Gaia Online just announced the release of celebrity-inspired items for Gaia users. This week’s items now allow registrants the opportunity to dress up their avatars as Snoop Dogg or The Incredible Hulk with hairstyles, purple pants, green fists and more. This marks the first time fully licensed celebrity-branded virtual items have been sold in the virtual world.

In a partnership with virtual goods sales and distribution system Virtual Greats LLC, Gaia Online will allow users to collect or “snare” quality celebrity items each month to create…

In the Los Angeles Times, writer Alex Pham reports that the San Fernando Library encourages youth to play video games and even invites them to be as loud as they like.

“It lets teens be more comfortable with the library and become familiar with librarians,” San Fernando librarian Lydia Harlan told Pham. “And it’s what kids are into these days.”

In the article, Pham reports that more libraries are turning to video games to connect with technologically savvy youth who might be losing interest in books and stories. In New York, the New York Public Library has even added a collection of books, films, music and maps about video games.

Click through for the full article and a list of recommended books…

From July 21 through 27, 2008, Gaia Online will host its very own Rejected Olympics. The event is free and open to registered Gaia members.

Gaia Online is an online hangout that was founded in 2003 and has since become the leading hangout with more than 5 million visitors a month to make friends, play games, watch movies and participate in monthly activities.

This year’s rejected Olympic will have up to 100 new games and Olympic-themed…

This is getting ridiculous. In the second major news story involving games, teens and violence this week, Wired is reporting that a Chinese teenager set fire to a classmate on the pretense of being a “fire mage” from popular MMO World of Warcraft. The 17-year-old apparently lost a schoolyard fight and later sought revenge by more »

Teenagers are always looking for adventures, but how bored do they have to be to go on a “mission” at their local high school in Kingston, Washington? According to the North Kitsap Herald, police busted five teens, four 18-year-olds and a 15-year-old, who entered Kingston High School November 4, 2007 by climbing the school and more »