"First off, I have absolute proof that video games are not the cause of this epidemic of youth violence in America. No, really, I do. Ready?

There is no epidemic of youth violence in America.

The whole concept is a lie manufactured, distributed and perpetuated by the media. Kids are not killing each other more frequently than they used to. In fact, it turns out the opposite is true.

It doesn't take a genius to conclude that violent crime is at the lowest it has been in a good thirty y..."

"Real news from the virtual world:

_BEST OF 2008 (SO FAR): E3, the video-game industry's big trade show, is next week, and you'll be hearing a lot about all the new software coming between now and Christmas. But there's a bit of a lull until Aug. 12, when "Madden NFL 09" unofficially marks the beginning of the fall game season. July is a good time to catch up on some of the games you may have missed. Here are the best of the year so far:

1. "Grand Theft Auto IV" (Rockstar, for the Xbox 3..."

"Melodrama evokes a universe where a cosmic struggle between good and evil is being waged, a struggle that nevertheless remains hidden behind everyday appearances. Only at moments of heightened emotional intensity does evidence of this other world break through into our own. Melodrama tries to make this otherworldly struggle that structures our own existence visible through elaborate staging effects, a heightened delivery, and a reliance on gestural as opposed to verbal language.

That sound..."

"The average age of a video game customer now hovers around the late twenties to early thirties. The variation on either side of that average reveals a fascinating picture, too. Many of the first generation of child gamers now approaching their forties have children of their own. Whole families now gather around a game console, just as in previous generations the family gathered to watch a video or Morecambe & Wise on TV or to play Monopoly together.

If you don't play videogames, you may co..."

"Nothing's perfect. Stare closely enough at anything - even a masterpiece - and you're bound to find flaws sooner or later. They might be small. They might be insignificant. They might not detract from the overall quality of the piece at all...

Except when they really, really do. With these seven games, in fact, you don't need to stare. Their flaws are so huge, so obvious, so frustrating and so effing obnoxious that you can't help but notice them, despise them and wonder how the damn things..."

"Did Sony make a mistake by not stocking store shelves with 80GB consoles during this crucial period in the console life cycle? They’re on the upswing after a poor launch, but could they have garnered even more sales during the first half of 2008? With the enormous launch of Grand Theft Auto IV in April, how many gamers chose the Xbox 360 version of the game because they couldn’t get backwards compatibility in a PS3 and didn’t want to wait? How many of those customers bought an Xbox 360 instea..."

"Even though GTA the quatro has only been out a few weeks, you’d think we would’ve seen it all by now. But that kind of thinking is foolish! Like you, we’re discovering astounding new details every day, and we’re not talking major features like the new aiming system or the wacky shit the colorful locals have to say. We’re focusing on all the small touches that go into making Niko and Liberty City feel well-rounded and three dimensional. And while some of these things aren’t “new” per se to gam..."

"Sure, you can steal cars and beat up random people in Liberty City, but that's not enough. It's not EVIL. Join the Slobs in a feast of depravity and violence as they showcase the most inhuman things you can do in Grand Theft Auto 4..."

"To me, a political science college major and a gamer, both sides need to learn to get along–the sooner, the better. Somewhere along the line it became commonplace to ignore Washington if you had a controller in your hands, and somehow that has to change.

The political apathy of many gamers today is getting ridiculous. Many gamers rarely vote and most of them don’t know any of the current candidates’ stances on video games (especially Clinton’s wonderful dreams of censorship). This apathy h..."

"So to test out exactly how free the experience is, we decided to see how far we could get through the game's story without committing a single illegal act, documenting it every step of the way, (For the purposes of our own sanity, though, we're discounting things like speeding, trespassing, running red lights, public intoxication, reckless driving and accidental damage to property as "crimes." If doing it in front of a cop doesn't get you in trouble, it's not technically illegal.)"

"With Mother’s Day comes the time to exalt all things Mammy. But you’ll forgive us if we don’t honor their sacrifice in a Hallmark kitty-cat, "I wuv you thiiiis much" kind of way. Take it from the Lotharios at GamesRadar: The highest compliment you can pay any woman is one pertaining to her physical attractiveness. Whoops, hollers and catcalls - ladies just can't get enough of it."

"The biggest game of the year deserves the most in-depth face-off piece yet produced by anyone, anywhere, so we've massively upgraded the scope of our coverage and the amount of 'assets' you can view. There's still the same 720p and 1080p 24-bit RGB screengrabs taken from both versions of the game of course, this time using the new Digital Foundry TrueHD capture station, so why not take a look with the first of our galleries, featuring general gameplay shots?

Comparison videos appear to be ..."

"There is a pandemic going around in the world and it’s called the GTA IV bug. I don't want to be misunderstood, I really liked this latest title from Rockstar but I feel that all the editors in the world, with very few exceptions, are attending group therapy in a brothel. I also don't want to imply there's a black contract between the publishers and all the major gaming sites (maybe that's a good idea for another time) because the purpose of this article is entirely different."

"As of late, much of my time has been spent in the friendly confines of Liberty City, and my wife has been extremely tolerant of my gaming time. Last weekend we were about to go out to eat, so I began shutting the game down when the thought popped in my head, “After watching me play for hours, I wonder if my wife wants a turn?” She was sitting on the couch next to me, so I extended the controller to her and asked, “You wanna drive around for a bit?” She replied, “Sure, why not.” During her tim..."

