From a GameSpot press release (http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/driversedportable/news.html?sid=6190189&mode=all):

'April 30th, 2008 (Toronto, CANADA): DreamCatcher Games and JoWooD Productions, leading worldwide publishers and distributors of interactive entertainment software, today announced the development of Drivers Ed Portable for the Nintendo DS system. The game will allow teens worldwide to prepare for the written portion of their driver's licence examination, customized to the country, state or province in which they live.

"Nintendo DS is proving to be an exceptional platform for delivering all types of content, not just traditional games," says Brian Gladman, Global Product Marketing Manager at DreamCatcher. "Everyone needs to study for their driving test, and we're confident lots of teens will enjoy having a fun way to study the material on a platform they are comfortable with." '

The researchers believe that these people are not classifiable as having Aspergers syndrome but share some of the same characteristics because they find it easier to empathise with computer systems than other people."

More details available here: http://www.bps.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/releases$/annual-conference-2008/computer-game-addicts-like-people-with-aspergers.cfm

"1. You are writing a new book entitled "Accessibility and Usability in Game Design," can you tell us more about it?

2. You coauthored a book chapter "Literacy in the information age: inquiries into meaning-making with new technologies," what do you mean by "meaning-making" in that interesting title?

3. You are the chair of the Game Accessibility Special Interest Group of the International Game Developers Association, what are your goals and activities at IGDA?

4. How do you see the future of computer games?

5. Do you see a big difference between games designed for girls versus games designed for boys?"

Link:
http://portal.acm.org.proxy2.library.uiuc.edu/citation.cfm?doid=1324198.1324200

"The upshot is that people are now using Wii controllers to fly through a heart or a DNA molecule, spear fish and navigate a maze by dead reckoning or the environs of a nuclear power plant, which are among the programs the lab has working with the Wiimote to date."

Full article:

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/u_of_i/2008/03/23/aint_wii_got_fun_super_mario_meets_super

More details here: http://www.kam.uiuc.edu/exhibitions.cfm?show=2008/spring

From Joystiq - a "library's annual "Patron Appreciation Day" let attendees avoid their overdue fines by donating non-perishables to a local soup kitchen or playing a quick game of DDR."

I am thinking defeat 2008 New England Patriots with 2008 Oakland Raiders on Madden, but we're open to suggestions...

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/06/library-lets-patrons-play-ddr-to-avoid-late-fees/

Note: this is not the UIUC Library.

Here is a shot of the panel discussion in action:

In addition to the many exciting games from UGL's gaming collection being played by Game Night participants, the Guitar Hero 3 competition drew fierce and talented competitors and fascinated spectators. Winners from the competition were:

First Place: Chad Johnston
Second Place: Yinnong Zheng
Third Place: Luke Yarger

Here are the first and second place winners shredding some plastic guitar (Chad on left, Yinnong on right):

Stay tuned for future gaming events at the Undergrad Library...

******************************************************************************
Gaming Night was co-sponsored by the Undergraduate Library and the Sousa Archive and Center for American Music. For more information or questions, please contact David Ward (dh-ward@uiuc.edu ) in the Undergraduate Library.

The panel discussion will start a little after 7pm in room 291 on the upper level of the Undergrad Library. Consoles will also be set up to play a number of music themed games, as well as other selections from our collection. So come enjoy a night of gaming at the Undergrad with your friends...
For further information contact David Ward at dh-ward@uiuc.edu

The 7th World Cyber Games are coming to Seattle starting this Thursday, featuring competitors on national teams from around the world. Considered by most in the gaming industry to be "the" major event for competitive gaming, teams will compete for over $500,000 in total prizes. UIUC gamers, time to start practicing...

The events will not make live TV in the U.S., although parts can be seen online. For more information, you can visit the official site here:
http://www.worldcybergames.com/6th/main.asp

and read more about it on CNet:
http://www.news.com/Gamers-gather-for-7th-World-Cyber-Games/2100-1043_3-6211364.html?tag=nefd.top

"Patients recovering from surgery or injuries may soon be able to physically play their way to a full recovery with intelligent robotic systems that generate specialized games to challenge the human body's abilities.

Henrik Hautop Lund, a robotics and artificial-intelligence professor at the University of Southern Denmark is developing therapy tiles that guide patients through physical routines and help them heal.

Each tile is a miniature robotic system employing neural networks. The system looks like an elaborate, electronic version of Twister. As patients step on or press the tiles with their hands, the tiles give feedback, indicating whether ther pressure is firm enough, or if the user is moving quickly enough. Individuals can use the game alone, or up to four patients can compete against each other in a game. The tiles can be assembled in any configuration on the walls and floor to create an intelligent game space. "

from:
Sandhana, Lakshmi (2007) "Robotic Therapy Tiles: Playing Your Way to Health"
http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2007/10/therapy_tiles

Article link:
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/technology/8312f0209dd15110vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

On September 21st, in the KCPA lobby, you are invited to attend the
American premiere of Ben Smith's MusiVerse! Starting at 5 p.m. four
local performers will be join by a half-dozen remote performers,
connecting from around the country, to create a visual-musical
concert through the virtual space of the MusiVerse. Following the
performance will be an open demonstration time in which attendees are
invited to explore the MusiVerse through the open computer stations.

This performance is free and open to the public!

The MusiVerse was developed under the Cultural Computing Program at
UIUC, Guy Garnett, director.

The MusiVerse is a real-time, collaborative environment for creating
aural-visual performances and artworks. Its primary goal is to
facilitate creating rich interconnections between visual and aural
presentations by deriving both algorithmically from a single
underlying dynamic data set. This generic data set and the rules for
interpreting it aurally and visually, are collaboratively manipulated
by the performers/users. The MusiVerse appropriates technology from
contemporary 3-dimensional computer games in order to construct
aesthetically captivating environments that are both accessible and
easily portable.

short summary: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070823/sc_nm/brain_fear_dc

Science article citation:
When Fear Is Near: Threat Imminence Elicits Prefrontal-Periaqueductal Gray Shifts in Humans
Dean Mobbs, Predrag Petrovic, Jennifer L. Marchant, Demis Hassabis, Nikolaus Weiskopf, Ben Seymour, Raymond J. Dolan, and Christopher D. Frith
Science 24 August 2007 317: 1079-1083 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1144298] (in Reports)

GameDaily Biz has a summary here:
http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17145

as does GamaSutra:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=15114

The full study titled "Social Interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers" will be published in the journal "CyberPsychology and Behavior," which UIUC has online access to from this link:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/orr/results.php?titlesearch=CyberPsychology+and+Behavior&tstype=K&types=JN&ByTitle=Search

The Illinois project, titled "Preserving Virtual Worlds," aims to explore methods for preserving digital games and interactive fiction. The partners will develop basic standards for metadata and content representation and conduct a series of archiving case studies for early video games, electronic literature and Second Life, an interactive multiplayer game. Second Life content participants include Life to the Second Power, Democracy Island and the International Spaceflight Museum. Partners with Illinois in the project include the University of Maryland, Stanford University, Rochester Institute of Technology and Linden Lab. Sarah Shreeves and Tim Donohue of the Library's IDEALS digital repository program will work closely with the project partners and Jerry McDonough from GSLIS, who is the Principal Investigator, on the archiving case studies for early video games. We look to develop synergies with the Library's Gaming inititive as well. The Illinois project is funded for two years at $590,000.

More information on the Preserving Creative America program and the eight funded partners is available at the Library of Congress' site:
http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2007/07-156.html