Blog Posts by Chris Morris

It's tough being a hockey fan these days. With the lockout now in its 27^th day and no substantial negotiations to resolve the situation, fans of the ice are starting to get worried that there may be no season at all this year.

EA, though, is offering a small measure of relief to fans looking to scratch the itch.

In the absence of real games, the publisher is simulating the season via NHL 13 on a week-by-week basis. And while the first week was a short one, it wasn't without a few notable virtual moments.

For the tenth month in a row, video game sales took a shellacking at retail. This time, though, the finger of blame can be pointed squarely at iconic action star, Marcus Fenix.

Last year's Gears of War 3 was such a hot seller that there was really no chance this year's crop of September games could top it. When all was said and done, brick and mortar retail sales of video game software were down 18 percent to $497.4 million, according to The NPD Group.

That was pretty much in line with fairly dire analyst expectation. Also as expected, hardware sales continued to tank, falling 39 percent compared to a year ago.

World of Tanks (Credit: Wargaming)Add PlaySpan to the ever-growing list of video game companies that have been targeted by hackers.

Online thieves and mischief-makers have reportedly released details for two million accounts online, with players of World of Tanks seemingly most at risk.

"When PlaySpan detected the breach, we immediately shut down the hacker's access to our systems and took steps to protect our customers' PlaySpan accounts," the company told Develop. "We then commenced a comprehensive forensic analysis and are working with law enforcement to investigate the crime. As a precaution, we have already locked all user accounts and closed the PlaySpan Marketplace site."

Kids playing Wii at recess (Credit: WPIX)The nation's schools have no choice but to adapt to and embrace technology as they prepare children for the modern world. But sometimes, that might go a little too far.

Pittsburgh's Whitehall Elementary School has found itself in some hot water with parents for its decision to incorporate the Nintendo Wii into its recess program.

Students at the school, which focuses on grades two through five, rotate recess days during the week. Most days kids play outside, but once or twice a week, they stay inside, playing physical games like Just Dance on the Wii, reports Pittsburgh's WPXI.

The big guns of the 2012 holiday season are still in their holsters — and will remain there for several more weeks. But we're calling it right now: Today, Tuesday Oct. 9, is the biggest gaming day of the year.

Sure, Black Ops II and Halo 4 will sell more copies, but in terms of sheer quality, you're not going to see a day like today for a long, long time.

Lambert -- or is that Butler? -- playing Mario KartKevin Butler might be utterly loyal to Sony and the PlayStation, but he's not, you know, real. The comedic executive is played by actor Jerry Lambert, and while he's had a great run with Sony, that relationship appears to be coming to an end thanks to a tire commercial.

The electronics giant has sued Lambert, his production company Wildcat Creek Inc., and Bridgestone Tires for a gaggle of scary charges including breach of contract and (essentially) theft of intellectual property. That property?

Kevin Butler.

Zynga's streak of bad luck just keeps growing.

The social gaming company pre-announced some ugly third-quarter earnings late Thursday and significantly reduced its financial guidance for the year. Now, Wall Street analysts are beginning to wonder aloud if the company will ever be able to turn things around.

"We don't see a floor on the horizon," said Macquarie Securities analyst Ben Schacter. "Our concern has been and remains that while Zynga executed against its first mover advantage on the Facebook platform, off of the platform they are just one of many."

Cliff Bleszinski (Credit: Getty Images)There aren't a lot of celebrity game developers. The profession, by and large, isn't one that lends itself to the limelight. But Cliff Bleszinski has been a rare exception to that rule.

Camera-friendly, highly energetic and never at a loss for words, the design director for such titles as Gears of War and the Unreal franchise was a natural on talk shows like Jimmy Fallon. Yesterday, though, he shocked the industry by announcing plans to leave Epic Games, his video game home for the past 20 years.

Bleszinski hasn't announced his future plans, though they almost certainly will involve game development. For now, he says, he's ready for a rest.