on the new wireless Les Paul guitar controllers. “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” includes star-studded tracks by such legendary artists as Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Muse and Pearl Jam. Available this fall.
Halo 3 - (Bungie Studios) The epic saga continues with “Halo 3,” the hugely anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed “Halo 2.” The epic saga continues with Halo 3, the hugely anticipated sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. Available Sept. 25, only on Xbox 360.
Madden NFL 08 - (Electronic Arts Inc.) EA’s unstoppable football franchise "Madden NFL 08" returns for the ’08 season in Hall of Fame fashion, featuring new players, modes, rosters and rewards to create the ultimate touchdown for pigskin fans. Available this August.
Mass Effect - (BioWare Corp.) An epic science-fiction action and role-playing game, “Mass Effect” will deliver an immersive, story-driven experience presented in a cinematic style with high production values. Available this holiday season, only on Xbox 360.
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja - (Ubisoft) Relive the hit anime and manga and experience Naruto’s transformation from noisy ninja-academy dropout to respected ninja. "Naruto: Rise of a Ninja" is available in October, only on Xbox 360.
Project Gotham Racing 4 - (Bizarre Creations Ltd.) “Project Gotham Racing® 4” will redefine the acclaimed “PGR®” franchise by delivering a unique, exciting racing experience complete with motorcycles and cars. Available this September, only on Xbox 360.
For those who have been keeping up with the Xbox Live Chart Activity, we have some more updates for you guys. As usual we have the top ten games played over the original Xbox Live, the new Xbox Live, and the most downloaded games from the Xbox Live arcade.
No surprises here for the top three games being played over Xbox Live. We still have the trinity of
Gears of War
Crackdown
Halo 3 Beta on top.
Aegis Wing has been bumped off the list as the Hour of Victory Demo joins the top ten. The most downloaded games over Xbox Live Arcade has Pac-Man C.E., Madtracks, and Worms taking the first, second, and third slots, knocking down Double Dragon, XEVIOUS, and Rush n' Attack.
Not much has really changed with regards to the top ten games in both the original and new Xbox Live with the games just moving around a bit. XBLA is bit more varied considering how many games are added into the list regularly.
Without further adieu, here are the top ten lists for all three divisions.
Xbox 360 Top Live Titles:
Gears of War
Crackdown
Halo 3 Beta
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
Guitar Hero II
Forza Motorsport 2
Hour of Victory Demo
DiRT Demo
Call Of Duty 3
GRAW 2
Top Arcade Titles:
Pac-Man C.E.
Mad Tracks
Worms
TMNT 1989 Arcade
Double Dragon
UNO
3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
Castlevania: SOTN
Pinball FX
Catan
Original Xbox Top Live Games:
Halo 2
Battlefield 2: MC
Counter-Strike
Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
Call of Duty 3
Madden NFL 07
Forza Motorsport
Rainbow Six 3 BA
FIFA 07
Rainbow Six 3
Xbox 360 games rated 8/10 or above: Gears of War 2006 94
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The 2006 94 (93 on PS3) Guitar Hero II 2007 93 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2006 90 Forza Motorsport 2 2007 90 Call of Duty 2 2005 90 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 2007 90 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2006 89 Blue Dragon 2007 89 Burnout Revenge 2006 89 Project Gotham Racing 3 2005 88 Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, The 2007 86 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2005 86 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 2007 86
Fight Night Round 3 2006 86 (83 on PS3) Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine, The 2006 86
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent 2006 85 (78 on PS3) Dead or Alive 4 2005 85 Dead Rising 2006 85
F.E.A.R. 2006 85 (72 on PS3) Viva Pinata 2006 84
NBA 2K7 2006 84 (81 on PS3) Need for Speed Most Wanted 2005 83 Crackdown 2007 83 Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars 2007 82 Test Drive Unlimited 2006 82
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2006 82 (78 on PS3) Hexic HD 2005 82 Hitman: Blood Money 2006 82
Call of Duty 3 2006 82 (80 on PS3) Football Manager 2007 2006 82
College Hoops 2K7 2006 82 (81 on PS3) Condemned: Criminal Origins 2005 81
Tony Hawk's Project 8 2006 81 (76 on PS3) Football Manager 2006 2006 81 Saints Row 2006 81 LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy 2006 81 Catan 2007 81 Uno 2006 81 Table Tennis 2006 81 NBA 2K6 2005 81 Perfect Dark Zero 2005 81 WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 2006 81 Cloning Clyde 2006 81
NBA Street Homecourt 2007 80 (81 on PS3)
Madden NFL 07 2006 80 (76 on PS3) Peter Jackson's King Kong 2005 80 Tomb Raider: Legend 2006 80
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 2006 80 (81 on PS3) Moto GP 06 2006 80
Virtua Tennis 3 2007 80 (80 on PS3) Doom 2006 80 Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 2007 80
PS3 games rated 8/10 or above:
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The 2007 93 (94 on Xbox 360) Resistance: Fall of Man 2006 87 Virtua Fighter 5 2007 85
Fight Night Round 3 2006 83 (86 on Xbox 360) Gran Turismo HD Concept 2006 82 MotorStorm 2007 82 Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection 2007 81
NBA Street Homecourt 2007 81 (80 on Xbox 360)
College Hoops 2K7 2007 81 (82 on Xbox 360)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 2006 81 (80 on Xbox 360)
NBA 2K7 2006 81 (84 on Xbox 360)
Call of Duty 3 2006 80 (82 on Xbox 360)
Virtua Tennis 3 2007 80 (80 on Xbox 360)
(Removed #4 Motorstorm JPN Import)
Xbox 360 has 7.8 times as many 8/10 games exclusive to their console. Also, NBA Street Homecourt and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 are the only ports that rank higher on the PS3 and are above scores of 8/10.
Does this, for now, prove that Xbox 360 has better games than PS3 at this point? Also, will the PS3 be able to catch up and then keep up in the coming years? There's a long way to go, but for now, the claims that PS3 doesn't have many good games... is true.
Ratings taken from MetaCritic.com. To be in the top scores for each console, each game had to have at least 5 ratings from seperate sites.
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The study said that such content affects both adults and children.
