Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogobig.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Women Warriors and Fairy Queens]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/21/playing-dirty-women-warriors-and-fairy-queens/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/21/playing-dirty-women-warriors-and-fairy-queens/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/21/playing-dirty-women-warriors-and-fairy-queens/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Every other week for the past nine months, Bonnie Ruberg has contributed Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games. Since Bonnie is taking a hiatus to work for The Village Voice, this will be her last Playing Dirty piece--at least for a little while:


Female gamers have long rolled their eyes at the role of women in video games. Rightfully so. An overwhelming majority of female characters in mainstream games are either super helpless (think classic Princess Peach) or super sexualized (think Lara Croft). Even nowadays, it's darn hard to come across a decent role model for girl gamers in the games they love. Just finding a reasonably strong female character -- a diplomat into the mostly male world of gaming who can convince men and women alike that beautiful, buxomly women won't always need saving, or even behind-the-scenes manipulation from men -- is itself a serious challenge.

But, come on, we know all that already, right?. The question is, what are we doing about it? Which mainstream games are taking up the challenge and defying video game gender roles? Until recently, I would have said almost none -- at least, none in any significant way (a paired-down bosom here, a spin-off game there). Then came Odin Sphere.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Women Warriors and Fairy Queens

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Women Warriors and Fairy Queens originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AtlusOdinSpherePlayingDirtyThu, 21 Jun 2007 15:21:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Going head to head in bed]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/10/playing-dirty-going-head-to-head-in-bed/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/10/playing-dirty-going-head-to-head-in-bed/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/10/playing-dirty-going-head-to-head-in-bed/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

Like every good story, a good game needs a conflict. Sometimes the conflict is obvious (aliens are attacking Earth, you're trapped in a haunted mansion, someone is trying to kick your ass). Other times, it's less obvious (blocks are falling from the sky, the timer is running out, if you don't collect enough cherries you'll never get that bigger house). Whatever the conflict is though, the goal of the game is always the same: to resolve it. Maybe you kill the aliens, or kick his ass, or fit the blocks into perfect rows. The important thing is you win by overcoming conflict.

My question is this: What kind of conflict is there in a sex game?

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Going head to head in bed

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Going head to head in bed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 May 2007 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>conflictfightingPCplayingdirtysexThu, 10 May 2007 16:48:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Love on the auction block]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/26/playing-dirty-love-on-the-auction-block/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/26/playing-dirty-love-on-the-auction-block/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/26/playing-dirty-love-on-the-auction-block/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

Do you ever get the feeling dating is a game? Or that racking up MySpace friends is like scoring points? Or maybe that being charming is all well and good, but you should just be able to bid for girls' attention? Well then, cynical love birds, you might want to check out i'm in like with you. Started by Dan Albritton, an ITP student in New York, and his partner Charles Forman, the self-proclaimed game is like Facebook meets Ebay. Except, of course, that the money isn't real, no one regulates the "services rendered," and there's never any shipping and handling. Unless you count the cost of sending your date back home in a taxi at the end of the night. Or the next morning. Or whatever.

Things start out pretty normal in i'm in like with you. You go in, you set up your profile, you pick a sexy "favorite drink." But unlike other social networking sites, the only way you can contact people is by setting up other "games." These games are actually one- to three-day auctions. Usually they're based on questions like "Want to take me out for drinks?" or "Who's the coolest Power Ranger?" Other players bid their points to be one of five top responses to the question. Then whoever started the game picks a winning bidder, and gets the chance to send him a flirtatious message. It better be a good one though, because he just paid for that wink-y smiley face with a hefty chunk of points.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Love on the auction block

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Love on the auction block originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>PCplayingdirtyThu, 26 Apr 2007 12:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Searching for sex in Club Penguin]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/12/playing-dirty-searching-for-sex-in-club-penguin/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/12/playing-dirty-searching-for-sex-in-club-penguin/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/12/playing-dirty-searching-for-sex-in-club-penguin/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:


Sex is everywhere. That's true in real life, that's true on the internet, and that's definitely true in online games. But whether we like it or not, sex doesn't always involve the people we think it should. I'm not just talking about the Second Life-er who tells you she's a twenty-five-year-old woman and turns out to be a forty-five-year-old man. I'm talking about kids. Specifically, I'm talking about sex in online games designed for children.

