Jump through some hoops and get Angry Birds on your PC for free!

Angry Birds has taken the gaming world by storm, as you must have realized by now. I’m sure your relatives all play it, you probably play it, hell your dog probably plays it when you aren’t looking. The only problem about the strangely addicting animal abuse game is that you have to pay for it. Damn capitalism. There is good news on that front though, because you can get the game for your PC for free right now, according to Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

It’s fairly convoluted process, so pay attention! To get it, you have to download Intel’s AppUp Center, which is the equivalent of – you guessed it! The App Store. The catch is that you have to download it off Best Buy’s website (it’s free, no worries) and say that you are in the US. Yes, the offer is only for residents of the US of A, but fibbing works just as well, in case you aren’t. Then you have to make an account on the AppUp Center, and you’ll save yourself the annoying $4.99 fee it takes to get the game. Whew!

Already have the AppUp Center installed? Yes, you have to remove it and re-install it from Best Buy. Hey, anything to save money, right?

Read More

http://mmomfg.com/2011/03/23/angry-birds-free-pc-0323/

Japan relief roundup: League of Legends and a special Final Fantasy Tactics

Companies, organizations and individuals connected to the games industry continue to come forward with offers of support for the ongoing rescue and relief operations in Japan. We'll be collecting the latest opportunities to lend a hand in end-of-day roundups like this one as they're announced.

Head past the break for details on the today's happenings. If you'd prefer to donate to the efforts directly, you can always do so through the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org).

• From now through noon PST on Sunday, March 27, League of Legends studio Riot Games will be donating 100 percent of the profits from purchases of Nurse Akali or Riot Points spent on the summoner Akali to the Red Cross relief effort. Riot Games is placing Akali and her nurse skin on sale for 50 percent off during the period as well.

• Play for Japan is auctioning off a rare signed copy of Final Fantasy Tactics for PS One featuring cover autographs by character designer Akihiko Yoshida and art director Hideo Minaba. The high big as of this writing is just over $100, with the auction set to close on Sunday, March 27 at 4:34PM PST.

Read More

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/21/japan-relief-roundup-league-of-legends-and-a-special-final-fant/

Teen game addict kills mother and himself

A 15-year-old South Korean boy committed suicide after killing his mother for scolding him over excessive computer game playing, a report said on Tuesday.

The boy's sister found their 43-year-old mother dead in her bedroom and her brother hanging from a gas pipe at their home in the southern
port of Busan, Yonhap news agency said.

The 12-year-old daughter reported to police that her mother and brother often had fights about his game addiction, Yonhap reported.

It quoted investigators saying the boy apparently committed suicide out of guilt at killing his mother.

South Korea is one of the world's most wired societies, but there have been sporadic reports of deaths related to Internet game addiction in the country.

In February a 32-year-old man died after reportedly playing for five days with few breaks.

A month later police arrested a couple accused of leaving their baby daughter to starve to death while they raised a "virtual" child on the Internet.

A post mortem examination showed the baby suffered a long period of malnutrition.

The government, which estimates South Korea has about two million web addicts, has announced a campaign to combat the affliction.

From next year it will offer free software to people at risk, to limit the time they spend on the web.

A consensual shutdown programme restricts usage to a time set by a guardian or user. Another called Internet Fatigue tries to make players become bored over time.

Read More

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Teen-game-addict-kills-mother-and-himself/H1-Article1-627027.aspx