Remember that incident on newsman Sam Donaldson's New Mexico ranch a couple of years back, where a 14-year-old shot his father, stepmother and stepsister? Well, Cody Posey is now 16 years old, sentenced early this year to state custody until he is 21, and is yet again involved in another lawsuit, this time, alongside corporate bigwigs.

Surviving family members of Posey's victims filed a US$ 600 million lawsuit, naming Posey, Sony Corporation of America, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. and its subsidiary Rockstar Games as defendants. According to the suit, the companies are just as liable as Posey himself for the killings because they were in on a "civil conspiracy', creating entertainment that 'would spawn such copycat violence'.

The violent entertainment being referred to here is the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, developed by Rockstar Games. The GTA Series depict police killings and other acts of violence. The lawsuit also tags the various editions of the game 'virtual reality murder simulators'. Said the plaintiffs, the game trained Posey 'how to point and shoot a gun in a fashion making him an extraordinarily effective killer without teaching him any of the constraints or responsibilities needed to inhibit such a killing capacity'. The lawsuit goes on to claim that if it were not for Posey's use of these products, he would not have killed.

As if to further strengthen this point, it was also stated in the lawsuit that the plaintiffs' lawyer Jack Thompson was told by a sheriff's deputy that the game and a Sony PlayStation 2 were found at the ranch.

On the other hand, Jim Ankner, spokesperson for defendant Take-Two said they believe that the suit is without merit.

And so we see another instance where video games remain to be the only logical answer why a minor would suddenly go on a killing rampage. From the looks of it, it sure seems like the gaming industry has now got its own McDonald's version when it comes to lawsuits relentlessly attempting to pin the blame on factors and events that do not necessarily have a causal relationship.

The Federal Trade Commission decided against imposing fines or taking other punitive actions against Take Two Interactive and Rockstar games after an exhaustive investigation into the "hot coffee" mod led to a settlement agreement between the FTC and Take Two instead of further charges.

The new agreement requires the two companies to "establish, implement and maintain a comprehensive system reasonably designed to ensure that all content in an electronic game is considered and reviewed in preparing submissions to a rating authority."

The agreement also states that Rockstar and Take Two must clearly disclose all pertinent ratings information about a game on the outside of the game's packaging. In the event that Rockstar or Take Two fails to meet the conditions they agreed to in the settlement with the FTC, they will be fined $11,000 per incident.

Maybe this situation has something to do with Rockstar Games' decision to release a ping- pong (or table tennis) game instead of yet another mega-popular violent shoot 'em up! All jokes aside, both sides seem to want to claim victory in the case and both sides seem ready to move on with their lives.

The ruling was followed by a 30 day period where politicians and the public alike voiced their disapproval about the agreement. Now that the debate is over and the settlement has been ratified, it is unlikely that Rockstar or Take Two will ever face any further prosecution over the hot coffee issue.

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc has reported a net loss of $50.4 million for the second quarter of the year, a substantial increase from the $8.2 million net loss in the same period last year. The lower year to date results is attributed to continued retail weakness for video game software and lower retail pricing as the industry begins to transition to next-generation platforms.

The results may have been a downer for the company but third quarter outlook is looking good with already-shipped titles including Table Tennis for Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for PS2, and Da Vinci Code for the current generation consoles and PC. Take-Two's wholly-owned 2K also has the following third quarter lineup: Prey for PC and Xbox 360, Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Warlords, the first expansion pack for the critically acclaimed Sid Meier's Civilization IV, and CivCity: Rome.

With financial data blurring my vision a bit, I almost missed this short but utterly sweet PSP-related info:

Additional products planned for 2006 from Rockstar Games include Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories for the PSP, scheduled for October release, an additional PSP title based on another premier brand, and Bully.

Well, Take-Two might just end 2006 with a bang.