Marie Sylla, Director of Government Relations & Counsel made a statement, "We are pleased that the California House Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media did vote out A.B. 450, the Yee bill which prohibits the sale of certain types of video games. It is evident that most of the committee members recognized the obvious flaw with the legislation - that it is wholly unconstitutional. However by no means do we consider this vote against Yee's bill a win for the industry, as it is likely that Assemblyman Yee will push for reconsideration on his bill. Retailers are making their best efforts to ensure that their stores are complying with their policy of carding for 'Mature' rated games and would like to be given the same opportunity as the movie theater owners and music retailers."

Video Games Live features music from some of the biggest video games performed by top orchestras and choirs across the country combined with video footage, lasers, lights and live action to create an explosive and unique entertainment experience. The national tour launches this summer at the world famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on July 6.

A contract between video game developers and unionized actors lending their voices to video games is set to expire on Friday, and no new contract has been agreed upon, leaving open the possibility of actors on strike. The Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA are in negotiations with a group of major videogame publishers, all of which have come to rely on union talent for increasingly cinematic videogames. Since videogame revenue rivals that of the box office, SAG wants a piece of the pie, and a strike could affect actors such as Clint Eastwood, Vin Diesel, or even Marlon Brando in EA's The Godfather. Read the full article over at Variety...

The ATI/AMD Cyber X Gaming Championships is coming to CES. The festival has lined up some major sponsors and there will be $600,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs over the course of the qualification tournaments and the championships. Highlights of the event include the $100,000 prize for the first place Counter-Strike team.

ESPN Videogames today announced details of the ESPN Videogames Online Leagues for PlayStation 2 gamers who eagerly await the company's sports game lineup for the 2003-04 season. ESPN Videogames Online Leagues invite ESPN NFL Football, ESPN NBA Basketball, and ESPN College Hoops players to create and manage their own leagues with other sports gamers across the country. The leagues are now accessible at the ESPN Videgames' website by clicking on the 'PS2 Online Gaming' link. This feature can be accessed through any PC with an Internet connection.

Game Live Events today announced their “2003 Fall College Tour.” Building on the overwhelming success of their 13-campus Spring Tour, attended by over 20,000 college gamers, the 17-stop Fall College tour begins on Friday, September 12th in New York, NY at Cornell University and runs through Monday, October 20th at the University of Southern California.

Expanding its diverse portfolio of licensed entertainment properties, Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. today announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Archangel Studios to develop video games based upon its award-winning, computer-generated comic series, The Red Star. Currently under development with Acclaim Studios Austin for the next-generation gaming systems, The Red Star takes place in a parallel fantasy universe, in which a mythic empire based on the Soviet Union sets the landscape for an epic battle of militarized sorcery and monolithic technology.

Last April, Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh ruled that computer and video games had "no conveyance of ideas, expression or anything else that could possibly amount to free speech" in a St. Louis County case that sought to limit children's access to mature video games. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying a "particularized message" is not required when it comes to the First Amendment. Read more for details ...

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. is mulling a bid for the videogames business of Vivendi Universal SA, which the French media conglomerate has put up for sale to reduce its borrowings. Take-Two Interactive, based in New York, would make a bid for VU Games with financial partners, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The stereotype of video games as a children's-only pursuit is as outdated as a classic Pong console. Sure, teens still play them, but the first wave of gamers that grew up playing video games in the 1970s and 80s has now reached adulthood -- and many of these avid gamers have children of their own. As a result, millions of people today are playing, buying and even learning to create new games and other interactive entertainment products.

The world market for video games is growing at a faster rate than ever before, according to a new report by analysts Screen Digest on behalf of ELSPA, the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. The popular games console systems, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft Xbox have sold 30 per cent more than the previous generation of gaming technology at the equivalent point in time.

Here is a news story on a growing gaming culture seen growing mostly in the bigger cities... As the editorial deadline draws nearer for the forthcoming edition of Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records, more and more champions are surfacing to represent the many distinct genres of gaming. And, most interesting among the new genre are the dancing games... More about it below!

The Observer reports that violent computer games are to be regulated by a film-style classification system that will warn parents about graphic sex or horrific images. The move comes after complaints about the content of games such as Hooligans: Storm over Europe, State of Emergency and Carmaggedon, which show graphic images of fighting, death and reckless driving. From April all computer games sold in the EU will carry the new classifications. Those with no violent content or sex will be rated 3+, indicating the age from which they can be played. There will also be classifications of 7+, 12+, 16+ and 18+.

Entertainment industry powerhouses are lining up to support the highly anticipated “Video Games Live At The Hollywood Bowl” concert taking place in spring 2003. Mystical Stone Entertainment has bolstered its industry’s presence through partnerships with the entertainment agency Endeavor and public relations firm Bender/Helper Impact. Endeavor will spearhead several business and development initiatives for Mystical Stone Entertainment including broadcast rights, cross-promotional partnerships and other strategic alliances.

THQ is delivering its most comprehensive lineup to date this holiday season. From core gamer content like "Red Faction II" and "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth" for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system to games that target the more mass market game playing audience like "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman" and "Hot Wheels Velocity X," THQ is offering great gameplay for every segment of the expanding videogame market.. Read more to check out what THQ's 2002 holiday lineup includes!

TDK Mediactive, Inc. and Mattel, Inc. are pleased to announce that "Robotech: Battlecry " for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube video game system, as well as "Robotech: The Macross Saga" for Game Boy Advance, will be released this fall. Based on one of the most successful animated series in the United States, "Robotech: Battlecry" is visually spectacular, featuring the fast-paced action and sweeping drama of the popular television show.

Ask someone to describe a typical computer games enthusiast and many will paint a picture of kids in the back of a car playing with a GameBoy or teenage boys in their bedroom on their PlayStation. Few will think of the "twenty- and thirty-somethings" that actually make up the largest game-playing group. (I just think its a natural process of the "first" REAL gaming generation simply getting older .. nothing "new" ed.)

Its true, a lot of gamers don't have access to a large selection of video games at their local rental outlets. So when the corner video store fails us where do out-of-luck gamers turn for their fix of digital entertainment? Enter On-line video game rentals. With selections over 10 times larger then that of your local Blockbuster Video (not to mention import titles that you will never see at your local video store) delivered straight to your door, on-line rental programs may very well be the answer to many would-be gamer's prayers. Yes friend, salvation is near. We've spent the time putting a few companies who offer this service to the test so you don't have to.

It is becoming an annual rite of passage. Each year at this time, boys in their early teens, still cleareyed and smooth-faced but awkwardly approaching manhood, develop the toughness of card sharks as they negotiate with their parents over buying this season's generation of expensive electronic gadgets. " read more below, pretty funny story ;) "

To celebrate the launch of one of the most anticipated games of the year, Ubi Soft Entertainment is bringing Myst’s unique worlds to east London in the world’s first interactive videogames art exhibition. Post-ECTS interview and piss-up (against pre-rendered backdrops, no doubt).