As part of its ongoing attempts to protect youth from video games, the Thailand government has officially banned five video games from sale within the country and established a set of guidelines to help prevent access to "dangerous games."

The government claims that gaming is "a problem which is obsessive and has an (adverse) effect on the behavior of children and teens," going by a translation of an official press release by CNET Asia writer Jesada Chandraprasert.

The five banned games are as follows:

• Hitman
• 300
• Killer 7
• Hitman: Blood Money
• 50 Cent Bulletproof

The above represents almost half of a Thailand-issued list of dangerous and banned video games. As GamePolitics notes, Thailand's list curiously mirrors an earlier list of influential violent games that was penned by Detroit prosecutor Kym Worthy.

While Grand Theft Auto IV is not technically banned in Thailand, the government has essentially banned the game by halting its sale and distribution... Read more

Despite Microsoft's past efforts to prevent Xbox Live account hijacking, the theft of Halo 3 multiplayer producer Joe Tung's account has pulled the issue back to the forefront.

The hijacking was not the result of sophisticated computer wizardry, but rather "social engineering," the act of creatively lying to customer service representatives to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. Xbox Live stores credit card information, and while hackers are unable to steal that information for their own use, they can make unauthorized purchases from a stolen account

Tung is far from alone, as account hijackings are not uncommon among players of Bungie's online behemoth Halo 3. He is not even the only Bungie employee to be a victim of such thieves. But his position makes his case the highest profile to date.

Microsoft claims it previously retrained customer service employees ... Read more

Not crediting the entirety of a game's development staff is "disrespectful of the effort of the game developers who worked on the game, and misleads both consumers and game industry peers," according to IGDA chairperson Jen MacLean.

The statement comes in response to word that Mythic will only credit current staff members for its upcoming PC MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, a move that excludes ex-staffers, such as one that worked on the game for three years.

"Everyone who is currently at Mythic who's worked on Warhammer is going to be in the credits," studio VP Mark Jacobs said of the policy. " And that's good enough for me."

While Mythic's policy is the latest example of improper accreditation, the IGDA affirmed that incomplete credits "are not unusual." In a recent IGDA study, 35% of respondents claimed they "don't ever" or "only sometimes" receive a mention in a game's credits.

The current lack of an industry-wide crediting policy and the abundance of accreditation issues was the impetus behind the International Game Developer... Read more

Following complaints that Mythic's upcoming Warhammer Online (PC) will not recognize the contributions of its former staff members, studio general manager Mark Jacobs has stated his belief that crediting the launch team is "good enough."

"If you're part of the team when we launch, you deserve to be in the credits. No question about it. That, in my estimation, is what the credits are for," he explained to MTV Multiplayer. "Everyone who is currently at Mythic who's worked on Warhammer is going to be in the credits. And that's good enough for me."

The issue came up earlier this week when an ex-Mythic employee told Shacknews they were not being credited for their three years of work on Warhammer Online.

They elaborated that uncredited work has been an "ongoing problem in this industry for many years," adding that that "the actual people who do the menial tasks... Read more

A version of Space Invaders in which the aliens destroy the World Trade Center towers has now caught the attention of Space Invaders developer Taito.

The Japanese company is threatening legal action over the game, which it calls an "unauthorized and impermissible misuse" of its franchise content.

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The motion-controlled game in question, created by Douglas Stanley and presented at the Leipzig Games Convention, portrays a slow-moving alien attack on the Twin Towers. No matter how fast players attack the aliens, the towers inevitably fall.

Alongside the installation, pictures of George W. Bush in a flight suit and a gun-toting John Wayne are interspersed between scenes from films such as Independence Day and Die Hard, according to Kotaku. A press release for the game calls it an "articulated and critical commentary about the current war strategy."

Developer Taito, which released the original Space Invaders... Read more

EA-owned developer Mythic Entertainment will not be recognizing former staff members that contributed to its upcoming PC MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, the studio has confirmed with Shacknews.

