Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)When you sit down to dive into a virtual world, do you choose to swing swords? Rotate blocks? Throw punches? That was the subject of last week's Yahoo! Games poll — "What's your favorite game genre?" — and the results are ready for their close-up.

Though considered by some to be one of the less accessible genres, Role Playing rolled its way to the #1 spot with 31% (2,092) of the votes, edging out the seemingly more popular First-Person Shooter genre, which came inches from victory with 29% (1,980). Considering games like Skyrim and Modern Warfare 3 were among the best-sellers of 2011, it's not exactly a shocking one-two punch.

Long for the good old days of coin-op arcades?

We do, but thanks to throwback apps like Midway Arcade, we can at least scratch our classic gaming itch without borrowing a time machine and a bag of quarters.

And with one of the 10 free codes we're giving out later today, you won't need any quarters, either.

It's one thing to lose a game to a friend or online opponent, but can your ego handle being trounced by your cat?

You vs. Cat (Friskies)

Friskies, who already made waves by creating a series of single-player video games for your favorite feline, has unveiled the industry's first multiplayer -- and, as far as we can tell, multi-species -- game. And early evidence shows that cats are better at it than us.

The aptly named iPad game "You vs. Cat", which is being shown at this week's South-by-Southwest conference, is a lot like air hockey. Pet owners flick an animated piece of cat food towards a goal, while the cat pulls a Hope Solo and tries to deflect it, generally by pouncing on the tablet.

By Derrick J. Lang, Associated Press

Portal 2 (Valve)SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — "Portal 2" leapt over the competition to win the most trophies at the Game Developers Choice Awards.

The witty sci-fi puzzler developed by Valve Corporation topped the 12th annual extravaganza Wednesday with three wins, but it was Bethesda Softworks' role-playing saga "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" that took home the night's top prize. "Portal 2" won trophies for best game design, narrative and audio, while "Skyrim" was honored as game of the year.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (EA)2012 continues to be a real stinker for the video game industry.

Video game software sales were down 23 percent in February compared to 2011 figures, according to the NPD Group.

Hardware sales were down 18 percent, but that's a somewhat deceiving number as last February saw the launch of the Nintendo 3DS, which burst out of the gate before slumping. The Xbox 360 topped hardware sales for the seventh consecutive month.

While it might run counter to most people's common sense, the hottest trend in the video game industry these days is giving away games for free.

Smurf's Village (Capcom)Whether it's new titles, like "Smurfs' Village" on iPhone or old standards like "EverQuest," publishers are in a race to offer free-to-play games — sometimes known as "freemium" games — and in many cases, it's making them a fortune.

By offering well-known games — or new titles (generally featuring popular franchises) for free, publishers are tapping into people's bargain-hunting nature. And in fishing for those new players, they often find a whale.

The next game in the chart-topping Angry Birds franchise is headed to the stars. And to show off some of its cool new features, developer Rovio decided to head up there, too.

Or at least they had the good sense to let a professional handle the demo duties.

In a killer video, NASA astronaut Don Pettit shows off the game's new interstellar physics while lounging in the comfy confines of the International Space Station:

Mass Effect, Madden. Tomato, To-mah-to.

Some customers of online retailer Newegg got a rather unwelcome surprise earlier this week, when a screw-up by the company resulted in them getting a copy of the six-month-old 'Madden NFL 12' instead of the brand new 'Mass Effect 3' they were expecting.

A Kotaku reader alerted the site to the mix-up, forwarding a note the company sent out to what was no doubt a confused -- and somewhat ticked off -- customer base.