Game theft nearly quadruples since 2007

Games have been a hot holiday item for years, but data recently released by the FBI and reported on by USA Today suggests that "hot" could mean stolen as much as popular. Over the past three years, reported thefts of game hardware have nearly quadrupled, according to FBI statistics.

For 2009, the FBI National Crime Information Center has 42,615 reported thefts on file, up from 21,732 in 2008 and 11,074 in 2007. While crime is a year-round enterprise, the holiday season typically sees a spike in thefts, an FBI agent told the paper.

"Criminals are rational. They steal things that have high value, are easily transportable, and easily sold," University of Massachusetts-Lowell criminologist Larry J. Siegel told USA Today. "The most expensive thing in my house is my refrigerator, but nobody is trying to steal my refrigerator."

While game system thefts saw the largest jump of any category of electronics percentagewise, other high-end tech toys are still more popular targets for crooks. Laptop thefts have jumped from 96,834 in 2007 to 128,280 this year, while reports of stolen TVs surged from 27,176 to 78,227 over the same span. While some electronics theft is on the rise, overall property crime has actually decreased in recent years.