Here’s a story about a group called Norcas that says their commissioned study into the addictive behavior of video games calls for the group to get prepared for a rising social problem of addicted gamers.

This means what? That there are going to be intervention programs for people who play video games to the point they forget to do their homework or miss out on family birthdays or worse, don’t date? Video gaming isn’t addictive, people are irresponsible. Once a person has their mind on a puzzle or problem they’re trying to resolve they’ll stick to it to the bitter end if need be. That’s what video games are, big fun puzzles that pit people not just against some computer commands of the AI but against themselves. Some people just don’t know when to shut off a machine or a television or radio. Some people can’t put down that good book or paintbrush or crayon box. This commission should be looking into why video games are so popular to the point that people get obsessed with them. It’s about playful problem solving, competition and perseverance. No one likes to lose and the minute you put an interesting game in their hands they’re going to be all over it.

Sure some people take things too far but they’ll do it anyway whether it’s a video game or whatever. Video games are not a drug or substance like nicotine or cocaine. There’s no combination of cellular dependance that has a person unable to control their body like get up from the chair and go outside for fresh air. The issue here is irresponsible behavior. The person chooses, just like fictional Bioshock character Andrew Ryan says.

Let’s just hope no psychiatrists come along and want to issue drugs to prevent video game addiction.

Sony has released the PS3 update 4.11 worldwide following a staggered release.

Interestingly the PS3 update 4.11 has been made compulsory for users in the UK, whilst it is merely optional for those US users. It is clearly stated that the update is not mandatory for those users wanting to connect to the PSN, yet for reasons as yet unknown, UK users have been given no option in installing the update. This has left us at OnVideoGames somewhat bemused.

Have you installed the new PS3 update 4.11? Did it install and update smoothly?

The firmware has been stated to “improves certain aspects of system software”. Some users have suggested that this fixes the non-deletion of PS1 and Minis titles from the PS3 after downloading, which takes up valuable hard disk space.

This does seem a useful update and it would have been logical for Sony to have made it mandatory worldwide just to ensure there was no security risk. Yet the fact that it only appears to have been mandatory in the UK raises many questions. It makes you think, what have Sony got to hide?

Now that Bethesda have created and released the Mod Creation kit for the PC version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the next development we can expect from them will be the opening Skyrim DLC.

We are unsure as to what the Skyrim DLC will feature nor when it will be released, but Bethesda have speculated that they intend to make it big, equivalent to an expansion. We have already asked you for your opinions as to what you are hoping for from the Skyrim DLC. You requested “ability to travel to the different countries and have quests there”, “a return of the dwemer ” and a multi player option.

Whether Bethesda will deliver on these we are as to yet unsure, but it has got us excited. Further rumours to have circulated in recent weeks have included the ability to ride dragons, which would be an interesting proposition were it to be true.  This would allow faster travel across the game, which appears to be a widely requested feature. This improvement in methods of transport appears to be logical for the Skyrim DLC, but in what format it should take I am as to yet unsure.

Of course the one thing we can almost guarantee is some new stories for us to tackle. We would expect the high standard of Skyrim to continue in any additional adventure from the DLC. Do you have any suggestions for now story lines that could be incorporated into the Skyrim DLC?

What else would you like to see in the upcoming Skyrim DLC?

We will keep you informed with any other developments with regard to the Skyrim DLC.

Australian authorities have determined that the video game Syndicate won’t be allowed in the country as they find that the game’s content isn’t suitable for minors to see. This has forced EA to say no to releasing the game.

EA could censor the game but what fun would it be? The game is now officially banned in Australia and it’s going to disappoint thousands of fans there who were led to believe the game was okay for adults to play.

This here is now an issue of government intervention, the citizen’s right to play and purchase and the artistic license a company has to abide by. How Australia means to prevent people from getting the game via the mail or download or any other means isn’t clear but the game is now officially banned. This is confusing because Australia legalizes prostitution. You would think that if it’s okay for a kid to know their friends or family members are out there trading sex for money that seeing a fictitious game about spies, cybernetics, and henchmen is going to warp the minds of teenagers and adults.

Perhaps EA didn’t fork over enough money or they’ve offended someone, who knows. The bottom line here is that some people aren’t going to get their video game next year and they’ll have to figure out some other way to do it. Perhaps the retailers in Australia could show the government how much money they’re going to lose as well as tax revenue with the ban on this game. That might make them sit up and take notice.

The upcoming Amazing Spider-Man movie has Spidey fans on the edge of their webs in suspense and anticipation and the video game version from Beenox fits right on in there too. The game is based on the movie but like its predecessors it will have tons of extra exciting missions, hidden areas and lots of super villains to battle. According to the company the game takes place after the events in the movie which is cool but it’s got to match up with the ultimate coolness of the former Spider-Man 2 game which people still play. Actually all the Spidey games are great but the fans love one thing about any Spider-Man game, the free roaming open world fun of actually being Spidey and swinging from skyscraper to skyscraper, rescuing damsels in distress, knocking out thugs and foremost taking on the big bad dudes that are the webslinger’s enemies.

