Dr. Phil Scolds Farmville Addict

[Reposted from Kotaku]

Confronting a Farmville-obsessed mom in danger of neglecting her kids, Dr. Phil said, "You have a ridiculous addiction to a ridiculous computer game."

The mom, named Teresa, evidently unplugged her home's wireless router to boot everyone from the family computer, then sneaked back online to tend her virtual crops. Bad mom! Bad mom! Dr. Phil held that factoid under her nose for a little bit, and Teresa tried to pin the extreme measures on her daughter's "attitude" when she's asked to get off the computer.

"No, it's not," Dr. Phil fired back. "You unplugged it because you have a ridiculous addiction to a ridiculous computer game that's interfering with your ability to be a mother. You needed a fix, and she wouldn't get off, so you had to create the opportunity."

Dr. Phil, who's taken on gaming addiction before, prescribed her a dose of "start a garden for real." Sounds like good medicine to me.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/NmCSWBfoQdk/dr-phil-scolds-farmville-addict

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Gamers-for-Haiti Efforts Gather Momentum

[reposted from Kotaku]

Today only, 100 percent of the proceeds from purchases in PopCap's store - they make Bejeweled and Peggle - will go toward Haiti quake relief. This post is our official open thread on ways to contribute to the recovery.

To recap:

• On Wednesday and Thursday, Bungie is encouraging Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST players to don a Haitian-relief emblem in game, and will contribute up to $77,000 to the cause depending on the number who participate. A special T-shirt also is for sale in the Bungie store, the proceeds of which will go to recovery efforts through the American Red Cross. See this post for more details.

• Zynga, makers of games for Facebook and social media, has also opened a fund drive to help Haiti through the World Food Programme. It joins the company's pre-quake philanthropic efforts to help the impoverished nation. More details here.

• PopCap's sale will go until 11:59 pm. U.S. Pacific Time tonight, and will benefit Haiti through Partners in Health.

By no means are these the only ways gamers may contribute. The text-message fund raising campaign has generated more than $10 million in aid and contributions now may also be made through iTunes [link will open iTunes]. And certainly there are other worthy means of contributing.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/pt0wkTk8OJI/gamers+for+haiti-efforts-gather-momentum

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MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review

[reposted from Massively]

When it comes to MMO news and special features, Joystiq sister site Massively.com has you covered. Whether you're looking for info on the hottest new MMO, or you're just curious about an old favorite, you'll find it at Massively. Check out our biggest features of the week:

Star Trek Online lifetime subs now available
Cryptic has revealed the lifetime subscription offer for Star Trek Online, which comes with playable Borg (not as a faction, but as liberated Borg) and is only available to those who've pre-ordered the game. Oddly enough, the price of the LS is $40 higher than Champions Online's was when it was announced August of last year.

Exclusive Allods Online dev tour: Astral Ships and the end game explained
Earlier this week, the team at Allods Online were kind enough to sit down and walk me through some of the highest-level areas in the game. Knowing that I'm already an avid fan of the game, it was exciting for us both to "talk shop" for a bit. It was especially exciting to see some features of the end game that not too many North American players have seen up to this point. Of course, I'm talking about Astral Ships and the end game.

Bioware confirms 2011 SWTOR release
Yesterday we talked about a rumor that had been floating around thanks to Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello, who had mentioned the spring 2011 launch of an unnamed MMO on a recent conference call. Of course, the Star Wars: The Old Republic rumor mill sprang into action, with good cause as it turns out.

Funcom threatening to delete noob Age of Conan characters
When it comes to character deletions, just about every MMO out there has a clause in their Terms of Service that indicates they have the right to delete your characters at any time and for no reason whatsoever. With that said, there are very few companies that choose to exercise that right.

MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/16/mmo-roundup-massivelys-week-in-review/

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Free! Star Trek Online beta keys

1500 keys, right here, right now!.
Star Trek Online, the new space-borne MMO from Cryptic Studios, has finally entered its open beta phase and we've teamed up with publishers Namco Bandai to offer you one of 1500 beta keys, so you can explore the very outer limits of the Star Trek universe.

Click here to read the full article

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=231716?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

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iPhone apps lose $450 million to piracy

Three pirated downloads reportedly occur for every paid download from the App Store.
Apple has made an absolute fortune from its iPhone range and downloads from the App Store, but it's also lost a small fortune to piracy.

Click here to read the full article

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=231694?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

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