An investigation conducted by UK gaming publication Computer & Video Games shows that some online retailers are not doing their best to keep under-age children from buying mature-rated video games online. The investigative report (which includes some video) shows a person purchasing three games online without any age verification checks blocking his purchase. The UK-based retailers found to be lacking in this area include Amazon UK, HMV and Zavvi.

Deloitte, the administrator handling HMV's UK-based business, has identified 66 HMV stores that will be closed in the next two months, according to a Eurogamer report. These retail store closures will affect 930 employees, the firm announced.

UK Retailer HMV has cut 190 jobs across the board, according to administrator Deloitte. Earlier reports had pegged the layoffs at 60, but the group overseeing the retailer's administration later confirmed the larger number. Most notably HMV’s head of technology and games Ewan Pinder was given a pink slip today. The 60 workers who lost jobs were apparently from HMV's head office in the UK.

Ukie, the interactive entertainment trade group in the UK, has issued a statement today praising a move to have computer science accepted as part of the English Baccalaureate in the United Kingdom's educational system. The group called the move a "major win in addressing the skills issues faced by the games industry."

Google will donate 15,000 Raspberry Pi computers to various schools in the United Kingdom, reports Develop. The massive donation is part of an initiative to stimulate a new generation of computer scientists in the region. The partnership was announced at Chesterton Community College in Cambridge, where students were given the unique opportunity to get a programming lesson from Google’s chairman Eric Schmidt and Raspberry Pi co-founder Eben Upton.

While UK retailer HMV will survive to fight another day after HMV Canada owner Hilco took it over, it looks like the chain is about to be streamlined so that it operates more efficiently. MCV (by way of The Daily Mail) is reporting that Hilco may close around half of HMV’s 223 UK stores.

The United Kingdom has levied a fine of £250,000 against Sony for the PlayStation Network security breach that occurred in 2011 that put the personal information of 77 million customers at risk, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) announced. The government's agency in charge of data protection called the Sony security breach a "serious breach of the Data Protection Act" and note that - if Sony's security had been up to date - the attack "could have been prevented."

HMV Canada owner Hilco has picked up the tab for the U.K.-based HMV retail chain, The Financial Times reports (subscription required to view). Hilco has purchased the debt that HMV UK owed to Lloyds bank and Royal Bank of Scotland, which is estimated to be around £176 million. Many speculate that Hilco paid far less than the estimated debt that HMV went into administration for.

UK retailer GAME is interested in buying some of troubled retailer HMV's stores in the UK, according to GII. GAME CEO Martyn Gibbs has confirmed with the Financial Times that his company is in talks with HMV administrators Deloitte about acquiring some of the company's stores in the UK.

UK retailer HMV will enter into administration on Tuesday, the company announced. The move to administration (the European equivalent of bankruptcy here in the U.S.) comes after major suppliers like Universal Music, EMI, Warner Brothers and Disney refused to provide further financing needed for the retailer to continue trading. The company has turned to Deloitte as its administrators after lackluster Christmas sales made the retailer unable to secure terms on various loans. If things go badly it could mean the loss of an estimated 4,500 jobs and the possible closure of over 200 stores.

UK-based film studio Pinewood is working towards launching a new school that teaches students about the creation and production of video games, according to Develop.

UK-based games industry charity GamesAid announced that its GamesAid Elite initiative raised £7253.16 for Christmas via auctions of what it called the games industry’s "unwanted merchandise." One man's throw-aways are another man's treasure, right? All that old games related swag stored in cupboards by PR, marketing and sales teams working in games publishers and developers was donated to GamesAid, who in turn sold it via auctions during the holiday season.

The Conservative Party of the United Kingdom (the Tories) have created a page on its official website detailing the planned implementation of upcoming tax breaks for the region's video games industry. According to the page on the official web site, tax breaks will officially go into effect on April 1. The page goes on to note that the new tax incentives will give a financial boost to the video game industry and "help level the playing field" against other countries already offering breaks for their own video game sectors.

Jagex Software has decided to spend about half a million pounds on a fancy Runescape TV and marketing campaign. The marketing campaign running in theaters for the 12-year-old MMO is running during showings of The Hobbit in UK and Australian theaters. Publisher Jagex has also bought spots on TV and digital channels for a campaign that runs until January 6th. The TV campaign is being run on E4, Dave, Sky, FX, and Disney XD.

The end has finally come for UK retailer Comet, as it prepares to close the doors of all its stores in the region on Tuesday. Administrator Deloitte has confirmed to MCV that all of the remaining Comet retail stores will close their doors tomorrow (December 18th). Many of its stores closed for good over the weekend. This shutdown of its operations will result in the loss of an estimated 6,600 jobs just days before the Christmas Holiday.