If you came within a fifty-feet radius of Raph Koster at GDC last month, you've probably heard his two cents on the how gaming is being taken over by companies from outside the industry who make games that don't even register on our radar. Koster did mention Korean MMOs, but what he really focused on were kids games. In particular, he pointed the wobbly finger of prediction a virtual world called Club Penguin. With 4.5 millions unique users in December, 2006 alone, Koster claims Club Penguin can rival the largest online games in the world. He seems to be right.

My question is, with that many people playing, there must be sex in Club Penguin, right?

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Searching for sex in Club Penguin

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Searching for sex in Club Penguin originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Apr 2007 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Club PenguinClubPenguinMMOPCplayingdirtyRaph KosterRaphKostersexThu, 12 Apr 2007 13:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Earth really is full of game cakes]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/31/earth-really-is-full-of-game-cakes/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/31/earth-really-is-full-of-game-cakes/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/31/earth-really-is-full-of-game-cakes/#commentsFiled under:

Do you love game cakes? So does Gamecakes.com! In answer to the ever-growing number of game-related cakes that have flooded the game world copycat-murder style, Kotaku's Michael Fahey and Joystiq's yours truly have banded together to start an entire site dedicated to game cakes. Okay, Fahey is the brains and the brawn; I'm just a lonely cake-enthusiast turned contributer.

Anyways, the point is, never before has there been a site so full of deliciousness. Plus, if you've made a game cake and have pictures, we want to publish them; everyone deserves their fifteen minutes of cakey fame. In addition to showing off pics, Gamecakes.com is also a place to share cake recipes, cake-eating testimonials, heck, even cake post mortems. Gamecakes.com is here for all your cake-related needs, or just your digital sugar fix...

JoystiqEarth really is full of game cakes originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Mar 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cakesSat, 31 Mar 2007 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Lady, get off the road]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/29/playing-dirty-lady-get-off-the-road/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/29/playing-dirty-lady-get-off-the-road/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/29/playing-dirty-lady-get-off-the-road/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

Men say women are bad drivers. This confuses me greatly. As a woman behind the wheel -- with the token grumpy driver's licence photo to prove I take my on-road duties seriously -- I can't help but raise the issue. Aren't women supposed to be the cautious ones, the ones who look three times before turning, who insist you wear your seatbelt, even down the block? And men, aren't they supposed to zoom down the highway to show off the punch of their motors? I mean, just think about the racing games we design for guys: breaking speed limits, injuring other vehicles, even crashing. They've got "awful driver" written all over them.

I admit, I have a personal beef with this "women are bad drivers" thing. I'm one of those really daring people who never goes more than five miles over the speed limit. My friend's father, on the other hand, is a "zoom down the highway" type, complete with sporty convertible. Somehow it always ends up he's circling the supermarket, searching for a parking spot, when an SUV lumbers in and blocks the way. He shouts, "Come on, lady!" From where we're sitting, he has no way of telling whether that's a man or woman. It might as well be a yeti. Gritting my teeth, I wonder: If women are such awful drivers, how come it's men who go crazy behind the virtual wheel? How come racing games are "men's" games?

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Lady, get off the road

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Lady, get off the road originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>genderplayingdirtyracingThu, 29 Mar 2007 11:46:00 EST<![CDATA[Howling Rayman Raving Rabbids cake]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/18/howling-rayman-raving-rabbids-cake/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/18/howling-rayman-raving-rabbids-cake/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/18/howling-rayman-raving-rabbids-cake/#commentsFiled under:

Other games blogs may have recently sworn off games cakes, but here at Joystiq this still looks delicious. Then again, this blogger does have a soft spot for vanilla icing. We're not sure where the floating head of a Rayman Raving Rabbids bunny fits into the culture of edible fandom, but can't you just hear him singing his off-key Christmas carol, begging to be smacked across the face?

Actually, this bunny has his own Flickr set. See how he emerged from box art, to tin foil hunk, to tasty, screaming glory.

Thanks, Jason!

JoystiqHowling Rayman Raving Rabbids cake originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CakeRabbitRaymanSun, 18 Mar 2007 12:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: We fit together!]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/15/playing-dirty-we-fit-together/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/15/playing-dirty-we-fit-together/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/15/playing-dirty-we-fit-together/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

Watching Alexey Pajitnov receive the First Penquin award at this year's Game Developer's Choice Awards, it occurred to me I'd never really thought about the face behind Tetris. Sure, I'd heard Pajitnov's name plenty of times, but the man himself, and that lovable, Santa-bought-hair-dye beard, those were off the radar. Who knows what I expected of the infamous Russian: someone stiffer, more stand-off ish, a gaming visage for the Cold War itself. Not that Tetris has much to do with politics. In fact, for me, the game has always represented something totally different. I associate Tetris with sex.

