Blog Posts by Chris Morris

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.

Put another way: That "one more turn" quality so many games possess is keeping criminals off the streets.

Gary and StephyA video game isn't usually considered a particularly romantic form of expression.

But when Gary Hudston's girlfriend Stephy celebrated her 21^st birthday 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.

If video games and traditional toys were to have a secret love child, it might look a lot like the Sifteo cube.

Sifteo Cubes (Sifteo)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.

Eshelman was, at one time, a highly respected attorney, but eventually he "reacted to the pressures of practice as well as the pressures of a troubled home life by retreating into a world of computer and video games," the report from the board said.

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.

From Dust (Ubisoft)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.

With the Wii U releasing sometime next year, Nintendo's hoping to give its predecessor one last big push.

New-look Wii (Nintendo of Europe)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.

Playstation 3 (Sony)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.

"Overall, our strategy is to provide the best entertainment experience at an excellent price," said Andrew House, incoming president and group CEO at Sony Computer Entertainment International.

Ray Rizzo isn't just a Pokemon collector.

Pokemon champ Ray Rizzo (Pokemon Company)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.

Rizzo, the first two-time winner in the organization's four-year history, took the Masters division (for players born in 1995 or earlier) in the video game category. For his efforts, he'll take home an assortment of prizes, including an all-expense paid trip to New York, Japan or Hawaii and plenty of Poke-shwag.