That would have been extra stupid in 1992, when competitive video gaming was featured in an obscure movie only kids of video store owners like me actually ever saw. My dad would have laughed me out of the room while telling me to get on the August-heated roof and clean the gutters before I started my homework. Skateboarding would have been a more sensible suggestion among the “bad reasons to drop out of school” choices.

But in 2008, in the advent of Major League Gaming, your first question probably she be something like this instead: How much money’s in it?

For Blake Peebles, it could be a lot, up to $80,000 per year if he’s good enough—if he’s the best, but his parents, as quoted in this article, haven’t mentioned anything about money. Instead, they only say Blake hated school and wouldn’t shut up about it. I wasn’t aware it was that easy. Maybe if I’d ridden my parents enough, I could have talked them into professional TV-watching.

My grandfather was yanked out of school in the third grade to help “man” the potato fields. Lack of schooling didn’t hurt him much. He retired in his fifties—in the 1970′s. Peebles is home schooled, though, not out of learning altogether, and sometimes those home school kids can really kick academic butt when they want to. Sounds like he won’t want to, though, and his parents are fine with that, it sure seems, noticing how happy he is that he doesn’t have to go to school and can stay up all night playing video games.

Yeah, well, who wouldn’t be?

Air guitar contest at my house. Winner gets…a bag of Doritos.

More than 250,000 songs are played daily by mobile subscribers across the U.S. Interestingly the most played  are re-cords of "Slow Ride", "Mississippi Queen", and "Black Magic Woman". (more)

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The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angles, wants the court to strike down Gibson’s claim that Activision is infringing on a 1999 patent for technology to simulate a musical performance.

Guitar Hero Logo
(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

The lawsuit alleges that Gibson notified Activision in a letter in January that Guitar Hero software and its guitar shaped controller infringe on Gibson’s patent. Gibson asked Activision to get a license for the use of Guitar Hero or to end sales of the game.

"By continuing to sell any version of the Guitar Hero game software and/or instrument controllers for use with the Guitar Hero game software — packaged or sold standalone — Activision is taking advantage of Gibson’s patented technology without properly compensating Gibson," said F. Leslie Bessenger III, Gibson’s lawyer, in a letter attached to the lawsuit.

"Gibson respects the intellectual property of others and expects others to respect its intellectual property as well."

Activision pays an undisclosed amount for Gibson’s trademark under a license agreement. Activision’s senior litigation counsel, Mary Tuck said the company "was not interested in renewing the license and marketing support agreement" with Gibson and that was the reason Gibson claimed patent infringement.
 

"Gibson is a good partner and we have a great deal of respect for them," said George Rose, Activision’s general counsel, in a statement. "We disagree with the applicability of their patent and would like a legal determination on this."
 

Since its original release in fall 2005, the Guitar Hero franchise sold 14 million units in North America, according to The NPD Group.  In 10 weeks since the games launch, users have downloaded more than five million songs. Players of Guitar Hero rival Rock Band have downloaded more than 2.5 million songs since its launch in November 2007.

"Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today," said Michael Griffith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Activision Publishing, Inc.

"Guitar Hero’s popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium."

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision is a global developer. Publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment. Activision posted net revenues of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

The company has operations in The U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.