At first, the idea sounds absurd. Colored blocks remind you of sex? Deprived gamer alert! But think about it: the point of Tetris is to make things fit together. Blocks float down to fit in the spaces left open by other blocks. When things fit together right, they make a solid line, a happy, unified whole. When they don't fit right, blocks leave ugly, open patches, the gaping black bane of Tetris existence. To win the game, you need to make sure every block finds its hole.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: We fit together!

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: We fit together! originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Alexey PajitnovplayingdirtySexTetrisThu, 15 Mar 2007 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[M.M.O.F.O's and other video-game thugs]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/m-m-o-f-os-and-other-video-game-thugs/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/m-m-o-f-os-and-other-video-game-thugs/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/m-m-o-f-os-and-other-video-game-thugs/#commentsFiled under:

Prepare to take a beating. Yesterday and today, independent New York developer Gamelab has been heading Gangs of GDC, an in-conference game running on various floors of the expo center. The idea is to join a video-game gang (choices include sects like the M.M.O.F.O's) and then fight rival gang members for control of on-screen territory. Players use their cell phones to call in for gang assignments, then they stand by a Gang TV to get paired off with another knife-wielding thug.

Why do all that? Because it gives us a chance to play while we learn about playing. Also because what the Game Developers Conference needed was a little, old-fashioned gang violence.

JoystiqM.M.O.F.O's and other video-game thugs originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 20:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GamelabGDCGDC07Thu, 08 Mar 2007 20:24:00 EST<![CDATA[Miyamoto Mii graces Nintendo chests]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/miyamoto-Mii-graces-nintendo-chests/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/miyamoto-Mii-graces-nintendo-chests/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/miyamoto-Mii-graces-nintendo-chests/#commentsFiled under: ,

Perched proudly on the chests (okay, the shirts) of every employee at the Nintendo expo booth is an adorable Miyamoto Mii -- the same one he showed off a few moments ago in his keynote. Though last night's Lifetime Achievement winner graces the fronts of men and women workers alike, this particular Miyamoto came off a female chest. You know what that means: if you try to sneak a peak at those cute Nintendo blonds, you're bound to get nothing but an eyeful of Miyamoto's cheerful but knowing smile.

JoystiqMiyamoto Mii graces Nintendo chests originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GDCGDC07MiyamotoNintendoWiiThu, 08 Mar 2007 17:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Ray finds her first line in a GDC women's restroom]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/ray-finds-her-first-line-in-a-gdc-womens-restroom/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/ray-finds-her-first-line-in-a-gdc-womens-restroom/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/ray-finds-her-first-line-in-a-gdc-womens-restroom/#commentsFiled under:

Today game developer and pro-girl consultant Sheri Graner Ray encountered something she'd never seen before in all her years at GDC: a line in a women's bathroom. Ray says when she first started coming to the conference, women only made up 3% of attendants. Now there are enough of us skirt-lovers to fill at least a dozen bathroom stalls.

Her potty experiences aside, Ray was part of today's panel on the future of women in the games industry. Unsurprisingly, panelist predicted more female gamers, more female industry members, and more all around gender-y goodness in times to come. And for the first time since Monday, I was actually in a room with more than five other girls. Now let's just hope we don't all run for the bathroom.

JoystiqRay finds her first line in a GDC women's restroom originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GDCGDC07womenWed, 07 Mar 2007 20:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Fils-Aime? Do I have a Reginald Fils-Aime?]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/gdc07-fils-aime-do-i-have-a-reginald-fils-aime/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/gdc07-fils-aime-do-i-have-a-reginald-fils-aime/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/gdc07-fils-aime-do-i-have-a-reginald-fils-aime/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Apparently Reggie was in the audience at Phil Harrison's Sony keynote this morning, because waiting for him outside was this dark, important-looking vehicle and a driver who wasn't so pleased to have his picture taken. That guy's hardcore.

My question is, does that driver know what Reggie looks like? Could I be Fils-Aime? And where would I get to go? The Joystiq team considering hijacking the car for a tour around San Francisco ... Reggie wouldn't mind, right?

