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Geeksugar - Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble
Sure, the game is exceedingly simple and not necessarily challenging, but it’s awesome. Set in a 1920s high school, the characters are Clara Bow and Marlene Dietrich look alikes in flapper dresses and other ’20s couture, and the whole game is set to a fabulous ragtime soundtrack.
Girl in the Machine - Asperger’s and “Video Game Addiction”
A recent study conducted has concluded that those players with signs of “video game addiction” have symptoms similar to those with Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism. This study comes to us from the psychology professors Drs. John Charlton and Ian Danforth, who presented their findings at the British Psychological Society’s Annual conference on April 3, 2008. Naturally, I am skeptical of most studies conducted about video games, so it’s important to get to the bare bones of each one that crops up. Why don’t we filter this study through my patented GitM Study Bullshit Filter […]
Playgirlz Gaming Blog - Rumor Mill: New DS to be Announced at E3?
A rumor sprung up in Japan today pertaining to the Nintendo DS. Famitsu boss, Hirokazu Hamamura, believes that Nintendo will be announcing a new version of the Nintendo DS at this year’s E3 Media & Business Summit.
It’s been a couple of years since the Nintendo DS Lite hit the market, which means Nintendo could very well be looking at a new remodel of the popular portable console.
Girl in the Machine - The Flower Girl
While FFVII doesn’t have a job system per se, Aeris is clearly the party’s standard white mage, complete with staff and restorative Limit Break. While the conventional female character locked into the healer role tends to annoy me, this works in context. Aeris is balanced out by not one but two other women, neither of whom are magic users (Tifa as a monk and Yuffie as a thief). This is rarely seen in other Final Fantasy games wherein white mages like Rosa, Garnet, and Yuna also have magic-using female compatriots. More importantly, her “job” as a white mage works in tune with the plot. To rescue the Planet from Meteor, she uses the White Materia to cast Holy, a well-known high level spell in white magic.
A character’s appearance plays an important role, as always, and it’s great to see Aeris is not afflicted by a cheesecakey design (something that’s admittedly relegated to black mage women like Lulu or Fran). I’ve always liked her Dress And Hiking Boots combo, showing a measure of function over form.
Heroine Sheik - On Male Videogame Character Body Types
This recent (somewhat shoddy) list of the Top 25 Hottest Men in Gaming got me thinking about male bodies. The bodies of female video game characters have undergone a lot of male gaze scrutiny. They appear on the covers of magazines wearing skimpy outfits and become the subject of endless fanboy drool-fests. Male characters, while their bodies may be just as sexualized by design, hardly ever attract as many hungry eyes–or angry voices when they don’t meet standards of beauty. So I say let’s turn our gaze on those occasionally sumptuous male bodies and see what we find.
VideoGamesBlogger - Wii Fit Release Date is May 19th…
 The exercise videogame Wii Fit was announced to have a release date in America on May 19th, 2008. The tentative European release date is a little earlier on April 25th, 2008. It will be priced under $100. There are also over 10 games in development that take advantage of the Balance Board that’s included with Wii Fit.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Nintendo of America has also announced the launch of the Wii Channel for original downloadable Wii content called WiiWare on May 12th, 2008.
Video Game Media Watch - Sunni Leader Xbox Fan
Ali Hatem al-Suleiman is a 37 year-old Dulaym tribe chief in Iraq, hailing from a traditional tribal culture that is pushing for a larger, more powerful role in Iraqi politics - and succeeding. Al-Suleiman was the founder of the “Awakening” movement, which pulled together and united a collection of Sunni tribes that thereafter forced elements of al-Qaeda out of the Anbar province.
Oh, and he just happens to be an Xbox aficionado in his spare time…. just in case the above qualifications didn’t impress you. Al-Suleiman is a big fan of Black Hawk Down.
Gamasutra - A Japanese RPG Primer: The Essential 20
As of 2008, the Japanese RPG has become a subject of scorn for many Western critics, deriding it for its conventions — slow, menu based combat, random battles, overreliance on narrative — and for its failure to evolve. In spite of this, there are still many fans of the genre, who continue to enjoy them for their interesting plots, characters, and battle systems.
