Remember little Matty Lovo Jr. who saved himself and his dad last month when he took control of a runaway truck? You know, the little boy hero who asked for a PlayStation 3 live on CNN after the incident. Well, eventually Sony got wind of the 9-year-old's story and decided to give him one.

Matty's dad, Matthew Lovo Sr., was given a lot of offers from folks who wanted to pitch in and give the boy his PS3 but declined while thanking the community. Eventually though, Sony offered to give a console as a gift, and Lovo Sr. agreed. Matty Jr. was given the console on KGW in Oregon last Wednesday.

Kids may say the darndest things, but sometimes it just pays off. Big time.

 

In Portland, Oregon, a nine year old finds himself in the most unusual role of playing the hero - and this time, it's no game. Little tyke Matty Lovo Jr. was able to take control of a runaway truck when his father, Matt Lovo, conked out cold on the wheel. We're talking a 100,000 pound truck carrying lumber down the road here - definitely not your everyday thing that a nine year old would find himself driving, if at all.

The story goes that Matt had just gone unconscious, and at first, Matty thought his father was faking it. So, he went behind the wheel and tried to wake him up. Upon realizing the danger they were in - at that time, they had already drifted over to the wrong side of the road! - he decided to take matters in his own hands. Heroism is an instinct, even with little kids now. Matty seems to think so.

Kyra Phillips of CNN was able to have a chat with the young hero and his father, recounting how the whole ordeal went about. Matty was able to get the truck back onto the right side of the road and managed to use the C.B. radio to call for help. Luckily, another truck driver was able to give Matty some instructions to turn the key and switch off the engine. Soon enough, the truck coasted over to a stop, where someone was finally able to get the father and son out of the truck.

Here's the interesting bit, though. Part of CNN's segment of the report has Kyra Phillips interviewing the father and son:

Phillips: So, Matty, do you consider yourself a hero?
Matt Lovo, Jr.: Yeah.
Phillips: Yeah? And so now that you're a hero, what's next? What are you going to do?
Matt Lovo, Jr.: I don't know.
Matt Lovo, Sr: He keeps telling me he thinks he needs his PlayStation 3 now for a reward.

And why not? Kids these days grow up so fast. One day they're saving lives, then next they want PS3s.

A new video game bill is being reviewed by Oregon lawmakers. The new bill will make it illegal to sell or rent out "ultra-violent" games to gamers under 18.

Representative Arnie Roblan of Coos Bay, Oregon (District 9) sponsored the said bill - House Bill 3511. The bill defines ultra-violent as "a video game depicting serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel." But if a parent or guardian is present or gave consent, a child under 18 can buy a violent game.

The punishment for selling such games aren't defined just yet. Hmm... The bill is a bit vague (at least from this writer's point of view). How does one put fences on what is "heinous, atrocious, or cruel"? And what if a violent game's characters are all aliens or animals? Stay tuned.

Remember that report we did on another murder case where the blame is put on video games? The Klamath Falls (Oregon) case was closed a couple of days ago. And the verdict is? Guilty.

Let's skim over the details again. Patrick Morris shot (several times) and killed 16-year old Diego Aguilar with a 12-gauge shotgun. Morris' account of the murder was a bit vague. He confessed that he and his friends planned a fight against a man (who was staying at the same motel the victim was) who flashed a gun at them.

Defense attorney Robert Abel took the video game defense (popular nowadays, don't you think?). He argued that violent video games, emotional and behavioral disorders, and mind altering mushrooms caused Morris to do it. He moved to have the charges diminished from murder to manslaughter. This was contradicted by the prosecution's expert witness, Dr. Michael Knapp, who said that it was absurd to blame video games for real life crimes.

Judge Marci Adkisson gave a verdict of life imprisonment (with parole after 25 years) and said, "Now you're going to suffer the consequences." Could this possibly be the end of the "I did it because I play video games" defense?

