At the very first session at this year's Rezzed event in Brighton, indie developer The Indie Stone picked the scabs off an old wound: last year's burglary that resulted in the loss of two months of development progress on its upcoming zombie apocalypse game Project Zomboid. Describing the 2011 break-in at its offices as "the incident," The Indie Stone writer Will Porter said that the whole ordeal was demoralizing to the development team and that many of the studios' staffer became depressed.

Lawmakers in the United Kingdom seem to be having a change of heart about two key parts of an anti-piracy law. Lawmakers said at the end of last week that they plan to abandon legislative plans to block websites allegedly involved in distributing or sharing copyrighted materials.

Ofcom, the regulations body in charge of media in the UK, has released details of a proposed plan that forces British ISPs to send warning letters to subscribers accused of copyright infringement by video game, music, film and other media companies. Under these proposed guidelines, individuals who receive three letters in a 12-month period would have their personal data, downloading and filesharing history handed over to the copyright owners to help them prepare for a lawsuit.

Two British men admitted to being part of the hacktivist group LulzSec and to committing various acts of hacking against high profile targets in a British court today.

Ryan Cleary pled guilty to hacking charges to being a member of LulzSec. Jake Davis also admitted to attacking the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in the UK. The two men entered a plea of guilty earlier today while two others, Ryan Ackroyd and an unnamed 17-year-old, denied the charges.

Rebellion co-founder and CEO Jason Kingsley has been honored by British royalty with an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. Kingsley is also known for helping to create UK video game-related trade association TIGA in 2001. He is currently the chairman of the trade group. Rebellion has been in business for 20 years and employs around 250 people.

UK advertising regulator the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has flatly rejected three complaints filed against Electronic Arts over the ending for Mass Effect 3. The complaints claimed that EA falsely advertised the extent of how much players could alter the ending to the game by their in-game actions.

The point of contention for those that filed the complaint was an EA ad that claimed that "the decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome."

Is Habbo (formerly Habbo Hotel) a despicable hang-out for pedophiles that are continually preying on its underage users? A report that will air tonight on a Channel 4 news claims that they have strong evidence that it is. The report claims that pedophiles are chatting it up in the graphical social game-like teen destination, asking them if they have a "web cam," if they will get naked on camera, and trying their best to engage under age children in sexually charged conversations.

The pan-European games ratings system (PEGI) could be legally enforceable in the United Kingdom as soon as July 23, according to UKIE. Though the date is not set in stone, the UKIE is getting the word out that the new rating system approved by Parliament last month will soon be the law of the land. And when we say law, we mean there are certain rules that will apply to retailers that can get them a hefty fine or prosecution if they are caught selling age-inappropriate games to minors.

A subsequent update from UKIE CEO Jo Twist back pedaled slightly on the July 23 date: 

The UK government has decided to take the rigid requirements out of information and communication technology (ICT) curriculum, instead allowing teachers to create their own lesson plans and approaches to providing students the things they need to learn. Teachers will still be required to teach ICT. The Department for Education’s consultation document announcing the change indicated that the mandatory guidelines were not getting the job done and that educators didn't care all that much for it.

Imagine Publishing announced that its top two Xbox 360 magazine brands, X360 and 360 Magazine, will be combined into one publication. The new "enhanced publication" will be led by Editor Dan Howdle. Issue #87 of X360 will be the first issue to reflect the changes. It goes on sale July 11 and will feature articles on every major title from E3, exclusive interviews and an enhanced DVD.

Previous news stories indicated that British Prime Minister David Cameron was a big fan of Angry Birds on his iPad, and proving that he has more than just a passing interest in gaming, he apparently spends a lot of time playing Fruit Ninja too.

According to an unnamed senior advisor who has spoken to UK newspaper The Telegraph, the British Prime Minister and Tory leader "spends a crazy, scary amount of time playing Fruit Ninja on his iPad."

Troubled UK retailer GAME announced via Twitter today that it has canceled its GAMEfest event this year.

"I'm afraid #GAMEfest won't be happening this year - but we do have some cool things in the works! Stay tuned," the company said to several consumers who enquired about the event.

In a subsequent tweet the company said that "by the way - this doesn't mean it won't happen next year. *wink*"

UK video game industry trade group TIGA announced this morning that it has appointed six new board members from Remode, Ubisoft Reflections, Boss Level, Neon Play, Kuju Entertainment and 4T2 representatives. The new board members include Remode managing director Ella Romanos, Ubisoft Reflections General Manager Giselle Stewart, Boss Level CEO Nick Brown, Neon Play CEO Oli Christie, Kuju Entertainment Ltd COO Adrian Hawkins, and 4T2's Mike Hayward.

UK retailer HMV and Microsoft managed to raise over £19,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust as part of a 5-aside Soccer Challenge at Wembley. Koch Media, Warner Bros, and The Guardian also had teams involved in the competition that ultimately benefited charity, but Sony Music ultimately ended up winning the overall tournament.

The Video Standards Council (VSC) issued a press release today announcing details on how the PEGI ratings system will work in the United Kingdom when it replaces the current ratings system used in the region to rate video game content. The VSC said that it issued the statement today to provide "greater clarity" on how their position as the new UK regulator for video games will affect future video game regulations in the country.

