.tiff

hey.ash.whatcha.playin'?

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:06:22 -0700

The powers of two gaming siblings collide in the developing Destructoid series Hey Ash, Watcha Playin'?. Featuring the Burch siblings (Anthony as director and Ashly in the starring role), the first two episodes of HAWP promise comic relief that echoes the dynamic between the popular videos of Jake & Amir. Only this time around it's Ashly & Anthony. One good. One evil. Both gaming. It's up to you to figure out which one is good and which one is evil.

Be sure to check out the hilarious first episode which makes an homage to Ikaruga, but more importantly be enthralled with the marvels of the songstress Ashly, as she musically makes her way through Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time:

(The following video contains some explicit language, bitchez.)

Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?: Episode 2

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dot.the.tiffs.but.never.cross.them.

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:42:35 -0700

The Destructoid community wins again.

There are two podcasts that Destructoid records weekly: Retroforce Go! (Retro Gaming News) and Podtoid (Gaming News and Criticisms, the one I am on). Be forewarned that both are as explicit (not necessarily from yours truly, but some pretty crass stuff is said) as they are intelligent, informative, and entertaining should you care to listen.

Retroforce Go! has managed to convince their fans to write game-related haikus, allotting many a chuckle-worthy 17-syllable poetic moments. Half joking, Anthony suggested that podtoid fans write Shakespearian sonnets to one up the Retroforce crew. Not joking, community member Brilliam wrote the following sonnet (along with other poems dedicated to the various members of Podtoid) for me.

Many harts for Mr. Brilliam! You made my evening!

DOT THE TIFFS BUT NEVER CROSS THEM

I found an image file the other day,
Dot-tiff, the file extension that it bore.
I smiled a bit, as I thought of the way
It always seems she really knows the score.

I'm jealous, I am saddened to admit,
Of how she gets to write on gaming's joys.
I'm also quite impressed by all the shit
She seems to put up with the podtoid boys.

And then she wrote that article on chicks
And how they're represented in this scene.
Despite most of the comments made by dicks
She highlighted a trend that's turned obscene.

Soft-spoken, but a font of poignant words,
She's like the El'nor Roosevelt of nerds.

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montly.musing:girl.gamers.

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:38:23 -0700

girl gamer

Our features editor over at Destructoid, Reverend Anthony, started issuing a monthly topic for both editors and community members to write about. Last month's topic was a topic regarding the 'Good Idea, Bad Idea' take on various gaming mechanisms which successfully fueled several insightful posts. This month's topic titled "...And the gamers who play them" invited the gaming community to intelligently approach the various subcultures that have spawned from videogame culture. As you might imagine, this was my opportunity to finally voice all that internalized opinion I've had about the 'Girl Gamers' out there.

I fretted. A lot. I spent over a month revising my piece until I felt it stood on its own two feet. The issue of Girl Gamers is often met with a lot of 'Stop beating the dead horse', 'Talking about it makes it worse', and 'STFUAJPG' ( aka "Shut the F*** up and just play games). I wanted to make sure my words had clarity and purpose to them, that even those who didn't entirely agree with me would at least take a moment to think about what I had said. When I set the post live this afternoon my body felt like a Butterfly garden. was terrified to see how people would react.

Fortunately, I think the piece held together and succeeded. The comments were relatively positive and supportive (particularly given the negative nature of our community), and when some disagreed they suggested relatively well thought-out counter arguments. I feel like I did justice, and while there are still a lot of questions unanswered about the topic itself I know I did my best.

For those of you who want to check out the whole article with some NSFW-ish examples of the 'Girl Gamers' I discuss head here. For those of you who want to offer a homie a little Digg-love digg here. But if you just want to take a seat and read a lotta bit of text then here goes nothing:

For this month's musing I chose to digest the sub-culture of 'Girl Gamers' that has managed to quickly surface alongside the increased popularity of gaming in the mass media.

So to avoid any confusion, the term 'Girl Gamers' is intended to define the populace of female gamers who identify with said terminology and who particularly rely on the alienation of their gender as a means of gaining attention from the larger gamer demographic.

If one attempts to dig deep within the reserves of videogame history, it's unlikely that they'll uncover the instance of the very first woman who graced her femininity upon a console (well, aside from the Computer Space ad, that is). There are several reasons why this moment was never documented -- mostly because videogame history is predominantly about videogames (imagine that!), but partly because members of the opposite sex playing games isn't very noteworthy in the most fundamental scope of things. I play. You play. We all play, with or without va-jay-jays.

Facts are facts, however, and despite the occasional news announcement reminding the public that female gamers actually exist (apparently at 38% of gamers strong), we all know that videogames are predominantly enjoyed by a male demographic. That being said, there is also no denying the slender aura of novelty that immediately adheres itself to a woman who plays games, whether she craves the inherent attention or attempts to avoid it.

This dichotomy, while not unique, is of interest to the likes of marketing gurus who determinedly pervert this gender-dissonance to their advantage. Thus, what is eventually revealed in the history of gaming media is the attractive (and often scantily clad) female gaming idol embodied by such women as Morgan Webb, Olivia Munn, and Jessica Chobot. All beautiful and consistently visual, these women and others were the few mass-displayed female figures in the gaming industry to be ravenously consumed by gaming's very own male demographic.

