Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino thinks games are evil. He's said it before, and he's not afraid to say it again. This time, however, he does give credit to what he believes are technological advancements brought forth by video game hardware.

Time for that day of the week when you get all the biggest news and tidbits that came out the past weekend in QJ that you might have missed for one reason or another. There's a lot of GamesCom 2009 updates right here, nothing unusual about that given that the event opens next week. We also still have a healthy spate of rumors pertaining to the console price cuts, particularly because the NPD results are out, and it does look like it will take a mighty slash off the current prices to revitalize the scene. Not all would agree, however. Why don't you jump in and see for yourself what went down in your favorite blogs? We've got it all filled up to the brim for you.

Portent of doom for E3? Activision - the studio behind gigantic game franchises like Guitar Hero and Call of Duty - has announced that it won't be attending this year's E3 event. Ouch. More details after the "read more" link below.

We got an update on the upcoming Nordic Game Conference which is set to happen in a few weeks in Sweden. Things are definitely shaping up as the top names from the industry gather for the multidisciplinary Game Creation Sessions. Find out who they are in the full article.

Okay, so you've got your agenda finalized. What's the next thing to do? Why, it's to announce the All-Star Speakers, of course.

Evergreen Events, the organizer of the 2008 ION Game Conference, has done precisely that. It's mentioned four important names to take note of. Find out who these four people are after the jump.

If you enjoyed the last Nordic Game conference and are looking forward to this year's event, we've got some news for you. Quite a number of big name speakers will be sharing their thoughts at the Business and Production part of the program. To find out who will at the event, head on over to the full article.

Things are definitely taking shape with the upcoming Nordic Game conference 2008 which is set to happen in two months time in Malmö, Sweden. It's been revealed that producers of Lego Star Wars and Rock Band will be the Keynote speakers in this event. Find out the details after the jump!

Ever since the Online Game Development Conference (OGDC) started, more than a few big names have graced the event. However, it won't be known as the OGDC for much longer. Evergreen Events has announced that it will now be known as the ION Game Conference.

Want to  know more about this change? Head on over to the full article by clicking on our "read more" link below for more information.

Some gamers may find in-game advertisements to be nothing more than shameless plugs, while others still believe it's necessary.

In the Independent Game Conference in Austin, Gordon Bellamy goes into the subject a bit more and discusses how advertising could benefit not only the company who does the advertising, but also the game itself. He also explains why Doritos can't go multiplatform. Find out why in the full article.

Independent works will always have a hard time finding its niche in an already established market, and video games are no exception. Usually the bottomline in creating a game is creativity versus profitability.

Steve Escalante, Business Development VP of the Gamecock Media Group, talked about this subject during the Texas' Independent Game Conference. Read more in the full article.