"Over the years, we've had hundreds of people work on the game, and we thank everyone who helped us bring our Warhammer passion to life, but only current employees that have continued until the end will be credited in the final game," Mythic VP and general manager Mark Jacobs told Shacknews.

"Accreditation in Warhammer Online recognizes the incredible team that has poured their heart and soul into making WAR an amazing MMORPG experience," he added.

An ex-employee of Mythic, who requested anonymity, described the surprisingly frequent move as "dogging out many, many developers."

"This has been an ongoing problem in this industry for many years," they informed Shacknews, while expressing confidence that their work appears in the final product. "I spent three years on WAR and I, including many other people who spent... Read more

Game makers should be prosecuted for the criminal activities of players that are inspired by game content and actions, according to a Thailand government official.

The response stems from the recent murder of a Thai cab driver, with the 18-year old murder suspect telling police he was attempting to recreate a scene from Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV. The game has since been pulled from store shelves in Thailand.

"When a player copycats a crime he or she sees in the game, the game maker should be prosecuted," Somchai Jaroen-amnuaysuk, deputy director of Thailand's Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups Office, told AsiaOne, as relayed by GamePolitics.

"Prosecutions will automatically force game makers to act more... Read more

A Thai video game distributor has pulled Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, 360) from retailer shelves after an 18-year-old high school student confessed to killing a taxi driver while recreating a scene from Rockstar's open-world action title.

According to Reuters, the teenager told Thai police that "he wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in a game."

The youth faces death by lethal injection if found guilty of robbing and killing the 54-year-old taxi driver, pending further investigations and a trial.

"We are sending out requests today to outlets and shops to pull the games off their shelves and we will replace them with other games," said New Era Interactive Media marketing director Sakchai Chotikachinda. "We are also urging video... Read more

Regulators at the Federal Communications Commission will rule that communications giant Comcast violated U.S. federal policy by throttling network performance of the BitTorrent file sharing protocol, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Comcast claimed it throttled traffic to prevent its network from being bogged down by heavy users of the file-sharing protocol. While BitTorrent is regularly used for legitimate purposes—Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Online (PS3) employs the service to distribute patch updates—it is often utilized to share movies, music, and other copyrighted data.

Comcast is expected to challenge the decision, which also requires the company to make its practices explicit to its customers. If successfully upheld, the ruling would set a precedent restricting communications companies such as Comcast from selectively limiting data speeds for particular services.

No fine was given as part of the ruling, which requires Comcast to stop blocking or slowing internet traffic and make its practices clearer to its customers... Read more

The outrage and accusations of racism sparked by the first Resident Evil 5 (PS3, 360) trailer were entirely unexpected by developer Capcom, RE5 producer Jun Takeuchi told MTV Multiplayer.

"No, we certainly didn't anticipate the reaction," Takeuchi said. "We think it was a bit of a misunderstanding when we published the first images of the game back in the day. And we think that as we move along and allow people to see more the game and more of what's going on and more of the story, people will get a better idea of the game."

Consumers and gaming journalists alike have offered criticism of the trailer following its debut almost a year ago. Last April, Newsweek tech editor N'Gai Croal said that the trailer contained imagery which was "dovetailed with classic racist imagery."

"There are black members in the development team," Takeuchi offered. "We do have staff working on the game, who are aware of the historical background... Read more

Sexual predators are making use of Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360's online gaming functionality to pursue children, according to a USA Today report.

Michigan State Police Detective Lt. Thomas Kish stated that predators view video games as a "foot in the door" to get access to children, adding that "child predators are migrating from traditional methods to alternate media."

"They are going to places where children are," Kish noted.

The report makes note of several instances in which predators employed online games such as Blizzard's World of Warcraft (PC) to meet children, and another instance in which a man sent a 10-year-old boy explicit video via Xbox Live while... Read more

Just 2,676 people stepped forward to file claims in the "Hot Coffee" class action lawsuit against Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PC, PS2, Xbox) developer Rockstar Games, amounting to a payout of less than $30,000, according to the New York Times.

