I am a big fan of the Steam game buying, and playing, platform and have been a user for some time so it was nice to see this news coming out from the company that it had set a new record.

It seems that over the holiday’s Steam recorded the momentous number of 5 million concurrent users logged into the system at one time. Of course part of this surge could be attributed to their big holiday sale which apparently has left some users less than happy.

Now with over 35 million active users this marker was bound to happen sooner or later but with the added benefit of two top games: Skyrim and Call of Duty:MV3, being launched just before the holidays this record was almost guaranteed to happen sooner rather than later.

With Bioshock Infinite, Metro: Last Light, and Darksiders II pegged to launch in 2012 bets are that they will see this record beaten at some point but for now congratulations to the Steam team for reaching this goal and doing it with some equally great low number of hours of server downtime.

via PikiGeek

Steam hits a milestone: 5 Million simultaneous users is a post from: The Inquisitr

A group of Sony Playstation Gamers filed a class action lawsuit this week against the electronics maker after Sony recently attempted to silence their users with a new clause found in the PlayStation Network end-user license agreement.

The new agreement stipulates that users can not file a lawsuit against Sony if their personal details, including credit card information is stolen during a successful hack attempt. Sony added the clause in September after its PlayStation Network (PSN) was hacked and user information was leaked online. Following the company’s new clause the same stipulations were added to products from gaming developer EA and software giant Microsoft.

The clause change gave Sony users just 30 days to leave the network before it went into place and according to the lawsuit those users were not notified of the change with no opt-out option made available.

The lawsuit claims that Sony has engaged in unfair business practices by offering users no choice but to either agree to the terms or go without the online network after already purchasing Sony Playstation 3 gaming consoles.

The lawsuit allows anyone who purchased a PS3 before the addition of the clause in September to join in the lawsuit.

If the lawsuit ends in a guilty verdict against Sony it will likely mean that other company’s will follow suit including Microsoft and its Xbox Live network.

Sony changed their end-user agreement after they were sued by various gamers when their network was hacked in April 2011.

Perhaps Sony should work harder at creating a more secure network for their users who spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on their products rather than spending all of their efforts protecting themselves against a shoddy built online gaming platform.

Do you think iron-clad end-user agreements that give no rights to users should be illegal or is Sony acting within their rights by providing such a clause?

Gamers Sue Sony Over “Do Not Sue” End-User License Agreement is a post from: The Inquisitr

Not sure if actually completely plausible or slightly poking fun at gamer stereotypes.

Gaming Conventions… is a post from: The Inquisitr

Everyone gets tire of their favorite games at some point and really you can only reset them only so often to try the game with some new angle before you finally bite the bullet and sell your game to some second shop. Well if Capcom has their way there might not be any reason to sell those games because no-one else will be able to play them.

According to Raymond Wong at DVICE, Capcom is making it so that Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D won’t let you reset the game for a complete replay.

It’s been confirmed that Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D for the Nintendo 3DS is a game that once finished, cannot be reset for complete replay. According to both the U.S. and U.K. game’s instruction manual “saved data on this software cannot be reset.”

Basically what Capcom has done is make Mercenaries 3D a one-time play affair. Once you’ve unlocked all the goodies and played the entire game, you will not be able to erase the game’s save data and start fresh as if it were a new copy. Consider this: lendingMercenaries 3D to a friend, a little brother or sister will be worthless because they’ll only be able to continue playing the game with your saved settings and create their own.

I sense a backlash just waiting to happen once word of this spreads through gaming circles.

Capcom caps their own game to a one-game save is a post from: The Inquisitr

It may seem that excessive gaming could be a symptom of depression or anxiety in children, but it turns out that the practice could actually trigger or exacerbate the issues in some kids.

A study recently published in the medical journal Pediatrics of 3,000 kids in Singapore indicates that children classed as “hardcore gamers,” nearly 10% of those studied, were at higher risk of the symptoms and even showed a tendency toward “long-term mental illness.” Per the report:

“Greater amounts of gaming, lower social competence, and greater impulsivity seemed to act as risk factors for becoming pathological gamers, whereas depression, anxiety, social phobias, and lower school performance seemed to act as outcomes of pathological gaming.”

The study reported that children who participated became more depressed and angry in relation to their time spent playing video games. Excessive gaming was described in the study as 31 hours or more a week of playing video games, and at the study’s conclusion, around 84% of the “hardcore gamers” continued to compulsively engage in the behavior.

In a statement, the Entertainment Software Association downplayed the study’s findings.

“There simply is no concrete evidence that computer and video games cause harm. In fact, a wide body of research has shown the many ways games are being used to improve our lives through education, health and business applications.”