Sex sells, and while the rest of the female gamers remained ambivalent to gender differentiation amidst their game playing, the few esteemed faces of the beautiful rooted themselves as the visual representatives of the 'Girl Gamer'. The collective reception and praise of these visual idols by a male-dominant industry garnered an image-heavy notion of the 'Girl Gamer', a notion which to this day has yet to be the equal case for male gamers.

Galleries of E3 booth babes, "hot...naked...and blue" Cortana cosplays, and any number of chicks with joysticks establish a visual narrative for gaming women that heightens gender alienation while simultaneously muffling the significance of the woman gamer's voice. There is no doubt that Ubisoft took advantage of this exact instance by baiting the accomplished, intelligent, and most importantly attractive producer Jade Raymond to the gaming audience to steer public attention to their game Assassin's Creed. In turn, the only surface-level 'heroes' or 'icons' of the female gaming community are the beautifully unattainable likes of Munn or Webb, regarded first and foremost in this industry for their looks.

And so the standard for the 'Girl Gamer' is set and an equation for success is discovered. Take an attractive woman and pair her alongside a gaming device of some sort. Congratulations! You've captured the attention of a massive chunk of the gaming demographic. What better avenue is there to market your gaming products? Hot girls are hot, gaming boys like gaming girls, and most importantly we're all having fun with our irresponsible gender stereotypes. Nothing wrong with fun, guys!

So what, then? Structured by the mass media as a marketing device and fed by a surge of online egoism (thanks to social media sites such as MySpace and the proliferation of digital cameras), the 'Girl Gamer' specimen has, in turn, infected the masses with false promises of niche-specific fame and glory. In the same way people fantasize about becoming a celebrity, these 'Girl Gamers' seek the attention of becoming the next 'it' girl of their respective gaming community through the prolific distribution of sexually charged images and continuously capitalizing on their sex -- both of which, consequently, have relatively little to do with gaming itself.

What's to follow but the Chobot wannabes slathering their tongues across portable consoles for the camera, or the suspiciously excessive amount of 'Girl Gamer' self-portraits involving various game-related paraphernalia (or lack thereof)? Whatever neutral connotations of women gamers existed in the past are overthrown with the photographic barrage of sexually charged images brought to us by the 'Girl Gamers'. They're beautiful, they know which side is their good side, and they're comfortable enough with their sexuality to let us know they're proud of it. If you've got it, flaunt it. Right?

The women who choose to use their body to visually manifest their 'gaming experience' (by way of game-themed suggestive photographs, for example) express themselves via the avenue of the mass marketed 'Girl Gamer', a goal that is altogether vapid and mediocre in its pursuit. If anything, these girls successfully stick out as a glaring instance of the disappointing commercialization of gaming in popular culture, their antics for attention comparatively as bad as a common reality TV show contestant.

Furthermore, it's one thing for females to collectively enjoy games together, but it's another for these 'Girl Gamers' to assert themselves as leading figures of the female gaming community when no one has asked them to do so (unless, of course, it's a sponsored gaming company looking for cash money). This ill-founded goal disrupts a gaming community in which gamers can agreeably interact with each other regardless of their sex by disturbing the space with sexually-oriented images that immediately derail neutrality and signify more differences than likenesses.

Gamers who prefer the absence of a gender-biased gaming community ultimately find these 'Girl Gamers' as unnecessary and obnoxious entities desperately seeking attention. For women gamers such as myself who admire the well-spoken gaming female (see Jane Pinckard, Tracey John, Leigh Alexander, and our own Colette Bennett) as opposed to the gaming beauty queens, these 'Girl Gamers' are downright irritating.

It's unlikely that the trendy alliteration of 'Girl Gamer' will fade away anytime soon or that the equivalent 'Guy Gamer' (see Mega64's Sexy64 for more information) will actually be realized. Unfortunately, a similar fate rings true with the 'Girl Gamer' herself as long as the industry continues to cater to its male demographic, and as long as there are women who fashion themselves alongside those same standards.

A more pressing urgency today is the shortage of intelligent women speakers and writers who strongly represent themselves with words as opposed to images. While women such as Jessica Chobot have made certain strides to leave their more exhibitionist pasts behind, as long as there is a constant appraisal of their attractive and more visually accessible adversaries, the battle between the pen and the larger picture continues to rage on.

Thus, the aspirations associated with the 'Girl Gamer' are damaging to both male gamers and female gamers. Gender distinguishment plays little to no part in one's ability to play or enjoy videogames, let alone define them as a gamer to begin with. And finally, let's all remember that "gamer" is an asexual term, a descriptor that belongs to everyone who plays games despite gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, and is absolutely lovely in its nascent ambiguity.

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online.communities:destructoid.fan.love.

