With rumors of an all-digital next generation (Microsoft and Sony) I have some serious reservation about the price of the content. When we look at DLC (which, for the most part is restricted to consoles connected to the Internet) they stay at the same price. Look at the DLC for Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2, or any other game, you’ll notice that the prices haven’t decreased. Why? Simply, there isn’t a need to. Yes, they’ll go on sale occasionally, but they stay at the same price point (for the most part).

Retailers will put games on sale to lure costumers into their stores with the hope of driving additional business. When we loss this, there is the strong potential for games to remain at their original price point. They have almost no incentive to lower the price. E. g. when I bought Battle Field 3 on Origin it was $60. Now it’s $40, but that is because the retail price dropped first, and you can still buy it cheaper from retail.

Mass Effect 3 is on sale at Target for $49.99 this week. That’s a great value for the price. If it was solely on Origen you’d be forced to pay the $60, and people will pay it. If you really want to play the game, you’ll have to pay the price. Maybe the price will drop on Origin after 6-12 months. Do we really want to wait that long to play the new hotness? If the retail prices remain at $60 for eternity, would Origin ever drop the price?

Businesses are in it to make money. I get it. They aren’t producing games solely for us to enjoy. When we take retail out of the picture, and we are stuck buying directly from Microsoft or Sony the future isn’t bright.

I was just playing Battlefield 3 and I realized how many players are participating in digital rape, i.e. teabagging. Ever think of it that way? [Text removed by moderator]. It’s kind of horrific.

I know a lot of people on the Giant Bomb Forums make the RapeLay joke about what games to play with a significant other, but this isn’t a joke. [Text removed by moderator], and you're making the real person, playing the game, watch it.

The worst part of the whole thing is how casually we do it. It’s almost second nature, and we’re encouraged to participate

Let me start by saying there is no such thing as a non-lethal weapon. Any weapon that is designed to incapacitate has the potential to kill, which is why they are referred to as less-lethal. What happens when you pepper spray someone who is allergic to pepper, or tase someone with a pacemaker? There s always the potential for death.

I’ve been watching the show Whale Wars. It’s strange, and it kind of upsets me. The propaganda in Whale Wars is rampant. The way Captain Paul Watson manipulates people, and the media is incredible. What really bothers me is the fact that people are buying his crap.

There is an episode where Watson claims the Japanese whalers have shot him. He opens his jacket to reveal his bulletproof vest and pulls out a bullet and says he’s been shot. What the hell? Let me ask you this, have you ever played baseball/softball and been hit with a ball? What about someone throwing a something at you? Not only does it hurt, but it leaves a bruise, and considering that object is only moving between 10-100mph it’s not that fast. Now consider that a bullet is traveling between 900-1700 Feet per second (fps) or 600+mph (FPS x .6818 = MPH).

I’ve been in the US Army for several years. My good friend was shot in his IBA (Kevlar Vest) by an AK47 (a larger bullet 7.62 and travels around 2400fps). He was picked up and thrown backwards almost 20 feet, but Paul Watson doesn’t even stumble. My friend’s chest had an imprint of where the IBA was slammed into his chest, it was bruised for almost a month, he had a hard time breathing for weeks, but it saved his life. Paul Watson, nothing happened. Yeah… it’s a lot of propaganda and people are fooled.

There is a lot of propaganda out there. Some of my favorites have been the “Blood for oil” campaign when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. Which is funny considering that the US gets the majority of its oil from Canada (over 50%). Supporting documents.

Remember these videos?

The Propaganda

The Real Video - This kid is classy.

I’m not going to get into the whole occupy movement, it deserves its own post, but there is propaganda on both sides. Fox News shows stories of police being attacked, where as the Huffington Post talks about tear gas being used on peaceful protesters. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Don’t just believe something because you agree with it, but question everything.

I believe in religious literacy. We need to understand people and their points of view rather than grouping them into stereotypes.

