Angry Psychology Professor Explains Angry Birds’ Success

Why is Angry Birds such an addictive game? According to University of San Francisco psychology professor Mel Joseph Ciena, it’s a combination of repetition and a “false impression you’re competitive and achieving something.” Oh come on, we’re saving eggs! Joe Eskenazi of SF Weekly queried two experts for their opinion on why Rovio’s physics-based bird-flinging…

Hug These, Love These Adorable Left 4 Dead 2 Zombies

The zombies are here! The zombies are here! Earlier this month we pointed out that Left 4 Dead 2-styled Hunter and Tank plushies were joining the adorably-engorged Boomer in the Valve store, but that they wouldn’t start shipping until Dec. 27. Well, they’re shipping now and we’ve got our hands on them, along with some…

This Is Your Brain On Video Games

What happens to our attention when we play video games? The New York Times’ technology reporter Matt Richtel played a video game while stuffed inside a $3 million M.R.I. scanning tube to find out. Richtel has spent the better part of the past year exploring questions about the role attention plays in our daily lives,…

Tim Rogers Wrestles With Your Questions of Mario, Movies and Crunchy Games

How would Tim write a Super Mario novel? Who is the David Mamet of video games? Why are gamers so inarticulate? What was the crunchiest game of 2010? You asked our opinionated columnist video game questions. He answered, in depth. Last month, I asked you to ask me questions via Twitter. This month, because originality…

PETA Praises Adult Swim Flash Games For Being Animal Friendly

While Adult Swim’s flash games aren’t known for classy content, two have been singled out by animal rights group PETA for being especially animal friendly. Humans killing polar bears is bad, but polar bears killing humans wins awards. Polar Bear Payback is an action game in which the player takes on the role of a…

Letters From The Call Of Duty Front

If you thought playing Call of Duty: Black Ops online was tough, imagine how hard it is for the wives and children of those constantly dying soldiers. Check out more letters from the Call of Duty front at Dorkly.

Reuters: 2011 Will Be a Good Year For Gaming

A new generation of games on social networks, phones and tablet computers will spur sales in 2011, Reuter apotheosizes in a story today. “Before we were figuring out how to make social games, now we are mastering the art of making social games,” said Mark Skaggs, vice president of product development at Zynga, told Reuters.…

Entertainment And Fun Aren’t The Same Thing

He may switch a few words around, but what commenter DunnCarnage is basically saying in today’s Speak-Up on Kotaku is that a game doesn’t have to be fun to be entertaining, and vice-versa. Something that has been bugging me recently about games is the concept that they don’t necessarily have to be “fun” to be…

Police Say Man Stole Game Boy From Teen That Died On Christmas [Update]

Seventeen-year-old Bradley David-McCombs Jr. died in a tragic car accident on Christmas Day. On Monday night his family held a viewing at the Rairigh Funeral Home in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania. That night, someone decided to steal his Game Boy. McCombs, pictured here, died after his sport utility vehicle flipped on Route 553 in Cherryhill Township…

Head Crabbed in Indie Game: The Movie

Big money, big production video games are great, but let’s never forget about the indie games, that’s where the sexy happens. Whether it’s Minecraft or Limbo, Super Meat Boy or Briad, it’s indie games that seem most willing to test the boundaries of what can be done in video games. That’s why you’re going to…

A Closer Look at the Left 4 Dead 2 Plush Zombies

Virtual Assets Are Not Community Property

A marriage based on a shared love of online gaming is just as valid as a normal one, but as one Chinese woman found out, virtual assets accrued during marital bliss aren’t divvied up in the divorce. According to a story in the Beijing Morning Post, a judge has denied a woman’s claim that half…

The Year in Gaming With NPR’s Morning Edition and… Me!

Earlier this week I went into the local public radio station to chat with Renee Montagne of NPR’s Morning Edition about the year in gaming. That’s a lot of topic to cover in under five minutes, but we still managed to talk about Call of Duty: Black Op’s billion dollars in sales, the coming of…

CES Showing Off The Xbox 360 That Costs More Than Fahey’s Car

Origin PC is showing off their obscenely expensive liquid-cooled Xbox 360, gaming computer hybrid at CES next week. The Big O features a high performance liquid cooled overclocked gaming PC AND a liquid cooled Xbox 360 Slim inside one system. The starting configuration combines the power of an Intel Core i7 930 processor overclocked to…

Talk Amongst Yourselves

Now the picture is even more confusing! Thanks to No Time! There’s Never for muddying this image’s meaning even further. Down to three. You can do it! Just shop up this image and submit it to the #taypics hashtag. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ

A Seven Year-Old’s Shopping Spree Looks Like This

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Here’s Where The Instruction Manuals Have Gone Man, I cannot remember the last time I read an actual instruction manual. Shame those manuals aren’t included in retail games, because I’m sure many folks would actually read ’em. But whaddayagonnado. What you missed last night Your Uncharted Movie Nightmares Might Not…

Man Hit By SUV While Playing Real-Life Frogger

A 23-year-old man was hit by a Lexus SUV Monday while trying to play a real-life version of Frogger across a South Carolina highway, police say. The man, who’s name was not released, was listed in stable condition at an area hospital, according to WYFF 4 news. Clemson police chief Jimmy Dixon told the station…

Bananas And Sausages Weren’t Suggestive Enough

Dream Club Zero features a mini-game in which players feed bar hostesses bananas and sausages. It’s latest mini-game, however, is cold and creamy. The latest addition is a timed mini-game in which players feed bar hostesses ice cream. Players that don’t succeed in successfully feeding the girls will cause white dribbles all over their faces.…

Tron Ready To Cause An Animated Uprising In 2012

As Tron: Legacy cools off at movie theaters, the sci-fi franchise is starting to heat up for an animated version. Called Tron: Uprising, the show will be written by Tron: Legacy scribes Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis and will feature the vocal talents of Bruce Boxleitner, Mandy Moore, Lance Henriksen and Elijah Wood as the…

Two More Super-Villains For Marvel vs Capcom 3?

Marvel vs Capcom fans, you may want to make room in your hearts for two more characters, as a leaked comic looks to have accidentally outed two Marvel super-villains set to join the cast. Some work-in-progress shots of a comic, reportedly based on the upcoming fighting game sequel, turned up recently on the website of…