At the Gamesville Blog, our team of crack reporters (or is that, cracked reporters?) keeps an eye out for weird stories that come across the news wires. Here's one from our friends at Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald:

The Longs don't often see rattlesnakes in their manicured backyard behind a yellow farmhouse near Masonville. But last week, a rattler slithered onto the rocks in their yard and into the path of their 1-year-old grandson, Booker West.

As Booker splashed his hands in a birdbath in the yard, and as his grandfather, Monty Long, watched him, both unaware of the snake, the rattler poised, standing tall. It rattled and then it struck.

But the family's Chihuahua, 5-pound, mellow, blond, 1-year-old Zoey, threw herself in front of Booker, taking rattlesnake fangs to the head and face. [...] Zoey's yelp brought Monty running to scoop up the baby.

"(Zoey) took the bite for him," he said. "If I hadn't been paying attention to her yipe telling me something was wrong, (Booker) would have been next."

And for her efforts, Zoey earned a face the size of a grapefruit, a trip to the veterinarian’s office, antivenin and morphine shots and a scar that cuts vertically across her head. She almost lost an eye.

[...]

"These little bitty dogs, they just don't really get credit," Denise said.

This morning, we launched a few changes to the My Gamesville box on the homepage that we think will answer a lot of the questions coming into customer service; namely, "How do I edit my account information?" and "How do I switch users?"

Here is a screenshot of the revised My Gamesville box (using my new Gamesville member name, "Cinemachris") with callouts explaining the new features: 

This week's Best Pet is from Salem, Alabama. Interesting fact: Alabama is the only state with all the major natural resources required to make both iron and steel.

Pet Name:
Penny (a.k.a., "Bay Bay")

Pet Owner:
Gamesviller "jodie0511"

Distinguishing Personality Traits:
Jodie0511 says: "Penny is a minature Daschund. She is two years old and has four beautiful babies (three boys and one girl). They are so little, but so cute! Penny (or Bay Bay, as we call her) is such a sweety and is turning out to be such a good mom. She loves to be loved on, and looks so innocent even when she is doing things she shouldn't. She and her pups are a great addition to our family."

Want to share photos of your own favorite pet with the Gamesville community?

Send photos to: members@gamesville.com

In addition to your pet's picture, please include:

• your member name
• your pet's most distinguishing personality trait

Please note: All submissions become the sole property of Gamesville, which reserves the right to hold, reject and/or edit submissions without notice and without limitation in perpetuity.

Today, lucky Gamesviller "ladioo" won $3,475 playing Magic 21. Congratulations!

This week's Best Pet is from Ohio, the Buckeye State. Interesting fact: Ohio's official state beverage: tomato juice...

Pet Name:
PJ

Pet Owner:
Gamesviller "corie66"

Distinguishing Personality Traits:
Corie66 says: "This is PJ, my six-year-old African grey. She loves grapes and crackers, and will stand in the middle of her cage and ask for them. When fully developed, she'll have the mentality of a 5-7 year old child. Right now, she can act sometimes like a child in their 'terrible twos'. PJ has been a joy since she has entered our lives and there is rarely a dull moment. Thanks for letting me share her."

Want to share photos of your own favorite pet with the Gamesville community?

Send photos to: members@gamesville.com

In addition to your pet's picture, please include:

• your member name
• your pet's most distinguishing personality trait

Please note: All submissions become the sole property of Gamesville, which reserves the right to hold, reject and/or edit submissions without notice and without limitation in perpetuity.

And now for something completely different.

When I was back in college (which feels like a million years ago now), the card game "Magic: The Gathering" was very popular among my friends. Looking back, it's pretty easy to see why: the cost to start was pretty low, the game was fairly easy to get into, and the fantasy art on the cards was really pretty. The basic goal of the game was to defeat your opponent using various spells/card combinations.

I graduated and got into online games; my friend Maury graduated and (eventually) went to work for the people who make the Magic: The Gathering games. He contacted me recently, and asked if he could plug the tenth edition of Magic in the Gamesville blog. Since I have a soft spot for the game, and I know at least a few of you miss our own stab at the genre METAROK, I told him he could drop by and say a few words. With that, take it away Maury...

Hi, everyone. Maury here. I'm not sure how much you all know about Magic's tenth edition so I'll try to be quick and informative.

Magic: The Gathering® Trading Card Game's Tenth Edition is the "greatest hits" of Magic™, featuring some of the best and most popular cards of all time. As with each core set, Tenth Edition is an excellent entry point for imaginative strategy gamers who want to give Magic a try, while offering the classic cards and depth of strategy that long-time players have come to expect. Fans will also be excited to see that every card in the set is black bordered -- a first for a core set since Beta's release in 1993. With powerful cycles, incredible combo cards, and a few surprise reprints, Tenth Edition is the most exciting core set since Alpha.

Product Features

• The set contains 383 cards (121 rare, 121 uncommon, 121 common, 20 basic lands
• All cards are black bordered
• Legendary creatures are included for the first time in a core set
• The set will debut Tips and Tricks cards, a 16th card in booster packs which will feature gameplay rules, card combos, organized play information and even creature tokens
• Several aspects of 10th Edition were selected by players voting on magicthegathering.com including cards, art, flavor text and the expansion symbol
• Old favorites such as Incinerate, Lord of the Pit and Howling Mine will feature incredible new artwork from some of the best fantasy artists in the business
• Many other cards, such as Glorious Anthem, will also include updated flavor text
• The redesigned Two Player Starter featuring Tenth Edition booster packs was designed to introduce new players to Magic: The Gathering and includes previews of land cards from the upcoming Lorwyn set which releases in October

Worldwide Magic Game Day

Along side the release of Magic: The Gathering's 10th Edition Core Set, Wizards of the Coast invites Magic players to participate in Worldwide Magic Game Day on July 14; a celebration of Magic: The Gathering for its fans, both old and new.

