As a featured guest at the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Pre-G-20 Forum this past fall, Google Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt was asked what type of training young people should pursue to gain the skills necessary to work in the tech sector of the future. Not surprisingly, he wants kids and teens to learn programming. But the idea that surprised many in the room? He thought playing video games had value too.

“The game world is good training for a career in tech,” said Schmidt. “It teaches players to build a network, to use interactive skills and thinking.”

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Wario™ may be known as a troublemaker, but this week he deserves a friendly high-five for helping to deliver a mother lode of downloadable fun for Wii™ owners. The new WarioWare™: D.I.Y. Showcase game for the WiiWare™ service lets users with broadband Internet access download all kinds of outrageous content, from music and microgames to four-panel digital comics – some created by users themselves. Meanwhile, a classic RPG has arrived on the Virtual Console™ service, while Nintendo DSiWare™ users will find new ways to tune musical instruments, rescue turtles, launch their own fireworks display and more.

This week also marks the kickoff of Nintendo’s WarioWare: D.I.Y. “Big Name Games” series. Several of the industry’s most talented game designers are using WarioWare: D.I.Y. software for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems to create their own one-of-a-kind microgames. New microgames will be added every Monday through July 26, all available for download to anyone with broadband Internet access and a copy of either WarioWare: D.I.Y. for Nintendo DS or WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase software for the WiiWare service. The series gets underway with inventive new microgames from Super Smash Bros.™ creator Masahiro Sakurai and Metroid™ designer Yoshio Sakamoto. To learn more about the games and view an exclusive behind-the-scenes video featuring Masahiro Sakurai, visit http://www.wariowarediy.com.

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