AP - As president of Activision Publishing, Kathy Vrabeck helps promote and develop games like “Doom 3,” “Tony Hawk’s Underground 2″ and “Call of Duty.”

Reuters - A Canadian student dubbed the “wave
rat” for offering the domain name “tsunamirelief.com” for
$50,000 on the online auction site eBay has sold it and donated
the money to relief efforts, the gaming company that bought it
said on Monday.

NewsFactor - When it launched in Japan last month, Sony’s (NYSE: SNE) new PlayStation Portable (PSP) sold over 200,000 units on the first day. And the company is continuing to come on strong as it prepares for its U.S. launch.

Reuters - Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
on Monday said it plans to launch a new version of its
hit “Grand Theft Auto” video game franchise for Sony Corp’s
(6758.T) PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld device, which is
expected to debut in the U.S. in March.

NewsFactor - Two video game developers — Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) and Vivendi Universal Games — have announced support for the Blu-ray high-capacity videodisk format.

PC World - Electronic Arts, Vivendi Universal Games choose a side in the battle of next-gen DVD formats.

Canadian Press - PARIS (AP) - French video game maker Ubisoft Entertainment SA said Thursday it is not in talks with any potential merger partner as it seeks to fend off a possible takeover bid by U.S. rival Electronic Arts Inc.

Canadian Press - SAN DIEGO, Calif. (CP) - Video game accessory firm Mad Catz Interactive Inc., whose shares are traded on the Toronto stock market, said Thursday it expects net sales to be up 20 per cent, to more than $50 million US, for the third quarter of 2004.

Reuters - The Xbox video game player
and software for viewing movies on TV screens have brought
Microsoft Corp. into customers’ living rooms, Chairman Bill
Gates said on Wednesday, and new partnerships will help the
software maker expand beyond the PC.

Investor’s Business Daily - Sony’s much anticipated PlayStation Portable video game device kicked off a flurry of product announcements Wednesday at the massive Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

USATODAY.com - Sony is looking to get a grip on the handheld video game market. Its not-so-secret weapon is the PlayStation Portable, or PSP, a digital camera-sized device. It is being unveiled today for the annual Consumer Electronics Show.

Reuters - Sony Corp. (6758.T) will likely launch
its new PlayStation Portable hand-held game console in North
America and Europe in March, a top executive said on Wednesday.

Reuters - A recent study showed
that 77% of adults with children in their household planned on
checking the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rating
when purchasing computer or video games as holiday gifts.

The Motley Fool - One of the intriguing things about video game publishers is their drive toward becoming more complete media companies. Part of that move includes CDs based on soundtracks of games such as Take-Two Interactive Software’s (Nasdaq: TTWO - News) Grand Theft Auto series. Another facet is increasing in-game advertising placements.

U.K. gaming companies led by Rank Group Plc and Gala Group Ltd. are fighting Prime Minister Tony Blair’s plan to open the industry to Las Vegas-style casinos, saying their businesses will be damaged by the competition. The British Casino Associat

America has had a love affair with the professional gambler, courtesy of television, from its earliest years. Each generation grew up with its favorite gamblers and cardsharps — Maverick, Bat Masterson, Yancy Derringer. These days, the Travel Channe

Television’s “rich and famous” Robin Leach and attorney Nathan Drage lead an investment group that plans to turn a local TV station into an international network showcasing the gambling mecca and its global gaming power. The purchase of Ch. 35 was an

Microgaming, the world leader in online casino and poker software, announced today the opening of its new corporate Head Office in the Isle of Man and the launch of its new look website. The announcement marks the completion of a strategic restructur

If you haven’t noticed, the game of poker is a hot commodity these days. Over the past few years, the visibility of the card game has undergone a major boost, with a number of television shows being produced on cable and sports specialty channels. Th

The rise of poker tournaments as fundraisers for various student organizations has forced the Tufts administration to reevaluate some of its antiquated policies. According to state law, in which gambling is illegal, universities in Massachusetts a