JoystiqFils-Aime? Do I have a Reginald Fils-Aime? originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSGDCGDC07ReggieWiiWed, 07 Mar 2007 20:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Sony's 'Home' sex haven in disguise (perhaps?)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/sonys-home-sex-haven-in-disguise-perhaps/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/sonys-home-sex-haven-in-disguise-perhaps/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/sonys-home-sex-haven-in-disguise-perhaps/#commentsFiled under: ,

That Sony's new social channel "Home" looks suspiciously like Second Life is hardly news to anyone who's seen the footage from Harrison's keynote. What I couldn't help giggling about the whole time he showed off the world, though, was just how much sex is going to happen in Home. Realistic avatars? Private spaces? Customization? Think about Second Life. So. Much. Sex. If there was any doubt, just remember Harrison's sample character who was supposed to say "Hi" but said "Ho."

Of course, sexy gamers are bound to have questions. Can avatars take their clothes off? (Probably not.) Will the system support user-generated content that animates sex, like pose balls? (I wouldn't bet on it.) But if MMOs and social networking have taught us anything, it's that people will always find a way to get it on. Just pimp out your pad with downloaded gear, maybe get some porn streaming on your walls, and let the Home sex begin.

JoystiqSony's 'Home' sex haven in disguise (perhaps?) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GDCGDC07HomePS3sexSonyWed, 07 Mar 2007 19:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Clowns falling down stairs: the ultimate physics game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/clowns-falling-down-stairs-the-ultimate-physics-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/clowns-falling-down-stairs-the-ultimate-physics-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/clowns-falling-down-stairs-the-ultimate-physics-game/#commentsFiled under:

Yesterday, in his talk at the Independent Games Summit, Matthew Wegner beat up clowns. To be specific, he showed a physics sim clip of a dozen full-costumed clown ragdolls tumbling helplessly down a spiral staircase. Wegner, head of the physics game site Fun-Motion, called clowns falling down stairs "the ultimate physics game." Why? Because it's a lot easier to identify with clowns in peril then, let's say, a bunch of shapes. Besides, it's just hilarious. Later on, Wegner also showed a sim of a few hundred cows falling through a mess of painful looking barriers. Also very excellent.

The thing that Wegner didn't mention though is what's up with all this sadism? Physics games are definitely fun, but what's most fun is destroying stuff--clowns, cows, ragdoll fighters, whatever. So why the connection? Regardless, if I were a clown at GDC right now, I would probably be in hiding.

JoystiqClowns falling down stairs: the ultimate physics game originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ClownsGDCGDC07physicsWed, 07 Mar 2007 18:23:00 EST<![CDATA[McGonigal's new ARG looking for answers to oil crisis]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/mcgonigals-new-arg-looking-for-answers-to-oil-crisis/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/mcgonigals-new-arg-looking-for-answers-to-oil-crisis/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/mcgonigals-new-arg-looking-for-answers-to-oil-crisis/#commentsFiled under:


At her Serious Games keynote this morning, Jane McGonigal, ex-lead designer for alternate reality game big shot 42 Entertainment, announced her new ARG, World Without Oil. McGonigal calls the game -- which lets players share their ideas for better life during an international oil shortage -- a way to shift from alternate reality games to games that alter reality.

The idea behind the ARG is something called Collective Intelligence, the idea that together we can come up with better solutions to problems than we could alone. In citing examples of CI, McGonigal mentioned games like I Love Bees, even science-fiction novels, but for a great example, just think of Wikipedia. Who, all on their own, would ever know the population of Argentina and the gestation period of a Humpback whale?

JoystiqMcGonigal's new ARG looking for answers to oil crisis originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GDCGDC07Serious GamesSeriousGamesWorld Without OilWorldWithoutOilWed, 07 Mar 2007 02:00:00 EST<![CDATA[First women's suffrage and now this]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/first-womens-suffrage-and-now-this/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/first-womens-suffrage-and-now-this/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/first-womens-suffrage-and-now-this/#commentsFiled under: ,


As far as game merch goes, us girls usually get shafted. We get Princess Peach shirts and men get ... everything else. For the most part though, the merch here at GDC is pretty well divided. There are women's tees that match the men's, and they aren't even pink. But for the truly discriminating lady gamer, there's also this Game Developers Conference 2007 lime green mini tote.

