While violent video games are getting bombarded with criticism and even legislations, an Iowa State research team finds that non-violent games may enhance pro-social behavior in players. The team, called the Insciences Organisation, conducted a study and found that players who play prosocial games behave more prosocially than those who play other forms. More in the full article.

Games may often get a bad rap in the court room, what with guys like Jack Thompson running around, but  this time it got some positive recognition from the UK House of Commons.

Details in the full article.

Mario games have always been popular in the UK, and Super Mario Galaxy proves it by beating out the likes of Fallout 3, Fable II, and even GTA IV for BAFTA's Best Game Award. The GAME Award this year goes to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, as voted on by gamers.

Full list of winners after the link.

Guinness World Records EIC Craig Glenday put together an unspecified group of industry experts to form a judging panel and rated the most influential games of all time. So who makes it to the top of their list? Keep your favorites in mind, then find out after the jump.

Call the Wii whatever you want, but there's no doubt that it's the best-selling console out in the market right now. And just how much does it earn with each Wii sold? US$ 6. In comparison, Sony loses money with each PS3 sold, while Microsoft is just able to break even with the 360.

That's not the only thing Nintendo's got going for it though. More after the link.

The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) awarded Nintendo's Wii Fit and Capcom's Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G top accolades in this year's Japan Game Awards held during the ongoing Tokyo Game Show. More awardees after the jump.

Brett Ratner makes movies. He directed stuff like the Rush Hour series and the third X-Men movie. Recently, he confirmed to UGO.com's Movie Blog that yes indeedy, he's going to be working on the big screen adaptation of the God of War video game series.

Even if you don't use (or never plan to use) Linux, you at least know about Tux, right? That cute penguin mascot? Back in 2003, Tux debuted in his own jump and run platform game called SuperTux, in the style of the Super Mario series. Now, the game has debuted on the PlayStation 3 thanks to developer kunaldeo. More details in the full article.

Download: SuperTux2

Landmark day for PlayStation 3 homebrew. A Japanese developer has released a NES emulator for the console using BD-J. The program also displays several image types. Details and video of the homebrew in action after the link.

Visit: QJ.NET PS3 Forums, PS3 BD-J NES Emu and Filer
Download: PS3 Filer v0.0.3

Update: Installation instructions after the link.

Like in the UK, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has yielded its place after only a week on top spot in the Japan software charts. Gunning its way on top is Super Robot Taisen Advance Portable. What other games are popular in Japan right now? Check out the full list after the "read more" link below.