EEG News

Video Game Blamed for England Murder

There is a big controversy brewing in London over a grizzly murder that some are trying to attach to Rockstar North's Manhunt. This is how it started, according to a report on Blue's News:

"(Stefan Pakeerah's) killer, Warren LeBlanc, 17, pleaded guilty to murder and was remanded in custody, pending reports. After the hearing, Stefan's father, Patrick, said the boys used to play 'Manhunt', a game on PlayStation 2, in which players earned points for killing people."

The murder prompted several within the industry to call for calm, reminding people that despite the high-flying rhetoric from a few voices hoping to capitalize on this case, there are no connections between actual violence behavior and violence associated with some mature violent games.

Of course, many don't believe that debate has been settled – even amongst the technorati – who continue to discuss the events over at Slashdot Games.

Still, the controversy has gotten so heated that several retailers have pulled the game from shelves.

This smacks, at best, of self-preservation on the sales side. It's strange to me that those who oppose video games don't go after the retailer chain; after all, there are regulations in place to make sure that underage children don't get their hands on mature rated games. It's not Rockstar's problem if a retailer sells the game to a 10-year old.

The only reason I can come up with is that it's not quite as sexy for those who would seek gain their own fame by praying on bereaved families to go after a store. There may be other reasons, and honestly, I'd like to think everyone is working to bring the killer to justice and find out why he did what he did.

Game "eBay" Repairs PayPal Agreement

The Gaming Open Market and PayPal have made up, according to this Terra Nova blog post, which means it will likely be easier for people to buy and trade virtual items.

The GOM is similar to an eBay for gamers, allowing them to buy and sell items received in games, giving others the opportunity to save time and effort by slogging through games. Ideally, it would promote the game play across the board because players could easily ramp up their skill levels.

Online Games Outpace News, Information Sites

Just over 46 million Americans visited an online game site in May, according to this report from Neilson/Net Ratings. The sites – which mainly comprise simple parlor games – outpaced the news and information counterparts in overall stickiness, with the top five destinations retaining users at least 90 minutes.

Not surprisingly (to those who follow this blog thread), adult women made up the largest segment of online gamers, while teens and children continue to see their overall percentages drop.

"Contrary to popular belief, the online games category is not dominated by males or by teens," said Kaizad Gotla, Internet analyst with Nielsen//NetRatings. "Rather, the popularity of online games appeals to a broad demographic online, especially among middle-aged women."

Here are some interesting facts from the report:
• 51 percent were male while 49 percent were female
• Kids aged 2 to 11 made up seven percent of the audience
• Teens aged 12 to 17 made up 15 percent of online gamers
• 35 to 49 made up 30 percent or 13.7 million users

Online Gaming: It's a Woman Thing

America Online released a study on Tuesday that found women over the age of 40 are more likely to play online games than men of any age, according to this Reuters article. More than a quarter of those women, the survey found, play their favorite games between midnight and 5 a.m. What may be even more surprsing is that of those women who play, 20 percent actually found real-life friendships.

The perception of the gaming population has long been one of hormonally challenged male teens, thanks in part to the industry's roots in the paper-and-pen game Dungeons & Dragons and the rather nerdy history associated with the early days of computing.

However, the game culture has become increasingly fragmented and diversified in the last ten years. It's little shock to me that women are finding their way into online worlds and virtual gaming environments. These are safe, secure environments where they can set their own rules. And, single mothers who can't get out of the house probably find it much easier to pop online than to find a sitter and hit the town.