The markets closed down in negative territory, but today will feel like a win to many traders. Each day the news keeps getting a set up for a sell-off and nothing materializes. Bears are even getting frustrated because of no substantial pullbacks. The weaker employment data had little dent, but then the weaker services market kept the rally from emerging today.

Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 9,280.97 -39.22 (-0.42%)
S&P 500 1,002.68 -2.97 (-0.30%)
Nasdaq 1,993.05 -18.26 (-0.91%)

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Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) hasn't been doing as well as its colleague Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI). Indeed, when it comes to the numbers, Activision, which is responsible for franchise hits Guitar Hero and Call of Duty, has its competitor beat.

But EA recently released an exercise system for the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii that was highlighted at CNBC.com. The piece mentions the enormous marketing presence that is supporting EA Sports Active. You get a couple accessories with the software: a leg strap that is used like a controller to interact with the screen, and a resistance band to increase the effectiveness of the workout. Oprah Winfrey's trainer apparently assisted EA with the design.

It's been a busy week for video-game investors. Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) reported earnings on Thursday. Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) also came out with numbers. In addition to those two, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) and THQ (NASDAQ: THQI) both published their respective results as well. It's interesting to see how the market has reacted to the stats.

EA successfully scored a beat on the bottom line. On an adjusted basis, EA posted a loss of $0.37 per share. The analyst community thought that a $0.43 per-share loss was possible. Not bad. It was reported that EA has been aggressively cutting costs to improve its situation.

Oops! At least that is what some red-faced executives may be saying at Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS). The video-gaming firm decided it would be a great idea to promote its Godfather II knock off of Grand Theft Auto by sending out items associated with the game and the rather famous movie. A cigar? Nice. A silk handkerchief? Nice. Matches? Good to light the cigar with. Brass knuckles? Nice, wait ... what?

Yeah, for some reason, ERTS thought it would be a great idea to send out brass knuckles to promote the video game. The problem? Brass knuckles are illegal in many states - carrying rather large fines with them.

You know, I keep hearing about this Spore game. It's set to be released by Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) to the Nintendo DS and to computer platforms later this week. There's been so much buzz surrounding it, and for good reason. Not only does it sound pretty neat and imaginative, but it was designed by Will Wright, the man who brought the world the Sim franchise. As I understand it, the player's goal is to guide a microbe through the process of evolution until it becomes a society blessed with enough intelligence so as to confer the capability of interstellar travel. Wild stuff, right? Remember, Wright is a genius, and the Sim games have certainly brought in a lot of dough for EA.

But how will the game be received? Is it too complex, too brainy for most gamers? Or, will Spore take the whole Sim concept into a new stratosphere of success? Are we witnessing the birth of a new, marketing-friendly super-franchise that will appeal to a broad demographic? Like I say, the buzz is strong. Yet, I didn't realize the title was coming out this week until I read this recent press release, which is using some celebrities to promote the game. Go figure, I guess.

I think Spore will be a hit, but I'm not sure it will be a big enough hit to move EA's stock back to its 52-week high, certainly. The publisher has such a deep portfolio of games, so this one title won't necessarily move the needle. But the celebration of Spore forced me to take another look at EA and wonder if the company's stock might be an interesting play ahead of the holiday season.

So Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) is about to have one heck of a week. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm willing to bet everyone reading this knows that today is launch day for Grand Theft Auto IV on the Sony (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360 consoles. And I'm sure there were many hardcore fans at Best Buy (NASDAQ: BBY) and GameStop (NYSE: GME) today, ready with cold-hard-cash in their hands to snag the software; in fact, this article talks about how some stores were open at midnight to satisfy the pent-up demand (remember, this title was delayed). And Douglas McIntyre discussed the game earlier today as being a potential barometer in terms of consumer confidence.

With all this incredible buzz, with the projection that GTA IV might move close to 10 million discs this year, should you be interested in taking on some Take-Two stock for your investment portfolio? The answer for me is no, Take-Two is not a buy here. Remember that we still have the whole arbitrage game going on with it since Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) wants to buy the publisher; also recall that Take-Two is gunning for a higher offer and purposely delayed further negotiations until after the release of GTA IV. I sold my position when the whole buyout offer was made a while ago, and I'm still glad that I did -- for me, the trade was over at that point, and I was happy to simply own my Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI) shares.

I'd like to own Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY), but there are a couple things that bother me about the current chapter of its amazing story. First, let me take a look at a report about the video-game juggernaut's earnings.

According to The New York Times, Nintendo's profit number was one for the record books. Sales soared to the sky, rocketing 73% to over $16 billion. Net profit also went ballistic -- in a good way -- by about 48%, coming in at $2.5 billion. Yeah, the Wii console was a big driver, but don't forget that little handheld wonder called the Nintendo DS -- people sometimes miss that part of the tale, and they shouldn't. The DS sold over 30 million units on a global basis during the fiscal year, while the Wii sold over 18 million units. Yep, Sony (NYSE: SNE) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) still have something to worry about, as the Wii has taken the shine away from the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. The company's position in the current gaming cycle is strong, no question. And publishers like Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI) and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) all strive to be big supporters of Nintendo's systems.

