Kids learn by playing, and video games are transforming the way kids play. It’s possible they’ll see the world as a place for creation, not consumption.

More games now include features that let players invent some aspect of their virtual world, from characters to cars. And more games entice players to become creative partners in world building, letting them mod its overall look and feel. The online communities that form around these imaginative activities are some of the most vibrant on the Web. For these players, games are not just entertainment but a vehicle for self-expression.

From the article By Will Wright, guest editor of this month’s Wired magazine.

Sampled the new iPod? It now comes with 30GB and 60GB versions, enough to take the entire songs collections with you. To think of it, you could also use it as an external drive and carry it along with you.

The new iPod boasts up to 20 hours of battery life(5), five hours more than before. Plus, you get a bigger display and one more iPod color — sleek black. But here’s the kicker: At under half an inch thin, the new 30GB iPod takes up about 45 percent less room than the original iPod. Even the new 60GB model is over 10 percent thinner than the fourth-generation 30GB iPod.

If you have an iPod, do some more with its host of accesories.

• Radio Remote: Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote.
• iPod AV Connection Kit: Bring your music, photo and video library into your living room. This kit includes everything you need to connect your iPod to your home stereo or television.

 The insatiable Indian appetite for entertainment has seen every delivery platform growing at a tremendous pace. Recognising this, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in its report for Ficci’s annual entertainment conference, Frames: ‘06, has included print media, out-of-home (OOH) and internet advertising in the forecast which are contained in its entertainment & media (E&M) report.  

According to PwC, the E&M industry — currently at Rs 35,300 crore — is expected to grow at a compounded growth rate (CAGR) of 19%, touching Rs 87,300 crore by ‘10. While television will continue to dominate, radio is expected to grow at a compounded rate of 32%, print at 12% and internet advertising at 50%.

Economic Times reveals more