'Fancy a snog before I shoot you?'

BBC NEWS | Technology | Girl gamers who shoot first, love later

Falling in love with someone you meet online through a chatroom or dating service is so old hat. Falling in love with someone you meet online while annihilating them with a lightning gun seems much more fun. And it is happening regularly, as more women gamers set up their own clans and become serious gamers.

Amber - or Athena Twin PMS - is the 28-year-old founding member and leader of PMS - the Psychotic Men Slayerz.

They are "sugar and spice with guns" and are the largest competitive, multiplatform (Xbox Live and PS2 Online), all-female clan. "Romance happens all the time - running the largest female clan in the world I see it all day," the Texan blonde told the BBC News website.

"I don't even think people realise it happens as much - I get personal confessions and people are always coming for advice."

Some, not all, of the relationships become "intimate" online when players leave the gaming environment and go into other areas such as chatrooms. But many simply become deep friendships which may or may not grow into something. These relationships can form much faster online because conversation has no physical cue to latch onto.

One PMS clan members played with, fell in love with, moved in with, and is now engaged to a gamer she met online. Another was "lost" after her offline fiancé found out about her online gaming "affair".

Halo 2

Halo 2
Halo 2 flu - halo 2 madness!

Hot New Games Victimized by Piracy

Hot New Games Victimized by Piracy

A month before the video game's scheduled release this coming Tuesday, illegal copies of the hot sci-fi action title "Halo 2" were already circulating on the Internet. It's had a lot of company lately.

Several highly anticipated games, such as "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" and "Half-Life 2," have fallen victim to copyright theft. Illegal, often incomplete versions have appeared on file-sharing networks, news groups and Web sites.


"You spend three years of your life pouring everything you have into this project, and then somebody gets their hands on the game and gives it away to the world for free," said Brian Jarrard of Microsoft Corp.'s Bungie Studios, maker of "Halo 2." "We made this, and these guys had no right to give it out to the public."


High-profile titles are commonly pirated before they are released, certainly within days after they arrive in stores, said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association.


In the case of "Halo 2," the French-language version appeared on file-sharing networks and news groups in October.


Microsoft said it was still investigating, working with authorities to track down those responsible. It remains unclear how the leak occurred, but it did not affect the game's release date.


That wasn't the case for "Half-Life 2."


Fans were waiting last fall for the imminent arrival of the sequel to the popular "Half-Life" when unplayable source code from the personal computer game was stolen from developer Valve Corp. and circulated over the Internet. The investigation has led to one arrest so far. FBI agent Ray Lauer in Seattle identified the suspect as a male from Germany but had no other details.

Hot New Games Victimized by Piracy

Hot New Games Victimized by Piracy

A month before the video game's scheduled release this coming Tuesday, illegal copies of the hot sci-fi action title "Halo 2" were already circulating on the Internet. It's had a lot of company lately.


Half-Life 2 Screenshot

Several highly anticipated games, such as "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" and "Half-Life 2," have fallen victim to copyright theft. Illegal, often incomplete versions have appeared on file-sharing networks, news groups and Web sites.


"You spend three years of your life pouring everything you have into this project, and then somebody gets their hands on the game and gives it away to the world for free," said Brian Jarrard of Microsoft Corp.'s Bungie Studios, maker of "Halo 2." "We made this, and these guys had no right to give it out to the public."


High-profile titles are commonly pirated before they are released, certainly within days after they arrive in stores, said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association.


In the case of "Halo 2," the French-language version appeared on file-sharing networks and news groups in October.


Microsoft said it was still investigating, working with authorities to track down those responsible. It remains unclear how the leak occurred, but it did not affect the game's release date.


That wasn't the case for "Half-Life 2."


Fans were waiting last fall for the imminent arrival of the sequel to the popular "Half-Life" when unplayable source code from the personal computer game was stolen from developer Valve Corp. and circulated over the Internet. The investigation has led to one arrest so far. FBI agent Ray Lauer in Seattle identified the suspect as a male from Germany but had no other details.

ACTION HEATS UP ON XBOX LIVE AS THOUSANDS OF COMPETITORS BATTLE

THOUSANDS OF COMPETITORS BATTLE TO WIN A PLACE AT THE FIFA INTERACTIVE WORLD CUP EUROPEAN REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS
It's the halfway mark of the FIFA Interactive World Cup Qualifying Tournament on Xbox® LiveTM, and the competition is getting intense – with 60 spots in the European Regional Tournaments of the FIFA Interactive World Cup up for grabs, players of FIFA Football 2005 from EA SPORTSTM on Xbox Live are getting hungry for ultimate gaming glory and really showing what they're made of.

Since the FIFA Interactive World Cup Qualifying Tournament on Xbox® Live began on 15th October, over 10,000 virtual footballers have joined the fray to win a prestigious place in one of the FIFA Interactive World Cup European Regional Tournaments.

"The competition is fierce. More than a quarter of a million goals have been virtually scored and over 100 red and 1,000 yellow cards have been "virtually" handed out. One player has a winning streak of more than 63 games, and another player has scored 900 goals to date," said Clive Downie, EA European Marketing Director. "The road to the FIFA Interactive World Cup is not an easy one, but the talented 60 players who make it through will know they are among the best of the best."

Members of the Xbox Live service can play EA SPORTSTM FIFA Football 2005 online between 15th October and 5th November with the top 60 scorers automatically qualifying for the Regional Tournament. Each wins a trip to one of the FIFA Interactive World Cup Regional Tournaments to be held in London (20 November 2004), Paris (4 December 2004) and Berlin (11 December 2004) , where they will get the chance to kick, defend, tackle and score their way to win the ultimate video game bragging rights – being named FIFA Interactive World Player 2004.