NEWSWORTHY
Game on! Japan's live-action games offer players a fleeting escape from reality
A group of surly guards inspect a line of inmates on death row standing in front of a prison. One by one, the inmates are led inside and locked inside their cells as they await their execution. "You better not try to escape," the warden growls ...
Game makers deploy deep-learning AI algorithms to keep players coming back for more
In today's game industry, titles like "Clash Royale" and "Pokemon Go" are free for most people to enjoy because there's a small number of players who pay for extras, like special weapons or more lives. Game developers have to strike a delicate balance in ...
Newest version of self-taught, 'superhuman' AI now even smarter: makers
The updated version of the computer that stunned humanity by beating the best mortal players at a strategy board game requiring intuition has become even smarter, its makers said Wednesday. Even more startling, the new version of AlphaGo is entirely self-taught — a major step ...
Christian newspaper taps manga and games in bid to nurture young fans, flock
Smartphone games, manga and cosplay events might seem incompatible with the solemn practice of religion, but a Christian newspaper in Japan is deploying such secular entertainment in an attempt to draw new followers to the faith. Christ Newspaper (Kirisuto Shimbun) is aiming to attract young ...
Role-playing video game helps fight against depression for counselor-shy Japanese
It's a role-playing video game that, like many of its kind, allows users to choose and customize their own avatars, including a hairstyle and clothing. Set in a medieval fantasy world, users build up power as their characters travel across "provinces," overcoming obstacles and ...
Pokemon chief hints at big plans for augmented reality smartphone game
It's been more than a year since "Pokemon Go" took the world by storm, getting people to wander outside and look for virtual monsters with their smartphones. The game became a social phenomenon, with adults and children gathering in parks and public areas to train ...
Blasts from the past: Japan's gaming classics get a retro revival
Nothing sells like nostalgia. Renewed interest in vintage Japanese video games is drawing buyers to the country's online markets and retro gaming shops. While enthusiasts have collected old titles for years, even casual gamers are now snapping up cartridges and CDs, as well as gaming ...
Chimpanzees trained to master rock, paper, scissors by Kyoto University researchers
Chimpanzees can learn the rules of the rock, paper, scissors game through training, matching the intellectual ability of children 4 years old or older, researchers at Kyoto University have found. In a study that could shed light on the evolution of intellectual abilities in animals, ...
Nintendo returns to profit in April-June quarter fueled by strong Switch sales
Nintendo Co. said Wednesday it posted a group net profit of ¥21.26 billion ($190 million) for the three-month period that ended in June, a turnaround from a ¥24.53 billion loss a year earlier, on the back of solid sales of its Switch game console ...
Yahoo Japan's new gaming platform turns the browser into a console
Yahoo Japan Corp., operator of the nation's second-most popular website, has announced a new web-based gaming platform called Game Plus. The new service, which started Tuesday in Japan with 39 games, offers titles through cloud streaming and those built on HTML5. Yahoo Japan is partnering ...
Humans can learn a lot from how an artificial intelligence program has excelled at playing go.
Spend enough time hunting terrorists or wandering dystopian wastelands in online games and you are bound to come across players hurling xenophobic and racist taunts at each other, from Islamophobes in Europe to South Koreans and Japanese bickering over disputed islands. Take the survival shooter ...
