Seth Gordon’s 2007 debut documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters? follows Steve Wiebe’s struggle to be recognised as the world Donkey Kong highest score holder. It’s a fascinating insight to men’s self-perception and self-worth, says Laura Griffin.
Video games
Daily Proposition: Daily Proposition: go to war, in 3D
Every day somewhere in the world millions of people, many older than 35, log into World of Warcraft and lose themselves for hours, writes Crikey reader Dave Sag.
Why video games are good for mankind
It’s about time we say “game over” to the tired argument that video games are nothing more than a youth-consuming waste of time. They make people feel productive, empowered and reinforce important life lessons, says Jane McGonigal.
Sport, video games and the rights to use
When should a person’s right to control his image trump the free-speech rights of others to use it?
Game on: the politics of Presidents in video games
Representations of Barack Obama are strewn throughout popular culture, from coin banks to condom packaging. The President is set to make his second video game appearance in as many months, prompting a range of questions involving litigation, bias and celebrity, writes Owen Good.
Best booze buddies from fighting games
Ever wondered which characters from fighting games like Street Fighter and Tekken would make the best drinking pals? No, neither have we, but these are the kinds of questions that run through the minds of video game nerds.
30 years of Pac-Man
Classic video game Pac-Man is celebrating 30 years of being chased by ghosts, eating dots and finding Ms Pac-Man inappropriately hot. Wired has a great interview with its creator Toru Iwatani about how the game came to life.
Eat it, Pac-Man’s the most influential video game ever
On the weekend, classic video game Pac-Man celebrated its 30th birthday, with even the Google logo joining in the festivities. The little gobbling blob was the first video game to ever win mainstream popularity.
Chicks with joysticks: the truth about female gamers
A year-long, in-depth study into female video gamers has revealed some pretty fascinating facts. Business Insider goes inside the mind of the girl gamer.
How the government’s video game ban backfired
The Australian Government’s ban on R-rated video games forces publishers to slap together mildly toned-down (but still very explicit) versions of violent and sexual games to squash them into the MA15+ category — ironically, increasing their accesibility to kids.
Toy story: the rise and fall and rise of Lego
From 1998 to 2004, the previously booming Lego empire fell to pieces. But instead of losing its little yellow head, the company turned it all around by thinking outside of the box and embracing the toy world’s new kid on the block: video games.
Why we need an R18+ classification for video games
Australia remains one of the few first world countries to lack an 18+ classification for video games. By restricting a large portion of the gaming market, we become victims of media censorship, says Joel Vaughan.
Why I kept playing: confessions of a video game addict
Sure, it’s funny to laugh at the geeky online gamers spending hours (or days) glued to their screens, but for some, it’s a serious addiction with serious consequences. One such gamer has written an excellent piece detailing the destructive toll his addiction to EverQuest took on his life.
Lifting the game in video-game journalism
Video game journalism is crying out for help, says Patrick Brosnan. The average gamer is now 33 years old, but the journos are still writing for attention-deficient 13-year-olds. It’s time the industry grew up.
Will the music video game survive The Beatles: Rock Band?
The Beatles: Rock Band is make or break time for the music video game. With a budget of close to $US100 million to make, can the investment pay off? asks Harold Goldberg
Monopoly hits the cyber streets
Google and board game powerhouse Hasbro have teamed up for an epic venture: an online version of Monopoly that utilises Google Maps to make the entire world a “playing board” and allows players to purchase any street in the world. We bags the Scotty dog!
The Beatles: Rock Band: flawed but fun
Kotaku reviews the most highly-anticipated (by both hardcore geeks and non-gamers alike) video game releases of the year: The Beatles: Rock Band. Can it possibly live up to all the hype?
Gamers: 35, fat, angry, sad
Forget about pimple-faced teens — the average video gamer is a 35-year-old man who is overweight, aggressive and depressed. Ladies, form an orderly queue.
All you need is a video game
Paul McCartney used to mimic Elvis. Now, with The Beatles: Rock Band video game, McCartney hopes people will mimic The Beatles and experience music above the standard superficial level, learning the different nuances of the famous songs.
Greenpeace turns video game consoles on their makers
Greenpeace has released three very clever and creative videos attacking Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo for using toxic substances in their video game consoles, turning their scraps into spokespeople against the companies.
Gaming classification farce meets Conroy’s net filter
Unless Communications Minister Conroy’s proposed Internet filtering mechanism has some smarts, a whole bunch of innovative activity will be lost with the smattering of virtual sex clubs.
25 years of Tetris
The USSR may have crumbled, but 25 years after its creation, Soviet-designed Tetris remains one of the most enduring video games ever made. Time looks at the world’s most popular puzzle.
Wired wraps E3 2009
Wired’s video reports following announcements from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo at this year’s E3 — the video game industry’s huge yearly trade show.
Can a video game make you cry?
Video games will soon surpass movies as the world’s most lucrative entertainment medium, but will we ever get the same emotional experience from a console as we do the silver screen?
