With Google increasingly willing to explore areas beyond its search engine roots, I've started wondering: Is Google as a videogame publisher within the realm of possibility?

It's not as crazy as it might sound.

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (MCZ), a third-party provider of accessories for video game consoles and personal computers, reported first quarter 2009 financial results this afternoon after the close. Revenues rose to a first quarter record of $23.2 million, an increase of 58.9% year over year from $14.6 million.

Revenues for this quarter were $5,481,470 when compared to $707,066 for the quarter ending June 30, 2007.

Please find below the Morning Report from David Evans, market analyst at BetOnMarkets.com

The half year report card for global stock markets was not one to be proud of. The first half of 2008 was the worst first half to a year for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1970, when the index was down 14.60%. The 14.44% decline of 2008 is actually the tenth worse performance since 1900.

Majesco Entertainment Co. recently announced that the latest installment of Cooking Mama World Kitchen for Wii, which includes an all new 3D graphic presentation along with new recipes and comedic mini-game surprises, has sold more than 2 million units to date. With Wii hardware in short supply and demand rising, Majesco Entertainment Co.

Majesco Entertainment Co. (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market with a focus on developing and publishing a wide range of casual and family-oriented titles for play on leading console and portable systems, recently posted a 17.78 percent increase on the announcement of strong demand for the company’s new Wii game.

Financial markets were a sea of red numbers last week as the classic ‘Fade the Fed’ trade played out. The initial reaction to Wednesday’s US interest rate decision was neutral to positive, then the selling set in and hardly stopped. Thursday’s mini rally did a very poor job of papering over the cracks in the global economy.

It was yet another tough week for global stock markets, with the Dow Jones & S&P 500 declining 3.78% on the week and the FTSE down 3.37%. With oil rallying $4, renewed trouble in the financial sector, downgrades to monoline insurers and trouble in the Middle East, markets encountered an ugly storm on Friday.

Bruce Everiss, a veteran games industry marketer, shares his thoughts on what will happen in 2008 for the video gaming industry.