Authorities say a 13-year-old Scottish boy was stabbed by his 55-year-old babysitter after he refused to stop playing his Xbox (original or 360, naturally, unspecified. I'm betting the latter.) While Isobel Mackenzie says the wee lad cut himself to get her in trouble, she did her case no favors by admitting to getting drunk before the incident. A three-day trial found her guilty and ...

She was ordered to do 300 hours' community service. Now, a seven-plus work weeks picking up busted condoms by the roadside is no picnic, but for stabbing a kid, that's a wow. Over here, Lord knows what sentence she'd have drawn.

While we're on this subject, can I rant about something else? Is it a law that cop reports don't specify what console or game people are playing when stupid stuff like this happens? Not that it changes the facts of the case any, but - soapbox here - I'd argue that this persistent generic treatment is one reason games are portrayed so trivially in these types of stories.

Drunken Woman Stabbed Boy, 13, in Row Over Xbox [Scotsman.com via Gizmodo]

Voting was limited to Scotland-developed titles, but it was still the first year the Scotland organization (sigh, organisation) of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognized (sigh, recognised) video games for specific honors (sigh, honours.)

Flock beat out Championship Manager Express 2010 (by Dynamo Games) and Low Grav Racer (Cobra Mobiles). Proper's creative director, Geoff Gunning, said the Dundee-based studio was amazed "to be recognised by such a prestigious body." He added that the studio's working on an unannounced product and will be developing downloadable titles for the near future.

Flock! Wins BAFTA Scotland Award [Team Xbox]

CEO David Jones has told GI.biz that he's both surprised and "miffed" at...something.

The bottom line is that what we thought would happen is that a sequel would be done by a studio somewhere... maybe one of the internal studios, or others that they've worked with, and that would be the way it went forward.

I think it was unfortunate that it had to be with a start-up in Dundee... it is challenging to get enough developers in one region as it is, so that was the only little big of negativity to the story.

It's just one of those awkward moments. In terms of the franchise, as always - as with anything we've created - we're always keen to see it do great things. This is like a bump in the road... was there really no way it could have been done by one of the studios Microsoft shut down...?

I was a bit miffed at Microsoft that it happened that way, but you live and learn.

Is he...jealous? Disappointed? Maybe neither. Maybe both!

David Jones "miffed" at Microsoft's Ruffian decision [GI.biz]

Begg is acting as a consultant for Scottish developers T-Enterprise, who are currently working on a game called Rendition: Guantanamo for the 360 and PC. Rendition is set in January 2010, and centres around a Guantanamo staffed not by US forces but by mercenaries, with prisoners subjected to scientific experiments.

Now, before your political threat level is raised to "mustard", know that Begg has been brought onboard not to add political flavour, but to simply help give them an idea of the layout and look of the prison. After all, it's still a highly classified location, so T-Enterprise can't exactly Google up a floorplan of the place.

Those interested in the game itself can check out a teaser trailer below, but be warned: it's not exactly AAA quality.

Former Detainee Is Consultant on Upcoming Guantanamo Game [Game Politics]

Rendition: Guantanamo [Official Site]

There are two Logan's in Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo today, all thanks to the marketing efforts of Activision. The zoo's only male wolverine, which is a dog-sized member of the weasel family, has been renamed in honor of the release of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine video game in the UK. A photograph of the two wolverines can be seen here. Notice the similarities. Activision has also sponsored the zoo's wolverine breeding and enclosure programs, ensuring that little Logan never finds himself for want of suitable female companionship.

Why all of this weasel love?

"What better way is there to pay homage to the mighty Wolverine by making sure his real life cousins are cared for during the next year?" asks Activision UK Senior Brand Manager Aruna Sinha. "With wolverines an endangered species, we see Wolverine having a major role in helping people become more aware of these wonderful creatures and ensuring their survival for many years to come."

Wolverines are currently classified as near threatened, which is the far side of endangered, but I suppose they the count as fully endangered in the Edinburgh Zoo if their only male is a comic book geek.