I don't know about the rest of the female public, but, for me personally, part of being a lady has never included needing a ridiculously tiny tote bag. In fact, years of experience as a girl has taught me that women's stuff is -- get this -- the same size as guys'. Now, if they sold tiny GDC notebooks, tiny GDC pens, and itsy bitsy little GDC laptops, then ... I take it back, that tote would still be mugly.

JoystiqFirst women's suffrage and now this originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GDCmerchWed, 07 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Beer makes even mobile gaming more attractive]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/06/beer-makes-even-mobile-gaming-more-attractive/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/06/beer-makes-even-mobile-gaming-more-attractive/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/06/beer-makes-even-mobile-gaming-more-attractive/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mobile gaming? Eh. Free beer? Hooray! Thus was born the Mobile Game Innovation Hunt, yesterday's closing event for the first day of GDC's Mobile Games Summit. 15 mobile developers, including Digital Chocolate, got three minutes each to show off their "innovative" designs, which then got ranked by games press judges holding up big, unforgiving score cards.

On top of beer, audience members were also handed GDC plastic clappers -- those amazingly annoying, amazingly fun, hand-shaped noise makers that turn a crowd of game developers, educators, and press in business suits into a sea of jerks. When Duke Nukem Mobile took a minute and half just to load, the game nearly got clapped off the stage. Wait, alcohol makes us honest? From here on out, I demand that all review copies of games come with complementary six-packs.

JoystiqBeer makes even mobile gaming more attractive originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Mar 2007 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GDCGDC07mobileTue, 06 Mar 2007 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Send Manifesto your games that cause pain]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/06/send-manifesto-your-games-that-cause-pain/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/06/send-manifesto-your-games-that-cause-pain/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/06/send-manifesto-your-games-that-cause-pain/#commentsFiled under: ,

Last night we gave you some tips from the "Console/PC Distribution Gatekeepers" panel about publishing your indie game. One of the main things we told you execs like Microsoft's Ross Erickson kept coming back to was the fun factor. But what we didn't mention is Manifesto president Greg Costikyan's quick rebuttal, "We want games that aren't fun to play!"

Apparently, if you're working on a game that causes your players emotional pain, even inspires disgust (Costikyan's own suggestion), Manifesto is the distributor for you. Costikyan called it emotional innovation, and there's something to be said about defying expectations for the gaming experience, but we can't help but wonder what it says about you if your game makes us want to vomit. Wait, it's the innovative use of bodily fluids as a gameplay element. Go forth, pitch it to Manifesto!

JoystiqSend Manifesto your games that cause pain originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Mar 2007 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GDCgdc07Greg CostikyanGregCostikyanManifesto GamesManifestoGamesTue, 06 Mar 2007 13:44:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC 07: How to get your indie game published]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/05/gdc-07-how-to-get-your-indie-game-published/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/05/gdc-07-how-to-get-your-indie-game-published/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/05/gdc-07-how-to-get-your-indie-game-published/#commentsFiled under: ,

It seems like everybody's hitting it big publishing their indie games through services like Xbox Live Arcade. But what about you? For those among us still clinging to indie projects but burning to get them out into the world (ah, it burns!), Simon Carless hosted a "Console/PC Distribution Gatekeepers" panel this afternoon as part of the Independent Games Summit. With John Hight from Sony, Sandy Resnick from GameTap, Greg Costikyan from Manifesto Games, and Ross Erickson (formerly) of Xbox Live Arcade, the panel covered everything from what game services are looking for, to how many submissions they get, to how much they pay. Here are some tips and heads-ups from the suits who decide the fate of your games:

  • Sure, experience, fun factor, uniqueness, and audience appropriateness are all important factors in getting your game published, but the execs also stressed enthusiasm. Making a game takes a lot of work, so publishers want to know you'll see it through. Said Erickson, "The game we want is the game you're passionate about."

Continue reading GDC 07: How to get your indie game published

JoystiqGDC 07: How to get your indie game published originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Mar 2007 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GameTapGDCGDC07indieXBLAMon, 05 Mar 2007 23:01:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC 07: Trip Hawkins on Mobile Gaming's "Inferiority Complex"]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/05/gdc-07-trip-hawkins-on-mobile-gamings-inferiority-complex/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/05/gdc-07-trip-hawkins-on-mobile-gamings-inferiority-complex/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/05/gdc-07-trip-hawkins-on-mobile-gamings-inferiority-complex/#commentsFiled under:

EA founder, Digital Chocolate CEO, and self-proclaimed "slut for new media" Trip Hawkins opened up the Mobile Gaming track this morning with a talk about the potential of, well, mobile gaming. Hawkins is sick and tired of mobile gaming being a wasteland of second-hand properties, high royalty fees, and retro titles -- games that are downloaded by a tiny portion of cell phone users (5%), and even then only to "waste time."

