Blog Posts by Chris Morris

Video game industry critics have long held that people who play violent games become less affected by real world tragedies. Now they might have some science backing them up.

Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar Games)Researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany say a new study finds brain activity from heavy gamers is noticeably different than that of non-players -- and that violent games could be "emotionally desensitizing" after extended exposure.

The results from the study, which were published in the scientific journal Biological Psychology, are bound to be a source of controversy.

After setting five-year retail sales lows for the past three months, the video game industry finally showed signs of life in September — although those vitals weren't as strong as some industry observers were expecting.

Madden NFL 12 (EA Sports)Year-over-year sales were down 4 percent overall, but game software sales (the most closely followed statistic) were up 3 percent, the first positive growth in months.

Analysts had been looking for a jump in software sales of between 4 and 10 percent.

The hardware numbers were fairly abysmal. Sales of console and handheld game systems were down 9 percent, despite the release of several high-profile titles.

Everyone needs a work break now and then. Between meetings, meetings to prepare for other meetings, and meetings to discuss what happened in those other meetings, even the most dedicated employee needs to shift his or her focus away from the grind, if only for a few minutes.

And games are a great way to clear your head.

Playing a round of Angry Birds on your iPhone is a little too obvious, though, and odds are your company's IT department (not to mention HR) frowns on your idea of installing World of Warcraft on your work PC.

Tim Schafer is responsible for some of the most critically-acclaimed titles in the video game industry. But when word came down that he and his team at Double Fine Productions would be making a Sesame Street game for Microsoft Kinect, it caught everyone by surprise.

Sesame Street: Once Upon a MonsterSchafer's games -- which include cult-hit Psychonauts and heavy metal adventure romp Brütal Legend -- are known for their quirky, adult sense of humor, making the jump to the most famous name in children's programming a little bizarre.

As it turns out, though, it might be the perfect move for both Schafer and the show.

Nolan Bushnell (Getty Images)Nolan Bushnell is a man with big ideas.

In 1972, he founded Atari, laying the foundation for the video game industry we know today. Five years later, he bought a pizza chain from Warner Communications and built it into Chuck E. Cheese.

Now, the serial entrepreneur and tech visionary says mind control could be the next big step for video games.

Plenty of people are celebrating Netflix' decision to scrub plans to separate its DVD-by-mail and streaming services, but nowhere are the cheers louder than at the corporate HQ of leading video game rental company, GameFly.

In his note announcing the reversal of the controversial decision, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings made no mention of earlier plans to add video games to the company's rental collection -- and many think the plan might have been abandoned.

"We are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs," he wrote on the company's blog. "This means no change: one website, one account, one password… in other words, no Qwikster. … We value our members, and we are committed to making Netflix the best place to get movies & TV shows."

Notice that video games were distinctly left out of that message.

Electronic Arts, which has struggled with its basketball titles for the past couple of years, now has another hardwood woe: One of the game's all-time greats.

Bill Russell (Getty Images)Former Boston Celtic center Bill Russell has sued the company over the use of his likeness in its "Tournament of Legends" feature in the NCAA basketball franchise.

Russell, who was named NBA MVP five times and remains the winningest player in history with 11 championship rings, alleges his image was used without permission and without compensation. He's seeking to block future sales of the game and receive a share of the profits from previous ones.

His beef isn't solely with EA. Russell, 77, is just as upset at the NCAA itself for licensing out his likeness from his college days without paying him. Russell led the University of San Francisco to championships in 1955 and 1956.

Long before home consoles were a staple in every living room, game geeks looking for a fix would head down to the local mall to feed quarters into coin-op acade machines, happily wiling away the hours.

Unfortunately, the glory days of the arcades — the 70s and 80s — are a distant memory.

You can thank the evolution of the video game industry for that. The rise of the home console fundamentally changed the way we played, just as mobile and social games are now clawing into time spent staring at the TV on the couch. But in the past few years, an unlikely resurgence has started taking shape. Arcades are once again becoming en vogue.

They've just grown up with their audience.