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Girl Vaping

Researchers at Yale use Virtual Reality to Fight Teen Vaping

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The phenomenon of teen vaping has certainly drawn a tremendous amount of concern this year, as a record number of teens report using vaping products and public health officials worry that a generation of kids will grow up to suffer from lifelong nicotine addictions due to the explosion in popularity of e-cigarette brands like Juul. Regrettably, while much of the work that’s been done to discourage young people from smoking cigarettes has been successful, teens are developing nicotine addictions nonetheless due to the marketing success of e-cigarette companies, which have been found to deliberately market tobacco products to young people and non-smokers. While vaping is widely considered to be healthier than other forms of tobacco consumption, it carries with it its own set of health risks, as the long-term effects of consuming nicotine via vapor are as-of-yet unknown and a series of vaping-relating hospitalizations earlier this year demonstrated that some vape products can be dangerous and even deadly.

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Dissuading young people from vaping is a difficult task for a number of reasons. For one, nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs that exists, and vaping products allow users to easily consume very large amounts of nicotine relative to smoking cigarettes or other methods of tobacco use. Additionally, as their brains are still developing, teenagers have difficulty assessing risk and making smart long-term decisions for the future, making it harder for them to appreciate the dangerous impact vaping could have on their lives. Teenagers are also notorious for their resistance to authority, and can have a natural inclination to reject messages from authority figures, instead taking cues from their peers in order to fit in with their social environment. Many young people believe vaping to be safer than other forms of nicotine addiction, and while this could be true, such a belief can cloud a person’s judgment when considering whether to start vaping. As such, researchers and doctors must come up with novel solutions for persuading children and teenagers not to engage in dangerous behaviors like vaping.

Like vaping, virtual reality is a new technology that has taken off in recent years

One such solution was imagined at Yale University, where researchers developed a virtual reality video game with the intent of discouraging vaping among teenagers. Like vaping, virtual reality is a new technology that has taken off in recent years, as display technology and advancements in computer graphics have made a product which for decades has been confined to science-fiction stories a reality. The game is called “Invite Only,” and puts players in the role of a student in a high school environment as they engage in scenarios such as being offered a vape pen at school or at a party and encouraging a friend to quit vaping. In addition to its educational value, the game is meant to be fun, engaging players with various activities and mini-games.

Though the project was developed at Yale, it was funded by Oculus, a virtual reality technology company owned by Facebook, and was created in collaboration with PreviewLabs Inc., a New Haven-based game developer. The game is the subject of an ongoing experiment, involving 300 students, designed to assess whether virtual reality technology holds promise as an educational and public health tool. The educational aspect of game-play involves players choosing from a number of dialogue options when engaging in conversations with in-game characters, which tests their knowledge about the effects of vaping products and the availability of resources to help people who want to quit. For instance, the game teaches players that they can text the word “quit” to 47848 for information about vaping-cessation resources, and that they should consult with a trusted adult, such as a parent or doctor, for help with their nicotine addictions.

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In the past, similar programs that leverage gaming to send an anti-drug-use message have been developed, with varying success. But the researchers hope that virtual reality will do a better job by immersing children and teenagers in a virtual environment that helps them imagine how drug use can impact their own lives as well as the lives of their peers, particularly in a world that is densely saturated with tablets and smartphones, which compete for young people’s attention. While the cost of virtual reality has decreased dramatically in recent years, the price of a virtual reality headset can still impose a burden on some, as the Oculus Go headset for which “Invite Only” was developed costs $150 or more. However, if schools are willing to invest in virtual reality technology, researchers hope that this platform can be leveraged not only to dissuade kids from vaping, but for other educational opportunities as well. The Yale researchers expect to have final results from the experiment by next year.

Christmas Gifts

Unique Gift Ideas for Holiday 2019

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With Black Friday only a few weeks away, it’s not too early to start thinking about the perfect holiday gifts for everyone on your list this year. Whether you are buying gifts for relatives, close friends, coworkers or a significant other, the Internet is a tremendous resource not only for finding deals and obscure items, but for researching gift ideas that will leave your loved ones surprised and delighted. For help shopping for the person in your life who seems to already have everything, or for the person who refuses to give hints about their ideal gift, this guide offers several suggestions for unique and fun presents this holiday season.

