Don’t like to shoot horses in Red Dead? Do you spend real money for MMO equipment? Perhaps it’s because virtual items (and characters) have real world value now?

From the scariest to the most inspirational, to childhood dreams coming true, we discover those little magical moments in gaming that make everything worthwhile. It’s good to be a gamer, as you all should know!

Music games are making a huge splash, with keyboards planned for Rock Band 3, a real guitar in the works for Guitar Hero, the brand new Seven45 Studios coming onto the scene, and more turntables for DJ Hero.

A slow decline on the GiNDex has the Lounge Gang hitting the panic button this week, yes we really do have one, and trying to figure out what the heck is going wrong. Step one: Don’t Panic. Step Two: Panic.

Social gaming on sites like Facebook and Myspace are the next big thing it seems, with some titles like Farm Town and Mafia Wars rocketing up to over 10 million players. But is this still a growth market, or has it become overly bloated?

Spurred onward by the success of 3D movies like Avatar, the games industry is struggling to catch up and produce top 3D content. But we’ve got a ways to go it seems.

Lots of universities are now offering game degrees, but at least one executive from EA says they aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. Instead, he urges degrees in more general fields, so grads can work outside the industry if needed.

Red Dead Redemption blasted onto the scene like a hot knife through butter, bringing us an unheard of open world set in the American Old West. We celebrate that accomplishment this week in the lounge.

News that India-based Reliance Big Entertainment has bought a 50 percent share of Codemasters has triggered shockwaves throughout the industry. Will we start to see a cultural shift towards Indian history and culture in games?

There is a rightfully deserved stigma against games based on movies. But lately, that curse is being broken by great titles like Up and How to Train Your Dragon. Why are these mediums suddenly getting along?