The 
joystick generation is growing fast.
A new report finds that the video game playing population of the United States now totals 135 million — a 140 percent increase over the amount recorded in 2008.
Category Archives: Yahoo! Games
‘Kinect Star Wars’ to be fully operational in April
Jedi 
wannabes will finally have a chance to join the Rebellion this spring.
After a series of delays, Kinect Star Wars will hit store shelves on April 3…and Microsoft is rolling out all the stops to promote it.
‘Madden 12′ nails Super Bowl XLVI prediction
Next time 
you’re about to bet on a football game, run a simulation on the latest version of EA’s Madden franchise first. You might make a bundle.
The reigning football video game champ accurately called the winner of Super Bowl XLVI two days before the game — and was pretty close on the point spread, to boot.
Tech tips for Super Bowl parties
It really doesn’t matter if you’re a Giants fan or a Patriots fan when it comes to this week’s Super Bowl. Heck, if you’re a dedicated geek, you don’t even have to like football at all to throw a good shindig.
The big game 
is often secondary at Super Bowl parties. Instead, the event marks the informal end to those insane New Year Resolutions and offer a chance to show off some of your latest and greatest tech gadgets.
If you’re planning on hosting this year’s bash, here are a few essentials that will ensure your man cave is the go-to destination for all future sports-related parties.
Gamer’s death at internet cafe goes unnoticed for nine hours
It’s easy 
to get absorbed in a game, but it’s another thing entirely to be so absorbed that you don’t notice the guy next to you has died.
Gamers in a Taipei internet café failed to notice the newly deceased for a staggering amount of time earlier this week. Officials estimate that 23-year-old gamer Chen Rong-yu had been dead up to nine hours before anyone realized it.
Troubled THQ fires 240, cuts CEO salary in half
THQ 
is taking some drastic measures after a string of sales disappointments.
The game publisher, once the industry’s third largest, has laid off 240 employees and cut its CEO’s salary in half for a year, according to an SEC filing. This follows a recent announcement that the company’s stock might be removed from the NASDAQ stock exchange.
White House exploring benefits of gaming
The Obama 
administration is embracing the gamification movement in a big way.
Constance Steinkuehler has been hired as a senior policy analyst at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Sounds like a typical government title, huh? Here’s the catch: She studies video games.
5 game genres on the decline
The circle 
of life doesn’t stop — even in the video game world. No matter how popular a game genre might be, it’s always in danger of becoming irrelevant.
Sometimes, that’s due to oversaturation, or perhaps interests have simply shifted elsewhere. While no video game death is permanent, several genres are in deep hibernation — and others are threatening to join them. Here are five game types in serious need of some extra lives.
EverQuest going free-to-play
The game 
that made MMO games a viable force in the industry is going free-to-play.
EverQuest will drop its mandatory monthly pricing strategy in March, as the game hits its impressive 13th birthday — though like other free-to-play games Sony Online Entertainment currently distributes, there will be a tiered pricing plan for players who want more features and content.
Nintendo reveals online network plans
Nintendo 
might have a stable of terrific game franchises and groundbreaking systems, but when it comes to online gaming, the company is woefully behind.
It’s hoping to change that with its next-generation system, though, and started down that path by announcing a few details about the ‘Nintendo Network’ late last week
Chris Morris: Journalist 