The American Association of Pediatrics recommends a maximum amount of gameplay of one hour for elementary and school aged children, and two for high school kids.

Gaming pegged as causative factor in childhood depression is a post from: The Inquisitr

In this day of mash-ups it seems that just about every segment of our society has a theme song of sorts. Well now, thanks to Team Unicorn, we have a great music video for all of us geeks and gamers, regardless of gender.

Not only is this fun but it looks like Stan Lee got the babes. Way to go Stan.

Geek and Gamer Girls Song – Watch more Funny Videos

via Break.com and @seanpaune

Finally, a theme song for all geeks and girl gamers [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Call me a bluff old traditionalist out of touch with the modern world, but I’d take a physical copy of a game over a downloadable version any day of the week. Why do I feel this way, when downloadable games are so easily accessible, environmentally friendly, and convenient?

Well, there are a few reasons. I love the ceremony and process of browsing through games in a bricks-and-mortar store, I love the thrill of opening a new game, I love that fresh box smell, I love a lot of videogame boxart, and I love being able to sell games that I’m done with.

None of which is part of coldly downloading a game.

Thankfully, it’s not just me who feels this way. 64% of us gamers still prefer physical copies of our games over digital downloads, according to a survey of over 1,000 people by research firm Ipsos MediaCT. Aside from the reasons I mentioned above, gamers also fear losing games that have been downloaded.

While I accept that traditional physical games will eventually be phased out, I dearly, dearly hope it’s not for a long time. Now get off my damn lawn.

[Via CVG]

Hell, yes: 64% of gamers prefer physical copies over digital downloads is a post from: The Inquisitr

Gamers have long argued that their obsession is sport-like, requiring skill and dexterity to advance levels in complex games and providing players with a demonstrable skill-set from marathon gaming sessions.

However, a recent study including “a series of physical and psychological tests” on gamers prove that while their reflexes are in line with top athletes, they are more physically akin to old people who smoke a lot. Calling the subjects “cyber-sportsmen,” Dr. Dominic Mickelwright of the University of Essex in the UK discussed recent findings with the Telegraph:

The cyber-sportsmen had mental sharpness and psychological traits comparable to ‘real’ athletes, and reacted to visual stimuli almost as fast as fighter jet pilots.

But their fitness levels were shockingly low and comparable to people either much younger or much older than their actual age.

Dr. Micklewright said that one gamer they studied physically resembled an “endurance athlete,” but actually had the “lung function and aerobic fitness of a heavy smoker in his sixties.” And while he conceded that gamers had lower levels of depression similar to those of actual athletes, the lag in physical fitness was pronounced and somewhat dangerous. Micklewright cited childhood obesity and heart disease as possible pitfalls of a heavily sedentary lifestyle.

[via CNET]

Gamers: gazelle-like reflexes, elderly chain-smoker physiques is a post from: The Inquisitr

Never mind the Mom Forever tattoos or those with boat anchors in them. There’s a whole new breed of tattoos out there that while it might make one wonder about the person wearing them one has to admit they are pretty cool.

I am of course talking about geeky gamer tattoos that are becoming all the rage it seems. Here’s ten of the geekiest for you to ponder over.

And my favorite of them all.

via Fresh Pics.

10 Awesomely geeky gamer tattoos is a post from: The Inquisitr

Industry analysts are forecasting lower videogame sales this year, but people are playing games for longer than ever.

A new online survey of over 18,000 people by the NPD Group shows gamers in the U.S. spend an average of 13 hours per week at their PC, on their game consoles, or with a handheld device in their mitts. That’s up from from 12.3 hours in 2009.

So far, so mildly interesting, but the NPD also divided survey participants on how much time each spent playing.

They found a minority at the top, labeled by NPD as “extreme gamers”, who averaged 48.5 hours of playing games per week – close to seven hours a day. Oh, sure, mock all you want, but these are the zombie-slayers and robot-killers of tomorrow, and they’re more prepared than you for when it all goes tits up in the real world. Heroes, the bally lot of you.

[Via Gamasutra]

People gaming for longer, ‘extreme gamers’ averaging 48 hours per week is a post from: The Inquisitr

Geeky Tattoos is getting a lot of link-love lately, and it’s not hard to see why.

If you have a penchant for all things geek- if you love code, or gaming or fonts, there’s plenty of ink on that site that you’ll find amusing. Some of the most impressive works on the site are tributes to the halcyon gaming days of the 1980′s, and below are some fantastic examples. (Most pics are from Geeky Tattoos, but two are from other sources.)

