After losing three games of FIFA 2008 against his younger brother and a friend, James Callaghan, 17, polished off a bottle of vodka, armed himself with an ax and a knife and stormed into the night near Yorkshire, England.

Callaghan attacked several teens with the axe, knocking one to the ground, threated a cyclist and finally attacked a 65-year-old widow, bludgeoning and stabbing the woman to death before trying to break into a neighbor's home while demanding alcohol.

The court heard that Callaghan had a history of undiagnosed schizophrenia and that he was known by his friends to be violent after drinking alcohol. The Daily Mail article also points out that FIFA losing-streak and that Callaghan "also played the computer game Grand Theft Auto, which sends the player's character on a violent crime spree."

It's a terrifying and sad story, but it sounds like anything could have set Callaghan off, it just happened to be a video game.

Teenager killed widow with axe in drink-fuelled rage after losing a computer game to his brother [Daily Mail]

While it appears to have both courage and power, courtesy of its combination of rum, banana liqueur and goldshlager, it may - for the same reasons - be a little short on wisdom.

Still, it looks nice! And that pic is great.

Gamer Drink: The Triforce [Domestic Scientist, via Wonderland]

Over at the delightfully named HipAsFuck.com, some gamers decided to see just how much a little booze would affect their Mario Kart skills. Perhaps surprisingly, a blood alcohol level of 0.08 (an arrestable amount in the US and UK) actually made their times a few seconds faster.

Obviously, there is a world of difference between driving in real life — where you can physically die and cause the deaths of others — and driving a pretend dinosaur around a virtual track in a non-existent Go-Kart — where the most you can lose is a couple of seconds while the game reloads. Still, If you are gaming and want to get 'in the zone' (and are of legal drinking age, natch) this vital scientific study may come in handy.

Before anyone starts — DUI is stupid & if you do it in real life you are an idiot. This post is for informational purposes only, Your home may be at risk if you do not keep up mortgage repayments. etc. etc.

The DUI Mario Kart Experiment [Hip As Fuck, via Kottke]

Proving that parents haven't gone completely crazy, the vast majority - 49% - were worried that their child would smoke a little chronic with their pals and then...I dunno, giggle for 8 hours straight, like we did back when i was a teenager. That's the real danger folks.

What They Play™ Finds Parents More Concerned About Video Games Than Alcohol and Pornography; Violence More Acceptable Than Sexual Content
Polls Reveal Parents Have Attitudes Toward Video Games and Social Issues That May Surprise

SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Parents are more concerned about their children’s exposure to video games than alcohol, violence and pornography, according to recent polls conducted by What They Play (www.whattheyplay.com), the parents guide to video games. Nearly 3,000 respondents in two separate What They Play polls concluded that drinking beer and watching pornography were less objectionable activities for children than playing certain video games. Further, viewing violence was more acceptable than seeing content involving sex and sexuality within games.

“These poll results demonstrate that parents are as apprehensive about their children’s media diets as they are about traditional social issues such as alcohol, drugs, violence and sex,” says John Davison, president of What They Like, Inc. “When it comes to video games, parents should know that What They Play is a resource that helps demystify one of the most popular – and challenging – forms of entertainment their kids are into.”

“Although these findings seem surprising at first, they hint at fears parents have about video games,” says Cheryl K. Olson, Sc.D., co-author of Grand Theft Childhood. “To some parents, video games are full of unknowable dangers. While researching for Grand Theft Childhood, parents we spoke with in focus groups often bemoaned the fact that they didn’t know how to use game controls - and felt unequipped to supervise or limit video game play. Of course, parents don’t want their children drinking alcohol, but that’s a more familiar risk.”

The results of the initial What They Play online poll, conducted April 4-10, 2008, found that the 1,266 participants were most offended by the following in a video game: a man and woman having sex (37%); two men kissing (27%); a graphically severed head (25%); and multiple use of the F-word (9%).

The second poll, which ran August 1-6, 2008, queried parents on what they’d be most concerned about their 17-year-old child indulging in while at a sleepover. More than 1,600 respondents revealed they’re more apprehensive about their child smoking marijuana (49%) and playing the video game Grand Theft Auto (19%), than watching pornography (16%) and drinking beer (14%).

Additional What They Play poll results and insight into parents’ attitudes toward video games and other forms of entertainment in which their children engage can be found at www.whattheyplay.com/polls/

You will need: A copious portion of American beer. A bottle of Russian vodka, well chilled. Six pack of Red Bull, probably sugarless, since you don't want to get sick. Some good, coarse salt. Either lemon juice, lime juice or sour mix. Calorie-Mate. Or something edible, to keep your stomach steady.

