Technology - Video Games

Video games don't respect humanitarian laws, according to a study of virtual 'war crimes' in contemporary shooters like Modern Warfare 2 and Army of Two, and whose results, say researchers, are 'as deflating as reality'. Swiss human rights groups Pro Juventute and TRIAL ("track impunity always") chose to analyze video games and not literature or film, which they view as 'passive' mediums, compared with 'shooter games, [in which] the player has an active role in performing the actions'. What's more, says the report, games are used as military training tools and set during present-day conflicts, 'thus illustrating the realism these games have now achieved'. Full Story »

On Black Friday, Nintendo is offering two limited edition Nintendo DSI Bundles that come with more than $20 in software value. Full Story »

Of all the Mario Kart games, the best was probably the first, and now you can see why for 800 Wii Points, or about eight US dollars. We're talking the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) original here, born 17 years ago in 1992. It supported 1 to 2 players, packed eight playable Mario-verse characters, and offered three championship cups divvied into three distinct 'kart' classes. Full Story »

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - French videogame powerhouse Ubisoft will have a virtual fitness coach whipping Wii users into shape starting Tuesday. Full Story »

Microsoft wants you on Xbox LIVE for the weekend with, of course, a view toward forever, and it's prepared to temporarily waive the cover fee to grab your attention. Full Story »

San Francisco - Vapor was in the air this week as rumors swirled around two products that exist only as pixels, not molecules: the Google Phone and the Apple Tablet. In its war over 3G ads, AT&T fired back at Verizon (and missed); Twitter got dissed; and Activision dodged a Kalashnikov bullet with its wildly popular Modern Warfare 2. Can you hit the bull's-eye with this week's quiz? Give yourself 10 points for each correct answer. Now: ready, aim ... fire! Full Story »

BEIJING (AFP) - China has vowed to tighten supervision of its fast-growing online games market, saying some games contained content that was "harmful" to players. Full Story »

GRAPEVINE, Texas - GameStop Corp., the world's largest video game retailer, said Thursday that sales of new hot-selling games helped boost its third-quarter profit nearly 12 percent and offset a sales decline for video game hardware. Full Story »

Italian crime families have become a staple of video games over the last few years, starring in such hits as "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," "The Godfather" and "Mafia." And don't get me started on "Mafia Wars," the browser game that's consuming half of my Facebook friends. Full Story »

After years of third-stringing it, Sony's beleaguered PS3 may finally be rallying, according to sales data cited on Sony's US PlayStation blog. The company's American division reports year-over-year October hardware sales lifted nearly 70 percent, and says its online PlayStation storefront clinched record revenues, with downloads up 60 percent over the same period last year. Full Story »

Sony is hoping to return its PlayStation business to profitability next year with the help of new hardware devices and expansion of its network-delivered services platform, it said Thursday. Full Story »

Online games in China should move away from "lowbrow" content such as monster hunting, Chinese regulators said late Wednesday, highlighting the uncertain regulatory conditions faced by game operators in the country. Full Story »

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China said it will tighten regulations in its rapidly growing online games sector, requiring game operators to enhance socialist values in their games and hire specialized staff to monitor content. Full Story »

The Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (GIC), a sovereign wealth fund, has taken a sizable stake in Shanda Games, an online gaming spin-off of China's Shanda Interactive Entertainment. Full Story »