For the person in your life who loves technology, accessories for their devices are always a good idea. Redbubble offers a wide selection of designs for laptop skins, allowing near-limitless customization opportunities. You can order a skin featuring designs from your loved one’s favorite movie, TV show, or video game, as well as a number of custom, abstract design. Additionally, Redbubble offers skins and cases for iPhones, iPads, and other devices, as well as custom wall art in the form of posters, canvas prints, and even metal prints. For even more help, Redbubble’s website even has a page dedicated to gift suggestions. Redbubble’s extensive variety of designs and customizability ensures that you’ll be able to find the perfect gift for someone interested in technology and art.

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Another unique gift idea is a custom map, which can depict an area of your choosing and makes for sleek custom wall art. The maps are available in a number of aesthetically-pleasing designs, and include the option for custom text. The area depicted on the map can represent a person’s hometown, a place that is special to them, or even a place they’d like to visit someday. Prices start at $49 for a paper map, but the maps can be printed on canvas or metal if you prefer for an additional charge. This gift is ideal for someone with whom you have a shared memory from a particular place, as the map serves as a reminder of the relationship between you and your giftee.

Scented candles are a frequent choice for gift-givers, as few people will complain about being gifted a candle. However, ordinary scented candles can be a bit boring. For a more personalized option, consider gifting a candle with scents that bring back memories of a particular place or time. Homesick candles, available on Amazon, are categorized not by scent but by more abstract ideas, such as states, cities, and environments. Instead of attempting to replicate the smell of these places, the scents of Homesick candles are based on input from residences of the places in question in order to invoke a mood associated with the place. The Seattle-themed candle, for instance, smells like “a strong cup of coffee on a perfectly rainy afternoon.”

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For children who enjoy video games but don’t already have a Nintendo Switch, the newly-released Switch Lite is a great option. The handheld costs $100 less than the original console, and while it loses detachable controllers and the ability to play on a TV, it retains compatibility with nearly the entire library of Switch titles, including the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. The Switch Lite is available in grey, yellow, and turquoise, and its smaller form factor and more durable construction is perfect for young gamers.

Finally, while most people already have a case for their phone, a new phone case nonetheless presents an opportunity for a personalized, unique gift option. Casetify’s Sand Liquid cases react to gravity and the movement of the phone, creating a dynamic and visually interesting pattern in colors of your choosing. 

Super Mario

Super Mario 64 Land Reimagines a 23-year-old Classic

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Millennials who grew up playing video games likely have fond memories of their favorite classics from the 90’s, particularly the groundbreaking and wildly successful early 3D titles such as Super Mario 64. This nostalgia is so widespread that it’s led enterprising fans to create their own reimaginings of classic games, using emulators and clever programming tricks to modify the original code. These fan-made projects have become so ambitious in scope that they can rival and even exceed the quality of the games they’re based on, replacing nearly every element of the original titles with custom content. This is perhaps best exemplified by the recent Super Mario 64 Land, a total conversion mod of Super Mario 64 that introduces unique art, level design, and gameplay mechanics to the game engine of the celebrated Nintendo 64 launch title.

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Despite legal challenges from Nintendo concerning the redistribution of their intellectual property, the emulation and modding community for classic Nintendo platforms including the Nintendo 64 has perhaps never been more active, as talented programmers and artists donate their time to create free, fan-made works inspired by their favorite titles. Due to its status as a best-selling classic and the litany of modding tools that have been developed for the title, Super Mario 64, released in 1996 to widespread critical acclaim, is the most popular N64 game to modify. Many of these mods exhibit impressive feats of programming and reverse-engineering, as in the cases of a mod that adds a 24-person online multiplayer feature to the game, a mod that lets you play the entire game from a first-person perspective, and even a custom level editor inspired by the recent Nintendo hits Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2.

The more inventive and creative mods, however, are those that replace existing game content with custom assets, including levels, character models, gameplay features, and music, to create an entirely new experience. Many such total conversion mods have been released over the past several years, including the popular Super Mario Star Road, released in 2011, and the cleverly-themed Super Mario 64: Halloween Edition. But the most recent release, created by a developer with years of experience creating custom content for Super Mario 64, aims to replicate the style and level of polish Nintendo is known for, and draws inspiration from the celebrated 3DS title Super Mario 3D Land. 

