I hear it very often on TOS - TtR makes for a great gateway game etc. Do they think we are stupid? I never understood this "gateway games", my gaming carrier started (surprisingly) with Magic and D&D and the first boardgames I played were Gondor, Battletech and Talisman. If a 13 year old kid is able to grasp those games without problems, why do the adults today need a "gateway" games? Some may argue that non-gamers need something less complicated to be attracted to the hobby but I call bullshit again. My ex's parents haven't played anything besides Monopoly...

Will New Law Impact Sale of Games? A law goes in effect on Feb 10 that requires all products -including toys and clothing - intended for use by children 12 and under to be tested for lead and phthalates. Items that have not been tested will be considered hazardous, and selling them will result in fines and possibly jail.

I was going to save this for our return of the Friday news, but really this deserves a little extra, I think.   I just recently learned that as of January 6th ,2009, the magazine "Electronic Gaming Monthly" is no more.  Another company bought out their parent company and is keeping the online element but ditching the magazine itself.  The magazine's current issue is its last, meaning they won't even get a chance to send themselves off properly.  Frankly, I'm entirely in shock.