Crash Course
Microsoft and Connected Consoles: Crash Course Games
Today, we wrap up our discussion of the console wars by taking a look at Microsoft's Xbox which was announced in 2001. The early 2000s saw a lot of innovation in hardware and games and we'll cover some of that, but one significant change...
PBS
Is Buying Call of Duty a Moral Choice?
If you play video games, you've shot a gun. And those guns are REALISTIC. So real that many are actually LICENSED by IRL arms dealers. Which means that when you buy a video game, you're also putting money in the pockets of those gun...
SciShow
The Biggest Psychology News Stories of 2016
From Pokémon, to fMRI, to the relationship between masculine norms and mental health, 2016 left us with some interesting psych news to ponder.
TED Talks
TED: How games make kids smarter | Gabe Zichermann
Can playing video games make you more productive? Gabe Zichermann shows how games are making kids better problem-solvers, and will make us better at everything from driving to multi-tasking.
SciShow
Why We Hide Our Good Deeds
It doesn’t make much sense when we try to hide our good deeds, even though we know that we would get rewards from doing something good. Scientists are trying to solve this our bizarre behavior by using game theory.
MinutePhysics
The Portal Paradox
This video is about the Portal Paradox - a paradox in the video game Portal (and Portal 2) regarding whether or not a companion cube passing through a moving portal plops out of the other end with no speed (velocity, momentum), or shoots...
Crash Course
3D Graphics: Crash Course Computer Science
Today we’re going to discuss how 3D graphics are created and then rendered for a 2D screen. From polygon count and meshes, to lighting and texturing, there are a lot of considerations in building the 3D objects we see in our movies and...
TED Talks
TED: A video game to cope with grief | Amy Green
When Amy Green's young son was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, she made up a bedtime story for his siblings to teach them about cancer. What resulted was a video game, "That Dragon, Cancer," which takes players on a journey they can't...
PBS
Are Virtual Video Game Economies Becoming Real?
The idea that a collection of pixels can be sold for actual money might be confusing to some, as they are neither true "objects" you can hold nor "ideas" that can be considered intellectual property. But despite the lack of tangibility,...
TED Talks
TED: Esports, virtual Formula 1 and the new era of play | James Hodge
As the line between the physical and digital worlds blur, so does the line between real-world and virtual sports. Reframing our understanding of competition, data-driven technologist James Hodge explains how far esports (like virtual...
Crash Course
Handhelds: Crash Course Games
Today, we're going to talk about the gaming devices that combine the screen, speakers, controls, and computer into one neat little package - that's right we're talking about handheld game consoles. Handhelds have actually been around...
SciShow
Will Video Games Eventually Replace Your Therapist?
You might have heard that video games are bad for you, but psychologists think they might be a useful therapeutic tool for improving some people’s mental health.
TED Talks
TED: There's no such thing as not voting | eric Liu
Many people like to talk about how important voting is, how it's your civic duty and responsibility as an adult. eric Liu agrees with all that, but he also thinks it's time to bring joy back to the ballot box. The former political...
SciShow
The Science Behind Football's First-Down Line
If you’ve watch American football on television, you may have wondered how they make that yellow first down line look like it’s actually down on the field.
SciShow
Nobels 2016 How Your Cells Stave Off Starvation
It’s Nobel Prize week 2016, which means it’s basically science Christmas!
TED Talks
Penelope Boston: There might just be life on Mars
So the Mars Rovers didn't scoop up any alien lifeforms. Scientist Penelope Boston thinks there's a good chance -- a 25 to 50 percent chance, in fact -- that life might exist on Mars, deep inside the planet's caves. She details how we...
SciShow
Why a Bad Series Finale Ruins the Whole Show
Objectively, some shows end with rough final acts, but we are finding that this isn’t the only factor in our discontent. Unsatisfactory finales also reflect common types of relationships we build with fictional characters.
TED Talks
Daphne Bavelier: Your brain on video games
How do fast-paced video games affect the brain? Step into the lab with cognitive researcher Daphne Bavelier to hear surprising news about how video games, even action-packed shooter games, can help us learn, focus and, fascinatingly,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Can you survive the creation of the universe by solving this riddle? | James Tanton
It's moments after the Big Bang and you're still reeling. You're a particle of matter, amidst a chaotic stew of forces, fusion, and annihilation. If you're lucky and avoid being destroyed by antimatter, you'll be the seed of a future...
Crash Course Kids
Engineering Games
So how can a game teach us about engineering? Pretty easily! When you're trying to solve a game, or a puzzle, or whatever, you will have a bunch of variables. The trick is knowing how to change one variable at a time to see what changes....
TED Talks
Scott Kim: The art of puzzles
At the 2008 EG conference, famed puzzle designer Scott Kim takes us inside the puzzle-maker's frame of mind. Sampling his career's work, he introduces a few of the most popular types, and shares the fascinations that inspired some of his...
TED Talks
TED: How to break down barriers and not accept limits | Candace Parker
What can't Candace Parker do? A two-time NCAA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time WNBA champion, Parker knows what it takes to fight for your dreams. In this inspiring talk, she shares what she's learned during a career...
Bozeman Science
Thinking in Systems - Level 6 - Boundary and Initial Conditions
In this video Paul Andersen shows conceptual thinking in a mini-lesson on boundary and initial conditions within systems. Boundary conditions - the dividing line between system and environment Initial condition - the beginning state of...