While it’s one of the larger players in 
the mobile gaming space, Apple’s success when it comes to video games has basically been a happy accident.
New online reports, however, show that Steve Jobs and company might be ready to finally put gaming on the front burner — and that Apple TV could be the weapon of choice.
The mid-1990s was a golden era for video games, 
giving birth to classics like Tomb Raider, Pokemon and Half-Life. But as developers began to steer titles in a more serious direction, there was one game that not only embraced its irreverent roots; it flaunted them proudly.
You Don’t Know Jack was a refreshing slap in the face to boring trivia games — and overly solemn games, in general. Now, after an 8-year hiatus, it’s back this week on just about every major game platform.
When action video games hit their first 
golden age in the early 1990s, concepts like “stealth” and “consequences” weren’t even a glimmer in developer’s eyes. The focus was on over-the-top carnage. The premise: if it moved, shoot it – though you could also kick, punch or stab it, depending on the title.
As the industry matured, though, in-game violence evolved. Narratives were added to the action, and heroes became more than one-dimensional instruments of destruction. It wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but it seemed like a move away from what hardcore action titles were all about.
While the year’s barely underway, Dead Space 2 
is already standing out as one of the must-have titles for 2011. But some players, like Gareth Garratt, have found themselves left out of the action.
Garratt, who has cerebral palsy, tried the game on his PC but was unable to customize the controls enough to play. The frustration led him to post about his experience on a U.K. gaming board.
If this were a typical video game console cycle, 
the talk these days would be about things like the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Us (or whatever they had decided to call their new machines). But things are different this time around.
The major console systems may not be showing any signs of updating themselves soon, but the handheld marketplace is heating up fast. Both Nintendo and Sony have announced new portable game devices – the 3DS and NGP (a code name that will almost certainly be changed) — that will be in the hands of consumers before the end of the year.
It’s no secret that Nintendo is trying to 
shake up the gaming world with the 3DS — and if history is any indication, it’s probably going to have plenty of initial success. Gamers and mass-market consumers have shown an extraordinary level of interest in innovative gaming advances over the past few years.
The problem is, Nintendo devices tend to fly off the shelves at a rapid clip. And even if you manage to find one, spending $250 on blind faith is a pretty daunting task these days. So how can you find out if the 3DS — a handheld gaming device that allows users to play games in stereoscopic 3D without the need for special glasses — is something that should be on your “must-have” list?
It’s rough being a video game icon 
in the transmedia age.
With titles like “Red Faction” and “Halo” starting to expand beyond their gaming roots into novels and television, some of the rights owners for the games that made the industry big in the first place are exploring their options. And it’s not a pretty picture.
David Webb is a core gamer – an enthusiast who 
has a passion for story-driven role-playing games. He’s also a person who knows how completely those games can take over his life. He lost a girlfriend, in part, to excessive playing of World of Warcraft and when a compelling single-player game is released, he goes on self-described “bender” sessions – lasting 12 hours or more.
“My solution has been abstinence, to a large degree,” says Webb (not his real name). “I don’t generally grant myself a single-player game unless it’s reported to have a short playtime – and multiplayer games have to be jump-in, jump-out, like a first person shooter. On rare occasion I’ll buy an role-playing game, but then it’s pizza boxes and soda bottles until I finish. I genuinely feel like an alcoholic with it.”
A slumbering giant appears to be stirring in the 
video game industry — and that could be bad news for Microsoft and Sony.
After quietly sitting on the sidelines for the entire console war, the television industry is starting to get into the fight. Vizio announced plans this week to integrate the OnLive game streaming service into all of its 2011 HD TVs and Blu-ray players, as well as forthcoming smart phones and tablets from the company.
One of the problems with being a 
gamer during the holidays is you get a lot of duplicates of games you already own – or, worse, a collection of titles you never wanted in the first place. And not everyone is kind enough to include a gift receipt.
There’s money in those unwanted games, though – and there are a variety of ways to cash in on them.
Chris Morris: Journalist 