Ok, let me be straight up from the off: this is about my reasons for gaming, what I like and don’t, and is generally more about me than anything else. I will ask the question of you at the end, but please, if your going to comment on my thoughts, at least be polite.

Now, for most of my life I have been a geek. Its an honest assessment, and one anyone who knows me, or indeed, has read my previous posts can attest to. I am cool with it, but this is probably the biggest reason why I game.

As a geek, I have a certain affinity for some material. For some geeks it is swords and sorcery, hack and slash, with the height of your geekdom coming from knowing every line from the Conan movies. For others, and for me, it is science fiction and to a lesser extent, comic books.

As a kid I grew up watching Transformers and G.I. Joe (action force as it was known in the ) along with M.A.S.K and Centurions. These cartoons really grabbed me, they were surprisingly adult in how they told their stories, despite being ‘kiddified’ and were brilliantly inspired pieces of sci fi. This followed on into the movies I watched, with the obvious one’s being Star Wars, because, lets face it, very few sci fi geeks don’t love them.

Gaming original started out as a way to a) shut me up and b) do something else but use my imagination to re-enact great Autobot vs Decepticon battles with my Transformers toys. However, as the technology of gaming became better and better, and more cinematic and intricate story’s could be told, I found my self drawn to it more and more.

I started playing space invaders when I was very young on a really, really old battery powered device with a black and white screen built in. Later I graduated to the ZX spectrum and games like Chucky Egg (I think that was it) and Ghostbusters. Then came the PC into our house and asteroids took over for a while.

Shortly there after, stories were added to games. Oh wow, now here was something that filled my head with information, and let what I do best run amuck. Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat, the very first Duke Nukem, Commander Keen, all games with stories that I got behind, along with the Seminal Doom.

My imagination was on over load, and it pretty much still is. Gaming, along with movies and to a lesser extend TV, has become my medium of choice to tell intriguing stories with great characters and fantastic backgrounds. I first geeked out over the story in Wing Commander, then moved on to both flavours of Command and Conquer (the installs for those early games were like p*rn for me!!!) before getting to PS2 games like Devil May Cry.

It was this era that really made me game a lot more. The story’s and cinematic flair available through the power of the PS2 and its successors (Xbox included) meant that developers came up with stories and universes that appealed to me on a fundamental level.

The biggest game to do that is, and despite the attention I know this will get, Halo. Bungie created one of the greatest science fiction universes ever, its intricate back story, powerful characters and awesome visual scope made it probably my favourite game series of all time. I just can’t help myself, it is brilliant.

And now, that is why I game. For the story, the characters and universes developers create. The power of modern computing technology allows for those cinematic cut scenes and powerful story’s, and titles like Braid have certainly shown that a story doesn’t just have to be about blowing stuff up. Gaming has become more than just a pass time of the bored (though it is still that), it is now a full fledging medium in its own right, with its own rules and boundaries.

These rules and boundaries can be bent or broken, but even if developers remain within them, they can create stories are compelling as the greatest works of literature or cinema and tell them in a completely different way. Do we need a movie based on Halo or Gears of War? Honestly, probably not, though I would go see them.

Games can tell stories just as well as any other medium, they captured by heart and mind years ago continue to do so. I may be a geek, and gaming geek at that, but I have been rewarded for my status with stories I will probably never told better in another medium, and experiences that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Gaming is great, though it may not be your reason to game, the stories and universes that I play through are mine.

So tell me, what are yours?

So inevitably, a slew of lists of games that blew people away at E3 have started to come out. So I thought I would join the band wagon, since I am not above such things.

I watched all three press conferences and I have to say that each one felt more like the companies were actually trying, and had some genuinely new stuff to bring to the table. Nintendo’s was a bit lacklustre, but lets face, they did listen to complaints about forgetting core gamers, and you have to give them credit for that.

So here is my list of games and things that got me really excited out of the three conferences, what grabbed you?

Microsoft

Shadow Complex

I have only just got in to a few Live Arcade games, but dam this looks pretty sweet and I especially loved the robot boss at the end. The graphics looked great and it looked fairly open ended, and dude that foam gun was pretty rad.

Facebook integration

I get sick of having to go upstairs to check my Facebook account on the PC, so this is actually gonna be quite useful. Plus I will look like I have some mates on my xbox now, which is always good.

Live Sky TV

Finally a service to rival Netflix in the , but more than that it has the ability to let you watch sky broadcasts live. The problem with that, is that I already have sky+, so this is a little pointless, unless it lets me get channels I don’t normally get. The On Demand stuff is way more compelling to me, will have to see what the pricing structure is, if I don’t have to upgrade anything or pay on a per view basis it should be good.

Halo: ODST and Halo: REACH

Ok so I admit it, I am a massive Halo fan, I just love the universe, it is brilliant. So this brace of games really peaked my interest. I love the fact that ODST had such talkative characters; it really felt like they were real hard nosed grunts behind enemy lines. As for REACH, no knows much about it, but if it centres around the fall of reach, or even the book of that name, this will be ace!

Metal Gear Solid: Rising

So everyone’s favourite cyborg ninja returns for his very own game. This could go one of two ways, either it is like MGS 4 or it is more like Ninja Gaiden, only time will tell. If Kojima himself is writing and directing though, it will be a brilliant story and one of the most cinematic games every made, much like its predecessor.

