Next generation reports that the state of Michigan has been ordered to pay the game industry over US$ 180,000 in legal fees associated with a failed video game law.

If you're memory is sharp, you'll recall that way back in April when Judge Steeh struck down the law, Saying that the proposed measure was "discriminating against a disfavored 'newcomer' in the world of entertainment media."

Well, Judge George Carem Steeh has recently ruled that the state is required to pay-back the money that the game industry spent fighting a game law that was supposedly meant to ban the sale and rental of violent videogames to minors. The legislation was found unconstitutional as it infringed on First Amendment rights.

This is another notch in the ESA win belt. Illinois has been ordered to pay the industry US$ 510,000; Washington state US$ 344,000; St. Louis US$ 180,000; Indianapolis US$ 318,000; and Michigan US$ 128,000.

As much as we don't want 8 year olds to get high on GTA, and discover the joys of puberty via extreme beach volleyball, bans are far from being the only solution.

You can never get enough information on Rockstar's upcoming Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and once again we are on hand to give you the latest news on this car-bashing city-smashing title that's coming to the PSP this month. If you fancy a break from the missions in Vice City Stories, or perhaps when you've completed your goal, there are still plenty of things to do in the virtual city that never sleeps. Here's a run-down of all the things you can do in the free-roaming badlands of Vice City, some of you may recognise from Grand Theft Auto:Liberty City Stories but with a new spin.

Insane Jumps

Of course this old favourite from both home and portable consoles will return, giving you points and cash for the best stunt jumps out there, including the addition of insane jumps that can be completed on the newest vehicle for Vice City Stories - the Jet ski! Complete with slow motion and a great camera angle, these insane jumps are there to show off your skills in a way that no other PSP game can.

The full article awaits after the jump!

A common dream of many adolescent hard-core gamers is to get past high-school, and enjoy the Utopian world of Higher Education. Thing is, when most kids get there, they discover to their horror that the grass isn't really greener on the other side. You've got more homework, tuition is more expensive, and despite the easily accessible alcohol via the staple college party, your gaming lifestyle isn't really that secure.

If you want to live it good, then this list we found might just be able to help you out.

The Global Gaming League has released a listing of what is in their opinion the top ten best games colleges you'd want to go to if you want to make it big in the gaming industry, or at the least just enjoy a healthy gaming lifestyle during your stay in Higher Education. The colleges were evaluated based on several Factors, namely the size of the student body, its geographical location, student organizations within the college, frequency and number of tournaments and LAN parties, tech-friendliness,  internet connections and curriculum.

• 10 - Full Sail Real World Education - Orlando, Florida
• 09 - University of Michigan, Dearborn Campus - Dearborn, Michigan
• 08 - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus - Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 07 - Georgia Institute Of Technology - Atlanta, Georgia
• 06 - University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
• 05 - Digipen Institute of Technology - Redmond, Washington
• 04 - University of California at Los Angeles - Los Angeles, California
• 03 - Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester, New York
• 02 - Penn State University - State College, Pennsylvania
• 01 - University of Texas, Austin - Austin, Texas

The University of Texas gets top spot for its student body of 50,000 students, its proximity to all the major LAN gaming festivals, its old school and new school arcades,and its blazing fast internet connection. Connecting from your dorm there will get you LAN pings of 30 milliseconds of latency from Texas to the East coast and 40 to the West coast.

So, pick a college, go there, live high on the gaming life, and earn a good chance of getting into the industry.

Terrorists' activities, which lead to the bombing of the Twin Towers and the hostage incidents in Iraq, have been eye openers for every person, especially for authorities to be on the watch against these people who intend to bring havoc, destruction, and fear to others.

Even portable gaming devices are now under authorities' scrutiny as they are now more than just toys. Take for example Sony's PSP. Apparently, for the Washington, D.C. police, PSP, with its wireless and homebrew capabilities, can be a possible terrorist device. A guy playing Tekken on his PSP outside a federal building got the shock of his life after being shook down by the police in Washington, D.C.

Of course, the D.C. police are only doing their job to protect and serve, and the apprehended guy knows this. We're living in a time where almost anything - even a seemingly innocent water bottle - placed in the wrong hands can prove disastrous.

Penny Arcade today announced the grand prize for the Omegathon III, the three-day gaming tournament in which contestants must prove their mettle in a range of games undisclosed before the event. This year, the winner will drive off in a brand new 2006 Scion xB in Black Sand Pearl, featuring a game geek's dream package of a flipdown 15" widescreen monitor, Xbox 360 Premium System, 6-speaker sound system with CD/MP3 player, custom taillights and wheels with low-profile tires. Now that's a pimped ride!

Set to invade Washington State this August 25-27, the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) will feature a sponsors including Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Mythic, Rockstar, Flying Lab Software, Wizards of the Coast, Creative Labs, The Behemoth, Intel, ATI, among others. PAX offers attendees a host of game-related conference sessions, parties, concerts and contests. In addition to a horde of game players from around the world, both enthusiast press and consumer press have registered to attend in force.

"The first year, the Omegathon champion received every PlayStation 2 game ever made. The next year it was every NES game ever made," said Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade. "This year, in accordance with the massive growth of PAX, we decided it was time to up the ante." Nice!