Games in Education Symposium kicking off next week

A two day conference comprised of workshops and presentations revolving around education, computers, video games, teaching techniques using software and video game development is going to kick off next week at the Hudson Valley Community College campus in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center. In its third year, the conference is called Games in Education Symposium and runs August 5th and 6th.

The event is free to educators from early childhood to post secondary education interested in the use of games and technology to promote better ways of learning in the 21st century. This year’s it will explore the practical application of interactive technologies like video games, social networks, blogs and other media to inspire and promote learning.

This year’s topics include the exploration of virtual worlds like Second Life and World of Warcraft and how teachers are using the games successfully in schools, to Social Robotics experimentation aimed at getting kids interested in Computer Science, to analyzing the real world pressures teacher’s face.

The 2009 Games in Education Symposium is presented by 1st Playable Productions, WMHT public television (an Albany, NY PBS station), the Teacher Preparation Department at Hudson Valley Community College, the Schenectady Museum & Suits-Bueche Planetarium, and the College of Computing and Information at The University at Albany.

The event will run 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 5 and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, August 6. For more information or to register, visit www.gamesineducation.org. Hudson Valley Community College is located at 80 Vandenburgh Ave, Troy NY 12180. Lunch and door prizes will be provided. More information on key sponsor 1ST Playable, can be found at www.1stplayable.com.

Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks coming this fall

D3Publisher will release Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks this fall for the Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, Nintendo DS and PSP. The latest game in the Ben 10 videogame series is loosely based on the previous game and the Cartoon Network hit television show, BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE.

Vilgax Attacks puts players in control of Ben Tennyson as he takes the fight to outer space and new planets that have never appeared in television show. Just like on the show, Ben uses his alien forms and their special powers to battle his greatest enemy, Vilgax and a cast of foes in an effort to thwart a grand scheme to conquer the universe one planet at a time.

In Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks, players will take control of Ben and the popular alien forms: Echo Echo, Goop, Brainstorm, ChromaStone, Big Chill, Humungousaur, Spidermonkey, Swampfire, Jet Ray, and Cannonbolt to manipulate fire, harness electricity, freeze enemies and more. Players will also adventure as alien form Upchuck exclusively in the Nintendo DS version. D3Publisher promises a blend of combat, puzzle solving and platform gameplay for players of all skill levels. We’ll see.

Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks for Nintendo DS is under development by 1st Playable Productions, LLC. All other versions are under development by Papaya Studio Corporation.