It 
was hardly a secret that 2012 was a rough year for the video game industry. But exactly how bad was it?
The NPD Group has the answer — and it’s not encouraging.
Tag Archives: yahoo
Connecticut town cancels controversial plan to destroy violent games
The 
Connecticut town that raised the ire of gamers when it announced plans to collect and destroy violent video games has changed its mind.
Officials in Southington, which is located just 30 miles northeast of Newtown, the site of last year’s horrific school shooting, opted to cancel the Violent Video Games Return Program amid widespread criticism from both psychologists and leading family-focused sites (including Common Sense Media).
Rest in pieces: Hasbro to replace a classic Monopoly game token
In 
many families, Monopoly fights start long before the property is purchased. Inevitably, every player wants the same playing piece.
Well, it’s time to stand up for your beloved old boot or Scottie dog or thimble, because Hasbro is aiming to get rid of it.
Valve makes the Steam Box official
Valve, 
the creators and caretakers of the incredibly successful PC game distribution service Steam, has been hinting around its plans to move into the living room for more than a year. Apparently, the company has finally put its money where its mouth is.
Valve has invested in the fledgling hardware company Xi3, the maker of small desktop PCs, to create a mini gaming PC.
Nvidia announces ‘Shield’ gaming system
While 
Nvidia has been an important player in the video game industry for years, it has never been a direct competitor to console manufacturers.
That’s about to change.
Sony files patent application to block used games
You 
might be a fan of buying used games, but Sony isn’t.
The company has filed a patent application for technology that would prevent video game consoles from playing used games. That, mixed with rumors about the next-generation systems banning used games, was enough to get gamers (and investors) panicking.
Connecticut town to collect and destroy violent games
As 
Connecticut residents continue to try to come to grips with the horrific school shootings in Newtown, one nearby city is calling on citizens to round up and destroy their violent video games.
On Jan. 12, citizens of Southington, located about 30 miles to the northeast of Newtown, will have the opportunity to visit their city’s drive-in theater and deposit violent games in a trash bin in return for a $25 gift certificate to a family-friendly local attraction.
Your old Super Nintendo cartridges are at risk
While 
the market for old Nintendo games isn’t what it was, say, 20 years ago, plenty of people still love the older systems. But classic cartridges, unfortunately, don’t exactly age well.
The SNES, for example, turns 23 this year. While most of today’s games should have no trouble surviving that long thanks to their use of DVD and Blu-ray formats, the older cartridge technology is suffering.
Foster child finds gun in donated Christmas gift
When 
Sheeba Anderson picked up two bags of donated, pre-wrapped gifts for the six foster children in her home on Dec. 20, she was thinking of the joy that would be on their faces on Christmas morning.
So imagine her surprise when she learned that some unknown Bad Santa had hidden a real gun amidst the toys.
EA removes links to weapon makers from Medal of Honor site
In 
the aftermath of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Electronic Arts has removed links to a collection of weapons manufacturers from the official website of Medal of Honor: Warfighter.
The links, which were pointed out in a New York Times story that ran on Christmas Eve, appeared on a “Partners” page for the game and showcased many of the real-world weapons featured in Warfighter.
Chris Morris: Journalist 