Here’s a little background for you, In the Middle East there are two types of Jewish view points: hawk and doves. The same is true of the Palestinians, they have their hawks and doves. Hawks take an uncompromising stand in dealing with the Palestinians, support the notion of a greater Israel, which implies keeping and annexing the territories occupied in the Arab-Israeli wars, and advocate Jewish settlements in the territories. Doves, by contrast, support compromise with the Palestinians, advocate exchanging land for peace, and oppose Jewish settlement in the territories (Bar-Tal et al. 1994)

I wonder if the eagle on the towers is really a hawk, showing Altair and Ezio’s points of view. Before you get mad at me for suggesting they are Muslim, you should read about the Hashishin.I know that the assassins have Eagle Vision, but that could very easily be an idiom.

It would be taking terminology from today and applying it very subtly into the world of Assassins Creed. What do you think?

Is there anything that spreads hate, fear, and lies like the Internet? (Insert your Fox News / Huffington Post jokes here).

I’m just amazed at the number of people who are upset at Alyssa Bereznak. The way people are treating her is just wrong. Yes, she was wrong to write a blog about her date, but is #NotRightForAlyssa the appropriate response?

We all have our preferences for dating someone be it: blondes, brunettes, redheads, old, young, smart, dumb, thin, fat, conservative, liberal, religious, completion or whole host of other characteristics. Not dating someone because they play Magic is just as inane as not dating someone because they wear glasses. She is still a human being, and the way some people on the Internet are treating her is just abhorrent. What ever happened to treating people the way you want to be treated?

The school year has started, which means all types of debates, talks, and people losing their minds. Unfortunately for me, I find myself in the minority of the popular opinions. Some of these debates are just ego battles. For example, who really cares who the protagonist is Lord of the Rings. You can make a good argument for almost all of the main characters. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight we can talk about the symbology, but all of those symbols change with time.

I’m going to start a blog (which will be titled Unpopular Opinion) about the other debates, more meaningful to life, and not just flaunting knowledge. So, if you want to read them, I’ll be posting them soon. They aren’t flame bait. It’s to bring up discussion and see how our opinions differ and why. Skeptics make the world a better place.

Also, I know the title is a fragmented sentence, but I like it.

I received this email today. I've got to say, they're getting better.

Despite some serious grammar issues, unbelievable claims, and the fact that it came from a @blizzard.com email address, it's an OK scam email. However, it's this type of douchebaggery that is extremely annoying. It's even worse when it's a fake Japan Earthquake Relief site. What the hell is the matter with people?

I need to get rid of my games. I have a great collection, but I love my wife more than games. Video games are just stiff and our relationship is greater than any video game, ever. Where can I get the most money for them? I'm thinking Best Buy, but if you have any ideas let me know.

So there are numerous rumors about the release of a new Xbox and PlayStation being released in 2012. I think it’s a year too soon, but hey I’m sure they know what they are doing. I hope.

I just am let down constantly by developers in this generation. Why are games being released that run sub 720p? Red Faction Armageddon and Trenched are two of the most recent examples.

Muddy visuals and poor rendering hamper these games significantly. They don’t look good, and they should. Will the next generation suffer from this as well? 720p isn’t to much to ask. If I wanted sub HD games I'll play my Wii.

I've replayed some of my favorite NES games recently, and I've discovered something I find truly interesting. A lot of those famous video games (Mario, Metal Gear, Castlevania. Zelda, and to some extent Metroid) all had sequels that were radically different from the original. Ryan Davis has said on multiple occasions that the gaming industry is heavily driven by sequels. It was great that developers were taking risks (even if they weren't necessarily risks at the time).

Now we are presented with more Uncharted, Gears of War, Halo, Call of Duty, and the like. Why aren't game developers taking risks on dramatically changing their game designs? Would be be OK if Vincent van Gogh had made Starry Nights 2 and 3, but subtly changed the way the stars were colored or arranged? At some point people would right off van Gogh as a "one trick pony."

Zelda 2 was divisive, and that's OK. Maybe developers need to stop worrying about reselling me on the next Call of Duty, and work harder on moving the industry forward developing new gameplay, storytelling, mechanics, user interface, and much more can be radically improved.

Look at the jump from Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2. While not as stifling a jump as Zelda to Zelda 2, it was a huge change and it made the game that much better for it.