Some guys just don't get it. Remember Erik Estavillo? He was banned from playing Resistance: Fall of Man and the PlayStation Network earlier this year, prompting him to sue Sony for "pain and suffering" caused by the ban, as well as for the money he still had in his PSN account that he can no longer access. His case was dismissed last September 22nd since there was no plausible claim for relief via First Amendment. The case, however, isn't closed just yet folks.

The name Michael Pachter is no stranger in the gaming industry. Every so often, the Wedbush Morgan industry analyst makes a prediction, states an opinion, sometimes even throws a controversial comment. With that said, Pachter will be lending his voice and his knowledge of the industry to keynote the Game Investment Conference this November.

Two years after shooting four people and killing one of them, Jonquel Brooks, now 21, has been sentenced, and now he will be spending the rest of his life in prison all because of a dispute rooted from an allegedly stolen PlayStation 2. Violent video games again? Not this time.

With 13 confirmed cases of the H1N1 Swine Flu in California, Governor Arnie's raised a State of Emergency. If the situation doesn't improve within a month, the E3 Expo might not push through. Despite these risks, the ESA event organizers are optimistic that the E3 will indeed happen, come hell, high water, or pandemic (and by pandemic, I'm obviously not referring to the studio).

Have you ever been to an international championship tournament? Not yet? Well sit up and read cos this may very well be your first chance. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and EVO Championship Series have teamed with Ignition Entertainment to bring you The King of Fighters XII International Championship Tournament. And it's coming very soon, too, so get your game on.

Last year, Gibson Guitar Inc. filed a suit against Activision's Guitar Hero for allegedly violating patent rights. About a year later today, a U.S. District Court in the Central District of California has finally given out its decision, holding that the music game franchise does not infringe on a 1999 Gibson patent, which simulates musical performance using a 3D headset display and stereo speakers. Read more in the full article.

Remember the California game law? You know, the one that wants to restrict the sale and rental of violent video games? Well, they went to the Court of Appeals to challenge the ruling, and guess what they got. Their appeal was denied, and the US Court of Appeals has ruled against the 2005 California gaming law. More in the full article.

Studies on violent video games can be very fickle. One minute violent video games are a healthy way of releasing pent up energy, and the next minute they're murder simulators. Sometimes you just have to wonder if the studies are actually credible.

According to the ECA, the latest one - the one that says violent video games make you more aggressive - is one such example of a study whose credibility is questionable. Right on.

Remember the California video game law? The one that wants to restrict violent video games? Well it's back, and it may even go as far as the US Supreme Court. More in the full article.

This Wednesday, California will be pitching the old anti-violent video game law to the Court of Appeals. This is the same law that received an injunction last year when it was ruled to be a threat to free-speech rights. This would probably get out of hand if Jack Thompson still had a say. It'll be more amusing though.