"We live in what may be the golden age of video games. There has never been a greater selection of games to play, there have never been more ways to buy the games we play, and prices for the games we play have declined. Classic and rare games are finding a second home, and a second chance, on digital distribution services on both the PC and consoles. Everything, on the whole, is getting better. Of course, that means that no one is happy. With anything. Ever..."

"But you wouldn't know it by how often players finish their games. In fact, the attrition (or bounce rate) of video games is pretty pathetic. "What I've been told as a blanket expectation is that 90% of players who start your game will never see the end of it unless they watch a clip on YouTube," says Keith Fuller, a longtime production contractor for Activision."

"And you thought you hated Farmville? A 10-year-old girl, reportedly bored with farm-style video games such as the wildly popular game Farmville, has uncovered a security flaw in mobile video games, CNET reported.

"A man whose son died after playing computer games is campaigning for greater awareness of the risk posed by their excessive use. Chris Staniforth, 20, who would played his Xbox for up to 12 hours, died in May from deep vein thrombosis (DVT). His dad David believes the condition may have been triggered by long gaming sessions and is caused during long periods of immobility."

"Just like video was supposed to have killed the radio star, EA Sports vice president Andrew Wilson is predicting the end of an era in how gamers shop for videogames. The future, he says, is in digital downloads, leaving brick-and-mortar storefronts like GameStop to either adapt and exist solely on the Web, or whither away and die."

"Return to Paris for an extended look at the multiple award-winning Battlefield 3 Operation Metro map!"

"Microsoft is reportedly working on a microtransactions service that would allow users to play games for free while charging for additional features. According to Develop, Redmond is calling on developers to discuss possible free-to-play game deals. Under the free-to-play price structure, players can play the game for free and Microsoft will make its money from in game purchases of different objects or upgrades."

"Game rentals through Redbox are now on, starting today in about 21,000 Wal-Mart stores and gas station locations across the U.S. The cost will be $2 per day and the kiosks will feature Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 titles. Redbox is not commenting on how many game titles they are planning on loading into each kiosk. Those that rent a game from Redbox and keep the title for 30 days will be charged $60, and they can keep the game. From our understanding, there is no plan to send the box to those that end up purchasing a title."

"PWNED #7 is a Battlefield 3 Special. Exclusive access to DICE : Check under the hood of Battlefield 3 as we look at the brand new engine - Frostbite 2 and dig a little deeper. Revisit an old favourite from Battlefield 2 -- Strike at Karkand and more with Niklas Fegreaus, Lead Designer on Back to Karkand and David Spinnier, one of the original map designers on Battlefield 2 as they talk to us about those maps and how they will evolve in Battlefield 3. Lock and Load with Lead Weapons Designer, Alan Kertz as he discusses the Physical Warfare Pack and his weapon of choice.

"There have been plenty of anecdotal associations between gaming and obesity. Now Canadian and Danish researchers have tested the hypothesis that video game playing leads to increased spontaneous food intake; a true test of causation vs. correlation. Their conclusion?