Adobe is at an interesting crossroads. In terms of online media, the company is on top of the world, with incredibly high adoption rates of the Flash standard. But for mobile devices and systems in the living room, the company is furiously trying to expand its market, and is doing a pretty good job. This expanded footprint begs the question: Should Adobe think about advertising potential?

Whenever a controversy around video game censorship arises, the main argument advanced by the anti-censorship side is that video games simply aren't for kids anymore -- as the hobby has matured, M-rated games are becoming more common, and more "adult" games that deal with serious themes are coming out. But to a certain extent, this argument rings a little hollow....

"Mass Effect 2" was released last week, and it's been an amazing experience. I was a fan of the first game, and even wrote about the psychological tricks it employed to add a feeling of personalization to what was mostly generic content. The second installment has reinforced and increased my desire for more interactive and personalized content, even if without the game elements. There are two things I've noticed with the most recent title that are worth considering: the emotional impact of forced projection, and the redefinition of water-cooler conversation.

Apple's hype-laden announcement of the iPad has come and gone, along with 2010's full complement of feminine-hygiene-product-related jokes. Very few products have been the subject of more pre-launch rumor, and have had more rarefied predecessors. Thanks to the iPad's pedigree, casual game developers are salivating at the chance to develop games for the platform, and reach the huge audience that Apple has a conduit to through the iTunes store. But usability issues could temper this initial enthusiasm.

The title of this post is "Will Net Neutrality Kill Cloud Gaming?" -- and no, that's not the wrong way around. While a handful of game developers just advised the FCC on the importance of net neutrality for the future of online gaming, and to an extent correctly so, there are cause-and-effects in play that also pose significant threats.

The big entertainment headlines this week are all about "Avatar" breaking records and earning over a billion dollars in box office takings, faster than any movie in history. But among techie-er pubs, "Avatar" is sharing headlines with Activison's latest mega-hit, "Modern Warfare 2," which has also taken in a billion dollars since its November release, securing its status as one of the best-selling games of all time, along with some time in the mainstream press spotlight. Along with that mainstream attention is certain to come some controversy.

Almost two years ago I wrote a post here about how an announcement that week was going to revolutionize portable gaming. I was talking about the announcement of the iPhone SDK and the pending availability of native apps. Now, it's hard to step away from the clarity of hindsight, but at the time this was a controversial point. Games were already available on mobile -- why would the iPhone be any different? Well, an announcement this week poses a new point of controversy: What will the Nexus One mean for the prospects of Android-based portable gaming?