In a pivotal year, video console makers battled for supremacy

We saw a new front in the battle among all three console-makers (Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony) - and PC gaming, expected to start to fade, didn't. Hence, the best of times.

Unfortunately, this was also the year that the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the biggest gaming trade show, collapsed after becoming too big, expensive, and unmanageable for the tens of thousands of journalists and insiders who went to see the latest in gaming. (It'll be reborn next year as a smaller, invitation-only, business event.)

We also heard more than ever about violent crime linked to gaming. Slayings, stabbings, armed thefts, you name it. Whether it was more media attention or more troubled people playing games, it was a horrific year in that regard.