Jakob and Matt Finney play video games in the game room on La Dame du Lac Friday, July 20, 2007.

COEUR d'ALENE - Hannah Masters recalls walking past her son's bedroom, and hearing what sounded like a party going on.

“It was just him in there, alone with the Xbox Live,” Masters said.

Like many gaming systems, Xbox Live allows players to compete against other players from anywhere in the world while connected to the Internet.

“I realized then that he had this whole other world that he was spending time in, where I didn't know what was really going on,” said Masters, the mother of two middle school-age boys.

Young gamers are often doing more than wandering through Hogwarts Castle when they're playing Lego Harry Potter or as they jam along with Rock Band 3. They can also chat online while they're playing games, and they can do that with anyone anywhere also.

It's something that happens on many devices children often use, Masters said.

“If it has two batteries and a plug, chances are it can be connected to the Internet,” she said.

Masters' concern about her own child's online activities grew when her son received a cell phone call at 10 p.m. one night last summer, and she discovered he had taken his phone to bed with him. He told her he was sleeping with the phone because he didn't want to miss a call.

That didn't sit well with Masters. Maureen Donlan, Cda Press  Full story.

X-box live has caused some problems in our house. I am not a fan. My 16 year-old son is and thinks if he pays for it, he should have it.

Are you concerned about kids gaming or chatting with strangers online?

Dads who still haven't given up video games now have some justification to keep on playing — if they have a daughter.

Researchers from Brigham Young University's School of Family Life conducted a study on video games and children between 11 and 16 years old. They found that girls who played video games with a parent enjoyed a number of advantages. Those girls behaved better, felt more connected to their families and had stronger mental health. Professor Sarah Coyne is the lead author of the study, which appears Feb. 1 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

“The surprising part about this for me is that girls don't play video games as much as boys,” Coyne said. “But they did spend about the same amount of time co-playing with a parent as boys did.” Science Daily Full story.

I have no girls. But I am the undisputed Mario champ in our family. Do/did you play video game with your kids?

John Idler and his children, Elizabeth, 13, and Josh, 14, play video games together last week at their Moorestown, N.J., home.

Can’t get your teen to stop playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare? Are they texting, Facebooking, and World of Warcrafting ‘till their eyes glaze over? Well, there’s help. Unfortunately, you have to move to London to get it.

Technology addicts can now seek treatment at a London hospital which has launched bespoke treatment for those diagnosed with the condition.

The programme is designed for young people who spend large amounts of time each day playing computer games or using social network websites.

When deprived they become “chronically agitated and irritable” said the treatment’s founder Dr Richard Graham. Full story. Zoe Kleinman, BBC News

I thought “chronically agitated and irritable” was normal for teens. In fact, I know a lot of adults who seem addicted to their “crackberries”. How about you? Are you addicted to technology?

A Mario Brothers video game is projected onto a large screen on stage, as the Los Angeles Philharmonic plays for the premiere of the debut performance of Video Games Live at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

“I now pronounce you husband and what?!

In another sign that the world is about to collapse, multiple blogs are reporting that a fan of the Nintendo DS dating sim Love Plus (you know, the really creepy one) liked his virtual lady so much that he decided to marry her. For real.

Apparently, a Japanese gamer known as ‘Sal9000’ was officially wed to Nene Anegasaki, one of the game’s three virtual girlfriends, in what must have been the weirdest ceremony in the history of ceremonies. We can only assume that Ms. Pac-Man was the maid of honor.”

Which naturally leads me to ask: “If you could marry a video game character or any other fictional character, who would you choose?” 

Item: Video games illustrate Nation’s love of laziness: Nintendo’s recent ploys for profit cheapen actual involvement/Alex Gratzer, WSU Daily Evergreen

More Info: Nintendo is doing the world a lot of favors these days. Instead of simply producing mindless racing and shoot-em-up games, they want people to get their priorities straight. The Wii console allows a slew of apparently constructive interactive activities, including exercising and instrument playing. It�s all part of Nintendo�s revolutionary plan to get people active and productive without having to get off the couch. The video game guru’s latest threat, “Wii Music,” allows gamers to play up to 60 different instruments by simply flailing the controls in whichever way the instrument requires. Let’s call it faux music class.

Question: Do you or your kids play video games? How much?