Per the terms of the settlement, customers offended by the so-called "Hot Coffee" content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas—essentially amounting to a sex minigame accessible only by altering the game's code—could submit compensatory claims of $5 to $35 each, or a revised edition of the title stripped of the offending code.

GTA publisher and Rockstar parent company Take-Two estimates that the claims will amount to less than $30,000—much less than the $1.3 million in legal fees the company racked up dealing with the lawsuit.

"Am I disappointed? Sure," said lead plaintiff attorney Seth R. Lesser. "We can't guess as to why now, several years later, people care or don't care. The merits ... Read more

The New York State Assembly almost unanimously passed a bill proposing an advisory council for videogames this week, reports GamePolitics.

Introduced by Staten Island Republican Sen. Andrew Lanza, the bill creates "an advisory council on interactive media and youth violence," and mandates that consoles be equipped with controls "to prevent the display of violent or indecent video games," such as the parental lock functions available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

In the final minutes of argument, Senator Lanza said that while videogames deserves recognition under the U.S. Constitution as protected speech, the aim of the bill is to bring government oversight to game ratings beyond the service provided by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.

"I want to be clear. This bill does not prohibit the sale of any video to anyone," the Senator said. "This simply says that every video game sold in the state of New York simply should have a rating consistent with what the ESRB does presently... Read more

Those who caught the latest Resident Evil 5 trailer might have noticed a slightly more racially diverse zombie horde than in the game's debut clip, which sparked outcries of racism due to its African setting and primarily black cast of enemies.

But Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi told Kotaku that the controversy didn't prompt any change in the title's production, and had no effect on the design.

"In terms of the reaction, we're in the business of entertainment," Takeuchi stated. "We didn't set out to make a racist game or a political statement. We did feel there was a misunderstanding about the initial trailer."

The trailer also saw the introduction of Chris Redfield's possibly cooperatively controlled partner, who was described by the report as "ethnically ambiguous." When asked of her debut, the producer said that her inclusion reached... Read more

Following the Chicago Transit Authority's decision to stop carrying advertisements for Grand Theft Auto IV, publisher Take-Two Interactive has sued the CTA.

In the suit, Take-Two claims the CTA's unexplained removal of the ads violates its free speech and contractual rights. Reuters reports the company is seeking a settlement of at least $300,000 along with the reinstatement of the materials.

"The CTA has refused to discuss with us its outrageous decision to pull advertising," Take-Two told GameSpot, "while running ads for other forms of popular entertainment with similar content, including mature-themed TV shows and R-rated movies,"

The $300,000 advertising campaign, which included banners on city buses and bus stops, was scheduled to run for six weeks. Within the first week, local news affiliate Fox News questioned the CTA's decision to advertise the controversial game, with the ads removed shortly thereafter. At the time, the CTA said that Take-Two would not be charged for the campaign.

The ads include no overtly violent, sexual or otherwise graphic materials that would traditionally prohibit advertisements from running in public. The situation resembles that of past non-explicit GTA ads that still managed to spark months of controversy.

Riding the wave of controversy, Mothers Against Drunk Driving marks the latest organization to protest yesterday's release of Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360).

Specifically, the group takes issue with "a game module where players have to drive drunk" as "drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime...not a game."

Though Shacknews is certainly understanding of MADD's concerns, the staff has yet to experience a mission where drunk driving is mandatory. In fact, the game recommends that players make use of a taxi once drunk.

Due to this content, MADD is calling on the Electronic Software Ratings Board to re-rate the game as an Adults Only title, as well as asking developer Rockstar to "consider a stop in distribution."

