Scribblenauts and the unfortunate loss of self-esteem

For me, pre-ordering a game is not automatic. This isn't by choice exactly, it's by necessity. I would love to pre-order all the games that catch my eye but I can't always put money up-front when I have to consider bills, groceries, public laundromats, and my comics habit. I am a gamer with her priorities straight, that's for certain.

So it's an impressive feat that I was able to pre-order Scribblenauts at all, and my drive to do so was mostly fueled by the want for that cute little rooster hat.







Exhibit A

The thing known as PAX, aka Penny Arcade Expo

As I do not always like repeating information across multiple websites, allow me to tell you about the posts I've been working on over at Re:Generator Magazine regarding my first experience at PAX.


PAX, of course, is the Penny Arcade Expo brought to us by the creators of the webcomic of the same name. The webcomic is not only a webcomic about video games and comics but it touches upon a lot of other issues as well, so it's got something for everyone. The fact that they have an entire convention is impressive and tells you just how large their fanbase has become.

So far I have only written two extensive accounts of my experience at PAX, and you can read about them at the links below. I've provided a short description of what each post is about along with the link. Part three will be on its way soon and when I've published it I will update this post to reflect that. Please feel free to leave comments either here or send feedback at the Re:Generator site ("feedback" links found at the bottom of every post). Your thoughts and opinions are much appreciated!  

First there is PAX '09: The Aftermath which is kind of misnamed since I don't really talk about the aftermath but about what I did on Friday. In this post, I talk about my first impressions of PAX and the Seattle convention center, and then go on to talk about the panels I attended- with pictures! 
Panels discussed: Hey Ash Whatcha Filmin, How to Make it in the Back Door: A Rainbow Colored Perspective of the Game Industry, Spike’s Sneak Peeks (with previews of Brutal Legend, Uncharted 2, and Left 4 Dead 2),and Designing for Failure: Why Winning Sucks  

Before we went to PAX, the website suffered a DoS attack and the server admin had to up the security and firewall, which, we discovered, somehow ending up blocking my IP address and that kept me from really posting stuff regularly. So the next installment came a week later, and I still have to start on the third and last installment.  

Part 2 is about the games that I encountered and the exhibit hall in general, as well all of the free stuff we got (including t-shirts and posters). It's called PAX '09: The Games. I talk about the demos I saw and/or played, as well as winning that raffle. 
Games I played: Plants vs Zombies, Dante's Inferno, Rogue Warrior, Pirates of the Burning Sea, and (kind of) Muramasa.  

My review of the Dante's Inferno demo is kind of graphic, considering the source, so be forewarned.

Batman: Arkham Asylum -or- Who's afraid of the big bad bat?

photo from defaultprime.com 

Like many bloggers, I have an opinion. Not only that, I have an opinion on video games and I want my opinions to be known to a large audience. Why? I want to contribute like all the other women (and men) out there who want to talk about video games without having to pander to a target audience. And that's why my first game-specific post is going to be about Batman: Arkham Asylum: because it is awesome.

After all, he is the goddamn Batman*.

~*Spoilers Inbound*~

Before B:AA came out and there were only stills and clips floating about, we all knew it was going to be great. The design, the style, the writing, the voice acting; it not only guaranteed a great game but it delivered. This is rare.

First, you have Paul Dini writing the story for the game. This guy is a Writing God, having created some of my favourite cartoons growing up such as Animaniacs, Freakazoid, Tiny Toon Adventures and, yes, Batman: The Animated Series. Those are just the shows that I watched, there are so many more under his belt that it is staggering as well as impressive**.

Predetermined Gender Interests -or- Why do girls like pink?

photo from feministing.com

The question to the subject title is: because their parents made them. Same with why young boys tend to lean towards blue, red or green. It's because most people, even those that are not parents, have these preconceived notions embedded in their brains by society that girls should like pink and boys should like blue. Also, girls should play with dolls and boys should play with toy trucks. A generalization? Yes, but it is mostly true. In fact, I wrote about this on Re:Generator Magazine* based on an article posted on the UK's Telegraph news website. The opening two sentences of the article sums it up pretty nicely:

Experts have claimed that the so-called "pink plague" on the High Street is brainwashing girls and reinforcing gender stereotypes.

They claim that girls are already becoming "hooked" on the colour before the age of three and soon reject toys and clothes if they are not pink.

This doesn't help my gender growing up when some girls grow out of the pink craze and choose to pursue things that are not considered feminine. Boys will make fun of a girl who wants to play a masculine sport, or even if she wear jeans instead of shorts, skirts or dresses. I know, it's happened to me.

Introduction: Why-a hello and a-howdy

The subject of video games and its target audience seems to have become very convoluted over the years. Although still mainly a "guy thing", more and more females are getting into gaming. A lot more than when the first Ataris, Colecos, and Nintendo Entertainment Systems became popular.

According to the research group NPD, 44% of US-based gamers are female*. That's a huge jump. It's also a spit in the face of the Michigan State University study** from July that said women have less time to game than men do. Despite that, it does seem like I run into more women my age that play games in some form than I did about ten years ago, and frankly I'm impressed (not to mention ecstatic.)

I grew up with my dad and my brother, so I was surrounded by testosterone and lots of 'guy' things which included video games, womanizing, horror movies, and grunge music. I enjoyed every second of it and I'm certainly aware of how much interacting with my brother and his friends shaped me into the open-minded 25-year-old I am today.