A California law banning the sale of violent video games to minors is heading to the U.S. Supreme Court. The law had been previously tossed out by a federal appeals court before it took effect in 2005. The law was supposed to give legal teeth to the current video game ratings system by banning the sale or rental of games in California to any children under the age of eighteen. It would have imposed a $1,000 fine on any retailer selling violent games to minors. California defined violent games as ones where the player is given the choice of "killing, … Continue reading Video Game Ban Heads To Supreme Court →

Jagex Games Studio, the UK’s largest independent games company, today announced its plans for the biggest ever player event for the massive RuneScape community – RuneFest 2010. RuneFest 2010 will be the first ever real-world player event of its size in the UK or for the company. Taking place on Saturday 28th August 2010 the event will be held at a very exciting central London venue. The event has been designed to celebrate the worldwide RuneScape community with various aspects of the RuneScape universe brought to life, including themed areas for players to experience real-world RuneScape activities. Players will also … Continue reading UK Hosting Live RuneScape Player Event →

Oprah Winfrey's devoted fans will be able to connect with her whenever and wherever they want with the launch of Oprah Mobile from Hands-On Mobile, Inc., the world's leading publisher and developer of connected applications. Oprah Mobile offers a single entry point, allowing users to interact with Oprah.com through one simple application. Oprah Mobile is available for download and purchase now for iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Google Android. "With a presence that spans television, print, film and radio, we are delighted that we can now offer a mobile digital experience that will allow millions of Oprah fans to engage … Continue reading Oprah Mobile Launches →

Global creative agency ATTIK (www.attik.com) is proud to announce that its collaboration with marketing executives from videogame powerhouse Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) promoting the family-friendly hit online game "Free Realms"(R) has earned the Gold Award in the Casual Game category for Outstanding Overall Marketing Campaign at the MI6 Conference. The fifth annual conference for MI6, an association dedicated to supporting marketing, promotion and advertising professionals in the video game and interactive entertainment community, was recently held in San Francisco, where "Free Realms" also brought home a Bronze Award for Best Online Advertising Campaign in the same category. Project contributions … Continue reading Free Realms Marketing Gets Gold Award →

Leading casual game publisher Alawar Entertainment, Inc. and developer iSquared Games are announcing that Hyperballoid HD is now available in North America. The addictive brick-breaker, a PlayStation 3 exclusive, can be downloaded via the PlayStation Network for the low price of $5.99. "We're very excited to bring Hyperballoid HD to North America," says Kirill Plotnikov, Alawar's vice president of publishing. "The positive response to our European launch showed that our combination of casual gameplay with a slick visual style is a natural fit for the PlayStation audience." Putting a next-gen spin on an arcade classic, Hyperballoid HD has one hundred … Continue reading Hyperballoid HD Comes To PS Network →

While the Government quibble where to make the next cuts in education, BLAZE have made cuts of their own by announcing their "Chie for Children" netbook. This amazingly cheap netbook is aimed at helping to provide our children with a head start in the necessary computer skills, that are essential in today’s world of IT and computing. The Chie Netbook is a stylish, budget, netbook PC, designed especially for 6 to 14 year olds. The netbook has a full Qwerty keyboard and trackpad mouse, exactly like the ones you would find on larger laptop computers. Unlike previous children’s "computers," this … Continue reading Blaze Announces Netbook For Kids →

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced today the acquisition of Turbine, Inc., the largest privately-held online gaming studio in North America, further strengthening Warner Bros.’ position as one of the industry’s fastest growing, full-scale games publishers. "Turbine is a leader in online entertainment and a strong strategic fit for Warner Bros. as we continue to broaden our games portfolio and development capabilities," said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. "Turbine’s renowned online game development and publishing expertise will help us develop additional online product offerings, while also providing us with new and innovative ways to market and communicate … Continue reading Warner Bros Acquires Turbine →

With a substantial addressable market, estimated at 40 per cent of the world’s population, and strong games retail growth from many of its individual country markets, emerging market opportunities within the PAL sales region are of increasing commercial interest to games publishers. The latest report from Screen Digest – ‘Emerging Markets for Video Games’ – provides analysis of the retail games hardware and software opportunities in Greece, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and the Middle-East as a whole. This latest research from Screen Digest shows emerging retail markets in the PAL region were worth a total of €1.9bn including … Continue reading Report Shows Emerging Markets Getting Ready For Games →

The curtain rises today in Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse with the premiere of the first episode, entitled The Penal Zone, on PC, Mac, and PlayStation Network, exclusively for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system. Telltale’s landmark series returns for the biggest, best looking, most bizarre installment yet as the dog and rabbit detective duo battle an onslaught of fearsome villains bent on acquiring the source of Max’s newfound psychic powers. With new episodes releasing monthly, season passes are available now for the full five game series for $34.95. The PC and Mac version can be downloaded at … Continue reading Sam & Max: Devil’s Playhouse Ships →

For the third consecutive season, ASTRO Gaming, creator of premium video gaming equipment for professional gamers, has been named Official Licensed Headset of Major League Gaming (MLG). Starting this year, the award-winning A40 headset and the patent-pending Dolby-powered ASTRO MixAmp, a stand-alone amplifier that seamlessly blends voice and game audio in surround sound, will be co-branded with MLG. The professional-grade A40 Audio System delivers an unparalleled gaming experience providing gamers with crystal clear, lag-free communication for a critical competitive edge. During the 2010 MLG Pro Circuit, tens of thousands of the world’s top professional gamers and talented amateurs will compete … Continue reading Astro Headset Named Official MLG Gear →