Super Mario 64 Land is, of course, of dubious legality, as the mod directly incorporates and redistributes Nintendo’s intellectual property

Super Mario 64 is not the only classic Nintendo title that has received attention from the modding community. Ocarina of Time: Four Swords Arena Edition allows you to play the critically-acclaimed N64 Zelda title with three friends, and another mod adds custom stages to the classic fighting game Super Smash Brothers. Perhaps the most impressive fan-made Nintendo project from recent years was the remake called AM2R, a total re-imagining of the Game Boy title Metroid II: Return of Samus for PC. While the developer was ultimately forced to remove access to the fangame by Nintendo’s legal team, the project ultimately allowed the developer to teach himself game design and programming, leading him to be hired by a professional game studio.

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Super Mario 64 Land is, of course, of dubious legality, as the mod directly incorporates and redistributes Nintendo’s intellectual property, borrowing concepts from newer Mario titles such as their power ups and enemies. The Japanese company is notorious for issuing takedown notices to developers who modify their games, who generally capitulate to the entertainment giant by deleting links to their creations under threat of legal action. As such, the future availability of Super Mario 64 Land on the internet is uncertain, so if you’re interested in playing it, it’s a good idea to download the mod to your computer ASAP. Links to the mod, which is free but requires a ROM image of Super Mario 64 and a Nintendo 64 emulator, can be found in the description for the mod’s YouTube trailer. 

Video Game Controller

Kojima’s Unique “Death Stranding” Met with Polarized Reception

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Death Stranding has become an almost-mythical title in the video gaming world, owing to the legacy of its director, Hideo Kojima, its impenetrably weird style, and the years-long gap between its confusing initial announcement and its release. The title is perhaps the most anxiously anticipated game on the PS4, as it promises to offer a gameplay experience that represents a radical departure from titles that came before it. The game is the first one created by Kojima, famed for his work on the Metal Gear Solid franchise, after he left Konami and formed his own studio, Kojima Productions. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic America comprised of small, isolated communities which the player is tasked with connecting, Death Stranding is advertised as a new type of action game with a heavy focus on exploration and interaction with other players, as well as a strange, dense, and dream-like narrative.

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Though the game is not out yet, reviews have appeared on the internet, and critics have confirmed that the title is as unusual as its extensive marketing has made it seem. At its core, the game mainly tasks players with making package deliveries across expansive landscapes, while managing resources and navigating obstacles. But along the way, the player character, portrayed by Norman Reedus, must do things like carry around an infant in a pod that alerts him to the presence of enemies, which the player character can kill by crafting weapons made from his own sweat and blood. The game’s narrative weirdness doesn’t stop there, and its long story, which critics have complained was often unsubtle and pretentious, is nevertheless unique.

“Death Stranding could receive a review calling it a revolution in gaming, another could call it the most boring and pointless trash ever, and yet another could call it a middle-of-the-road effort that ends up being completely average, and all of those opinions might be right.” — Mollie L. Patterson, EGM

Despite these complaints, critics have praised the game’s deep metaphorical resonance, as it serves as a commentary on everything from the human cost of social media to the implications of climate change to the gradual collapse of American political norms. Fundamentally, reviewers agree, the game enticingly explores the theme of human connections through its narrative as well as its gameplay. The game integrates a social-media-like system, where the player can deploy useful tools in the game environment which can be used by other players who stumble across them, and players can give “likes” to objects placed by other players that are particularly useful. And while the story may be at times overwrought, reviewers preferred it to the even lengthier and more complex dialogue scenes of Metal Gear Solid titles, claiming that Kojima has refined his unique brand of interactive storytelling. The acting, represented in-game through motion-capture technology, was also praised.

