XplanaZine

Updates on: games that improve children’s mental abilities, France to offer tax break for developers of culture-related games, a discerning retrospective of games, games to be used in training for U.S. Army

Are kids learning while playing? While shopping this holiday season, parents should consider how toys will improve their children’s mental abilities. Some suggestions from this article include: LeapFrog toys and games, Cranium board games, and jigsaw puzzles. — Jackson Sun

France will be allowed to offer a tax break to video game developers for games with cultural content, the European Commission said Wednesday. The tax break will allow game developers to deduct up to 20 percent of production costs of certain games. — Associated Press

An analytical approach to video games finds their greater value. What do we talk about when we talk about video games? Iain Simons, who talks and writes about them for a living, says that one important thing to keep in mind is that “game” should not be used as a “catch-all term,” especially by those who wish to dismiss the ever-expanding new medium. — Daily Yomiuri Online

A new U.S. Military office was created with the sole purpose of developing modern gaming technologies that will aid soldiers in their military training. According to a statement by the training director at the Pentagon, the current focus is first-person shooter and real-time strategy games. — AHN