According to new research from UK video game industry trade group UKIE, 24 percent of parents are unlikely to check the ratings of the video games they buy for their children during the holiday shopping season. UKIE says that only two out of five parents said that they buy games with a suitable age rating, while 43 percent said they checked ratings but didn't necessarily followed the PEGI guidelines.

The Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE published a new report today containing detailed consumer information about gaming habits, broader media interests, online gameplay, gaming in a family context and the PEGI age rating system in Europe. The data comes from an online survey of around 15,000 respondents from 16 European countries including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The UK government released new details on tax relief it wants to offer the video games industry, as a follow-up to last week's Autumn statement. For starters, the UK government has decided that it will have no minimum spending threshold so that tax relief can be provided to companies of all shapes and sizes. The government came to this conclusion after a lengthy consultation period with developers across the region. The tax relief initiative will come into effect on April 1, 2013.

Eurocom has entered administration and ceased trading, with the remaining staff laid off, according to a statement from administrators given to Eurogamer. Last month the studio was forced to let a large portion of its staff go. Eurocom most recently developed 007 Legends for Activision. Today a statement from administrators revealed just how bad the financial situation is for the company:

Today the UK Government published a document proposing strong support of Chancellor George Osborne's earlier Autumn Statement, which would give qualified games companies tax-relief set at a rate of 25 percent.

"Following consultation on their design, the Government will ensure that the reliefs are among the most generous in the world by offering a payable tax credit for all three reliefs worth 25 per cent of qualifying expenditure," the document read in part.

Intent Media, which owns such popular games industry publications as MCV and Develop, has been acquired by North American publishing group NewBay Media. The deal also includes other Intent Media publications such as Music Week, ToyNews and Bike Biz. Intent Media founder and current managing director Stuart Dinsey will stay on that role and be in charge of the group's UK and European presence.

Zynga Mobile's UK General Manager Matthew Wiggins has left the company after serving in the position for a little over a year and a half. Wiggins made the announcement that he was leaving the company via his personal blog.

"It's been quite a ride," Wiggins wrote. "I wish all the best for the good and talented people who I leave behind."

UK-based games industry charity GamesAid is calling for contributions to expand its store offerings on eBay. Since its launch in June of 2009, GamesAid's eBay store has managed to raise an impressive £113,417.88 for charity. The charity hopes to make that number grow by leaps and bounds during the holiday season - with your help.

Magazine publisher Future Publishing has managed to record a £1.1 million profit for the full 2012 financial year, up from an £18 million loss in 2011. This in spite of the fact that the company reported that sales were down from £141.7 million to £123.5 million.

Indie mobile game development studio Hogrocket is closing, going on what its founders call a permanent hiatus as members of the company move onto new opportunities. The company was founded by former Bizarre Creations staffers after Activision closed that studio down.

Hogrocket was comprised of Pete Collier, Ben Ward and Geometry Wars series creator Stephen Cakebread. The studio shipped a single game while it was in operation: Tiny Invaders for iOS. Collier has moved on to work for British studio Playdemic.

UK games Retailer GAME and IGN announced a partnership this week that will see the two companies team up in 2013. Under the terms of the new deal IGN and GAME will work on a range of community based initiatives including special events, live-streamed gatherings and events, and "special guests" at GAME store locations.

The creative force behind the narrative in Batman: Arkham City has won the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain videogame writing award for 2012. Paul Crocker also wrote the story for Rocksteady's Arkham Asylum. Crocker had some tough competition including Emma Beeby, who wrote the story for Risen 2: Dark Waters, and Zombies, Run! writer Naomi Alderman.

Crocker joins previous winners such as Overlord’s Rhianna Pratchett, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West writers Tameem Antoniades and Alex Garland and Red Dead Redemption writers Dan and Mike House.

nFluence media has released a survey that it commissioned about the concerns of consumers when it comes to online security and privacy related to mobile and broadband usage in the United Kingdom. Before sharing the results, it should be noted that nFluence is in the business of providing software solutions to consumers that allow them to take control of their personal data.

A questionnaire aimed at developers about their opinions on the issue of copyright and game cloning has been launched by UK game industry trade body Tiga. The survey, located here, offers participants 15 questions on a variety of subjects including whether business has suffered from game cloning, questions about IP ownership, some on licensing and copyright enforcement.

Members of the video game industry in the United Kingdom are teaming up with UK charity GamesAid to put together a Christmas concert that will raise money for charity. A choir comprised of 24 men and women from across the industry including OBEs, CEOs, Managing Directors, PR, sales people and marketers has been formed and is practicing for its very first event on December 19 at St. Stephen's, Rosslyn Hill in London. Tickets cost £20 for adults and £10 for children under the age of 16.