Social network, online gaming records being used in divorce proceedings

Media scolds have been talking about the risks of video games for decades now. They warn that games will make you obese or violent or attention-deficient or lead to a host of other problems. While evidence for all those supposed ills varies, it seems there's now a new risk associated with online gaming: losing your kids.

USA Today reports that 81% of members of The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers say they've used information from social networks in a divorce proceeding in the last five years. What kind of evidence? Examples from the article include everything from online extramarital flirting to posted pictures of drug use to, surprisingly, time spent playing games.

"Father seeks custody of the kids, claiming (among other things) that his ex-wife never attends the events of their young ones," recalls one unnamed lawyer quoted in the piece. "Subpoenaed evidence from the gaming site World of Warcraft tracks her there with her boyfriend at the precise time she was supposed to be out with the children. Mom loves Facebook's Farmville, too, at all the wrong times."

So remember, while time spent playing online games is all well and good, it doesn't compare with spending quality time with your kids. Especially if the courts could be watching...

Wayne Brady is a serious gamer, but he ain't down with the FarmVille

When Let's Make a Deal host (and hilarious Chappelle Show cameo) Wayne Brady isn't, well, making deals with contestants, he's playing video games. During an interview with USA Today, Brady revealed his intense passion for the pastime, stating that his 30-minute breaks between shows consist of Halo: Reach and Mortal Kombat. But he also name-dropped another game.

"I like to be left alone when I'm not working," Brady told USA Today. "So the last thing I want to do is go to a (game like Zynga's) Farmville and have a community. I want the single player experience. I play a storyline all the way through. The more cinematic the game is, the more can replay it."

Well, Facebook games haven't come terribly far since FarmVille when it comes to cinematic experiences. So, we'll avoid trying to sway Brady just yet. Instead, we'll just remind him of two particularly lovely ladies that he might like to hear are down with digital farming. Both Superbad's Emma Stone and Mila Kunis of That '70s Show fame have admitted to being hooked on FarmVille.

So, you might want to at least give it a shot to up your game. Nah--even we won't recommend Facebook games to boost your appeal with the ladies. Hey, you may as well just wait until those nifty Unreal Engine-powered games hit Facebook.

What do you think of Brady's opinions on Facebook games? Are you looking for more cinematic experiences in your social games? Any luck yet?