Did you play a lot of games this past weekend? Odds are, a group of six Dutch game enthusiasts have you beat, as the team broke the previously-set 40-hour record by notching over 50 hours with Red Dead Redemption.

The team consisted of a half-dozen gamers from throughout the Netherlands, all of whom will share the record as the group decided to finish together. The new Guinness record holders are Sven de Vries, Renzo Bos, Robbie van Eijkeren, Marcel van Waardenburg, as well as brothers Edward and Maykel Leest.

The session, which started at 12:55 PM on Friday in the Netherlands, was played completely on the PlayStation 3 version of Red Dead Redemption. Instead of using wired controllers, the team used a charging device called the TwistDock to keep powered controllers at the ready. The event was coordinated by Vogel's, the creators of the TwistDock.

Dave Rudden

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

The Auckmageddon LAN tournament is returning to Auckland next month in a bid to bring "a fun and social focus" back to Kiwi gaming, says organiser Richard Patterson.

It has been seven years since the three-day event was last held and Patterson said he was hoping the 2010 edition would prove popular when it kicked off at North Harbour Stadium on August 27.

Auckmageddon would have an R18 bar, DJ's and more of a social focus than the country's largest gaming event, xLAN, which begins on July 9, he said.

"XLAN has quite a serious gaming focus. The main difference Auckmageddon offers is that it it's not all about qualifying for big tournaments. We do have prizes for tournament winners but we are more about gaming for fun."

The event would host solo and team tournaments for people wishing to compete in games including Battlefield Bad Company 2, Defense of the Ancients, Heroes of Newerth, Team Fortress 2 and Counterstrike Source. Winners would take home prizes such as hardware, games and Microsoft Sidewinder peripherals, Patterson said.

Tickets are priced at $85 and will remain on sale until August 22. Auckmageddon currently has 150 registered attendees.

Posted by James Heffield at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )