Mother calls 911 because of her son's late-night gaming fest

A Roxbury, Mass., mother had enough.

"I woke up in the middle of the night and saw the light on in his bedroom," 49-year-old Angela Mejia said.

Frustrated and frantic, Mejia did all she could to subdue her 14-year-old son at 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning so she called 911:

"I called (police) because if you don’t respect your mother, what are you going to do in your life?"

The teenager had been playing "Grand Theft Auto" against his mother's wishes.

When officers from the nearby Boston suburb's police department arrived they quickly convinced the boy to carefully place the controller on the floor and go to bed.

The single mother of four had made little progress in convincing her son to sleep over playing video games and made the 911 call in a final act of desperation.

"Sometimes I want to run away, too. I have support from my church, but I’m alone. I want to help my son, but I can’t find a way."

No one was arrested in the incident.

What are your thoughts?

What does it mean when a mother has to call the police to stop her child from playing video games?

Bad parenting? Or has video game obsession gone too far?

Man marries a Nintendo DS video game character

A surprising story out of Japan today as cnn.com reported a 27-year old Tokyo man has married a video game character.

You read that correctly, a grown - or allegedly grown - man has married his virtually girlfriend from the Nintendo DS dating game "Love Plus."

The man who understandably only gave the name "Sal 9000" married Nene Anegasaki this past week in front of a collection of friends and broadcast on the internet for everyone to see.

According to the CNN report, Sal 9000 understands his marriage is not legally binding - however - he said a living, breathing girlfriend is no longer a necessity:

She doesn't get angry if I'm late in replying to her. Well, she gets angry, but she forgives me quickly.

The CNN video is below:


The game as interactive simulation where virtual girlfriends interact with players communicating primarily through speaking to the DS although the game eventually prompts users to "kiss" the screen. That's not to mention the possibility of the game's other potentionally freaky features.

Sorry English speaking gamers, the game is a Japanese-only title thus far.

Sal said he has even taken Nene with him on vacation to Disneyland and Guam:

If addiction is playing this every single day, then you might call me addicted

Another video report on Sal 9000 and his new bride:


Nevertheless, if this Japanese man doesn't signify the decline of physical communication as a result of the digital revolution, I don't know what is.

What do you think? Can you replace human interaction with a video game? What video game character would you date?

Halo Reach Debut Trailer

At "Spike TV's Video Game Awards" Bungie Studios unveiled a first glimpse of the next installment of the "Halo" franchise.

The prequel to 2001's widely popular first-person shooter "Halo: Combat Evolved," "Halo Reach" is said to feature the elite military unit called "The Spartan Project" on the military supply planet aptly named "Reach" - hence the game's title.

Those interested in the playing the game's beta next year will need to own a copy of "Halo 3: ODST" to receive an invitation. "Halo" fans will have a long wait to "reach" with the game's release slated for Fall 2010.

More information on "Reach" can be found at the game's official site at Bungie.net.

15 Years of Playstation

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the Japanese launch of the Sony Playstation.

Although the Sony console didn't make its way state-side until 1995, the CD-ROM based video game system quickly left an impression on the industry resulting in to subsequent console releases as well as a handheld.

Tackling the Sega Saturn and eventually winning-out against the Nintendo 64, the Sony Playstation introduced a new alternative in the gaming market and provided game developers a cheaper format for which to design games.

The release of the Playstation 2 in 2000 precluded a record-breaking sales figure of over 130 million units sold and was the first console to embark on Sony's 10-year life cycle which is barely holding on into 2010.

The console giant later released its first bout into the handheld gaming market with the Playstation Portable in Japan in 2004 and later the US in 2005. It was Sony's attempt to release Nintendo's stranglehold on the market although it has proven unsuccessful thus far playing second banana to the Nintendo DS.

Finally the 2006 release of the Playstation 3 was Sony's first misstep as the former console leader dropped to third falling behind the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the widely popular Nintendo Wii. Combating criticism of difficult development from game makers despite the consoles powerful "cell processor," Sony also priced itself out of reach from many gamers with an initial $599 price tag. Only until Sony's recent price drop has sales finally swung back in Sony's favor.

Nevertheless, with nearly every milestone video game title making its way to a Sony console in the last 15 years it is hard to ignore the importance of Playstation's impact on the industry.

To illustrate the point, below is a list of just a few popular franchises that were first launched on a Sony console:

• Resident Evil
• Tomb Raider
• Metal Gear Solid
• Gran Turismo
• Silent Hill
• Devil May Cry
• Kingdom Hearts
• Tekken
• Medal of Honor
• Ratchet and Clank
• Twisted Metal

Medal of Honor Engages Modern Warfare

Just weeks after Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's record breaking release Electronic Arts made an announcement yesterday that the company's popular first-person shooter franchise Medal of Honor will receive a much needed restart.

In a press release the company wrote the typically WWII-only FPS series will explore modern conflicts through the eyes of the elite Tier 1 Operator a military entity under the National Command Authority.

According to the release, development studios and EALA will handle the single-player campaign while EA DICE will design the multiplayer side of the new title set to launch on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC in Fall 2010.

These two studios are coming together to deliver a world-class Medal of Honor that is poised to re-set and re-boot the franchise for a new generation.

No news on the gameplay of the shooter as of yet, but the story will surround a band of fictional soldiers as they interact with not-so-fictional events in Afghanistan.

Sean Decker, VP and General Manager of EALA, said the new title simply named "Medal of Honor" is going to focus heavily on its narrative.

EA has always been an advocate for telling the soldiers’ story. The new Medal of Honor follows that tradition. We felt it was important to tell the story of today’s war and today’s elite soldiers via today’s most relevant medium – videogames.

It appears that players will encounter possible moral delimmas when facing real life events in one of the most violently active corners of the globe according to the release.

Inspired by real events, Medal of Honor reveals the mission of today’s most elite American soldier – his will, his mindset and his uncompromising professionalism.

As of now there is little on the game's official web site aside from a 9 second video that simply shows what is likely to be the game's tagline "I fight with my mind. My hands and my weapons are an extention of my will."

Finally, eager fans of the series ready to see the franchise take a step away from the oversaturated World War II genre can get a first-look on Spike TV’s 2009 Video Game Awards at 11 p.m. EST/8 p.m. PST Saturday, Dec 12.