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What’s notable about the reviews for Death Stranding is how disparate they are. Some publications ranked the game as merely mediocre, while others described it as among the best video games ever made. Video Games Chronicle, for instance, gave the game 3/5 stars, calling its story “a bloated heap of half-baked twists, laboured morals, armchair philosophy and boneheaded sci-fantasy metaphors,” whereas Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave it a rare perfect score. USGamer described Death Stranding as simultaneously bold, interesting, and tedious, and its reviewer had a broadly positive opinion of the game while struggling to recommend it, awarding the title 3.5/5 stars. Similarly, Game Informer gave the title a 7/10, praising the project’s ambition but commenting that its repetitive gameplay left a lot to be desired. EGM, meanwhile, gave the game a perfect 5/5 and heralded the title as a profound technical and artistic achievement. Despite giving it a perfect score, though, EGM’s reviewer characterized the game by saying “Death Stranding could receive a review calling it a revolution in gaming, another could call it the most boring and pointless trash ever, and yet another could call it a middle-of-the-road effort that ends up being completely average, and all of those opinions might be right.” Ultimately, it seems as though Death Stranding will be enjoyed mostly by a very particular kind of audience of people who have the patience for at-times tedious and boring gameplay and who aren’t turned off by an arguably pretentious and obvious narrative.

Flight Simulator

Microsoft Leverages Cutting-Edge Technology in Flight Simulator

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Believe it or not, Microsoft’s longest-running franchise is its Flight Simulator series of titles which debuted in 1982 on IBM PCs. The latest release in the series, 2006’s Flight Simulator X, was widely believed to be the end of the franchise as Microsoft had not made any announcements on the subject for over a decade. That changed this year, however, as the software company announced they were working on a reboot of the franchise, simply titled Flight Simulator, which is due to release in 2020 on Windows and Xbox platforms. Though the program is still in the alpha stage of development, Microsoft showed off their progress at a press event in September, impressing journalists with the depth and complexity of various aspects of the simulation.

Perhaps the most immediate and visually striking aspect of the simulation’s design is the environment. In crafting a believable and lifelike world for users to explore, Microsoft leveraged its extensive collection of satellite and aerial imagery, creating 3D facsimiles of real-world locations using software. Whereas the environments in previous Flight Simulator titles were created by artists who placed individual objects in the virtual world, next year’s title uses machine learning to extract details about the real-world environment to represent in the simulation. For instance, the program identifies forests and other wooded areas and populates them with procedurally-generated trees and other fauna. The result is an environment so detailed and true-to-life that members of the press were even able to identify their apartment buildings while flying overhead in a small plane.

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In addition to the terrain, the simulation also attempts to replicate real-world weather conditions, constructed from data collected by weather stations around the world. The system analyzes radar imagery and other measurements in order to reconstruct cloud patterns, rain, snow, and other weather events, allowing users to fly through storms and hurricanes in real-time. As volumetric clouds are rendered dynamically, either in accordance with conditions in real life or at the user’s behest, the scattering of light through the sky is also simulated, leading to realistic shadows, sunrises, sunsets, and even rainbows where they would appear in real life.

By leveraging an approach where the environment is procedurally-generated, the developers at Microsoft are able to graphically represent the entire world, a feat that would be next to impossible if the environment were crafted by hand. There exist 44,000 airports in the real world, and Microsoft is intending to replicate all of them in their simulation. That also means that the game’s file size, relative to other games, is absolutely massive – as such, content is dynamically streamed into the simulator from the Internet. An offline mode is also available, but this mode reduces the detail of the environments considerably, causing them to look more like the simple, flat satellite imagery used in 2006’s Flight Simulator X.

Aircraft reacts realistically to changes in weather and other variables, and photogrammetry technology was used to replicate the interior of planes’ cockpits.

While the program’s simulation of the entire Earth is impressive and perhaps unprecedented, perhaps the more important aspect of the simulation is found within its collection of aircraft. Microsoft is focused on creating as realistic an experience as they can, with an additional focus on accessibility, as the team is working to ensure that a wide range of peripherals, from flight sticks to the standard Xbox gamepad, are supported. Aircraft reacts realistically to changes in weather and other variables, and photogrammetry technology was used to replicate the interior of planes’ cockpits. To demonstrate the accuracy of the simulation, Microsoft even invited a journalist to pilot a real plane after learning how to do so using the simulator.

