More than 500 movies, games missing from Staunton Blockbuster

STAUNTON - A routine store inventory in February at Blockbuster Video on Statler Crossing resulted in the discovery of 491 missing DVD movies and nearly 40 video games, the Staunton Police Department said.

An 18-year-old former manager, Charles Shenk of Staunton, is charged with embezzlement in connection with the investigation after being accused of selling 46 of the missing DVDs to a downtown Staunton pawn shop, police said.

• Jackson prodigy to perform benefit

JACKSON TWP. William Shaub learned a lesson while playing violin for the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, but it was about more than music. Shaub, 14, said the conductor bestowed some wisdom on him and other performers. It boiled down to this: "My life is going to mean more than pizza, soccer and video games," Shaub recalled. "I kind of applied that to my life." Shaub is still a kid. He likes pizza and playing football. His musical tastes range from Mozart to Ozzy Osbourne. But he also likes to help the less fortunate. Shaub has held benefit concerts for the Adopt-A-Minefield campaign, which clears landmines and assists children who have lost limbs. He also performs for senior citizens and World War II veterans. This time he wants to help another group - Canton children who cannot afford swimming lessons.

The Ratings Game: A Conversation with Doug Gentile, Part Four

The final part of my interview with Doug Gentile, Assistant Professor of Psychology at ISU, concerning the results of his study on violent games and aggressive behavior. (The interview follows below.)
Part One | Part Two | Part Three
GO: You referenced different types of personality characteristics related to the intersection of violence and cooperation in MMOs. How do you distinguish reliably between player types? Or can we?
DG: We can. It requires longitudinal studies. And our study--study three--is the first longitudinal study that there's been, but it's a short term one, it's just six months. What we need to really answer that question is multi-year studies where we can track those changes across time. That said, there's been one study--not specifically video games--but that did track across two years with several measurements.

Virtual video games cause real injuries

In the heat of the tennis match, Jerry Marlin jumped up to return a serve, landed wrong and blew out his knee. Not an unusual sports injury - except that his opponent was a video game.

Video-game injuries are nothing new, but doctors are reporting that as the games have become interactive and more intense, so have the injuries. Marlin, 41, of Nashville, recently underwent knee surgery and will wear a leg brace for at least two months.

"I landed on my feet and my knees buckled," said Marlin, who tore ligaments and cartilage in his knee while playing Nintendo Wii tennis at a church social. "I almost passed out." .

Gaming: Which is the best system for you? The online experience

The Xbox Live network, which was established in the days of the original Xbox, is a thriving online community where players can establish an online identity (gamer tag), send and receive text, voice and video messages with people on their Friends lists, view online leaderboards and, with a $60 subscription to the Gold network, can also play games online against friends or strangers. You can count on all Xbox 360 games to have some kind of online component, whether it's online leaderboards or multiplayer modes (co-op or vs.). So far, the 360 has proven to be the king of micro-transactions. The Xbox Live Marketplace offers a range of downloadable content, some free and some for purchase. Items offered for download include themed skins and avatar packs, game demos, additional game content like levels, maps and characters, movie trailers, music videos and other video content.