Why Talking About Character Gender Still Matters (Even Though It Shouldn't)

Last weekend, I played Omega, the latest DLC for Mass Effect 3. It’s good. Not great. Solidly good. But while it’s not the most memorable DLC of the series (Lair of the Shadow Broker still reigns supreme in my book), there was one thing I noticed right off the bat. Omega does not give you a choice of squadmates, so for most of the mission, you’re teamed up with ruthless crime boss Aria T’Loak and chaotic good newcomer Nyreen Kandros, the game’s first female Turian. If you play Commander Shepard as a woman, as I do, this means that the entire story revolves around the heroic exploits of three ladies. Three badass, intelligent, well-written ladies, two of which have a compelling romantic history. I grinned, aimed my assault rifle, and thought, “This is awesome.”

saveroomminibar:

“Planetesimals” Video Game Plantets by Midhras on Flickr.

Panorama’s from Skyrim, Rage and Fallout: New Vegas.

StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson! This week: THE SCIENCE OF VIDEO GAMES.

What It’s Like For a Girl Gamer

The gaming world can be cruel to women. Let’s mute the trolls.

Ohhh please let KH3 happen soon…

(via Kingdom Hearts 3 — “It’s About Time” Says Nomura - G4tv.com)

Just One of The Boys - Female Gamers in Multiplayer Games

Interesting perspective and article on sexism in gaming, and the fact that well - there are assholes everywhere, so we should probably chill out.

Some of you may have heard or seen me talk about Fat, Ugly, or Slutty dot com. No, it’s not a porn site. For girls in the online gaming world (and guys with good senses of humor), this site is a must-visit for a good collective chuckle at the idiocy that seems to be rampant in the online arena - specifically, the idiocy that is directed at women. So for those of you ladies out there wanting to get into the online gaming world, here is a friendly PSA from the great folks at FatUglyorSlutty.com.

"Okay, so if they are not going to make a Kingdom Hearts 3 for another 100+ years, can’t they at least re-release KH and KH2 for the PS3?? SERIOUSLY. Do a God of War thing, all remastered and pretty and stuff. Then at least I can play them again." -

I’ve been slacking for the last few days, so I apologize for my absence. I wanted to post the OFFICIAL GTA 5 trailer for you guys, in case there’s a slim chance you haven’t seen it since it was released this morning. What do you think?

Hell. Yes.

Oh WOW do I want these. Like now. Today. From Geeks Are Sexy:

Etsy user MagicBeanBuyer made these geektastic Super Mario high heel shoes as a personal project, but I’m pretty sure that if she’d consider making a few pairs for her Etsy store, they’d sell like crazy!

Hehehehe this made me chuckle.

archiemcphee:

Them Birds by illustrators Dan Eijah Fajardo (aka Dandingeroz) and Pedro Kramer (aka Badbasilisk) who collaborated on this awesome pop culture mashup wherein Alfred Hitchcock encounters a gang of Angry Birds.

This design is currently up on Threadless as a t-shirt design candidate.

[via My Modern Metropolis]

Joystiq Arkham City Review

This one is better than the G4 review.

The 72-year-old lore of the Batman universe is about as immutable as comic book icons come. If Batman: Arkham Asylum was evidence of Rocksteady’s comprehension of the franchise, then Arkham City is proof of their understanding of its quiescence.

Arkham City Review by G4 is up!

And guess what? It got a perfect score. I could have told you that, and I haven’t even played the game yet. Quoting Jason Wishnov at G4:

I tried to find any reason not to give Batman: Arkham City a perfect mark. I went in looking for flaws, for mistakes, for missteps…This game, I vowed, could not be perfect; surely, I would find something. But hours passed, days. The credits rolled. I kept playing. Twenty-six hours of gameplay after I spun up the disc, only 67% complete by the game’s telling, I dropped my controller, shaking my head.

You win, Rocksteady. You beat me. This game is perfect.

Oh. My. BATMAN.

Here is the game release trailer. Batman: Arkham City comes out NEXT WEEK!! 10/18/11. Who’s buying? Who’s pre-ordered? Who’s as excited as me???