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Play.com admits data breach

Customers of Play.com have been left open to spam fraud after one of the online retailer's suppliers suffered a data breach.

Play.com wrote to users on Monday outlining the problem, which it said may have exposed e-mail addresses, but not credit card details.

"We are e-mailing all our customers to let you know that a company that handles part of our marketing communications has had a security breach," said the message. "Unfortunately this has meant that some customer names and e-mail addresses may have been compromised."

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WhatTheyPlay.com gives parents the scoop on video games

There's a contradiction in our approach to kids and electronic media: we want parents to supervise their kids and guide their appropriate use of games and media, and at the same time we talk about kids being "digital natives" who understand the gaming world much better than many parents do.

Let's face it, kids can spend hours talking to each other about the latest gadget or video game, and it is a challenge for parents to catch up. Most video game reviews discuss a game from the player's point of view without giving parents the details they need to judge whether a particular game is appropriate for their child. (I frequently encounter the same problem with movie reviews for kids' films. I am usually not that concerned about how "good" a kids' movie is, but I want to know the details behind a movie's PG-13 rating. Yet that information is rarely provided.)

A new Web site called WhatTheyPlay.com fills in this information gap. The site launched in November and already features a well-populated catalog of game reviews. Now parents can get the details beyond ESRB ratings, with objective reviews and user comments, to decide for themselves whether they want to bring a game home for their family.… Read more