This is a list of twenty of the best JRPGs of all time — well, an attempt, anyway. Each of these has been selected for excelling in some significant way, whether it’s through compelling narrative devices or intriguing gameplay mechanics.
To avoid redundancies, only the best installment of a franchise will be chosen as a representative. The exception to this rule includes the Final Fantasy games, many of which are so vastly different from each other that they can barely be recognized as part of the same series, outside of the name.
PlayGirlz Gaming Blog - 21 Hardest Nintendo Titles
Descending the circles of nostalgic gaming hell isn’t always pleasant, so be forewarned that reading the article could bring back unpleasant memories of tears, fits of anger, and cursing. It seemed like the article wanted to start on Metal Gear Solid, but got confused and talked about Metal Slug 3 instead. I would whole-heartedly support a nod for MGS though, as it required a totally different approach to tasks than most of the games on the market at that time and I remember pulling my hair out in frustration when run and gun tactics left me bleeding on the floor more times than I care to remember.
Kotaku - UK: People Do More Gaming Than Sex Having in Bed
We already knew Brits like buying video games more than music. Now it seems like like playing video games more than doing each other. A survey from “bedroom specialist Sharps” polled 2,000 people in the UK about the most common activities in bed. What did the bedroom retailer find?
Kotaku - Nintendo Will Not Release Holocaust DS Game
Earlier, we brought word of Imagination Is The Only Escape, a Holocaust DS game from British game dev Luc Bernard. The game follows a young Jewish boy living in France during the Nazi occupation during World War II. In order to escape the horrors around him, he imagines a fantasy land that becomes the basis of the game’s world. The adventure platformer will attempt to educate players on the atrocities experienced by many children during the time of the Holocaust.
MTV Multiplayer - My Fellow Single-Player Smash Bros. Gamers, Unite!
 If you are playing “Super Smash Brothers: Brawl” alone — you are not alone.
I’m with you.
If you have ever bought a multiplayer game of any kind before without the intention of playing it against other people, I’ve been there too.
Are you like me? Are you playing “Smash” as a solo gamer? I’ve played the coin launcher, looked at the trophies, played a few brawls against the computer. I did a couple of the target levels, whacked the punching bag and am a whole 2% into the side-scrolling mode, the Subspace Emissary (which could be played by two people, but not when I’m involved). I’m playing this game solo, because, well, that’s how I play games.
It’s not that I hate playing games against other people (spot the telling denial!). And I know I edit a blog called Multiplayer. But I just don’t game against other people that much. Back in the old days I didn’t because I liked to settle in with adventure-driven games, games with a table that seated only one. These days, I also don’t, because my Internet connection is slow. “Halo 3“’s matchmaking service will only match my Level 4 skills to a Level 30-something, because it can’t find a closer match suited to my inferior Internet connection. So, solo-play it is.
Gamasutra - Microsoft Excel: Revolutionary 3-D Game Engine?
It is understood that Excel is an all-round office tool, but probably it is unknown that it has a bunch of features that makes Excel a high-class 3D graphics engine.
In this article I will demonstrate Excel’s arithmetical facilities, the embedded rendering subsystems (there are two of them!) and the revolutionary approach which might just cause a paradigm shift. I hope you will discover that Excel effectively and efficiently incorporates practicality, tons of features, the multi-platform portability and the high performance with the unique and futuristic 3D engine features.
GamePolitics - Comcast Packs Net Neutrality Hearings with Paid Ringers
For gamers, the stakes are indeed high. So high, apparently, that Comcast, which opposes Net Neutrality, hired people off the street to fill seats (see pic) at a recent FCC hearing on the issue. The tactic prevented some opposition voices from gaining access.
Gamasutra - Nine Paths to Indie Game Greatness
Independent developers usually operate with very limited initial resources. By operating without a loan of resources, they create a development environment for themselves free from outside influences or restrictions. The only obligations they hold are to themselves as developers and the people who play and purchase their games.
