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The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Will Smith column [The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa](Hawk Eye, The (Burlington, IA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 14--As much as I would like to, it's impossible for me to squeeze every interesting video game-related news story into this 32-inch column space. When I put together last week's column, I had to relegate some of my favorite stories to the cutting room floor. But since there isn't all that much to review this summer, I'm extending my look at the world of gaming news for another week. And I'm starting with the story I most regretted cutting last week. Takeshi Miyaji, director of the role-playing game "Grandia," dies at the age of 45. I know this is a pretty obscure headline, especially considering "Grandia" was released in Japan for the unpopular Sega Saturn in 1997 and then later re-released for the Sony Playstation in 1999. To tell you the truth, most of my friends have never even heard of the game. But those of us who got to play "Grandia" before the turn of the century lived through a magical experience. Like many Japanese RPGs, "Grandia" focused on a group of kids in a mystical kingdom set on saving the world. Though the title featured creative combat, a vast story and cutting edge (for the time) 3D graphics, what really sold me on "Grandia" was the child-like wonder Miyaji infused into the game. Much like the 1993 Sega CD RPG "Lunar: The Silver Star" (which Miyaji also worked on), the kids in this story spend much of the game on a quest for fortune and fame. It's only when evil rears its ugly head that the kids feel compelled to act. It sounds a lot like a Harry Potter book. Or the Stephen King book "It," where a group of rowdy young'uns must face down the world's greatest evil without the help of adults. It's the kind of story that Steven Spielberg made his millions on, in other words. I was the complete opposite of an adventurous child during my youth, and continually crave stories about children with more courage and grit than I'll ever have. After watching the final Harry Potter film with my wife a few weeks ago, I snatched up the audio version of the first book, immediately falling in love with a story so similar to the ones I played on my television. I just started the third book this week, and I feel like a kid every time I delve into it. I don't know why Miyaji died (the cause of death has yet to be revealed), but with his child-like spirit, I'm hoping 45 seemed like a fairly ripe age. Woman goes into labor while watching a 40-minute preview of "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" at QuakeCon event. I have vowed not to purchase another video game until "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" is released on Nov. 11. The massive role-playing game likely will span the entire winter, and needless to say, I'm pretty excited about it. But I'm not nearly as excited about the game as a woman who was attending QuakeCon -- a bring-your-own-computer tournament that draws in hard-core PC players from around the world. One of the highlights of this year's event was a 40-minute demo of the upcoming "Skyrim," which sent a pregnant woman identified only as Stevi into contractions. Child birth is hardly an obstacle for a dedicated gamer, though, and Stevi stayed for the entire demo before rushing to the hospital. She thought it might be false labor pains. Her fiance, Chaz, who reported the details to "Game Informer," summed it up best. "During the demo, Todd Howard showed off the Frost Dragon," said Chaz. "This is what started the whole thing, and seeing this must have filled Stevi with so much excitement that it sent her into labor." Chaz proposed to Stevi on stage during last year's QuakeCon, and they planned on getting married there this year. Their daughter, who they named Atari, will be at next year's show. Besides being the name of the most recognizable gaming system aside from Nintendo, Atari has another meaning. Stevi explains it best: "The name Atari comes from the name Ataru, which means to hit a target, and the word Atari is used when a prediction has come true or someone has won the lottery. Her first and middle names together mean "To hit a target from the lake." Poor kid. London rioting blamed on "Grand Theft Auto" by UK newspapers. It never fails. Random acts of teenage violence are inevitably blamed on the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, despite the fact the last entry in the franchise is a year-old, add-expansion pack for "Grand Theft Auto IV." Can't these kids ever get any newer games? In case you missed it, London police arrested more than 900 people after riots broke out through the city starting last Saturday. Though the situation is under control, London police are maintaining a highly visible presence with the help of more than 16,000 police officers. According to the London Evening Standard, the cause could have been video games -- and more specifically, "Grand Theft Auto." The paper ran a headline that "Grand Theft Auto"-inspired youth ran rampant through the streets, committing acts of violence and looting. The paper reprinted the issue later in the day, taking out the video game references, but the Daily Mail had no such qualms, quoting the same unnamed constable in the London Evening Standard. The constable is quoted in the following excerpt. "In Tottenham, the scene of the first riots on Saturday night, a police officer said, 'These are bad people who did this. Kids are out of control. When I was young it was all 'Pac-Man' and board games. Now they're playing 'Grand Theft Auto' and want to live it themselves.' " To be fair, the video game angle really hasn't caught on, and the country is far too concerned with real violence to give much thought to video games. But as a 10-year "Grand Theft Auto" veteran, I do feel this sudden urge to steal a telly. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il allegedly making money by hacking MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) It's not often that I get to cite the New York Times, but the newspaper recently reported that Kim Jong-il has created an army of young hackers and unleashed them on South Korea's most popular MMORPGs. The group is finding ways to exploit the game's systems so they can gather in-game credits and convert it into real-life money. South Korea has gained a reputation for dedicated gamers dropping dead in Internet cafes after days of non-stop gaming, so I'm sure there's no shortage of talent. Though North Korean officials deny the charges, police in Seoul allege about 30 "young video game experts" were working out of northern China, developing hacking software that allowed the group to play around the clock and farm various virtual goods. Those goods then were exchanged for cash, and the group has raised $6 million over the last two years -- 55 percent of which they get to keep. South Korean and American officials said the money is being put in a fund worth billions, and that Kim uses the fund to finance nuclear weapons and smuggle luxury goods for bribes. It's not often I'm left speechless by a story, but that was just too damn fascinating to interrupt. The games mentioned are only available in Korea, so "World of Warcraft" players need not worry they are contributing to a nuclear apocalypse. ___ To see more of The Hawk Eye or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thehawkeye.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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