After all of the intense courtroom drama that we've had just a few days ago about video games being involved in murder cases, the situation has turned tail. A defense attorney just claimed that video games made his client "do it." But before we get into the whole mix of things, let's open the court record:

Over at Klamath Falls, Oregon, 20 year-old Patrick Morris is charged with the murder of 15 year-old Diego Aguilar, who died after being shot five times with a 12-gauge shotgun. Ouchie. The story goes that Morris was in a fit of rage and intended to kill Aguilar after finding out that the diamond he received in some drug-related exchange was, in fact, a fake. More on the legalese side of things, to quote KOBI NBC 5:

The attorney for the defense says that violent video games such as Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto may have blurred Morris' ability to distinguish reality and the consequences of his actions.

HOLD IT! After Devin Moore's murder case from a few years back, once again, GTA has been thrown into the mix. Further details of the entire case are still a bit foggy, but whatever the scenario, the on-going debate on violent video games triggering murderous actions will never end. You can't deny the fact that violent games are available in all gaming platforms. But arguing about its influence on a murder... That's something else.

Mature=rated games are under fire again as the Parents Television Council (PTC) is seeking to get ads for violent games off of public transport units in Portland, Oregon and Chicago.

It is well documented that some months back, Boston's MBTA trains had to cease displaying Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories ads because of pressure from concerned parents and other organizations.

In the latest skirmish between parents and M-games, the PTC issued a press release together with the organization Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC) asking Denver's Regional Transport District (RTD) to bar such games from advertising on public transport that reads:

In the latest mass transit controversy, the Parents Television Council (PTC) has partnered with the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC), which led the fight against Boston’s GTA ads. The organizations issued a joint press release yesterday calling upon Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) to reject future ads for games rated M and AO.

Citing ads for Vice City Stories which ran on RTD trains last Fall, the PTC formalized the request at the RTD’s monthly board meeting on Tuesday. PTC Denver Chapter Director George Robison said at the meeting:

Our public transportation network serves more than half the residents of Colorado and is doing them a disservice with its tacit approval for the dangerous content in the Mature-rated video games that are advertised throughout the system. I’m here today to remind Chairman Chris Martinez and the board that they have a responsibility to act in the best interest of those who voted you into these important positions…

The Denver RTD has yet to post an official statement in response to the press release.

Over the past few days, we followed the development of GTA ads which earned the ire of some people who are urging that the ads be pulled down from public places. First there was Boston and Denver. While things are still being protested in those areas, Oregon's TriMet went out of its way and removed the ads.

Now for a change, instead of listing down all states that don't like such kind of games, let's start a new one: states that fell on their knees to such kind of games. Let us begin with Illinois:

Last year, August of 2005 to be exact, the above mentioned state enacted the Sexually Explicit Video Game Law or SEVGL. Accordingly, the objective of the law is to criminalize the sale of "sexually explicit" video games to minors. Also, the law states that those who are in the business should conspicuously label any sexually explicit game with a four square inch label reading "18." On the other hand, Entertainment Software Association together with other similar groups protested the law immediately the following day.

One year after, the case finally reaches to a conclusion: "The district court permanently enjoined enforcement of the law, and the State of Illinois sought review. On appeal, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the lower court's holding that the statue was not narrowly tailored." Why didn't we heard cheering? Hmm.. Well, in simpler terms, the law was unjustified and without basis.

Now we hear the loud applause...

What is the big similarity between Tiger Woods in a tournament and gamers playing Scotland">golf titles from Electronic Arts? It's simple, they all both win too easily. That notion is about to change for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (X360, PS3). Anyone heard of Bandon Dunes before?

Bandon Dunes has the reputation of being the most challenging course in Oregon. It is actually inspired by the link-style courses of Scotland. Aside from the multi-tiered greens, it also features miles of rolling terrains. This is not to mention its grand and splendid Pacific Vistas.

In the game, you might want to give your drive on the black tees a second thought. Why? Because the old saying still holds true - the dunes are capricious. We really want to give you an idea about this Bandon Dunes thing, so we attached several screens and three downloadable videos (for X360).

The real Bandon Dunes is located by the shorelines of the southern coast of Oregon. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is expected for release this fall.

  

Download: [Tiger Woods PGA 07 Xbox 360 Videos]