More and more Eastern Europeans are finding that they don't need to emigrate to the UK in order to enjoy incomes that exceed local salaries. In return for a decent internet connection and some serious gaming attitude, savvy Eastern Europeans are making money at games like backgammon and gin rummy. So-called 'skill games' differ from the popular casino, sports and bingo sites in that a person's skill and mental stamina, rather than chance, are the key to success.

Superscape Group plc (LSE:SPS) announces that one of its newest mobile game titles is now available for download from the NTelos network. Fox Motocross 2D features the top MX racers in the world in sixteen brutal tracks. Mud and high speed rule in this fast action race game across rugged mountain terrains, over stadium jumps and through desert and snow trails.

To celebrate the upcoming consumer release of the Windows Vista(TM) operating system, AMD and Microsoft Corp. have launched "Vanishing Point," the largest puzzle game in the world. Although many clues have been disclosed online, parts of the puzzle are being revealed at real-world events, including a first-ever takeover of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino fountains, cryptic skywriting messages, and projections appearing on iconic structures around the world.

China's leading self-developed online game company Beijing Perfect World Co., Ltd. announced that the company achieved tremendous export growth in 2006, topping all of China's online gaming companies. According to statistics, in 2006, China's online gamers reached 32 million, increasing 18.5% year-on-year, with a total market of RMB6.54 billion, a growth of 73.5% compared to 2005, inclusive of export revenue of USD20 million.

There is a new and highly controversial trend coming out of the video game industry -- Virtual Drugs. In 2005, the video game Narc was the first to introduce street drugs into video games to provide players with "powers." Today, in a move sure to draw fire from the anti-drug establishment, RedLightCenter .com, the world's second most populated virtual social world, announced the introduction of a new feature that allows members and guests to visit an Amsterdam-style smoking room, toke from a hookah, and get a "virtual high." The experience is free and is limited to persons 18 and older.

Kicking off the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas with a bang, Microsoft Corp. today unveiled revolutionary games, technologies and partner support for the first-class gaming platform, Windows Vista(TM). CES attendees will get hands-on experience with 15 of the hottest Games for Windows(R) titles, including some of the first games to deliver stunning graphics and gameplay through Microsoft(R) DirectX(R) 10 that will challenge any game for superiority in visual fidelity: "Crysis(TM)" (EA Partners/Crytek) and "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures" (Eidos Interactive Ltd./Funcom). Gamers will also experience "Shadowrun(TM)" from Microsoft Game Studios, the first of many titles that will bring the Live games and entertainment network on Windows Vista for true cross-platform gameplay.

At the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp. today announced a new solution that will bring together two of its leading entertainment products, the Xbox 360(TM) gaming console and the Microsoft(R) TV IPTV Edition software platform, to create a unique digital entertainment offering. IPTV on Xbox 360(TM) is expected to be available to consumers by holiday season 2007 and will be offered by providers that are deploying TV services over broadband networks based on the IPTV Edition software platform. The solution was unveiled during Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates' CES keynote address Jan. 7.

More than 14 months of unprecedented cooperation between gaming manufacturers and operators across the globe has resulted in the Gaming Standards Association's being named best in show at the recent Global Gaming Expo.

International Association of Virtual Reality Technologies (IAVRT) today announced the formation of a first generation network created specifically for the transmission of real-time, virtual reality (VR) and gaming data. The network, called the Neuronet, will evolve into the world's first public network capable of meeting the data transmission requirements of emerging cinematic and immersive VR technologies. The Neuronet will be used for everything from gaming to entertainment to 'v-business', or virtual business.