Magic Game Day will have something for everyone, including learn to play demos, league play, tournaments, contests, prizes and promo cards for those in attendance. Bring a friend and come hang out with other Magic fans to be among the first to play Magic: The Gathering Tenth Edition.

More than 1,000 hobby shops across the country will be participating in the celebration. Check out where Magic Game Day will be celebrated in your area at: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/events/07gameday-na

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Developer: Wizards of the Coast
Format: Trading Card Strategy Game Price: Theme Decks: $8.99; Booster Pack: $3.99 Release Date: July 13, 2007
Release Event: Magic Game Day celebrated at local retail stores and hobby shops July 14

That's it. Thanks for your time. I hope you check it out. Back to you, Chris.

Thanks, Maury. Best of luck with the tenth edition. I can't wait to check it out.

Coming up tomorrow: A parrot eating an ice cream cone!

Winning a sweepstakes is, by its very definition, up to the luck of the draw. However, by creating a smart plan to enter sweepstakes, you can improve your chances of winning and maybe--maybe--take home the prize. Here are Gamesville's Top Five Tips on winning at sweepstakes.

1. Focus On What You Want, What You Could Use
A brief search for sweepstakes reveals far more sweepstakes than any one person could possibly enter, with new sweepstakes rolling out all the time. So what should you do? Focus on what you really want, and what you can really use. For example, if you can't fit a 50-inch widescreen television in your apartment, or wouldn't be able to attend a concert on the other side of the country, don't waste your time trying to win those prizes. Instead, focus on prizes you really want to win, and that you could realistically use.

2. Avoid Highly Advertised, National Sweepstakes
Have you seen the same sweepstakes advertised online, on television, and on the radio? Then it's probably reasonable to assume the number of entries will be astronomical, and your chances of winning will be quite low. Instead, target sweepstakes that do not advertise everywhere under the sun. In particular, online-only sweepstakes and local sweepstakes could be a gold mine for you, since the number of entries can be very small compared to the number of entries received by national sweepstakes.

3. Exploit Restrictions
In the United States, the state governments set their own rules governing sweepstakes. To avoid running afoul of state laws, some sponsors will prohibit residents of certain states (in particular, Florida and New York) from entering sweepstakes. Age is another potential restriction that may work out in your favor; many sweepstakes are open to people 18+, but some are restricted to 21 or greater. Wherever possible, exploit these restrictions to your advantage; the fewer people who can enter, the better off you might be.

4. Look For Close Deadlines
Some sweepstakes have entry periods that last one to two weeks while others last for months or even years. The longer the sweepstakes is available, the worse your odds become because more people will find the sweep and enter to win. Entering sweepstakes with close deadlines, such as daily or weekly sweepstakes, can better your odds because most people don't have the drive to enter the same sweepstakes every day or every week. The lower the turnout, the better your chances of winning.

5. Follow The Rules
Every legitimate sweepstakes has official rules. Before entering a sweepstakes, read its rules carefully and follow them exactly. If you don't follow the rules exactly, your entry will be disqualified. Similarly, when you win, follow the requirements to claim your prize--make sure you complete the affidavit, if needed, and return any required paperwork in a timely fashion. Some sweepstakes may grant you leeway, but it's always best to assume that if you fail to follow the rules, you're decreasing your chances of winning.

My final piece of advice is this: While there are things you can do to improve your chances of winning, your odds of winning a sweepstakes, for the most part, will remain quite low. For your own mental health, enter sweepstakes for the thrill of it and expect nothing more. And remember: in the United States, you do not have to buy or pay anything to enter a sweepstakes and have a chance to win a prize, so be wary of any sweepstakes that requires any kind of cash payment or donation.

Gamesviller "maureenbennicoff" wrote in recently saying: "It would be nice to have some idea of how many GV Rewards are necessary to compete in the weekly and monthly drawings. Can you share how many GV Rewards the winners have used?"

Good question, maureenbennicoff. While we won't reveal exact numbers for any individual sweepstakes or member, here are three stats that should give you a good picture of what it can take to win...

• One member has won with as little as 3 entries
• Half a dozen members have won with 10 entries or less
• Over 1 in 4 of all GV Rewards winners have used 100 entries or less

Tomorrow, we'll talk more generally about sweepstakes and how to improve your chances of winning the sweepstakes you enter.

This week's Best Pet is from the United Kingdom...

Pet Name:
Ozzie

Pet Owner:
Gamesviller "Talley41"

Distinguishing Personality Traits:
Talley41 says: "This is our Yorkshire Terrier, Ozzie. He is 10 months old and is more work than my three year old granddaughter! Ozzie insists on chewing everything that doesn't belong to him, and he steals our stuff and hides it under the furniture. His favourite hobbies include kissing cats and digging up my flowers. His dislikes include listening and bathing. I have aged considerably since Ozzie joined our family, but I wouldn't change him for the world."

Want to share photos of your own favorite pet with the Gamesville community?

Send photos to: members@gamesville.com

In addition to your pet's picture, please include:

• your member name
• your pet's most distinguishing personality trait

Please note: All submissions become the sole property of Gamesville, which reserves the right to hold, reject and/or edit submissions without notice and without limitation in perpetuity.