California, one of the most budget-strapped states in the US, is reimbursing the Entertainment Software Association $1.3 million for court costs. That’s the high price of losing the battle to ban the sale of violent video games to minors. In July 2011, the United States Supreme Court ruled the controversial law unconstitutional.

2011 included a landmark ruling in video game law. On June 27, 2011, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that a California law banning the sale of violent video games to minors was unconstitutional.

2011 was a year in which we learned how unsecure “secure” sites can be and how little of our private info is private if the wrong people are pushing the buttons.

Fox Valley Technical College, an institution based in Oskhosh, Wisconsin (USA), is using a first person-simulator game to help criminal justice students. The machine covers a wide range of scenarios a police officer might see on patrol, including domestic violence cases and missing children. It provides students a hands on way to practice the techniques they’ve learned in class before they applying them in the real world.

Chris Matheny, vice president for instruction at the school, told the The Northwestern it gives students a unique perspective.

Politicians often have to answer questions about their stance on video games. In a new twist, surging Republican candidate Herman Cain is defending himself against allegations he lifted ideas from a video game. Cain’s rise to popularity has been fueled largely by his “9-9-9″ Tax Plan, which would make the corporate, personal income and national sales tax rate all 9 percent. Huffington Post reporter Amanda Terkel noted those are also the default tax rates in 2003′s SimCity 4. In that game, the default commercial, industrial and residential tax rates all start at 9 percent.

Madden NFL is one of the most successful franchises in video game history, but its creator now alleges EA conspired to cheat him out of promised royalties. Robin Antonick created the 1988 version of Madden released on the Commodore 64, MS Dos and Apple II computers. Antonick was on a developmental contract that promised him royalties from later versions. No one could have foreseen Madden NFL becoming an industry juggernaut, a game that’s become part of the American pop culture fabric. Even NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledges the game’s impact on the league. In the 90s, EA replaced Antonick with Park Place Productions as consoles became the means of spreading the Madden gospel. Antonick said EA told him the Sega Genesis game would be arcade based and not use his intellectual property.

EA Sports scored a significant victory September 9, 2011, as a New Jersey federal court judge ended a lawsuit regarding the use of college athletes’ likenesses. Former Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart, in his 2009 class action lawsuit, alleged NCAA Football had infringed on his publicity rights. A ruling against EA Sports could have caused problems for that publisher or any game maker that uses the likeness of college athletes.

Real world labor negotiations have been playing havoc on sports video games in 2011. Madden NFL 12 had the National Football League lockout to deal with. The National Basketball Association has locked its players out as well. NBA 2K12 won’t be able to include rookies drafted in 2011 until the league’s labor problems are fixed. Once the lockout is done with, the rookies can enter the game through a roster update. 2K Sports has the players, their season starting ratings and commentary about them ready to go for that update. The only thing holding 2K up is the lockout. Right now, there’s little progress on that front.

Some games start controversies without trying, others openly seek to raise someone’s ire. StarvingEyes Viral Advergaming has created Tea Party Zombies Must Die, a shooter starring undead versions of political figures including Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Bill O’ Reilly.

Game designer Jason Oda has done political satire in games before. His 2008 offering Kung Fu Election was a fighting game including presidential hopefuls such as John McCain and Hilary Clinton. In 2004, Bushgame.com pitted ’80s TV characters against Bush administration officials.

After being denied a Michigan tax credit to create a Man vs Wild video game, Scientifically Proven Entertainment finally got tax incentives to create a game. So far the tentative title for the game is “Ghost Game” and will be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Scientifically Proven Games, originally based in the Los Angeles area, had relocated to Michigan to use the state’s media incentives.