The new Video Games Live concert features music from the most popular video games performed by top orchestras and choirs, combining exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers (Steve Vai and Dweezil Zappa), electronic percussionists, and interactive segments to create an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.

The National Institute on Media and the Family and Iowa State University will be hosting a national summit to address concerns regarding video game ratings and children's access to violent and sexually explicit games.

The Consumer Electronics Association released some projections for consumer electronic sales in 2006. CEA expects factory-to-dealer sales to increase by 8% to $140 billion, with display technologies as the front runner with $22 billion. Games are expected to reach $12.5 billion in 2006, and fueled by the next-gen consoles, should amass $15 billion by 2007.

United States District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly ruled yesterday that the state of Illinois must pay the video game industry $510,528.64 in attorney's fees for its unconstitutional effort to enact a law banning the sale of violent video games.

With the recently announced changes to the E3, Lunar Tide Communications is pleased to offer America's VideoGame Expo (VGXPO) as an alternative venue where the game industry can communicate directly with their target audience - the consumer.

Just when you thought you heard it all, a Canton, Ohio news outlet ran an article on a surprising trend of high pregnancies amongst teenage girls at a local high school, and partly put the blame on video games. "Whose fault is it that more than 13 percent of Timken’s girls are with child? Some would say fault-finding isn’t a fruitful exercise, but in this case, it’s critical. Suspects range from movies, TV and video games to lazy parents and lax discipline."

Contrary to what some analysts predicted, overall U.S. video game sales jumped 25 % in June to $844.5 million, mainly due to Nintendo NDS and THQ's Cars, while Microsoft's X360 shortages finally dissolved.

The Interactive Software Federation of Europe held a panel discussion involving consumers, publishers and developers of video games throughout the European Union. Participants including parents’ representatives heard a panel of independent experts, including psychologists and media specialists, express their views about the impact of videogames on players, especially the younger ones.

The computer and video game industry filed suit today in Oklahoma, requesting the state's new video game law be overturned. Similar laws have been deemed unconstitutional by six federal courts in five years, all rejecting the claims that violent video games incite aggression.

Reuters reported that a federal judge has agreed to an appeal made by video game industry groups, thereby prohibiting Louisiana from implementing its new law, which prevents sales of violent games to children under the age of 18. The legislation, which fined violators up to $2,000 and/or one year in prison, was signed into law last week by Governor Kathleen Blanco.

Gen Con today announced that it will feature the ultimate in video game entertainment, Video Games Live, where fans experience an immersive concert featuring music from the biggest video games of all time performed by some of the nation’s most respected orchestras and choirs, in this case the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco has signed bill HB1381, drafted with help from anti-video game activist Jack Thompson, into law, prohibiting the sale or rental of games with violent content to minor by retailers. Not skipping a beat the ESA filed suit in the Federal District Court of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to overturn the state's new video game law.

While the industry was upbeat last month, with a 16% increase, May reversed the trend with a 10.2% drop compared to last year. Top titles for the month were Nintendo's New Super Mario Brothers and Brain Age, while last month's top titles, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfigther and Kingdom Hearts II were still going strong. Although the Xbox 360 is more widely available at this point, only 2 new titles shipped last month, and industry analyst speculate that the current to next-gen transition is still partly to blame for the slowdown in sales.

Spacewars is considered by many to be the first video game ever developed by Alan Kotok, a computer pioneer who worked on the development of early Digital Equipment Corp. computers. Kotok worked with fellow MIT students to develop the Digital's PDP-1 minicomputer, which was used to create Spacewars back in the 1960s. Kotok passed away last week at the age of 64.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed a violent video game bill into law as SF 785. Under the law, which goes into effect on August 1, 2006, minors under 17 who rent or purchase M- or AO-rated games will be fined $25. Additionally, retailers will be required to post a sign notifying customers of this practice.

In Superman Returns: The Videogame, you explore and protect the truly living city of Metropolis, one that is not only expansive (with 80 sq miles and over 9,000 buildings), but also changes dynamically with you as you affect gameplay.

According to the NPD Group's latest numbers, U.S. video game sales reached $699 million in April, a hike of 16 percent, ending a seven-month decline. The increase was fueled by an increased availability of Xbox 360 units and the popularity of Kingdom Hearts II and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.

Democratic Texas senator Juan Hinojosa will propose a bill at a Senate Finance Committee meeting to impose a 5% tax on video games, according to The Brownsville Herald. The senator does not single out just violent video games, instead asking for it across the board to raise funds for education. "You have all these kids buying video games, and sometimes they are good, some are bad and that's not my call," Hinojosa is quoted as saying in the Herald article. "But I think that we can generate (money) to put toward the schools they go to."

According to GamePolitics, Oklahoma senators unanimously passed HB3004 yesterday, 47-0, a bill which considers games and pornography to be in the same category. This bill amends an existing law, which prohibits anything "harmful to minors," to encompass "inappropriate violence." The bill also unanimously passed through the Oklahoma house in March, so its next stop is the desk of Governor Brad Henry. If Henry signs it, HB3004 will become law as early as November 1, 2006.

In Superman Returns: The Videogame, you explore and protect the truly living city of Metropolis, one that is not only expansive, but also changes dynamically with you as you affect gameplay. EA announced today that it has signed all main movie actors to either lend their likeness and/or voice to the video game.

Analysts Michael Pachter and Edward Woo from investment house Wedbush Morgan Securities have released their NPD preview for the month of March. Woo and Pachter predict that the console transition continues to wear on publishers, as they expect console video game sales to drop 18% compared to the same period last year

US District Court judge George Caram Steeh, Eastern District of Michigan, today issued a permanent injunction against a Michigan bill which sought to ban video game sales to minors, ruling that the bill is unconstitutional and cannot be implemented.

In Superman Returns: The Videogame, you explore and protect the truly living city of Metropolis, one that is not only expansive (with 80 sq miles and over 9,000 buildings), but also changes dynamically with you as you affect gameplay.

A study by the ESRB measuring parental awareness and use of the ratings for computer and video games indicates that 83% of American parents of children who play video games are aware of the ESRB ratings, and 74% use them regularly when buying games for their families.

In Superman Returns: The Videogame, you explore and protect the truly living city of Metropolis, one that is not only expansive (with 80 sq miles and over 9,000 buildings), but also changes dynamically with you as you affect gameplay.