Like this- awww…

Indeed, hearts are a common motif…

So much cooler than those stupid hipster sparrows:

And instead of the standard lower back tribal, a pinball reference:

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a gamer tattoo gallery without the inclusion of a Zelda reference:

Six artfully done tattoo homages to old-school gaming is a post from: The Inquisitr

Perhaps you’ve fallen in love with one of these rare gems of a girl, and you want to express how much you adork her through the medium of shiny things. Etsy is a virtual (really) treasure trove of well made, reasonably priced items to show your geeky love interest that you less than three her. Pi day is rapidly approaching, and you don’t want to be the dude who forgets to mark it. Etsy is a fantastic place for gift-shopping for any person or occasion, but shopping for geeks yields a particularly large number of awesome options. (Note: most of the items on the list would work for a boy, too.)

Clothing & Accessories

Is your girl such a hipster, her phone needs a hoodie too? This reasonably priced iPhone case is thoughtful, cheap and unfrickinbelievably adorable.

$13.99

Or maybe she’s the kind of internet geek who’s tickled by general goofy things. Like this TV dinner that’s actually totally also an iPhone case. [/sarcasm]

$20

Does her head get cold? Do you care? Then buy her a space invaders hat if you love her so much, you insensitive cad.

$20

Maybe yo’ bitch ain’t even up in any of that stuff. Perhaps she is known to kick it straight gangsta and plays WoW right up in there with the boys. If so, grab her this fancy shirt:

$20

Then again, she could be subtle about who she throws down with, in which case…

$15

For the no-apologies retro gamer, this bag is sleek and fancy enough to be a casual briefcase while keeping it old school with a NES controller.

$48

For her crib

Chicks dig things for their houses. Get her a dustbuster and parts of you won’t get hoovered for at least a week, but everyone in the animal kingdom brings pretty leaves and twigs back to the nest. If she’s a gamer girl with oldschool roots, she might appreciate this:

$45

But maybe she’s just a general internet geek, and that’s cool. That whole Web 2.0 thing is all about puffy things and pop art, so she could dig a GMail pillow:

$19.99

And hey, maybe she’s a straight up drunk, I’m not judging. But if she likes to hit the hooch while she throws down playing DnD, this might be her gift:

$32

Is your girl always staring into the unforgiving eyes of the internet? Flip this baby around, and it’s a sweet and everlasting reminder of your soppy, soppy love:

$15

Girlfriend will never deal with a floppy iPhone again if you buy her this cool, NES controller iPhone dock

$34.99

And who doesn’t love a cross stitch? Remind her daily of her top score and your lurrrrve with this geeky framed needlepoint.

$22

12 unique gifts for a girl geek that aren’t jewelry is a post from: The Inquisitr

A post on Scientific American indicates that female gamers exhibit “geekier” qualities than male ones.

The study of 7,000 anonymous EverQuest II players revealed that while 80% of those surveyed were men, it was the women who had the crackiest gaming habits. Bitches and ‘hos spent and average of 29 hours a week playing, compared to 25 hours on average for the guys. The top 10% of female players logged a sex-life-killingly 57 hours a week on average, in contrast with 51 hours for the comparable group of dudes. And when it comes to honesty and gaming, chicks were also more likely to lie about the amount of time they spend playing each week, both underestimating and underreporting time spent logged in and playing. Women who play are also more likely than men to engage in the activity with a romantic partner- 60% of women surveyed reported engaging in the activity with a partner, versus 25% of men who did the same.

The study, posted in December’s “Journal of Communication,” also upended the stereotype of gaming as a kid’s pastime, noting that the average age of gamers was 31, and that there were more players surveyed in their 30s than in their 20s. Lastly, perhaps you will more likely find happiness with a girl gamer than a non-gaming girl- the women surveyed identified as bisexual 15% of the time, compared to 3% of the general population.

Girl gamers “geekier” than male counterparts is a post from: The Inquisitr

MyHollywood.com is geared toward women gamers who also love entertainment news. Its “signature” MMOG game, creatively named “The Red Carpet Game,” lets you create an avatar and progress through different levels of celebrity. You navigate through a virtual Hollywood, playing mini-games, answering quizzes about current pop events, and accumulating points along the way. As you do well, you collect things like “high-status branded virtual items,” as well as mansions, VIP passes, and all the other signs of being a star. (Of course, those “branded items” double as advertising — don’t think any company is getting its name on anything for free.)

The site is still in public beta, with a full release set for early next year.

Hey, it may not be my niche, but this site knows who it’s targeting — and who knows, it just might work.

Female Gaming Site Grabs Millions is a post from: The Inquisitr