GamePolitics - Video Games Linked with Rape in Parliament Debate
Although we can’t think of a single commercial video game with an interactive rape scene, British MP - and frequent game critic - Keith Vaz (left) made sexual violence sound like a gaming staple in a debate on Friday. As reported by Spong, the issue under consideration was Conservative MP Julian Brazier’s bill to bring additional censorship to games in the U.K. Although Brazier’s attempt ultimately failed, Vaz, not surprisingly, was a supporter.
Kotaku - Life Size Haruhi Suzumiya has Movable Groin
Just ewww.
Ack! Freaky giant doll alert. March 1st (tomorrow!) pre-orders start for this huge, freaky-assed life-sized Haruhi Suzumiya figurine in Japan. According to the maker, the five-foot statue has a moveable head, shoulders, elbows, lower back, knees, ankles, fingertips and, ahem, “groin.” This Haruhi has an expected sticker price of ¥380,000 (US$ 3,628.72). But can you really put a price on something so creepy? Yes, apparently!
Gamasutra - The Art of Games
I’ve heard countless calls over the years, often with good and pure intentions, that “Games are games, and we should keep them that way.”
While I fully understand and support that games are a wonderful play pastime, and that gameplay and fun are the beating heart of our business, I find these assertions to keep everything the same as a set of false boundaries that foster cynical limitations by those in power to assure the status quo is comfortable and predictable.
The real truth is, games have always pushed the boundaries and evolved on their own, right from the beginning. First they were a simply a “Novelty.” Then Time Magazine proudly labeled them a passing “Fad.” Then they were a “Quaint Pastime.” Then a “Cultural Phenomenon.” And now a “Mainstream Entertainment” medium.
In truth, video games have always grown beyond the bounds we try to impose on them.
GamePolitics- Comcast Packs Net Neutrality Hearings with Paid Ringers
Is Net Neutrality an important issue for gamers?
You bet.
If you’re not sure why, check out Every Time You Vote Against Net Neutrality, Your ISP Kills a Night Elf, which explains how online gaming will suffer if the big telecommunications firms win and Net Neutrality loses.
That’s why the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) has joined with the SaveTheInternet coalition and is backing Net Neutrality legislation proposed by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA).
For gamers, the stakes are indeed high. So high, apparently, that Comcast, which opposes Net Neutrality, hired people off the street to fill seats (see pic) at a recent FCC hearing on the issue. The tactic prevented some opposition voices from gaining access.
Heroine Sheik - Sadism in Surgery Games (aka Blood and Guts FTW)
Surgery games, specifically the Trauma Center series for the Wii and DS, are based on the idea that it’s fun to save people. Sew them up, make them better, be happy. But the fact is, before we pseudo-surgeons can save people, we have to play around in their bloody insides. A new game from the wonderfully dark designers at Adult Swim underlines this sadistic fun. Their Trauma Center parody, Amateur Surgeon, features pizza delivery boy turned back-alley doctor Alan Probe, who’s taught the art of cutting up patients with various fast-food utensils by a former (actual) surgeon–one he has just run over with his van. Probe staples together his wounds, burns them shut with a lighter, then moves on to more gruesome and hilarious Operation-style challenges.
Tokyomango - Danish Geeks Throw Mario Party at Campus Bar
You have to see this one to believe it:
If they sell a Princess Peach Martini, I’m totally going.
Feminist Gamers - Michigan Libraries to Offer Video Games
As the M-I-L pointed out, libraries are about more than books: it’s about making sure that people in your community have access to content and services, and having a safe community space. Having a back room where kids can jam to Rock Band means that kids who can’t afford $150 on a video game (plus extra if they want a 2nd guitar) can still get together with friends and play it — in a space that’s safe and adult-supervised, at that.
Why this is controversial is beyond me. It’s not like the library is going to offer every game ever made, nor are they going to put the collected works of Jane Austen out by the curb to make way for the collected works of Namco-Bandai. And there is a point to waving the pure, cut cocaine in order to get people into your doors when you’re a library: once people are comfortable going into a library for one thing, they’ll start to use the library for other things, and that means patronage.