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:09:44 -0700

Becoming one with online communities is a truly interesting experience. More than a year ago I would have never believed it worthwhile to meet anyone first through an online avenue, whether it be through a forum, website, or social network. Little did I know however how socially rich the right communities can be given a little time, and to this day some of my best friends I've met through the sites I contribute to and interact with.

The Bats of Truth and STFU

Destructoid Crab Girl

Last weekend marked the birthday of one of my favorite men on earth, Niero, as well as the second anniversary of Destructoid. I've been part of the Destructoid community since it's first anniversary last year, occasionally writing a bi-monthly game fan art feature, doing my best on their weekly podcast, and attending various video game events in the city from time to time. Unlike any other gaming site that I've been to Destructoid's community deeply fosters a nation-wide social environment for a large gamut of gamers. The humor between us may be a bit crass, nutty, and admittedly inappropriate at times, but on the flip side it's rare to find a whole group of friends who will unabashedly form a collective pillow fort with you via webcam.

Goddesses

In honor of Destructoid's anniversary, several active members of the community made tributes to the site with posts, photos, videos, and even a graphic novel. My friend ItemForty transformed my Crab-head-girl avatar into a Crab-robot-head avatar, and my other friend Ceark even included me as the Goddess of Truth in Destructoid's Graphic Novel (I'm supposed to be the one with the long dark hair...even though it's short now).

I'm so honored you guys, thank you for the visual shout-outs. 3000 x Less than three and moar harts and kittenszz!

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wondercon.2008.

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:43:40 -0800

Only a quick glance for now. I'm sure I'll have more to say about the entire experience when I'm not getting ready to head off to my Grandfather's epic 94th birthday party. In the meantime, here are a few shots I just grabbed while surfing through the ultra packed Wondercon:

Wondercon 2008

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barkely.shut.up.and.jam:gaiden.

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:44:08 -0800

Reverend Anthony is known at Destructoid for his scathing yet intelligent reviews of video games. A prodigy in his manner of criticism, I have yet to completely disagree with him on any of his opinions, with the exception of a certain jam we ran into about Nicole Wiebe's levels of attraction (I nay, he very yay, in a gross way).

That aside, Anthony is also an avid advocate of the Indie games industry, seeking out and playing some of the rarely seen gaming gems. This week in his feature Indie Nation, Anthony discusses the game Barkely, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden. An RPG parody, much like what we saw with Lasagna Cat but actually playable, the premise of this Tale of Game's studio project can be described as such:

The Great B-Ball Purge of 2041, a day so painful to some that it is referred to only as the "B-Ballnacht". Thousands upon thousands of the world's greatest ballers were massacred in a swath of violence and sports bigotry as the game was outlawed worldwide. The reason: the Chaos Dunk, a jam so powerful its mere existence threatens the balance of chaos and order. Among the few ballers and fans that survived the basketball genocide was Charles Barkley, the man capable of performing the "Verboten Jam"...

Not enough for you? Check out the full blown trailer below. I'm dying to play it myself... but sadly waiting for a PC to play it on. Dumb.

The Official Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden Trailer

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gaming.blogger.fleeting.moment.of.pride.

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:51:20 -0800

I'm celebrating because this has never happened to me! Earlier today I wrote a post for Destructoid using a tip from my friend Onionania and right now it is number five in the top ten stories on Gametab. Woo hoo! It's probably gone by now (o ye fleeting internet), but I screenshot that baby while it she was still hot!

star star star

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e.for.all.

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:11:41 -0700

In attempt to recapture what was lacking at the gaming convention E3 this year, E for All was held last weekend dressed with all sorts of bells and whistles to lure the public into its womb. For a price, that is. Due to the high ticket cost ($90 dollars, PAX was only $45) and absence of Sony and Microsoft, not only was it barely attended but it was also extremely boring.

Intel Green Screen dance with ScrewAttack

.tiff and Destructoid play Wii Boxing

But when there was a large conglomerate of robo friends waiting to see me there, it wasn't half bad. I got to hang out with my brother, orcist, Niero, Colette, and others, engaging in many a bout of C-C-C-Combo Breaking and celebration. Here are a few photos from the weekend, including a few shots of the my trip back to SF on Highway 5 when the smoke was hanging in the air.

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.tiff.rocks.rockband.a.la.destructoid.

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 01:30:16 -0700

Polaroid

I have this side hobby called 'blogging about video games'. At times, this hobby of mine yields great rewards and special bonuses such as playing the much anticipated Rock Band for an hour at EA Headquarters in Redwood Shores. Marking the EA team with Destructoid's Robot mascot, we rocked out hard and long and taped some of it along the way! Enjoy as myself and Husky get our rock star on, and a big shout out to Abby, Andrew, and Peter for an awesome time!

Destructoid.com takes on Rock Band

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stickam.pillow.forts.

nobody@vox.com(.tiff) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 01:28:24 -0700

Stickam.com allows people across platforms to use video chat together in large 10 - screen chat rooms. It's sort of laggy, and in most cases, extremely sketchy. But hey! The internet does have innocent potential (well maybe. and momentarily). Such as an 9 person pillow fort with friends.

Observe:

i heart stickam!

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