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A mourning father has sent out a plea to other parents to protect their children from the dangers of playing computer games. Blood clot victim, Chris Staniforth, 20, died after spending up to 12 hours at a time playing on his Xbox. The gaming enthusiast suffered a blockage to his lungs when he developed deep vein thrombosis – commonly associated with passengers on long haul flights where they are relatively immobile for hours on end. Chris’ heartbroken father, David told The Sun, ‘As a parent you think playing computer games can’t do them any harm because you know what they...

Those who paint U.S. Supreme Court justices with a broad brush only prove they don't really understand the court. Justice Antonin Scalia was dead wrong in striking down California's restriction on selling horribly violent video games to children. And Justice Clarence Thomas did a spectacular job of showing why the Founders would uphold this law. California enacted a law restricting the sale of graphically violent video games to children, requiring an adult to make the purchase. One such graphic game involves the player torturing a girl as she pleads for mercy, urinating on her, dousing her with gasoline and setting...

Today’s Supreme Court decision in Brown v. EMA casts doubt on one of the shibboleths of gun prohibition. Since the 1960s, some social scientists have been attempting to prove that guns cause violence. They do not make this claim in the straightforward sense that guns, as tools, can be used for malign purposes–for example, that a criminal with a gun might attempt a robbery which would he would consider too risky if he did not have a gun. Rather, the claim is that the presence of makes ordinary people more aggressive, anti-social and violent. Thus, as one study put it,...

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday refused to let California regulate the sale or rental of violent video games to children, saying governments do not have the power to "restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed" despite complaints about graphic violence. On a 7-2 vote, the high court upheld a federal appeals court decision to throw out the state's ban on the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Sacramento had ruled that the law violated minors' rights under the First Amendment, and the high court agreed....

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Teens who play a lot of video games are likely to sleep less than the eight to nine hours a night recommended for the age group, researchers said. Speaking via teleconference from the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, researchers said that an analysis of data on 16,000 teens also found that youths who reported sleeping less than seven hours a night did not get enough exercise, which could also impact their health. And not getting enough sleep is detrimental for all -- and has a particularly negative effect on teens, added Caris Fitzgerald, a psychiatry resident at the...

Note: Video included. "Bin Laden's Son Is Hospitalized After He Hears His Father's Voice Omar Bin Laden Is Treated for Schizophrenia, Wife Asks for Divorce" July 9, 2010 SNIPPET: ""It's true that he was put on medication but released himself early," said a spokesman for Zeina Al Sabah, Omar's wife. The spokesman confirmed that Omar had bipolar disorder and was on anti-depressants." SNIPPET: ""Omar loves and hates Osama at the same time," she said." SNIPPET: "Omar, 29, has denounced his father's terrorist tactics and ideology. But he still maintains an emotional bond..." SNIPPET: "Much of Osama Bin Laden's family, comprising...

Long hours, hard work, crap weather. Then there’s the boredom, the long hours of boredom, followed by the bursts of heart-pounding adrenaline. This is war. And it’s video games that keep many of those serving in the world they’ve left behind. This is video games as a way to stay connected, a way to stay sane, a way to make friends when friends matter most and even a way to feel the love of a spouse left behind. They alleviate boredom in the bunkers, on the battlefield and even in commando centres overlooking silos stacked with nuclear missiles. For much...

There I was this morning at the New York Times online op-ed page, the scene of so much self-righteous hand-wringing in recent weeks over the violence in our culture and rhetoric. I was deciding whether to subject myself first to Gail Collins or Charles Blow, when my eye was drawn to the ad you see here for something called "Project Blackout." A busty babe wields an assault rifle the Times surely wouldn't want in private hands. And look: the ad is peppered by bullet holes. Click through to learn more about the violent video game, and you'll see the image...

It’s a well-known fact that the $20 billion dollar video gaming industry is producing products that glorify “guns, car theft and gang violence” that make parents cringe, according to Peter L. Knudson in the Harvard Crimson. A game developer recently had to come up with $20 million because of a sex scene in the highly-publicized Grand Theft Auto game, already loaded with violence and drug use. In this highly politically correct environment, charges of racism are increasingly surfacing as “Mafia 2” was tagged as a “pile of racist nonsense” by members of an Italian-American service group who pointed out gamers...