That’s all a big Spidey game has to do. Bring on the bad dudes, give us so much open world roaming, lots of puzzles, tons of battles and random issues so that things don’t get boring. There are some great races and obstacle courses as well that can challenge the gamer and make for that realistic Spider-Man experience. This game is going to have a lot to live up to and there should be nothing that is second rate considering it’s a given best seller from name and momentum alone.

Rovio, the Finish Developer, have announced that their worldwide smash hit game Angry Birds is now available on Facebook. Rovio have entered the realm of social gaming as they look to prolong the success of the world wide money making giant that is Angry Birds

Angry Birds on Facebook is a slightly modified version of the game we all love. It offers gamers new power-ups as well as the additional social interaction one would expect from a Facebook game. The new power-ups are Sling Scope, King Sling, Super Seeds, and Birdquake.

Users can have their high scores posted on their news feed so they can brag about their success to their friends. Furthermore users can gift their friends “Eggs” which random contain power-ups.

Angry Birds has already been downloaded over 500 million times all over the world, therefore we can expect continued success as it hits the Facebook platform.

Have you played Angry Birds on Facebook?

What are your thoughts?

Poor sales of the Xbox 360 and PS3 Adventure game have seen a potential online multiplayer DLC axed its developers have revealed.

In the latest issue of EDGE, the developers Ninja Theory have revealed that due to the disappointing reception and resulted poor sales, plans for a potential sequel and DLC offering a multi-player Monkey’s Cloud world have been axed.

Early on the game received a unanimous positive reception resulting in it picking up the Writer’s Guild Award for Best Video Game. However sadly for Ninja Theory, this positive reception did not translate into sales.

The future of the game is still undecided, so there still is hope for fans of Enslaved.

In his interview in EDGE, Ninja Theory creative director Tameem Antoniades stated regarding the games future “I’m not sure. We wanted to create affecting characters that felt more like real people than cardboard cutouts. If the game had been more successful, perhaps other games would follow suit and deem it a worthwhile pursuit.”

We will merely have to wait and see.

Have you played Enslaved? What are your views of the game?

Would an online Multi-player mode have been a positive addition?

EA Sports, the developers of the new FIFA Street game for the Xbox 360 and PS3 have released a trailer showing the venues that will be playable in the game.

The trailer, the latest in a series of development videos released by EA Sports, discusses the plethora of venues on offer and the different affects they will have on the game play.  One such example will be Wall Physics and showing how the ball reacts in different locations.

The FIFA Street release Date in the UK has been announced as March 16th, while the rest of the world will get the game on March 19th.

What are you hoping for from Fifa Street?

Watch the latest FIFA Street trailer below now.

The PlayStation Vita release date is a mere 2 weeks way in The US and UK as anticipation grows. Gamers in both continents are waiting with baited breath to get their hands on the next generation PlayStation Portable.

Yet some concerns have emerged as to weather users will be able to transfer existing PSP UMD disks onto the PSP Vita. In Japan this has been possible through the UMD Passport.  Yet Sony has just announced that this UMD Passport will not be available in North America. This is a blow to many PSP Users, as they will no longer be able to play their existing PSP games.

In Japan the UMD Passport allows users to insert the UMD disk into the system, register the disk online, and then for a small fee download the game onto the PSP Vita’s memory card.

Sony have yet to give a firm reason as to why they are not going to implement the UMD Passport outside of Japan, but as you can expect it has certainly not gone down well. In theory it is a simple process as both devices share the same download platform. Therefore there is no reason, other than financial reasons, for Sony not to implement this. Perhaps they are expecting the PSP Vita users to buy the game again. As we recently reported, Sony’s poor recent financial performance could have affected this decision.

Now that Bethesda has released the 1.4 patch for Skyrim on PC with release immentint for Xbox 360 and PS3, they are expected to begin working on the first Skyrim DLC.

Many of you have different opinions as to what Skyrim DLC they want. Should they start off small? Or should they go all out and create a major expansion?

The issue that is worrying many users is how the Skyrim DLC will affect current game-play. Many fans have spent hundreds of hours playing, and that could be rendered useless by a large extension to the world. Furthermore drastic changes, such as the introduction of multi-player could have a major impact upon the game.

Bethesda have already stated that the official Skyrim DLC will be like an expansion, as they strive to improve the game further. Therefore we would expect them to make some pretty big changes. Yet as yet we have no idea what they may be. Could the features be overdone and spoil the game as it is. After all, we have become fairly used to the game in its present form. Any major changes will have a drastic impact upon us.

We want you to tell us what you want from the first Skyrim DLC? What do you believe was missing from the original release?

Do you believe there is a risk that Bethesda could overdo the first Syrim DLC?

We look forward to hearing your thoughts.