"What we need to do," he says, "is find out how to make mobile a first-rate platform," something people want to pick up to play. If we do, he claims, there are potential billions out there for mobile sales. Hawkins compares the future shift to the success of the Nintendo DS. If Nintendo handled the DS like most developers handle mobile games, he says, we'd have ended up with watered-down ports of Mario games. Instead, DS gameplay have been created with the system's features in mind, and that makes it good. Improvement like that might even clear up what Hawkins calls mobile gaming's major "inferiority complex." Does mobile gaming look fat in that dress? Yes, it does.

JoystiqGDC 07: Trip Hawkins on Mobile Gaming's "Inferiority Complex" originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Mar 2007 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DigitalChocolateGDCGDC07mobileTripHawkinsMon, 05 Mar 2007 18:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Night Elves on their knees]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/02/playing-dirty-night-elves-on-their-knees/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/02/playing-dirty-night-elves-on-their-knees/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/02/playing-dirty-night-elves-on-their-knees/#commentsEvery other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

A beautiful elf has lost her clothes. Now, standing high on a rock, her long, pointy ears aren't the only parts of her body attracting attention. With a pout, she's off to the seashore to ask a friendly pirate to mend her garments -- which she'll need for tonight's raid. But when she can't pay for his services, she's quick to get down on her knees and offer some of her own. Naked on the sand, elf ears still flying proudly, she smiles as her pirate demands he get "his booty."

Whorecraft, the hardcore porn series based off World of Warcraft, certainly has a sense of humor. Otherwise, how would its creators ever have thought to turn the old D&D chuckle chuckle, nudge nudge double entendre, "Rogues Do It From Behind," into an eleven-minute porno, shot in, of all places, a state park? The real question though is does it have sex appeal. Of course, Whorecraft hires sexy actors and actresses, and the sex is real enough. But is video-game themed porn itself a turn-on?

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Night Elves on their knees

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Night Elves on their knees originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Mar 2007 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>playingdirtyFri, 02 Mar 2007 12:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Getting your game on while you get it on]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/15/playing-dirty-getting-your-game-on-while-you-get-it-on/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/15/playing-dirty-getting-your-game-on-while-you-get-it-on/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/15/playing-dirty-getting-your-game-on-while-you-get-it-on/#commentsEvery other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

Valentine's Day is, if nothing else, sexy. Call it about love, call it about chocolate, call it about little pink cards you hand out to your friends. It's really about sex. S-E-X. So there's no better time than the quiet, post-coital lull that settles in after Valentine's Day to take a step back from our passions and reflect: Is sex a game?

The question may seem like a strange one at first. Our culture trains us to think of sex as something romantic and meaningful, as "making love." But that doesn't mean it can't be like a game and still retain its sappy dignity. Johan Huizinga, author of Homo Ludens and the granddaddy of all "That is so a game!" theory, slapped the same label on lots of "respectable" human activities, like poetry, philosophy, even war. In fact, he said pretty much anything could be considered a game, or at least play, as long as it complied to a few basic guidelines.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Getting your game on while you get it on

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Getting your game on while you get it on originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>playingdirtyThu, 15 Feb 2007 18:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Good enough to eat]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/01/playing-dirty-good-enough-to-eat/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/01/playing-dirty-good-enough-to-eat/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/01/playing-dirty-good-enough-to-eat/#commentsEvery other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

What's the deal with video-game cakes?

Gaming is a manly pastime. We can deny it all we want, but the majority of gamers are still male, and machismo plays a big role in the character of the American gaming community. All of which is to point out just how strange it is that this manly fan-base has picked up with so much enthusiasm on a traditionally feminine hobby: baking.

In recent months, online coverage of elaborate, game-themed cakes has gone through the roof. We've seen glossy Mario wedding cakes. We've seen decadently-iced katamari cakes. We've seen edible consoles, handhelds, controllers, even pixels. Everyone, it seems, has turned off their games, tied on their aprons, and headed to the kitchen.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Good enough to eat

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Good enough to eat originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:56:00 EST<![CDATA[Off the Grid: Scrabble and the elusive letter "Q"]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/18/off-the-grid-scrabble-and-the-elusive-letter-q/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/18/off-the-grid-scrabble-and-the-elusive-letter-q/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/18/off-the-grid-scrabble-and-the-elusive-letter-q/#commentsFiled under:

This week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes to Off the Grid, Scott Jon Siegel's column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor.

