EenVandaag, a Dutch current affairs TV program, recently conducted a survey on their youth's downloading habits. What the survey found was that a whopping 93% of the youngsters download content in a manner that most laws would consider illegal, citing the use of BitTorrent among other popular download programs.

The THQ Gamers' Day 08 sure is making the most out of the event by promoting their upcoming titles. de Blob (Wii, DS) is one of them, and that's why we got three videos for you guys to watch. Remember, the operative terms for this title are "color" and "revolution". Join in on the fray by heading to the full article.

Ready to put your game on in FIFA Street 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and NDS)? Well, it's still a couple of months away from the arcade sports video game's Europe release, but EA threw us a bone - a list for the game's soundtrack. Check out full article for the complete list.

The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) has recently released an official announcement ticking off the need-to-know facts of this year's Tokyo Game Show (TGS). The freshly wired press release claimed that an anticipated 168 exhibitors will strut their stuff on 1,708 booths over eight spacious halls in Makuhari Messe, Mihama-ku, Chiba City starting September 20, 2007.

 

From 2007 onwards, the TGS will serve as a essential part in Japan's International Contents Festival (CoFesta). And while it will serve as a bid for major publishers towards the end-of-year season of software releases, it will also bring mobile telephony forward to the tech-savvy masses, courtesy of special sponsor NTT DoCoMo.

TGS2007, extending its show to four days for the first time, will also be introducing new exhibitors from around the world, including companies from The Netherlands, Sweden and Thailand, adding to the 51 international participating exhibitors from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

The business leg of the event is also stretched to two full days, a conclusion of which is succeeded with open exhibition to a targeted gathering of 180,000 attendees on September 22-23. The first two days of the Nikkei co-organized event will be open only to attendees with business in mind, touting a TGS Forum 2007 program keynoted by none other than Kazuo Hirai, Sony Computer Entertainment's (SCE) president and group CEO.

Need to know more? Then head on over to the full article, right after the jump!

When Electronic Arts said they've upped the ante on Need for Speed ProStreet (PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS, PSP, PS2), they definitely weren't kidding. While they've spun developer interview after developer interview explaining why Need for Speed was being redefined for a more hardcore audience, those interested in what EA Black Box was offering waited quietly for an up-close and personal look, taste and feel.

But wait no longer, because from Dutch (Netherlands) Game1, we've watched an in-game gameplay demonstration of Need for Speed ProStreet on what appears to be an updated version of the circuit race (or URL) and found our eyes momentarily glued to the screens in awe. That much detail (including damage and asphalt grain) with an almost unflinching framerate was dumbfounding - at the least.

Without further ado, though, we'll let you check out the three-minute long gameplay video. Downtown Tokyo, here we come a-driftin'!

By way of press wire, game publisher THQ is officially announcing that de Blob is indeed being readied for release not only for the Nintendo Wii, but the DS as well. And no, there's no spelling error - the company's decided to keep the original Dutch name instead of its English translation "The Blob."

Naming details aside, THQ has also explained the game's story. Players will take the form of a giant paint blob whose task is to explore, liberate and revitalize Chroma City, which has been drained of all color by the evil I.N.K.T. (inked?) Corporation.

de Blob's Wii and DS versions are both expected to make use of each console's unique control style. In line with this official announcement, THQ's executive Vice President Kelly Flock had this to say:

In the spirit of some of Nintendo's most innovative properties, de Blob's simple game mechanic will be fun and easy for core and casual gamers to learn and reveal unbelievably addicting levels of depth and complexity as they progress through the game. We look forward to unveiling de Blob at next week's E3 press event.

Expect de Blob to be available some time in February next year. As a brief history snippet, de Blob was originally conceived by nine students studying Game Design & Development at Utrecht University's School of the Arts in the Netherlands. The game was originally meant to convey how they thought the Utrecht railroad station area would look in 10 years. The blob featured in the game, as strange as it may sound, is currently Utrecht city's mascot.

You read that title correct. Nintendo has gone through hardware shortages with the DS. They've gone through the same hell with the DS Lite. They've gone through software shortages as well with this little system that could. Now, they're facing plastic shortages.

Instead of selling their DS games in their plastic covers, they're going back to the old cardboard covers they used to use with the Game Boy Advance. The new cases will be the same size as the plastic DS cases. They'll also have a small explanation saying that only the case is different and that everything else is the same. Those who desperately want a plastic one can call customer service and get it in late December.

The letter which spoke of these events was by the Nintendo of Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) but there's a chance that it may reach other parts Europe as well. It might not stop there either, it may be a problem in North America and Japan.

The following games will be in cardboard boxes:

Super Mario 64 DS
Nintendogs Chihuahua & Friends
Nintendogs Dachshund & Friends
Nintendogs Labrador & Friends
Mario Kart DS
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Tetris DS
Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends
New Super Mario Bros.

We are all quite familiar with homebrew applications like games and programs for our DS. What we quite don't know is that somewhere in the DS universe (quite specifically in The Netherlands), Infrared function is being developed. And with 60% of all the work already done, it is fast nearing completion.

Dubbed InfrareDS, the idea was thought of by Mark (frozenone23@hotmail.com). And the whole project is exactly just that: it adds an IrDA to the Nintendo DS in just few minutes, allowing the user to send images and sounds from a mobile phone and vice versa.. As of now, InfrareDS is compatible with Sony Ericsson (T310, K750i),  Panasonic X60 and Nokia 8850.

Although it has not been tested yet for DS lite, InfrareDS features direct compatibility to all firmware versions of NDS, not to mention its high speed transmission capability. Currently, Mark is working on the touchscreen function and making a graphical interface.

We thank Kravos for this exciting heads up.

Last June, we reported on a detox clinic in Netherlands for gaming addicts. Now, a hospital in the United States offers pretty much the same thing. Located in Newton, Mass., the McLean Hospital actually has a "Computer Addiction Services" department, that aims to help people who are hopelessly immersed in video games.

The said department's coordinator, Dr. Maressa Orzack, believes that "game addiction is a true mental disorder." According to Orzack who has treated all types of addictions for 15 years, there's little difference between drug use, gambling and video game addiction. She adds that video games work on a theory pretty similar to gambling, called the "variable ratio reinforcement."

Basically, it means that players will set a goal (like finish a particularly a hard mission), and will keep playing until they accomplish it, even if they fail doing it a couple of times. However, they would still keep playing even if they reach the said goal. Thing is, before the players know it, they're addicted. They're already immersed in that "particular gaming world," and see it as a way to escape problems in real life.

Orzack's prescription? "Video game addicts" should accept their problem and be willing to change. And therein lies probably the biggest problem as most people don't see video games as "potentially harmful," as opposed to getting hooked on drugs or other vices. She also adds that there should be "warning labels" in video games packages, pretty much like the warning labels in cigarettes.

What about you? Do you agree with her? Share us your thoughts.