Video games have been 
blamed for a lot of bad things, but new research from a trio of institutions indicates that crime isn’t one of them.
Research from the Centre for European Economic Research (also known as ZEW), Baylor University and the University of Texas at Arlington showed games reduce the number of criminal incidents by keeping potential assailants, thieves and other ne’er-do-wells occupied.
A video game 
isn’t usually considered a particularly romantic form of expression.
But when Gary Hudston’s girlfriend Stephy celebrated her 21stbirthday this week, he relied on a game to help express his feelings — and what resulted is one of the best video game marriage proposals of all time.
Educational games get a 
bad rap, but occasionally you’ll find a game that manages to teach you something without becoming a snoozefest. Learn a thing or two with these 10 terrific educational titles.
If video games and 
traditional toys were to have a secret love child, it might look a lot like the Sifteo cube.
Introduced as a prototype at a TED conference in 2009, the gadget/toys are a fusion of classic building blocks and cutting-edge tech. And while it’s a bit early to label the Sifteo this year’s frenzy-inducing hot holiday toy, don’t be surprised if it ends up on a lot of gamer wish lists.
Matthew Eshelman found 
himself on the receiving end of a three-year suspension from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary board last week. The reason? Video games.
The Pennsylvania attorney says a video game addiction is to blame for his sloppy legal work over the past four years that resulted in 17 complaints about mishandled cases.
Regardless of how effective
it might be at combating PC game piracy, Ubisoft’s DRM (digital rights management) program is quickly growing into a public relations disaster.
Just a few weeks after proclaiming it would require owners of its upcoming Driver: San Francisco to remain online as they played the game, the company has backtracked, bowing to a flood of protests and catcalls from gamers who view the piracy protection system as being intrusive.
Madden 12 won’t be 
the only football being played on the PlayStation 3 this fall.
Sony and DirectTV have teamed up to bring the satellite company’s hit NFL Sunday Ticket service to the game console, marking the first time people who don’t subscribe to DirecTV will be able to get access to the subscription service.
With the Wii U 
releasing sometime next year, Nintendo’s hoping to give its predecessor one last big push.
For the first time since its introduction in 2006, the Wii has gotten a facelift. Rather than being designed to stand vertically, the buttons on the new streamlined system are labeled for horizontal placement. It’s a small shift, but one that will make the system easier to integrate with other audio/visual components, like your cable box and other consoles. It’s also one that comes with a hitch.
The 2011 holiday 
price wars have begun.
During the Gamescom event in Germany on Tuesday, Sony cut the global price of the PlayStation 3 from $299 to $249, positioning the company for a tremendous holiday season. The price drop is effective immediately.
Ray Rizzo isn’t 
just a Pokemon collector.
He’s a Poke-champ.
For the second year in a row, the 18 year-old from New Jersey has been named the Pokemon video game world champion, topping competitors from around the world in the Pokemon World Championships, an invitation-only event that wrapped up this weekend in San Diego.
Chris Morris: Journalist 