Grand Theft Auto IV is not the first title in the series to feature drunk driving. In 2002's GTA: Vice City (PC, PS2, Xbox), a mission from Phil Cassidy called "Boomshine Saigon" required players to drive to the hospital while drunk, causing blurred vision and loose driving controls.

Advertisements for Rockstar North's upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360) will be pulled from city buses despite no explicit or otherwise inappropriate material in the ads, GamePolitics reports.

Chicago's local Fox News affiliate questioned the posting of ads for Grand Theft Auto IV on buses and buildings of the Chicago Transit Authority in the wake of a rash of shooting incidents in the city. Shortly thereafter, CTA president Rob Huberman told Fox News that the ads would be removed.

The ads include no overtly violent, sexual or otherwise graphic materials that would normally prohibit advertisements from running on city buses.

The report notes that GTA ads had been criticized previously in Chicago and other urban areas. In 2004, Governor Rod Blagojevich spoke out against transit ads for Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Two years later, Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston forced the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority to pull ads for GTA Vice City Stories.

Grand Theft Auto IV ships for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 29.

A proposal to restrict the sale of violent video games in Massachusetts has caused famed horror author Stephen King (pictured left), who admits he is no fan of video games, to speak out against what he refers to as the government's surrogate parenting.

"According to the proposed bill, violent video games are pornographic and have no redeeming social merit," he wrote in an Entertainment Weekly column. "What makes me crazy is when politicians take it upon themselves to play surrogate parents. The results of that are usually disastrous. Not to mention undemocratic."

Designated HB 1423, the state legislation would limit the sale of violent video games to anyone under the age of 18. "Which means, by the way, that a 17-year-old who can get in to see Hostel: Part II would be forbidden by law from buying (or renting, one supposes) the violent but less graphic Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," King pointed out. "If there's violence to be had, the kids are gonna find a way to get it."

Instead of a state-mandated restriction on violent game sales--many of which have been found to be unconstitutional in the past--King suggested that parents make an effort to take a more active role in raising their children as video games are not the only readily available source of violence in America.

"There's a lot more to America's culture of violence than Resident Evil 4," he explained. "Parents need to have the guts to forbid material they find objectionable...and then explain why it's being forbidden. They also need to monitor their children's lives in the pop culture--which means a lot more than seeing what games they're renting down the street."

Update: A moderator on Creative's official forums said that the company will allow Daniel_K to pursue development of custom Vista drivers, provided that none of Creative's intellectual properties are distributed.

"It was decided we would bring back the Audigy Support Pack thread and allow [Daniel_K] to continue in that endeavor," the moderator wrote. "As long as no intellectual property of Creative is distributed, we will have no problem with it."

Original Story: Once again making a controversial public stand, sound card manufacturer Creative Labs has demanded that custom driver developer Daniel_K stop creating software to enable previously unsupported technology with Creative hardware in Windows Vista.

"By enabling our technology and IP to run on sound cards for which it was not originally offered or intended, you are in effect, stealing our goods," corporate communications VP Phil O'Shaughnessy wrote on the company's official forums.

The user-created drivers improve the stability of Creative hardware within Windows Vista and enable several features for its Sound Blaster Audigy cards, such as DVD-Audio and an equalizer, that were supported in Windows XP... Read more

The recent removal of Windows-standard games from over 3,000 workstations at Missoula, Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services has reignited the long-standing issue of gaming software in the workplace, reports news outlet Missoulian.

It all began when the Child Support Enforcement Division received new computers that lacked the games that typically come pre-installed with the Windows operating system. Division administrator Lonnie Olson received complaints from his workers, who claimed that previous workstations contained the software and that other departments also had the games.

In an effort to be fair, Olson noted that if other divisions had gaming software, then it should be restored. However, the attention highlighting the issue led to the removal of the gaming software from every computer in the department, prompting outcry from those that claimed they played the games on their own time or during a break.

In response, Department of Administration deputy director Sheryl Olson noted the agency's policy that computers should only contain software necessary... Read more