As 
foreign hackers probe the U.S. infrastructure grid in an effort to infiltrate and undermine the government, the Department of Homeland Security is looking for a few good gamers.
Well, technically, it’s looking for a few good hackers of its own — but it’s using games to find them.
When 
it comes to video game conventions, GDC — the Game Developer’s Conference, if you’d care to be formal about it — tends to live in the shadow of E3.
Unlike its flashier cousin, which is loaded with new console details and flagship game announcements, GDC is more about how those games are made. While it might not have the consumer pull of E3, however, GDC delivers an unvarnished look at the games business and often tells us where, exactly, we’re all headed.
Here are five topics we expect to dominate this year’s show, which runs from March 25 – March 29 in San Francisco.
Through 
games like World of Warcraft, StarCraft II and Diablo III, Blizzard Entertainment built a real-world fortune. Now it’s about to see what happens when it gives a game away for free.
At the PAX East convention in Boston, the company unveiled Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, a free-to-play collectable card game set in the well-known Warcraft universe. And in very un-Blizzard-like fashion, you’re not going to have to wait a couple years to try it out. A beta of the game is due out this summer.
Last year
, Telltale Games gifted gamers with The Walking Dead, a deeply emotional episodic adventure game that offered a breath of fresh air for the video game industry, capturing “Game of the Year” honors from a host of publications – including us.
Unfortunately, a much different Walking Dead game shambled into stores this week, and the only air surrounding it is the rot of decay.
If 
Earth ever comes under alien attack, we can rest easy knowing that Victor Sandberg is on our side.
Sandberg came out of nowhere this weekend to apparently shatter one of gaming’s oldest records: the 31-year old high score for the coin-op classic Missile Command.
While 
there’s no shortage of video games that focus on shooting, dragons and fast cars, some game makers aren’t afraid to tackle weightier issues.
A developer in Vancouver has crafted a simulation of what life is like for people with autism in an effort to raise awareness about the condition and help educate people about what it’s like for those suffering its effects.
The 
video game industry’s retail losing streak just keeps getting uglier.
Brick and mortar video game sales were down in February, and once again they falling far short of analysts’ weak expectations. Software sales, which are the most closely watched figure, were down 27 percent from a year ago to $352 million.
A 
U.S. District Court is ordering Mario to cough up some gold coins.
A federal jury in New York has found Nintendo guilty of infringing on a key patent in the creation of its 3DS handheld system and has ordered the game maker to pay over $30 million in damages.
Playing 
video games isn’t supposed to be upsetting. You might feel some competitive pressure during a harrowing multiplayer match or a difficult level might drive you a little crazy, but “angering consumers” isn’t exactly a top priority for game makers.
Unfortunately, business is business, and what’s apparently best for game companies isn’t always best for players. A number of questionable features in new video games (and upcoming consoles) have turned otherwise happy gamers into teeth-gnashing trolls.
Some of these features are meant to curb piracy. Some aim to boost revenues. Some attempt to promote technology. Others? Well, we’re really not sure why anyone thought they were a good idea. Here are five new game features we desperately wish we could unplug.
Activision 
is getting into the microtransaction game, and it’s bringing its most notable franchise along for the ride.
Starting today, Call of Duty: Black Ops II will let players pick up small items such as extra loadout slots and gun personalization packs for prices ranging from $1 to $5.
Chris Morris: Journalist 