The worldwide, seven-million gamer community of Xfire and their Debate Club will be hosting a live debate session in their fourth Xfire Debate Club: The Two-Handed Sword on April 26. This time around, the heated discussion will be bringing a varied panel of guests ranging politicians to game industry journalists and critics to contest the matter of "Censorship in Video Games."

The session, to be moderated by Stanford University's Henry Lowood, will bring together Matteo Bittanti, a researcher at Stanford University; Hal Halpin, CEO of Entertainment Consumers Association; Dennis McCauley, CEO of GamePolitics.org; Russ Pitts, Editor of The Escapist; to discuss matters regarding:

• Governments' involvement and their regulation of video games
• Game exposure to children and their consequential influence on them
• The power of "the creative license"

Frederic Descamps, senior director of marketing at Xfire, commented, "As video games become a more mainstream form of entertainment, questions regarding censorship and legislation continue to gain significance." The debate will take place at April 26, 4 p.m. EDT or 1 p.m. PDT at Xfire's debate section. You can head there through the "Read" link below. And don't forget to bookmark it!

This week we advise music lovers and gamers alike to get ready as MTV recently announced Gamer's Week 2.0. Ranging across MTV, games.MTV.com, MTV2, mtvU, Xfire, and GameTrailers, this event is set to showcase the latest, the coolest, the hottest, and in some cases, the lamest that gaming culture has to offer.

"We are excited to showcase the revolutionary hardware and games that will shape the future of gaming during Gamer’s Week 2.0 and present the content through exciting and creative short and long form programming across all of our platforms," said Brian Graden, MTV's President of Entertainment, Networks Music Group and President of Logo.

"Video games are front and center in the minds of the MTV viewers, especially with the launches of PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, the continued success of Xbox 360, and the onslaught of amazing new titles this upcoming holiday season, and we intend to bring it all directly to our audience."

As part of this major gaming event, MTV's GAMES.MTV.COM gaming will be the focal point for Gamer's Week 2.0, and anybody visiting the site can expect the following topics to look through:

• Video: All video topics related to Gamer's Week 2.0 can be found here as they air within the week. Videos are supported by the likes of MTV, MTV News, MTV2, mtvU, Xfire and GameTrailers.
• Tune In: A guide for all the game-related programs to be featured on Gamers Week 2.0.
• Online Specials: MTV online special features can be found here, such as "PS3: Dissected," and "Wii: Dissected", gamer's gift guides. It'll also be featuring special episodes of GAME.MTV.COM regular shows "Peep Show," "The Dime," "Obsessed" and "Game Character Playlist" for the Gamers Week 2.0 event.
• Games: Videos and information on the upcoming Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 games to be coming out this December up to 2007.
• News: This link leads to all the MTV Games top news stories, both text and video format.
  

The full program listing for Gamer's Week 2.0 is right after the jump!

This may be a stretch, but it's still gaming related. Hey, if you're really anal about "worthiness" be patient, there's mention here of a prize that you might want. Now that the warning is done and over with, here we go.

Mary-Margaret.com, a company in the field of international recruitment services for the interactive entertainment industry is celebrating its tenth year. Because their feeling nice, they're holding an online contest and the prizes include passes to attend the Game Developers Conference 2007 in San Francisco. If in case you're wondering if that conference will fit in your gaming/brewing schedule, GDC 2007 is from March 5-9.

Given that they're into recruitment for the gaming industry, the contest is aptly named "Upgrade to Next Gen." Good title, nice spin. Anyway, they'll be giving away three prize packages valued at $3,500 each. Winners will also get to stay at The Mosser, a hotel that's a block away from the Moscone Convention Center. They're also going to be giving away a bundle of software courtesy of NCSoft, Iron Lore Entertainment, and The Guildhall at SMU. Contest registration is open online until February 1, 2007. Here are the Prize details:

VIP Prize

• VIP pass to GDC 2007
• Two invitations to the GDC Choice Awards VIP Reception
• Two night stay at The Mosser
• An Xfire™ Alienware Area-51 Series Extreme Gaming PC
• Deluxe software gift pack
  

NCsoft: Guild Wars, Auto Assault, and City of Heroes
Iron Lore Entertainment: The RPG hit Titan Quest and two Titan Quest T-shirts
The Guildhall at SMU: One copy of Guitar Hero II for Sony PlayStation2 with Guitar Controller and one copy of Untold Legends: The Warrior’s Code for Sony PSP

Giga Prize

• Giga pass to GDC 2007
• Two night stay at The Mosser
• Deluxe software gift pack (same pack as above)
  

Mobile Prize

• Mobile Plus pass to GDC 2007
• Two night stay at The Mosser
• Deluxe software gift pack (same pack as above)

If you want to join you can click on our read link below, you could go to their official site for more details about the contest. One last bit: don't you find it weird that for a "go next gen" contest the prizes involve PC and PS2 stuffs? Sigh. We wonder who's going to get a lifetime achievement award at the con this time around?

Thanks to GameTrailers and Xfire, all you video gamers can now vote for your favorite video game soundtracks for the upcoming 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. The '06 VMAs will feature two new categories: "Best Video Game Soundtrack," and "Best Video Game Score." Fans can vote from July 31 to August 28. While the winners will not be announced during the VMAs itself, they will be announced during VMA LIVE UNCENSORED on MTV Overdrive on August 31.

The nominees are:

Best Video Game Soundtrack:

Fight Night: Round 3 (EA/EA Sports)
Burnout: Revenge (EA/Criterion)
NBA 2K6 (2K Sports)
Driver: Parallel Lines (Atari/Reflections Interactive)
Marc Ecko's Getting Up (Atari)


Best Video Game Score:

Hitman: Blood Money (Jesper Kyd)
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Tom Salta)
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (Leon Willet)
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Jeremy and Julian Soule)
Electroplankton (User-generated soundtrack)

Which game do you want to bring home the Moonman? Log on to GameTrailers.com or Xfire to vote now. Which game do you think will bring home the Moonman (or which games should have been included among the nominees)? Make bold predictions, quote odds, and otherwise comment on your favorite game soundtracks below.