Scrabble is not a sexy game. When you think of Scrabble, what do you see? Family gatherings at your Aunt Mae's spent quibbling over proper nouns? Conventions of blue-haired grandmothers and smarty-pants girls in braces, all clutching their Scrabble dictionaries? Maybe Scrabble deserves its homely image, after all -- as board games go -- it's pretty dull-looking. No bright colors, no "some assembly required" three-dimensional terrain, not even the satisfaction of a tiny, silver boot for a game piece. Just words. Words, words, and more words.

Scrabble may look, sound, heck, possibly even smell dorky, but when have gamers ever been afraid of a little dork-dom? I say, embrace your inner word dork. Okay, maybe I'm just a word dork. But if Scott had asked me, instead of all those games-industry leaders, what my favorite analog game was a few weeks back, it definitely would have been Scrabble.

Continue reading Off the Grid: Scrabble and the elusive letter "Q"

JoystiqOff the Grid: Scrabble and the elusive letter "Q" originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>columnOffTheGridThu, 18 Jan 2007 11:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Dracula wears eyeliner, part II]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/21/playing-dirty-dracula-wears-eyeliner-part-ii/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/21/playing-dirty-dracula-wears-eyeliner-part-ii/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/21/playing-dirty-dracula-wears-eyeliner-part-ii/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

Last week we looked at the changing art style -- and heros -- of the Castlevania series. From manly to effeminate, they've run the range. But there's more to consider here than a pretty face.

First off, let's take a look at their weapon choice -- or at least their weapons as they're depicted in the official game art. Old-fashioned Castlevania heros, the ones with rippling muscle and leather attire, are almost always depicted with a whip in hand. Later heros, the ones with lacy frills and high cheek bones, seem to prefer other weapons, like swords.

Now, sometimes a weapon is just a weapon, but when it comes to the peculiar case of these super-masculine, super-feminine protagonists, the issue bears a little reading into. The obvious cry would be "Phallic symbol!" But really, what weapon isn't? Instead, the interesting question here is what are these phalluses are up to?

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Dracula wears eyeliner, part II

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Dracula wears eyeliner, part II originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Dec 2006 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>castlevaniacolumnplaying dirtyPlayingDirtyThu, 21 Dec 2006 18:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Dracula wears eyeliner]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/14/playing-dirty-dracula-wears-eyeliner/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/14/playing-dirty-dracula-wears-eyeliner/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/14/playing-dirty-dracula-wears-eyeliner/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

For Castlevania fans, it's hardly news that the series has undergone some serious shifts in art direction over the years. But with the recent release of the Castlevania retrospective art book -- a Portrait of Ruin pre-order bonus -- it's gotten easier to track just how much things have changed. From romance novel-esque to stunningly stylized to "Didn't I see this anime on Fox Kids?," Castlevania's art aesthetic, if not its gameplay, has covered a vast range. But it's not just the approach that's different, it's the characters themselves.

In the beginning, titles like Castlevania II featured heroes with rippling muscles, loincloths, and virile locks of coarse blond hair. In contrast to these manly men, protagonists from later games, like Symphony of the Night, became thin bishounen, elegantly dressed, with delicate and undeniably feminine features. Most recently though, Castlevania heroes have reclaimed some of their traditional manhood. The protagonist of Portrait of Ruin may have fancier duds than the he-men of earlier titles, but he's grown back his six pack, his unromanticized features, and his save-the-day blond bangs.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Dracula wears eyeliner

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Dracula wears eyeliner originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Dec 2006 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Castlevaniacolumnplaying dirtyPlayingDirtyThu, 14 Dec 2006 16:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Pretty Pretty Princess]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/30/playing-dirty-pretty-pretty-princess/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/30/playing-dirty-pretty-pretty-princess/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/30/playing-dirty-pretty-pretty-princess/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

I have made a grave mistake.

