games

Test Your Credit Card IQ

Test Your Credit Card IQ

So you think you’re pretty smart with your credit know-how? Got a good credit score and line of credit? Well here’s another number to watch, your credit card I.Q. Take this 10 question test and see how you stack up. Even I got a few of these wrong. For instance, “The typical American carries a balance of about $5,500 in credit card debt. If you make no more charges and pay only the minimum payment each month, how long will it take to pay that debt off at 19 percent interest?”

10 questions to test your credit card I.Q. [Philly.com via LowCards.com]

Kid Racks Up $1,400 In Farmville After Stealing Mom's Credit Card

Kid Racks Up $1,400 In Farmville After Stealing Mom's Credit Card

A 12-year-old kid is probably getting his crops slashed and burned by his mum after he racked up $1,400 in Farmville purchases, draining his own savings and running up charges on her credit card. [More]

Erotic Japanese Game "Cross Days" Tricks Pirates Into Posting Personal Info Online

Erotic Japanese Game "Cross Days" Tricks Pirates Into Posting Personal Info Online

If you’re trying to pirate the Japanese erotic manga game Cross Days–and I don’t care what people say, I love that I live in a world where I can type that phrase–you should know that the game’s developers are wise to you, and they’re going to do their best to shame and embarrass you. [More]

Don't Worry About What The iPad Costs, You Can't Afford The Apps

Don't Worry About What The iPad Costs, You Can't Afford The Apps

One of the cool things about the iPhone ecosystem is there are nearly 17 quintillion apps available for it, and although many of these are crap, the good ones frequently cost only a dollar or two. Even the premium-priced “productivity” apps–things like note pads and to-do lists–rarely cross the $10 threshhold, which means you can load up your iPhone or Touch with a lot of cool stuff on a modest software budget. But if a leaked video of the iPad app store is accurate, you can expect to pay 200-500% more for simple things like 99-cent games, and PC-level prices for more robust apps, on your fancy new iPad. [More]

Simulate Driving A Runaway Toyota

Simulate Driving A Runaway Toyota

This website professionally simulates what it’s like to drive a Toyota. Includes authentic screams of terror.

(Thanks to thespatulaoflove!)

Track Free And Cheap Games For Your iPhone Or Touch

Track Free And Cheap Games For Your iPhone Or Touch

There are several apps on the Apple app store that help consumers track sales and free offers from developers, but you have to launch them and check in regularly. The website App Spy offers an automated price tracker for games (just games, unfortunately) that will send you an email whenever a price threshhold is reached. If you tend to be an app junkie, it can help save you money by letting you get your fix on the cheap good stuff. [More]

Barnes & Noble Offers Great Battlefield Bad Company 2 Deal, Then Changes Its Mind

Barnes & Noble Offers Great Battlefield Bad Company 2 Deal, Then Changes Its Mind

For a brief, shining moment, Barnes & Noble let customers pre-order the upcoming PC game Battlefield Bad Company 2 for $19.95, far below the retail price. Gamers were skeptical, but placed orders anyway. Their skepticism was well-founded, since the retailer caught the error and canceled all of the mistaken pre-orders…nine days after the deal began to go viral. [More]

Diablo 2 Scammer Inadvertently Shines Spotlight On Self

Diablo 2 Scammer Inadvertently Shines Spotlight On Self

Robert usually writes about energy and the environment on his blog. However, he recently ran into a scammer online, and surprised the scammer by fighting back: [More]

Social Network Games: Fake Mobsters, Real Racket

Social Network Games: Fake Mobsters, Real Racket

You might enjoy raking in money as a fake mobster in Mafia Wars, or collecting cotton subsidies in FarmVille, but TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington argues that the real racket in virtual games is for the companies that run them, and for the social networking sites that host them.

HSN Breaks TV, Showing Need To Firmly Attach Your Wii Accessories

HSN Breaks TV, Showing Need To Firmly Attach Your Wii Accessories

This HSN presenter remembered to use his wrist strap when playing with a Wiimote, so good for him! Unfortunately, it turns out you also have to make sure any attachments are firmly attached.

Prove You're Financially Literate And Win At Online Soccer!

Prove You're Financially Literate And Win At Online Soccer!

We’re not sure what “soccer” is—it looks like it might be some sort of real-world Quidditch without the brooms—but Visa and a bunch of soccer players have released a fancy-schmancy (for a website, at least) online version that tests your financial literacy. You can try it out at financialsoccer.com instead of working this morning.

Rumor: Game Crazy To Close 200 Locations

Rumor: Game Crazy To Close 200 Locations

Joystiq reported last night that Game Crazyplans to close 200 of its approximately 680 locations at the end of October.” There’s no official list of which stores are closing yet, so feel free to ask your local Game Crazy employees and see if you can scare them.

Best Buy Has PC Game Sale, Forgets To Tell Stores About It

Best Buy Has PC Game Sale, Forgets To Tell Stores About It

Victor got an email from Best Buy telling him “up to 100” PC games were on sale for members of the company’s Gamers Club, so he took his son down to their local store to see what was available. Nothing, that’s what, because the store hadn’t been told about the sale, even though it’s been going on for nearly a week.

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Here’s another free game for iPhone/iPod Touch owners to pass the time this weekend: Wild West Pinball. If you’re a Blackberry owner, Bplay has a 30% off sale going on right now—enter JULY in the code box at checkout. [IntoMobile]

Here's An Example Of A Phishing Attempt On A Steam Account

Here's An Example Of A Phishing Attempt On A Steam Account

Back in March we posted a warning about thieves masquerading as Steam in order to get into customers’ accounts and download games to resell. One reader, Richard, just received this special “alert” on his Steam IM pane this evening.

Gamestop Ruins Yet Another Customer Experience

Gamestop Ruins Yet Another Customer Experience

Sometimes we think Gamestop is run by some sort of secret cabal of anti-videogame fanatics, and they use the store as a front to spread hatred of games and game purchasing across America.

GameFly Accuses US Postal Service Of Breaking, Losing, And Stealing Its Game Discs

GameFly Accuses US Postal Service Of Breaking, Losing, And Stealing Its Game Discs

Late last year we pointed out that GameFly, a Netflix-style program for video games, was beginning to develop a reputation for rotten service and slow turnaround. It looks like the United States Postal Service may be partly to blame, at least as far as GameFly is concerned. They’ve filed a complaint against the USPS over lost, stolen, and damaged discs, as well as discriminatory treatment when compared to Netflix and Blockbuster.

Returning These Games To Best Buy Could Get A Little Awkward

Returning These Games To Best Buy Could Get A Little Awkward

Reader Charlton went to Best Buy to buy some games. He successfully accomplished his task, only to find that opening his purchase was going to be a little difficult.