Before, we've seen a handful of studies on video games and their varied effects on kids, teens, and even adults. Usually, the studies have to do with violence or sex or stress relief and whatnot. This new study is the first I've actually seen linking video games to civic development and political awareness. Check out the full article for an outline of findings that the research team has gathered. It's a treasure trove of interesting little snippets of gaming goodness.

Looking for the perfect gift for your videogame-playing loved one? Then look no further as we give you the titles hitting store shelves this week, and this time it's mostly about the portables. So sit back and relax as we show you some options on just what sort of videogame happy you'll be having gift-wrapped in this season of giving (even though Christmas itself is still a few weeks away).

 Major Nelson has given another update on Xbox Live traffic. It shows the top live title, arcade titles, and even from the original live for the Xbox. While some people would just brush this off as another update, you have to note these numbers when deciding which next game to pick up if you're planning on going online.

Gears of War is still on top for the Xbox 360 heap with Crackdown at second and Halo 3 Beta at third. We were really expecting Halo 3 to be on top, but we guess it'll move up in the coming weeks. For the top arcade games, we have Double Dragon at first, Soltrio Solitaire at second and Rush'n Attack at third. No surprise that Double Dragon hit the top of the charts in this one. (I mean even we've been playing it more often than not)

Here's the list of the games that were most played for the May 21 week. Note that the numbers are based on all the unique users connected to Xbox Live full versions of games purchased over Xbox Live Arcade.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (UU’s)

1. Gears of War
2. Crackdown
3. Halo 3 Beta

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)

1. Double Dragon
2. Soltrio Solitaire
3. Rush'n Attack

Original Xbox Top Live Games

1. Halo 2
2. Battlefield 2: MC
3. Counter-Strike

The complete lists can be found after the Jump.

When you think about it, it's crazy how card games such as poker, solitaire (yes, even solitaire), and blackjack are still big hits even though you can actually play them sans the consoles and the extra expenses. But what can we do? The damn card games can get so addicting that when a new one comes out, we just can't help but fall for 'em.

Apparently we're not alone in this as Texas Hold 'Em has set a record over at Microsoft for being the fastest downloaded game ever on the XBL Marketplace! Let's get it straight from Microsoft, shall we?

“Texas Hold ‘em,” set a day one record as the fastest downloaded item ever on the Xbox Live Marketplace, with over 100 downloads per minute in the first 24 hours of the title’s release. For the first time ever, Microsoft offered a free full-version Xbox Live Arcade game to all Xbox Live members during the first 48 hours following launch. The title is the first poker game on Xbox Live Arcade and includes high-definition graphics, persistent bankroll, achievements and online multiplayer."

Well well well...Now that our guys over as Microsoft has seen the effect of offering free full-version downloadables via this record-breaking stunt, how about giving Texas Hold 'Em some competition for that record, eh?