Fronted by Gaz Liddon and made up of devs who have worked on games like Crackdown, Fable II and Project Gotham Racing, Ruffian are based in the Scottish city of Dundee, and are at this very moment hard at work on "a AAA game" for "one of the world's biggest and most successful publishers".

Just what that game is, only time (and your uncontrollable imaginations) will tell.

19th January 2009, Dundee, Angus, UK - Ruffian Games announced today the formation of a new development studio with a mission to bring the best in action gaming to current generation consoles.

Creative Director Billy Thomson said, "Our highest priority is gameplay. Everything we do is focused on enhancing the player's experience. We strive for tight intuitive controls, well-balanced goals, game changing rewards, and player progression that will make you feel like a god! Above all, we want to provide an online experience rivaling any other through co-operative and competitive multiplayer gaming. Online play is the future of gaming and we're incredibly excited about where that is going to take us”.

Ruffian Games feel they are well placed to make good on these promises. Their staff has made significant contributions to many major titles including Fable 2, Crackdown, Moto GP and Grand Theft Auto. According to Studio Head Gaz Liddon "Creative and talented people are the lifeblood of any studio and I am so excited to be working with the best the
industry has to offer. It simply isn't possible for any studio to have a better start than this."

Having recently secured a development contract with a major publisher Ruffian are currently working hard on their current project in the lead up to its announcement. Ruffian Games are currently situated at the Dundee Technology Park and the studio will soon be moving to a new facility in central Dundee.

It is innovative, it is new, and it is far removed from the more traditional methods we have been using. I believe that is what we need if we are to reverse the number of Scots families suffering the tragedy of a loved one being lost.

Xbox games tackle drink driving [bbc]

He said: "The results of this small-scale Dr Kawashima project have shown how a targeted and managed use of such a game can help to enhance pupil numeracy skills and classroom behaviour."

There was also a noticeable impact on behaviour and levels of concentration throughout the school day, with the children becoming more self-confident.

Mr [Derek] Robertson [who designed the study], a former teacher and university lecturer, said: "It had a real calming effect on children in the class.

"In fact I have never before seen such gains across the board."

With all the chatter about the use of games in schools, it's nice to see a concrete (if small) study conducted on easy applications of gaming within the bounds of education. The researchers are hoping to do bigger studies in the future to have a better and more statistically significant sample to pull from.

Daily computer game boosts maths [BBC, thanks James T!]

We've all heard the stories about people using Wii Sports as a workout tool, but personal trainer Zander Urquhart of Glasgow, Scotland is taking Wii fitness to new a new level. He has started offering classes that utilize the Wii as a workout machine. He started off by offering the classes fro kids, but then saw the popularity quickly spread to adults as well. Up to four people can participate in each class and according to "University Studies", players could burn up to 125 calories in a fifteen minute session. Mr. Urquhart is purportedly the first person to use the Wii in this manner, but I doubt he will be the last.

Nintendo should really consider marketing a "Wii Fitness" series. Wii Pilates, Wii Aerobics, Wii Weight Lifiting. It's a potential goldmine just waiting to be tapped into. What I'm waiting for though is Wii: Sweating To The Oldies featuring a Richard Simmons Mii that barks out orders at you while wearing Dolphin shorts that are two sizes too small. Flynn De Marco

A WII WORKOUT [Daily Record - Thanks, Craig]

GameDaily has a titter-inducing little article about the doomed release of State of Emergency 2, and the subsequent destruction of its parent company's Scotland division. Commented DC Studios chief executive Mark Greenshields:

We had to pay a lot of money in order to complete the game. A lot of things were discovered after the acquisition. But when you buy something out of receivership, it's buyer beware.

"A lot of things," huh? I had no idea SoE2 was even released! Poking around for a few minutes revealed that it was set ten years after the first game, and the screenshots make it look a bit Blade Runnery. Might have to pick this up, just to play the game that sacked so many Scots.

I am a wee bit guilty about laughing at these poor devs' misfortune, but when a game is so bad that not only will its original distributor "pass" on it, but its release results in downsizing, one cannot help but be amused.

Poor bastards. Eliza gauger

More. [GameDaily]