Personal finance is everywhere. If you are anything like Seb, the author of Pinching Copper, then you can even learn about personal finance while playing a video game. Seb recently shared three things that Grand Theft Auto 4 has taught him about life and personal finance.

Grand Theft Auto 4 has been shown in the news recently for the violence which is a part of the daily life in Liberty City, the game's fictional location. What you likely missed is that GTA IV also reinforces three life lessons about personal finance; save money, budget, and how to advance at work.

Unlike many other games the character you control has to save the money he makes for his numerous illegal deeds in order to be ready for a rainy day, or a lengthy police chase. Secondly, the article points out that in the game you cannot live beyond your means, even though you are taking part in illegal activities, you need to budget the proceeds, asking yourself, "What's more important, a taxi ride across town or saving up for body armor?"

As financial times seem to be getting more difficult and consumers are saying they can't afford to get to work, feed their children, or buy houses, the gaming industry seems to be completely unaffected. An article at Ars Technica shows that sales of game consoles and games are higher than ever... leading me to wonder how dire our financial situation can really be.

The article says that sales of game consoles are up 27% from last year, and that sales in general for the gaming industry are up over last year. Software sales hit almost $1 billion in March of this year, a 63% increase over last year.

So here are the questions this raises: Are economic times really as hard as people are suggesting? Is the gaming industry just one of those industries that is "recession-proof"? Is the increase simply related to a widening popularity of gaming? Or are gamers die-hard nutcases who will find money for new systems and games no matter what? I have no idea what the answer might be, I just thought it was interesting that during a time when so many industries are struggling, this particular one is doing well.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, the swankiest casino in Atlantic City, recently got a slap on the wrist for allowing underaged gambling.From the AP:

For more than a year, the teenager lived the life of a high roller at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, buying tens of thousands of dollars worth of gambling chips, and earning more than $1,000 worth of free
merchandise and services for the level of his Blackjack and poker play.

But what the casino didn't know - and didn't ask about for more than a year - was that he was only 19, two years below the legal gambling age in Atlantic City.

For that reason, the state Casino Control Commission on Wednesday hit the Borgata with the largest fine it has ever levied for underage gambling: $105,000. ...All told, the commission handed out $231,000 in fines to three casinos for letting underage patrons gamble or drink on their premises.

This is an unbelievably lenient fine. Didn't anyone think to check this kid's ID before they lavished perk after perk on him? The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted a flack from the state Division of Gaming Enforcement as saying the youth had "extensive contact with Borgata employees." Either the workers didn't know or more likely didn't care that he was underaged.

Studies have found that between 86% and 93% of youth had gambled at least once in their lives. Casinos draw young people like moths to a flame, and since penalties are so lenient there is little reason for them to take underaged gambling seriously.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Stephen Moore described (subscription required) his teenage sons "classic withdrawal symptoms" when limited in their video game use. He rejected his 6-year-old son's pleas for a PlayStation.

That's learning.

No one was prepared when the video game surge took over childhood. If American children could no longer play in the woods or in the neighborhood, they could be found exercising their fingers at the video game. By high school weekends, it could go on all night. Worst of all for our family was the online game Everquest -- referred to by those in the know as Evercrack. Designed to be highly addictive - players "level up" -- it was the first irrefutable indicator that our older son was carrying some addictive genes. In the backyard bunkhouse, he and his friends could be found any hour of the night, computers plugged in, an empty box of Krispy Kremes beside them. More than once, we found him asleep at the computer. "What's the worst thing I ever did, Mom?" he once asked "Stay online all night?"