Zynga debuts 'most social game'

Social gaming giant Zynga, the developer of FarmVille, is readying a fresh game for its addicts with a new game called CityVille, says Money CNN

CityVille - which Zynga calls its "most social game" so far - is the company's first global debut, with versions coming out simultaneously in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. A beta version will be available in the next few weeks, Zynga says.

To play CityVille, gamers set up restaurants and businesses, export goods via trains and boats, build schools and clear land for city expansion. It's a scenario that will feel familiar to fans of SimCity, the 'build your own metropolis' game that debuted in 1989 and released a string of bestselling sequels.

OnLive formally took its online, cloud-based gaming service into the living room, with the unveiling of the OnLive Game System microconsole, writes PC Mag.

OnLive says the game system, with one wireless game controller and a console the size of a small router, can be pre-ordered via its Web site for $99, with shipments beginning on 2 December. OnLive will also allow users to bundle any one game the service provides, for free.

In addition, OnLive says it plans to offer a monthly subscription service later this year, which will allow unlimited access to all of the games on the OnLive service, for one flat rate. However, OnLive hasn't said at what price the service will be offered.

Most teens that play video games don't fall into unhealthy behaviours, but an 'addicted' minority may be more likely to smoke, use drugs, fight or become depressed, a new Yale University study suggests, reports Business Week.

The findings add to the large and often conflicting body of research on the effects of gaming on children, particularly its link to aggressive behaviour. However, this study focused on the association of gaming with specific health behaviours, and is one of the first to examine problem gaming.

"The study suggests that, in and of itself, gaming does not appear to be dangerous to kids," says study author Rani Desai, an associate professor of psychiatry and public health at the Yale University School of Medicine.