Gamers live

Attorney: Blame Grand Theft Auto in Court, Get Rich

The use of Grand Theft Auto as a scapegoat isn't going anywhere, says law professor Ashley Lipson. The trick is worth too much money.

"A good defense lawyer will blame everyone in sight, except of course the client. When he or she runs out of people to blame, it's time to look around for objects. What could be better than a popular videogame?" Lipson reasoned to the Palm Beach Post.

James Waller, a practicing defense attorney--and gamer--admits to using the tactic. "Portraying your client as the victim of outside forces (be they child abuse, coercion by peers, or an ultra-violent video game industry) humanizes the client and shifts the culpability," he said.

As a gamer, Waller is put in a strange situation by using the "games made me do it" defense. His profession, however, wins out: "Wh...

Office Gaming Good for Business, Claims New Book

The next big trends in business management come from video games, Xbox Live executive David Edery and MIT Business Ph.D. candidate Ethan Mollick argue in their new book "Changing the Game."

In a write-up for The Economist, Edery and Mollick present several game-inspired examples of giving employees strong incentives, improving morale, and marketing products. The two flaunt the case of Microsoft's Windows Vista undergoing testing before its release. Asking busy Microsoft employees to bug-test previous incarnations of the operating system was a tall favor to ask, but by making the mission into a game with points and prizes, Microsoft managed to quadruple employee participation in the testing.

The article also looks at other examples of gaming's success in business, such as advergaming: the creation of games like Sneak King as ...

Dinosaurs Attack in Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Screenshots, Trailer Talks New Adventures

As the fall release window for Obsidian's PC RPG expansion Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir approaches, publisher Atari has provided a glimpse of the dinosaurs that can be found within the NWN2's second expansion pack. Also released? A new trailer.

Guitar Praise Brings Lord to Living Room

Not content with the hedonistic rock-n-roll found in megahit music games Rock Band and Guitar Hero, Christian software publisher Digital Praise is about to unleash Guitar Praise: Solid Rock, GameDaily has uncovered.

Including tracks from Christian bands like Flyleaf, Reliant K and The Crucified, the game encourages players to persevere in their practice: "Crank it up and try again - you'll soon be rockin' with the best while praising the Lord!"

Guitar Praise: Solid Rock is now avail...

Prince of Persia Trailer: Run on the Ceiling

Ubisoft Montreal checks in with the first Prince of Persia development diary, highlighting the open-world structure and ceiling-running ability found in the upcoming platformer. [video]12806[/video] Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

The acrobatic wall-scaling title hits PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year.