Here are the problems, though, that I alluded to at the opening. First, as of this writing, the ADR's are, according to AOL Finance, priced at $71.14 (the ADR's don't change during the day on this quote system, as they update after the close; I'm seeing a current bid on my brokerage's quote system of $68.50, so the shares might possibly go lower tonight). This represents something of a recent run-up, so I'm not interested in chasing the stock at these levels (last time I was interested in Nintendo, there was a price drop). But, there could be a more pressing issue -- on an anecdotal level, in my area, the Wii's are currently plentiful. Has the system peaked? Hey, don't go by my anecdotal observations, but I'm just saying that, for me personally, buying Nintendo at this time is something I'd have to consider very, very carefully.

Disclosure: I own shares of Activision; positions can change at any time.

THQ (NASDAQ: THQI) is not casual when it comes to casual gaming. What is casual gaming, you ask? It is a genre of videogaming for people who don't want to learn a bunch of button combos for a complex first-person shooter or don't possess the desire to spend fifty hours winding their way through a vast role-playing universe. And it just might be an important avenue of growth for the videogame industry, since it opens up new markets beyond the hardcore gamer. Publishers such as Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI) and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) know that casual-gaming strategies are important these days, as do console makers Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Sony (NYSE: SNE). Heck, Nintendo's (OTC: NTDOY) overall strategy is arguably completely casual in nature, considering the appeal of the Wii.

THQ announced the other day that it would buy Elephant Entertainment and enter into a publishing deal with Oberon Media. Both of these companies are purveyors of casual-gaming entertainment and they are meant to broaden the scope of THQ's offerings in this area. Expectations are for casual games to grow significantly over time.

It may be a smart thing for THQ to grow its casual-gaming business, but it needs to focus right now mostly on getting its main pipeline back in order. Recent delays for certain titles, as well as sagging sales of games that were supposed to do well, have caused THQ's stock to fall; in fact, THQ's recent quarter was kind of bad, in my opinion. So, yes, go after the casual market -- but remember the less-than-casual and hardcore players as well, as they are major drivers for the success of a gaming slate.

Disclosure: I own shares of Activision; positions can change at any time.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Take-Two Interactive Software Inc (NASDAQ: TTWO) rejected Electronic Arts Inc's (NASDAQ: ERTS) unsolicited takeover offer as too low, and now EA is turning hostile, going directly to the shareholders to acquire all outstanding shares for $26 each, the same price originally offered to Take-Two, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• No one wants to see The Bear Stearns Companies Inc (NYSE: BSC), rumored to have liquidity problems, fail, but competitors and clients are being extra cautious, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• The credit crunch has hit three more funds, the Financial Times said. Drake Management, Global Opportunities Capital and Blue River Asset Management have all been forced to suspend investor withdrawals or close down after being faced by turmoil in the credit markets.

OTHER PAPERS:

• According to Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, the UK Times reported that Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) may eventually be superseded as the dominant Internet brand by a company that uses the power of next-generation Web technology.

As computer graphics and interfaces grow increasingly sophisticated, it's only a matter of time before the television broadcasters latch onto the concept and graft it into shows such as American Idol.

In fact, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) recently inked a deal with reality show developer Endemol Group (Big Brother, Fear Factor, Deal or No Deal) to create a virtual playground in which game players could take on a virtual guise and compete with others in the electronic realm. At the same time, those avatars could become contestants in broadcast shows for the entertainment of viewers.

If you think Sanjaya was an outré character, imagine how far out of orbit created personas could fly? Once loosened from their fleshy prisons and the barrier of geography, the imagination of the world would be loosened on these stages.

Imagine Dancing with the Stars, in which a contestant in Bangladesh with a Nintendo Wii strapped to her leg and a USB-ported dance pad under her feet dances the rumba with Brad Pitt. Imagine an American Idol contestant, the spitting image of Elvis Presley, trying to match his timbre on Heartbreak Hotel. Imagine the catfights and carnage among a dozen avatars forced to stay on an island together, 24/7, until only one remains.

The merger of virtual reality and televised entertainment lacks only an interface, and EA is one company jumping into the breach. Success could bring profits that are more than virtual.

Numbers are Actual vs. Estimate

Excellent Reports

• Goodrich Corp. (NYSE: GR) 78c vs. 67c
• Goodrich profits increased on a jump in sales of aircraft equipment to Boeing and Airbus. The company said margin expansion associated with sales growth and improved operating efficiencies are primary reasons for a continued positive outlook.
  

• International Paper Company (NYSE: IP) 47c vs. 35c
• The company's profits rose on a gain from the sale of its U.S. forestlands and a strong operating profit from its industrial packaging unit. IP is transforming operations to focus on its global uncoated papers and packaging business.
  

• Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE: HOT) 92c vs. 73c
• Higher room rates helped to contribute to a strong quarter for the parent of hotel chains including St. Regis, Westin and Sheraton. The company has been enjoying strong travel demand and limited growth in supply. It has also been selling hotels and retaining management contracts to free up cash.
• Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) 63c vs. 57c
• The video game publisher had a 38% drop in quarterly profit but beat Wall Street targets, overcoming investor anxiety that holiday shortages of new video game consoles would hurt sales. Shares rose 6% on the news. Company CFO Warren Jenson said EA was entering a growth period.