Game addiction causes baby's death

Online game addiction in Korean society has gone far beyond a mere social nuisance, resulting in accidental deaths and even murders, says Asia One Digital.

Police detained a married couple who, seriously addicted to Internet games, left their three-month-old daughter to starve to death last year.

The game which stole their attention away from their baby was ironically a role playing game in which they raised a virtual character of a young girl, according to officials.

It appears all the fancy online multiplayer games released thus far from last year and this year are giving a boost to online gaming, reports GamePlasma.

An NPD report stated that the weekly hours spent on online gaming has risen 10% and added that on average, gamers spent up to eight hours per week, which is up from the 7.3 that was last reported.

NPD analyst Anita Frazier says: "While the percentage of the population that reports playing games has declined slightly, this study details other metrics which point to both stability and growth in both online and offline gaming."

Facing sputtering sales of its Sony PSP gaming device and bracing for Apple's game-changing iPad, Sony plans to follow in Apple's footsteps in hopes of a turnaround, says Network World.

Sony plans to deliver a smartphone that plays PlayStation games and a device to compete with the iPad this year.

The devices will reportedly tap into Sony's upcoming online media platform, which will be released later this month. Currently called Sony Online Service, the media platform is similar to Apple's iTunes.