Microsoft has very ambitious plans for this iteration of Flight Simulator. The company intends to support the product with continued development for an impressive ten years after its release, though it admits it doesn’t know yet exactly what this support will entail. Instead, Microsoft is going to release the closed alpha to a select number of users to observe how they interact with the virtual environment, and focus continued development efforts on the areas that generate the most engagement. There is certainly a lot of potential for simulation opportunities with a foundation as strong as the one Microsoft is building, and the company is going to be looking to the community for direction moving forward.

Nintendo

Link’s Awakening on Nintendo Switch Earns Positive Reviews, With Some Caveats

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Reviews for Nintendo’s remake of the 1992 Game Boy classic The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, which releases tomorrow, September 20th, are finally live. After the date for lifting the review embargo was delayed to just a day before the game’s launch, many were worried about the quality of the game, as publishers tend to prolong review embargoes for games they expect to review poorly. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief, however, as reviews indicate that the new Switch title is a faithful, polished, and immensely enjoyable recreation of the beloved original.

One thing you’ll notice immediately upon booting up the game for the first time is the graphics. While the original game was designed around the limitations of the Game Boy’s black-and-white 160×144 display, the remake takes full advantage of the processing power and high-definition capabilities of the Switch, rendering a beautifully detailed and animated world with a unique new art style reminiscent of plastic toy figures. The game takes advantage of rendering techniques like shallow depth-of field to give the impression of a miniature diorama-style environment, brought to life by smoothly animated enemies, characters, and objects. One of the few complaints reviewers had concerned the game’s performance; during certain segments, the game’s framerate would stutter and lag, temporarily disrupting the player’s sense of immersion. These issues are minor, however, and while nothing has yet been announced it’s possible Nintendo will push out a software update that addresses these concerns.

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Another notable improvement from the original game is found in its soundtrack. While the limited processing power of the Game Boy imposed significant limitations on the score’s instrumentation, the remake features an entirely re-recorded, almost fully-orchestrated collection of songs, which are pleasing to hear even as they are repeated throughout the game. Like the game’s graphics, its reimagined soundtrack breathes new life into the game’s original melodies, highlighting and emphasizing the quality of the composition. Nintendo games are famous for the quality of their music, and Link’s Awakening, featuring compositions from the legendary Kazumi Totaka among others, is no exception.

For the most part, reviewers feel that because the original game was so good, few changes were necessary

The game’s overall design is largely unchanged from the version released 27 years ago, but some changes have been made to meet the game design standards of 2019. While the original game only displayed one screen of the environment at the time due to technological limitations, the remake scrolls smoothly across the environment, helping to make the game world feel more cohesive. While the original game only let the player save their progress in certain locations, players of the remake can save and load their game at any point in the environment, picking up right where they left off. Just as in the original game, the player traverses the environment, collecting tools and abilities, interacting with in-game characters, and solving puzzles to progress and allow an original story to unfold. These gameplay elements are largely unchanged, with the exception of features that take advantage of the Switch’s expanded number of buttons and an enhanced map system, among other minor improvements. For the most part, reviewers feel that because the original game was so good, few changes were necessary, and the fundamental gameplay experience holds up even today. While Patrick Klepek of Vice noticed that elements of the game’s design feel dated, Andrew Webster of The Verge described the game as seeming like a brand-new experience.

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The remake introduces a new feature, called Chamber Dungeons, which allows players to customize the game’s various dungeons, rearranging the order of rooms to create a new experience. While the option of creating your own Zelda dungeons sounds enticing, reviewers felt that this mode did not live up to the hype, and instead proved to be a frustrating and dull affair. Reviewers complained that the level of customizability afforded in this mode was far too restrictive, and the dungeons created in this mode ended up feeling repetitive and overly simplistic. Fortunately, this mode is entirely optional, and players who stick to the game’s main campaign won’t have to miss out on any secrets or bonuses if they choose not to bother with the Chamber Dungeons mode.

It’s worth noting that this is not the first time Link’s Awakening has been remade. In 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX was released for the Game Boy Color, featuring color graphics and an optional ninth dungeon which has been carried over to the Switch release. The fact that the game received such strong reviews after having been remade not just once, but twice after nearly 30 years is a testament to the quality of the core gameplay and a sign that the Switch edition of this cult classic is worth checking out, particularly if you’ve never played any version of the game before.