This week on Halloween day (October 31, 2010), AMC (American Movie Classics) will be starting a new drama series called The Walking Dead about a zombie epidemic that is threatening to end civilization as we know it (if it hasn’t already).

In celebration of this fact, AMC and FOX networks are hosting a world-wide zombie invasion stunt. The event will kick off with overseas invasions beginning at daybreak in Taipei and Hong Kong on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, and moving across the globe where the stunt culminates at the show’s Los Angeles premiere.

A new study in the Cerebral Cortex journal suggests that people not be doing well in games just because they’ve built up their skills, they’re doing well because their brains are bigger. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois, University of Pittsburgh and Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a study at the University of Illinois that monitored 39 adult participants as they played a game specially created for the study.

There were two versions of the game created for the study, and the people involved would be asked to play one of the two. In one version, they would be given a single goal or task to achieve. In the other, they’d have to keep attending to multiple tasks and not focus on a single endeavor. The researchers then used an MRI to look at the brains of the people taking part in the study.

It turned out that the people who’s brains were larger did better than the people with smaller brains…

I have wondered many times what makes someone a better gamer than the rest. I thought it was basically down to good reflexes and practice but, according to a recent study, it might all be in your head.

The study, published by the Cerebral Cortex Journal, was conducted in the US by the University of Illinois, the University of Pittsburgh and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scientists from these universities found a relation between the size and development of a certain part of the brain and a person’s ability to perform at video games.

There is a general relation between brain size and intelligence in the animal kingdom so, the larger the animal, the smarter it is. There are notable exceptions as in the case of humans, though. Even though a whale’s brain is bigger than ours, humans are thought to be smarter because the part of the brain that controls cognitive abilities is proportionally larger. In a similar fashion, a person’s ability at certain tasks can be identified from the size of the regions in the brain responsible for those tasks.

In the Los Angeles Times, writer Alex Pham reports that the San Fernando Library encourages youth to play video games and even invites them to be as loud as they like.

“It lets teens be more comfortable with the library and become familiar with librarians,” San Fernando librarian Lydia Harlan told Pham. “And it’s what kids are into these days.”

In the article, Pham reports that more libraries are turning to video games to connect with technologically savvy youth who might be losing interest in books and stories. In New York, the New York Public Library has even added a collection of books, films, music and maps about video games.

Click through for the full article and a list of recommended books…

Title: Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain ThingysPrice: $29.99System(s): DSRelease Date: April 15, 2008Publisher (Developer): Ignition Entertainment (InLight Entertainment)ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for animated blood, crude humor and mild cartoon violencePros: A funny premise and fairly fun platformer with comic book art style, nice voiceovers and silly minigames.Cons: Pace is slow due to awkward ledges, decaying legs and accidental uses of powerups.Overall Score: One thumb up, one down; 77/100, C+; * * 1/2 out of 5

Click through for the full review…