Starting up a new game of Twilight Princess last week, I must have suffered a momentary lapse of sanity. I actually thought it would be a good idea -- just this once -- to change Link's name to my own. I'm the player, aren't I? Why shouldn't dialog text be addressed to me? I deserve some attention, too.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now every time someone speaks to young, heroic Link, they keep calling him "Bonnie." So far, he hasn't really seemed to notice, but it sure makes me feel funny. Girls sweetly bat their eyelashes and say my name. Men entrust me with complicated tasks without questioning whether I can complete them. It's just plain old weird.

Link runs, he jumps, he slashes things: everything he's always done. Except now he does it with a girl's name. In thirty seconds of poor judgment, I've made Link a name cross-dresser.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Pretty Pretty Princess

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Pretty Pretty Princess originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ColumnColumnsPlaying DirtyPlayingDirtyThu, 30 Nov 2006 11:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Women on the Wii]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/16/playing-dirty-women-on-the-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/16/playing-dirty-women-on-the-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/16/playing-dirty-women-on-the-wii/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

It's so easy, your girlfriend would play. Or your mother. Or your grandmother.

Last week at the 2006 Montreal International Games Summit, Reggie Fils-Aimé, president of Nintendo America -- super tall guy, and fun-with-Photoshop favorite -- gave a keynote on marketing the Wii. Besides being a general pep rally for the new console -- Nintendo beats Sony, rah rah rah! -- Reggie's talk stressed the Wii's ability to attract new gamers; specifically, Reggie mentioned older gamers, children, and women.

It's no shock that much fewer women play video games than men. So from a business standpoint, it makes sense that Nintendo would want to expand their sales into that new market. But whether the Wii and its PR are doing something "good" for the state of gaming equality, that's a whole other story.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Women on the Wii

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Women on the Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ColumnColumnsPlaying DirtyPlayingDirtyWiiThu, 16 Nov 2006 16:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: That's so gay]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/02/playing-dirty-thats-so-gay/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/02/playing-dirty-thats-so-gay/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/02/playing-dirty-thats-so-gay/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

Puppies are gay. Dancing is for homos. Even Link is a little queer.

"Gay" has become a strange, strange word. From happy to homosexual to stupid, it can mean many different things. But there's no ambiguity in an insult like "That's so gay" - the favorite homophobic tag line of defenders of the heterosexual norm. It's like a built-in security system: whatever doesn't fit in gets "outed."

Of course, there's no group that fits the heterosexual norm - young, male, straight - better than gamers. At least, that's how we're perceived, and often how we act: as a boys' club. We like big guns, fast cars, hot women. Maybe that's why we're so quick to attack games that lack traditional testosterone. Between forums, blogs, and general grumblings, gamers have declared everything from Nintendogs to Dance Dance Revolution to The Wind Waker (Bright colors? Queer!) "gay."

Rockstar's Bully, however, doesn't fit that list. It's not pretty, or cute. If you don't watch out, it might even beat you up for your lunch money. Like the Grand Theft Auto series before it -- and especially the oh-so-controversial, hidden hetero action in San Andreas -- it's a man's game. Which, perhaps, is why we're so surprised to learn that Bully, too, is "gay."

Continue reading Playing Dirty: That's so gay

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: That's so gay originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Nov 2006 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BullyColumnGayGLBTPlaying DirtyPlayingDirtyRockstarThu, 02 Nov 2006 11:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Playing Dirty: Playing with ourselves]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/19/playing-dirty-playing-with-ourselves/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/19/playing-dirty-playing-with-ourselves/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/19/playing-dirty-playing-with-ourselves/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every other week, Bonnie Ruberg contributes Playing Dirty, a column on sex and gender in video games:

"God knows what he does with himself, all alone. He's weird. I mean, he won't hang out with other kids. Probably plays video games."

Trapped in a barber's seat with my hair half cut, I'm listening to a forty-something hair stylist describe her new stepson. Maybe he sounds familiar: nice but shy, a little overweight, smart, into fantasy ("that dragon stuff"). Her son rides dirt bikes and has tons of friends. What the heck's wrong with this kid?

Note how the speculation about video games gets spat out with extra scorn. The most antisocial behavior this woman can think up for a twelve-year-old boy? The thing he does by himself, in his room, when nobody's around? Games. After all, it's his aptitude for flying solo that really bugs her. He's content to be by himself. Apparently there's something about that that's unnatural, even dirty.

Continue reading Playing Dirty: Playing with ourselves

JoystiqPlaying Dirty: Playing with ourselves originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ColumnColumnsMasturbationonanismPlaying DirtyPlayingDirtyThu, 19 Oct 2006 13:50:00 EST