Battle of Britain (Luftschlacht um England) was one of the most famous battles of World War Two. Take control of a Polish airmen of the 303 Squadron during World War II. Play with friends or fight against other human opponents in multiplayer mode. Use arrow keys to control your plane and press Z to increase to full throttle. Press X to fire machine guns. Much fun with Battle of Britain.

The game of love is big in Japan. The love simulator game, Love Plus, on Nintendo DS is so popular, that Konami is taking game die hards on a tour around Japan with their virtual girlfriends according to Kotaku. The gaming company anticipates that fans of the love sim game will be willing to pay nearly $500 (USD) to vacation with simulated loves Manaka, Rinko and Nene. The lineup that Konami has setup with local businesses is designed to "unite" dedicated gamers with their virtual lady loves. Participants will board the Love Plus bus in Tokyo. The bus tour will...

In Brooklyn, NY 18-year-old Kendale Robinson has been arrested for the alleged execution-style murder of a 16-year-old girl as reported by Joe Jackson and Jonathan Lemire for the Daily News: Kendale Robinson allegedly put a gun to the head of Al-Taya Coners, 16, and pulled the trigger even though the terrified teenager screamed "No! No! No!" and begged for her life, police said. * * * As Conyers tearfully asked to be spared, the do-rag wearing gunman shot her in the head, chest and stomach, witnesses told police. * * * Robinson has a lengthy rap sheet with 16 prior...

Amid Australia's continuing dispute and deliberation over whether to introduce an R18+ classification for adult games, new data shows overwhelming public support for the measure. The Australian government announced at the end of 2009 that it would begin collecting public responses. At the time, controversial Attorney-General Michael Atkinson -- who has since stepped down -- said he expected "only a small amount of very zealous gamers" to support the R18+ rating. But now that the Federal Home Affairs group has released a preliminary official report, it would seem Atkinson is proven incorrect, with 98.2 percent of Australians declaring they support...

<p>His parents had taken away his keyboard as a disciplinary measure after he spent a week playing computer games, police said.</p> <p>A 14-year-old boy in southern Russia was charged with killing his father with a sledgehammer after his parents tried to stop him from playing computer games, officials said Tuesday.</p>

WARNING: Disturbing and graphicCNN reported today on RapeLay, a Japanese video game that just went viral:The game begins with a teenage girl on a subway platform. She notices you are looking at her and asks, "Can I help you with something?" That is when you, the player, can choose your method of assault. With the click of your mouse, you can grope her and lift her skirt. Then you can follow her aboard the train, assaulting her sister and her mother. As you continue to play, "friends" join in and in a series of graphic, interactive scenes, you can corner...

One of the country’s hardest violent video game critics, South Australian Attorney-General (AG), Michael Atkinson, has resigned to pave the way for new Labor blood. The AG resigned despite winning his seat in the recent state election. It is unknown who will replace Atkinson after he leaves office before the next state election in 2014. Games associations aren’t yet celebrating a reform win for the much-debated introduction of a video game R18+ classification, but they do see Atkinson’s resignation as the removal of a major roadblock.

The video game industry posted another disappointing sales month in the U.S. in February, with revenue down 15% from a year ago. Sales of video game hardware, software and accessories totaled $1.26 billion, vs. $1.48 billion in February 2009, the NPD Group said late Thursday. Sales of game consoles took the biggest hit last month, with revenue down 20% to $426 million. “Honestly, I had expected the industry to perform somewhat better this month,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. “Nonetheless, strong new releases, and Easter gift-buying bodes well for industry performance in March.”

The country of Ghanzia is embroiled in a civil war. As a soldier in America's Army, your job is to do everything from protect U.S. military convoys against AK-47-wielding attackers to sneak up on a mountain observatory where arms dealers are hiding out. It is a tough and dangerous tour of duty that requires dedication, focus, and a bit of luck. Fortunately, if you get hit by a bullet and bleed to death, you can reboot your computer and sign on under a new name. America's Army is a video game -- a "tactical multiplayer first-person shooter" in gaming lingo...

Many players have noted the “work” in FarmVille seems somewhat educational. This, in fact, is what intrigues educators about video games in general. They are so interactive and require focused attention to progress. So, the thinking goes, if we can have students play with educational elements perhaps they’ll absorb some pedagogical content in ways they can’t through books or television. Could FarmVille be a tool leveraged for classroom use?