One of the things we did not note when we wrote about it earlier this week is that, with the PEGI rating system coming to the United Kingdom, there will be a change in the law that retailers will want to take note of. According to the official release from the Department for Culture Media and Sports (DCMS) the Video Standards Council (VSC) will have the right to "refuse to grant an age-rating for a video game if it includes extreme content” (which means it can’t be sold in the UK).

The Video Standards Council announced this morning that the Department for Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) has confirmed their intention to appoint the organization as the regulator for rating games in the United Kingdom using the PEGI system used for the rest of Europe. The DCMS informed the UK Parliament of their intentions today.

CCP Games announced some good news for EVE Online players in the United Kingdom: UK players will be able to pay £9.99 for their monthly EVE Online subscriptions in pounds sterling. The alternate payment method was introduced, they say, to accommodate requests by the UK Community to pay in British Pounds rather than in Euros. This means that UK customers are saving about 20 percent on the price of their EVE subscriptions.

UK video game industry trade group UKIE will sponsor the Games Britannia Festival, it announced today. Games Britannia is a week-long festival that brings British video game talent into the classroom, giving students a unique insight into the skills, techniques and qualifications required to have a successful career in the gaming industry. Over 1000 children, between the ages of 5 - 18 have already signed up to attend, according to UKIE. The event is scheduled to take place July 2 - 6.

Keith Vaz, the United Kingdom’s most vocal critic of video games in Parliament, is now urging the government there to look "more closely and first-person shooters" using the trial of accused Oslo, Norway mass murderer Anders Breivik as an example of how games can influence people to do evil...

Select Committee Chairman Vaz has tabled an early day motion in Parliament urging the government to take action. Luckily only he and four others have signed on to the motion.

The long-delayed implementation of the PEGI age rating system will be ready for prime time by July of this year in the UK, according to MCV. This news comes from UK video game industry trade group UKIE.

Twenty-one-year-old Aymen Korbi of Wallington, England, was convicted in Croydon Crown Court on Tuesday for stabbing his wife. The charges stem from a November 2011 domestic dispute which ended with Korbi stabbing his 21-year-old wife Aida in the back with a shard of glass from a broken mirror. During the trial she told the court that she had packed a bag and intended to leave with their 18-month-old daughter, but Korbi attacked her before she could leave the residence. She said he broke her cell phone, smashed a bedroom mirror and attacked her with a shard of glass.

UK video game industry trade group TIGA is advising the UK government against any plans to abolish the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The recommendation to abolish the DCMS as part of a tax cut package was part of a recent report from the Institute of Economic Affairs.

TIGA CEO Richard Wilson says that the elimination of the department would save very little money.

GAME came out of administration over the weekend with a new owner, and a former managing director has returned to run the company, according to GamesIndustry International. The new owner is Baker Acquisitions, who were advised by OpCapita. The firm has bought all the UK assets of GAME, and will keep 333 stores open, saving nearly 3,200 jobs. The company hopes to re-employ a small number of the head office staff.

Troubled UK video game retailer GAME is troubled no more, according to this MCV report. According to MCV, GAME is set to exit administration thanks to some white knight action on the part of a consortium led by the Royal Bank of Scotland. Citing sources "close to the negotiations," MCV contends that "a deal to save the retailer is incredibly close" to being finalized. If that happens, GAME could be out of administration as soon as March 30.

Epic Games and Train2Game announced a who's who of judges to decide the winners of the Make Something Unreal Live competition. The game development competition comes to the Gadget Show Live on April 10-15, 2012 at the NEC in Birmingham, UK. Complementing the Make Something Unreal Live advisory board and Train2Game directors, the new judges will review the program’s new Fighting Fantasy iOS games and coach start-up teams.

A 46-year old man from Ipswich, England has been convicted and sentenced to three and a half years in prison for molesting a ten-year old girl, who was smart enough to capture the act using the camera on her Nintendo DS. The man, John Fisher, admitted in court that he touched the girl inappropriately in January 2010 and November 2011. He really had no choice but to admit to the crime because photographic evidence was presented to the court proving Fisher's evil act.

A group of former Irish GAME employees have been staging on-site protests at a number of now shuttered stores in Ireland and have released a statement explaining why they are so upset with the video games retailer that recently went into administration. The protests are a direct response to GAME and administrator PriceWaterhouseCoopers refusing to pay fired employees for the remainder of their contract, holiday pay owed and other compensation owed.

The group says that it will continue their protests until PwC amends its decision. The full statement can be found below:

The head of Britain's Association of Teachers and Lecturers thinks parents are doing a crappy job by ignoring game ratings and letting their children play violent video games. They are pulling the proverbial fire alarm, in this BBC report like a teenager might do a one-off prank to send the principal into a tizzy fit (thanks beemoh).

Troubled UK video game retailer GAME has officially entered into administration, with PricewaterHouseCooopers named as its administrator. According to a GamesIndustry International report, the company has taken both game.co.uk and gamestation.co.uk down, and has begun closing stores in the UK.