PLANO, Texas – The Guildhall at SMU stands apart in the growing field of videogame higher education. The program officially launched in July 2003 after intense planning from a staff headlined by Peter Raad, PhD, executive director, and with input from leaders in the game development industry. To date, 300 students have graduated with a Master’s degree in interactive game technology or a graduate professional certificate and have worked at 80 studios around the world.

Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje steps into the role of Heavy Duty in both the G.I. Joe movie, which is out now on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, and Electronic Arts videogame. The new game serves as a virtual sequel to the movie's action. The hulking actor talks about pulling double Heavy Duty in both the blockbuster film and the Hollywood game from Electronic Arts in this exclusive interview.

LOS ANGELES – Just how big is the videogame music genre? Last year, music videogames, which were once roughly 10% of the size of sports videogame sales in the U.S., raked in $2 billion at retail in the U.S., edging out sports games' $1.9 billion take, according to Jeremy Miller, analyst at Strategic Game Consulting. “Much of this growth was driven by higher priced bundles such as $200 band kits, and by the fourth quarter, sales momentum began to slow, as the market began to see saturation and recessionary pressures,” said John Taylor, videogame analyst, Arcadia Research. “By year end 2008, about 30% of Xbox 360 owners had bought a 'Guitar Hero' game, compared to about 24% of Wii owners and 20% of PlayStation 3 owners.”

TAMPA, Florida – Santana Moss remains one of the most influential athletes in the Miami Hurricanes football program. The current Washington Redskins receiver graduated as the school's all-time leader in receiving yards (2,546), punt return yards (1,196), and all-purpose yards (4,394). The speedy receiver also was named the "Most Outstanding Field Performer" for the 2000 Big East Outdoor Track and Field championships. In 1999, Moss finished the 60-meter dash in 6.83 seconds. Moss was in Tampa for Madden Bowl XV to socialize with other NFL stars and play some Xbox 360 Madden NFL 09. The receiver, who caught the ball for 1,044 yards and had six touchdowns last season, took a timeout from the virtual gridiron to talk about his videogame addiction in this exclusive interview.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, over 125 million Tetris products have been sold in over 50 countries around the globe. While the simple, but addictive puzzle game that challenges players to connect Tetrimino blocks as they fall from the top of the screen has always been considered a “brain game,” new research proves that playing Tetris can actually improve and change the way one’s brain works.

CHICAGO, Illinois – Not everyone is a fan of baseball, so 2K Sports has created The Bigs franchise to make the game faster and more fun. Among the new features are an updated Home Run Baseball feature that offers new cities to play in with Tokyo and Las Vegas. New York’s Times Square also makes a return – and players can now play competitively and cooperatively in this fun arcade mode. There’s also a full career mode where players can start in the Mexican league and work their way up to the The Bigs. In addition, this year’s Wii game will feature all of the gameplay that the other console versions offer to veteran baseball fans and rookies alike.

The Bigs 2 features MLB All-Star Prince Fielder, first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, on the cover. The slugger was on hand in Chicago recently to star in the commercial for the new game, which features him running atop a speeding train. After wrapping his first Hollywood acting gig (Friday Night Lights director Peter Berg filmed the spot), Fielder sat down to talk about the new game and gaming with his kids in this exclusive interview.

San Diego, California – Electronic Arts had a playable build of its new videogame sequel to this summer’s Hollywood blockbuster, G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA, on display at Comic-Con. The new game is not a retread of the on-screen action fans will see at the multiplex. EA has taken elements from the film, as well as the toy universe, and created a two-player cooperative arcade experience that already looks like a quality game. It also has a very old school gaming feel. Matt Marsala, senior producer of the game, talks about this experience in this exclusive interview.