Play Girlz Gaming Blog - Who’s Hot in Game Development
Just in case you have nothing better to spend your time on this weekend, Next-Generation has put together an excellent Top 100 list that could expand your gaming horizons. Their Hot 100 Developers 2008 “represents the commercial realities of the products released last year or in the next year” while factoring in “critical reception and innovative and creative contributions to the medium”.
Gamasutra - Hey, That’s MY Game! Intellectual Property Protection for Video Games
So you’ve created a video game. Naturally, you’re proud of the result after months of all-nighters spent programming and debugging the source code. Your game includes ideas, puzzles, game concepts, and user interfaces that no game has ever had. You’ve created artwork and graphics that are sure to enthrall even the most skeptical of gamers. Your game is most assuredly destined to be Game of the Year!
Too bad someone stole it and published it before you did. All your “guaranteed” profits gone in a flash. But that’s ok, because software is or at least should be free to copy, right? By becoming a software developer you have automatically bought into the notion that software should be open source, right? Who needs to be fairly compensated for their efforts when ramen noodles are 3 for $0.99?
GamePolitics - Take Two Fires Back at EA
It looks as if this fight could get ugly…
GamePolitics has just received a press release from Take Two Interactive in response to Electronic Arts’ hostile takeover bid.
In the release, the Take Two board confirms EA’s offer and pronounces it “inadequate in multiple respects and not in the best interests of Take-Two’s stockholders.”
Girl in the Machine - Two Things About Fighting Games
One that pisses me off and one that leaves me pleased as punch.
Pissy item first: Dead or Alive is infiltrating Smash Brothers Brawl. It ain’t exactly breaking news anymore, but the developers over at Nintendo decided to lovingly render upskirts for both Peach and Zelda. I won’t be posting any of the videos or images here to prevent myself from having an aneurysm. Please excuse me while I go vomit my breakfast.
The Feminist Gamers blog is a must read for everyone who has ever picked up a controller.
Mighty Ponygirl and her squad routinely provide on point analysis to the quickie posts that populate current gaming blogs. Here are three of my current favorites:
Sony Proves the Existence of the Rare Female Gamer
Wow! Looks like the girl gamer is in fact a statistically quantifiable set of data, which appears to shock the commenters at Joystiq. I wonder how Sony can capitalize on this burgeoning number? I wonder how it was able to market a whole four to upwards of eight percent of its consoles to the sandwich- and baby-making class.
The comments on the post show that at least someone is thinking critically:
Housework and the Partnered Feminist Gamer
Ultimately, what it comes down to is: women’s housework is expected to come before leisure time, and men’s participation in housework is considered secondary to leisure time. Women’s leisure time is valued less than men’s.
I really bristle at the common “solutions” for the problem: The first, the “work strike” is unacceptable for a number of reasons. First of all, a messy/unclean house is hazardous. Dirty dishes left piling up encourage vermin and disease, and tripping over a pile of discarded crap in the middle of the night on your way to the bathroom is never fun. Oh, and, it’s passive-aggressive, and all it’s going to do is allow your anger to fester as you watch stuff pile up and your partner is zoned out in front of Assassin’s Creed. Not to mention, if “house work” also entails childrearing, then going on a work strike is basically neglect. The second solution is the “lowering of standards,” which again, is a problem. For the reason mentioned above: the cleaner a house is, generally, the safer it is. Also, I find it very patronizing that a woman is expected to lower her standards with nothing required of the partner. Having to actively ignore a problem because you’ve “lowered your standards” can be as much work (maybe even more) as just doing the chore yourself. Finally, a variation of the “work strike” is the Lysistrata gambit–or sex strike–not ‘allowing’ your partner to have sex with you until they start cleaning up is frankly so stupid I’m surprised when I ever hear it brought up (with the exception of being too exhausted from housework that you’re not in the mood). Apart from the fact that it assumes that women are the “gatekeepers” of sex, who have no initiative for it and can take no pleasure from it, it’s such a non-sequiter. It’s would be like going on a hunger strike because your partner didn’t fill up the car. There is no (nor should there be any) relationship between clean house and dirty sex. Trying to create one is just asking for trouble in the relationship.
