WHO would have thought creating a monster could be a stress reliever?
But that’s what some of the computer game experts say. According to them, playing computer games such as the latest phenomenon, Spore Creature Creator, can release tension. That’s not a bad excuse for grabbing a copy of the game, made by the creator of Sim City, for just $2 with a copy of The Courier-Mail on Saturday. Helen Stuckey, screen events programmer from the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, says many players use games as a stress reliever. “There’s always been a lot of anecdotal evidence about people who use games for stress release,” she said. Playing games could also be therapeutic. “There’s a whole games-for-health movement, helping kids visualise ways of fighting illness and using games for rehabilitation and getting fit,” Ms Stuckey said. There are five stages to Spore: Cell, Creature, Tribal, City and Civilisation. Life starts at the microscopic level before moving through the creature stage. Once the creatures multiply into a tribe, they can build a city, create a