Ready to kill your liver? You can find the full (and funny) rules over at SVGL's Official Metal Gear Solid Drinking Game.

A 7-year-old's sister and her boyfriend were charged Tuesday with child abuse resulting in death after the two beat and kicked the Colorado girl to death as they were acting out fights from Mortal Kombat, according to arrest affidavits.

Heather Trujillo, 16, and her boyfriend, Lamar Roberts, 17, of Westminster, are being held on $100,000 bond.

Zoe died on Dec. 6 from blunt force trauma to her brain and central nervous system. According to the Weld County Coroner her right wrist was broken, her body had more than 20 bruises, her neck muscles were bleeding and skin near her tongue had been torn.

According to the arrest affidavits, Trujillo told investigators she and Roberts were babysitting Zoe (Garcia) and her twin, 3-year-old sisters, while their mother worked at the Corral Bar about five blocks away.

Trujillo said they were acting out the video game "Mortal Combat" by savagely hitting and kicking Zoe, even dropping her on her side, which broke her wrist. Roberts, who claimed to be a martial-arts expert with his hands registered as "lethal weapons, said Zoe had asked him to stop hitting her but that he didn't because "...I was drunk."

Roberts said he had performed a back kick on her, then kicked her again as she ran toward him. She fell back and didn't get up. She had stopped breathing, and Trujillo and Roberts waited 15 minutes before calling for help.

They said they put her in a bath, which temporarily revived her, but that she stopped breathing again. Roberts said he cracked an egg in her mouth "to see if she was messing around with them."

The egg went down her throat, the affidavit stated.

Finally, the mother and paramedics were called. Zoe was taken to the Northern Colorado Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

A witness told investigators that she asked Roberts whether Zoe had asked them to stop. "Yeah, she told me to stop," he said. Asked why he didn't stop, he said, "I don't know; I was drunk."

I can't even begin to express both my sincere sorrow for the loss this family must be going through now and my disgust at these teens who decided to get drunk and beat a child to death.

Sister charged in "Mortal Kombat" death of 7-year-old [Denver Post]
Teens charged in death of girl, 7 [Rocky Mountain News]

Screw Final Fantasy Potion. Adult Square-Enix fans drink booze. Cloud's private label booze. Spencer over at Siliconera explains:

This past weekend I was hanging out at a Kingdom Hearts themed Valentine's Day party (not Square-Enix sponsored!) and there was "Cloud Strife's Buster Brose" to drink. The label says "A Scottish SOLDIER tradition" and below it "Made with the finest blend of scotch, oats and Mako energy." There was also Maleficent Mimosas which was some kind of punch mixed with Champagne.

The difference between this and Final Fantasy Potion: Drink a bottle of "Buster Brose" and puke on somebody's shoes. Drink a bottle of Final Fantasy and see spots. Brian Ashcraft

Cloud's Liquor [Siliconera]

When not downing bottles of Jack Daniel's, smoking unfiltered cigarettes and pinching Tecmo staff, Tomonobu Itagaki makes video games. He's announced Dead or Alive 5 in a press conference that celebrated the 10th anniversary of the series' conception. Itagaki already has game play concepts in mind, such as no Tag Team and a special hiding-behind-your-company-while-you-sexually-harrass-female-employees mode. Bets are that DoA 5 is an Xbox 360 exclusive and that Itagaki is currently drunk. Brian Ashcraft

More Dead Or Alive [VGB]

Stop me if you've heard this one: A video games journalist and a Nintendo executive walk into a pub. The Nintendo executive slaps a poodle onto the bar, exposes himself, then blurts out the release date for the Wii.

Haven't heard that one? That's okay, we'll tell it to you sans the poodle: A French blogger is reporting that he had a drunken conversation with a Nintendo executive at an airport bar, during which conversation it was leaked that the Wii will be released on the 30th of October in Japan and only about a week later in the US or Europe.

The official Nintendo announcement about this should come in September, but it makes perfect sense from our perspective: Beat the PS3 out the door. And lest we forget, we've heard the early November rumor before. Florian Eckhardt

Novembre, Mois De La Wii? [Inpactvirtuel.com]

More Here [Wonderland]

Tonight's the night.

Dave Thomas of Buzzcut and I will be guest bartending at the Denver Press Club from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday night. We will be serving the "Tomb Raider" and (hopefully) "Kotaku Blue" as well as whatever else we can whip up at the bar.

I've also arranged to have a PS2 hooked up to the television there and am bringing copies of Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution. I'll try to remember to bring a camera as well.

If you're 21 or older and live in the Denver area make sure you come and join us tonight. Tips go to a charity of some sort.