And finally, my personal favorite…
“Shut Up and Play the Game” Isn’t a Dialog
Ms. Dean seems to be under the assumption that as long as she comports herself online in a “ladylike” way, she is entitled to respectful treatment from men, and goes out of her way to distance herself from those mean, scary feminists when she calls for women to be treated as equals in the game. What I think she fails to realize is that being a “Lady” (particularly a “Lady” as opposed to a “Feminist”) isn’t going to get you treated like an equal, it’s going to get you treated like a commodity. In fact, it’s been pretty-well documented that the recent push to encourage women to be “ladylike” is actually a movement set in motion by the antifeminists like Flannigan, Schlafley, and organizations like the CWA and IWF as a means of silencing women when they call for greater equality in their life. They do so by creating a false dichotomy between being a “woman” and being a “feminist.”
Respectful behavior should be rejoined with respectful behavior. Feminism does not, no matter what Ms. Dean has been instructed to think by the antifeminist paragons of “Ladyhood”, equate to shrill ball-busting killjoy out to spoil everyone’s fun. A feminist, Amanda may be surprised to learn, wants exactly the sort of thing she advocates in her article: women being treated as equals in the game in their own right, and not as masturbatory tools for anonymous males.
Read and enjoy.
GeekSugar - Are You a Casual Gamer?
Interesting poll and responses from over a hundred (mostly female) gamers.
Heroine Sheik - Sex with a Wii-Mote: At Least I’m Not the Only One Who Thinks This Way
Back in 2006 I reported on the shaky (sorry) phenomenon of players using the vibration in their video game controllers for masturbation. The Nintendo Wii hadn’t yet come out when I wrote the article, but the boxy Wii-mote design had been recently released–so my coverage includes some speculation from, well, excited fans that the shape might be conducive to insertion. Personally, I’ve always felt the Wii-mote’s boxy corners, not to mention its oh-so-pure white aesthetic, ruled it out as a sex toy, but who am I to judge?
Women in Games Conference Blog - What’s It Like to be a Woman in the Games Industry
Two of our intrepid WiG 2008 hosts were recently featured in an iCast at the University of Warwick, discussing this very question. Three cheers for Nicola and Sara!
Sez Nicola:
I just wanted to let you know that Sara and I took part in a ‘ Warwick iCast’, a video which is part of “a project to develop an internet video service for the University of Warwick focussed on the promotion of research, science and business activity”. The iCast was about women in the gaming industry and was filmed at Rare at the end of November, and featured myself, Sara, George Kelion (PR guy at Rare), Nathan (a CS lecturer at Warwick ) and Becca (a CS student at Warwick ). We were basically discussing various issues / experiences.
Well it’s gone live! Check it out and tell us what you think.
Joystiq - Wired: National Intelligence Seeking Terrorists in WoW
Wired reports that U.S. intelligence is planning on developing a data mining program using World of Warcraft that will help root out violent extremists that play MMOs. The ultimate goal of the “Reynard project” is to develop software that is capable of “automatically detecting suspicious behavior and actions in the virtual world.” On one hand, we can see why they’d want to keep an eye on a community that’s 10 million strong (fun fact — there’s 142 countries with a smaller population than WoW). On the other, we’re not sure we want The Man looking over our shoulder every time we craft a Big Iron Bomb.
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Copyright © 2007 - May 16, 2008 Iris Gaming Network.
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February 21st, 2008 at 1:21 pm I’ve got a friend. Her husband stays at home and raises the kids. They own a PS3. There are 3 people who use the console– 1 woman 1 girl, and 1 man. I’d bet that Sony counts that as 1 male user, 0 female. Because if I had to bet, I’d bet that hubby signed up for the PSN and gave his own demographic information.I wonder how often that sort of thing happens? How much data isn’t being captured by the survey?
February 21st, 2008 at 1:42 pm I’m sure that’s exactly what’s happening.As our generation advances, we see that gaming is a “family” event, not just limited to one or two members of the household. Sony just hasn’t accounted for this in their data.