"It's all related to realism or their attempt at it. All the fun of the old GTAs has been severely reduced because you cant do stuff any more. The driving; you used to be able to fling the cars around at almost max speed - it was really fun. Now they are forcing you to drive slow at corners or you skid off. When you roll out of a car, you take tons of damage - it used to be much less. The driving isn't even realistic, ask anyone who drives. Someone on a forum joked that their Vauxhall Corsa ca..."

The idea of a female gamer as a commodity, I think, is horribly outdated now. Since women have entered the video game world, though, even more stereotypes have developed, many regarding the type of games we prefer. Also very misleading.

But I’m not going to argue with your preconceptions of female gamers. Instead, I bring you yet another GTA IV related editorial. “But RCG, you’ve never posted anything on GameGrep!” That’s because I write for Neoseeker, so normally everything I write w...

"One of the things that Rockstar has always managed to do with spin-offs, (feigned) sequels and new IP, is convince the industry that it’s something worth noticing because it’s something worth playing. The revolutionary step from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to Grand Theft Auto IV is almost staggering, if you neglect the missing airplanes and a slightly smaller play-area. But all of what is absent in this newer GTA from San Andreas is made up for in generationally satiated content (a.k.a next..."

"LOS ANGELES — There's no Burger King tie-in or special flavor of Mountain Dew. No commercial directed by Peter Jackson, or even an action figure.

The run-up to "Grand Theft Auto IV" has been considerably less ballyhooed than last year's over-the-top "Halo 3" debut.

Yet when "GTA IV" parks on store shelves on April 29, the latest entry in the controversial video game franchise could be the most lucrative launch in entertainment history — and one that many people may not even know about."

"Game-industry critics object to any overt or implied elements of sex or racism that crop up in the course of play. Often, the gaming community's knee-jerk defense against these critics is to contend that they don't know what they're talking about. In many cases, this is true. But in their haste to polish their pet medium's reputation, gamers ignore the other side of the coin — namely that, in some instances, the bluenoses have a point.
The truth is that some games are irresponsible in regar..."

"Grand Theft Auto IV baby! It’s the game of the year no matter how you spin it. Seriously, what else are you looking forward to (Metal Gear Solid 4)? Although, this M rated masterpiece begs the question: how do the youngins get their play on? Surely they’ll get carded at the gates of GameStop, leaving them with no way to experience Niko’s hustle through the newly revamped streets of Liberty City. Why waste that expensive marketing campaign and all that street hype on just the big kids? Well, T..."

"Heroes, cities and decades change, but in the world of Grand Theft Auto, the hard-working hooker will forever remain. No matter what the year or console, we can always count on her to patrol our virtual streets.

Isn't it time, then, that this beloved gaming icon received the spotlight she deserves? And more importantly, isn't it fun to laugh at really cruddy last-gen graphics? We think so - which is why we've rounded up every prostitute we could find and pitted them against each other in a..."

"You might have noticed that a little game going by the title GTA 4 is due out in just over a week. Even if you haven't been caught up in the euphoric hype across every gaming forum on the internet, chances are you've seen the trailer on TV, seen a 10/10 review in a magazine or heard people talking about it at work. To say Grand Theft Auto 4 is hyped is quite possibly the understatement of the year, with people expecting the game to be what dreams are made of. The problem is, can it, or any hi..."

"Can you think of anything bigger than the launch of GTA 4 on April 29? We sure can't and we're already putting together our plan for how to best play the game while also getting some work done. We want you guys to get the most out of the game too though, so we've put together our Top 10: Ways To Survive GTA 4. Our simple to follow 10 steps will get you prepared for the big day and get you through it without incident. So panic no more, GTA 4 wonderment is just around the corner and we've got y..."

"What is art? It’s a fairly straightforward question, yet it encompasses a limitless amount of correct answers. Art is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, especially in the production of aesthetic objects. What happens then, when the physical aspect is removed?

The other day, I asked my friend’s father, one of the most level-headed people I know, if he considered film to be a form of art. I was hit with a rapid response confirming that ye..."

"First of all, the credits. The crew is EXACTLY the same as that from the introduction to San Andreas. I can imagine Rockstar is a relatively tight-knit family, and who would give up what for many developers would the dream job of working for them? But things change, San Andreas is four years old and I doubt there is a company on the planet that hasn’t changed just a little in the last 4 years.

Secondly, the style is exactly the same as that of San Andreas. The only difference is the artwor..."

"Sony’s Scott Steinberg was recently quoted at GameDaily Biz as saying that the 360-exclusive downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV wasn’t going to be a big deal. My first inclination was to say that the man was smoking crack, but after further thought... I’m not too sure."

""I find censorship today in Australia a mass of confusing and conflicting laws..." -- Bill Hayden, Former Governor-General of Australia

Dark Sector, Manhunt, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, Reservoir Dogs, BMX XXX, Blitz: The League, and Postal 2. What do all these games have in common?

All of the above games are banned for sale in Australia, casualties of our country's strict games classification system. While other forms of media (such as films and DVDs) have ratings..."

"How close was this deal to happening? Reporters at Variety (and, I have since learned, other publications) were preparing their stories based on conversations with the studio in question. Internally at Take 2, people were talking about it as a done deal. Then at the last minute, it all fell apart. I'm told Take 2 couldn't finalize terms with the studio, though I'm not sure if it was a purely financial issue or if, in the end, the publisher got cold feet about giving away rights to its baby.
..."

"Today should have been another landmark world-changing day for Rockstar. If everything had gone according to plan, we'd have been on extended hiatus while Grand Theft Auto IV's incredibly detailed world sucked us in like a vacuum. But it wasn't to be."