Splinter Cell: Conviction

Whatever they did to change this game around, it worked and it looks awesome. It looks exactly what it needed to be to update the series and a true next gen Splinter Cell game. I also loved the flashbacks of Sam’s daughter painted on the walls and the fact he doesn’t have any of his gadgets and third echelon is hunting him.

Project

Ok so the big one for last. If this thing can do what they touted in that video, it will genuinely revolutionise the way we play games, but also the way we interact with our consoles. Being able to say goodnight and have your Xbox turn off, or say play movie and it starts with the film, and even recognising who you are and logging you in when you walk into a room is an awesome idea, I just hope it happens.

Nintendo

New Super Mario Bros Wii

Yay a new Mario Bros game for Wii, this time with four player co-op. I am never going to use that, but by myself it could really be fun still, and it is the type of game Nintendo needed to come out with, no bitching about forgetting the core market this year.

Wii Sports Resort

If this showcases the Wii Motion Plus as well as the first game showed off the Wii, it will be something a bit special. They know they have to make it more of a game, and so they have a cool looking sky diving intro and more gamey elements, I just hope Motion Plus doesn’t disappoint.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

The first game just made me happy. Seriously, half an hour of play and I was happy as Larry, who ever he is. If the sequel can bring that feeling back, while improve some the mechanics and add a few new ones, possibly using Motion Plus, this will be a great game.

Metroid: Other M

The Prime games were all great, but they aren’t cinematic or massively action or story orientated. Enter Team Ninja, creators of Ninja Gaiden, and we have Metroid: Other M, and though it was only shown in trailer form, it does look pretty dam sweet. The combination of first and third person combat, cinematic cut scenes and viciously fast paced action will probably split fans right down the middle, but to this fan, I can’t wait.

Sony

MAG

256 players and it looks like a probably battle played out before your eyes. Ok so that maybe a bit over the top but this looks pretty cool, even though I am not a huge online player this could be the game to tip me into online heaven.

Assassins Creed 2

All I needed from this was a bit of game play footage showing something cool to get me to want the game. I got some footage showing three very cool things, and those were Ezio (new protagonist) using Da Vinci’s flying machine to soar over the city, him killing two sentries at once with his twin wrist blades, and his leaping off a pillar to take a guy out. I WILL be getting this.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace

MGS: Portable Ops was a great game, so a non side story, full sequel to MGS 3 should be even better. Plus you get Big Boss and his three clones in there too, so that is pretty cool, so definitely after this one.

PlayStation 3 Motion Sensor

It seems everyone is going the way of the waggle, but Sony and Microsoft have bided their time and learnt from Nintendo’s mistakes, building very unique devices in the process. Sony’s effort is more like the Wiimote, but uses the PlayStation Eye to track movement, from what I could see about as accurately as Motion Plus. Combined with PS3’s impressive graphics abilities this could be a great device.

God Of War III

It looks awesome and incredibly visceral, I mean you actually saw intestines in the demo when Kratos ripped open a centaur. The crazy battle going above and behind the action between a god and a titan was pretty sweet too.

Modnation Races

Building on LittleBigPlanet’s play create share theme, this looks like it could be a whole lot better than Sackboy’s first annoying adventure. The speed with which you can create tracks and the fluidity of the process means I am quite looking forward to this.

So there you have it, my list of what peaked my fancy at the conferences of the big three, but what got your attention?

I was talking to a friend online last night who is at University and He was writing an article on girls in the gaming industry. So I thought I would nick his idea and do one myself.

The simple fact is that gaming is a male thing. Most games are testosterone fueld frag fests and the ones that arent are generally geared towards men, such as fighting games and racing games. It is an unfortunate fact, and many women who make games (Jade Raymond, Carrie Gouskous for example) work on titles aimed at men. Its not thier fault, that is the demographic and is just how it is. True gamer girls though, play those games, and have a love and passion for the medium that can sometimes outmatch the guys.

There is a currently well documented approach by the industry to attract more women into gaming, most notably by Nintendo, and with such titles as Ubisofts Imagine games and other supposedly 'Female Focused' entries on systems from the 360 to DS, but most notably the DS. There is also this tendancy to colour the systems towards women with pink DS's etc, which is a little daft but I guess is what some women want.

I personally think that the game industry attracts plenty of women, they are just much better at hiding thier gaming addictions than guys are unless openly asked about it. That is no bad thing, and I think as the medium grows in popularity and becomes more mainstream then more and more women will game, and this apparent need to cater specifically to a demographic the industry percieves to have a less delicate taste in games will evaporate.

I have read several posts on this very site by gamer girls, and they make no big deal about being female unless it is necessary. I am guessing several of them will respond to this post, which will show that girls game as much as boys, they just dont find it as big a deal. I watched the CGS finals on TV last year, and both teams that ended up in the final had female members, and both of those were absolutly kick ass players. While neither of them competed in Counter strike, and that thier were more guys on the teams, it does show one thing: True  gamer girls dont advertise, they prove.

That is the problem I have with the likes of the Frag Dolls. They were purposefully created by Ubisoft to promote gaming to females, which sort of defeats the point as they only seem to offend the women who do game off thier own backs, especially as it seems each member wasnt made part of the clan based on just thier gaming prowess (that maybe a bit cynical, but check the picture).
I cant help but feel such all girl clans that are heavily promoted by the companies within the industry do nothing to promote the hobby/profession to the people they are trying to target. If women want to game, they will game and if they want to make a career out of it they will do that too. Gaming is big enough now that it is very easy for women to get into it with out getting a pink DS and playing Imagine: Wedding Planner.

In fact the term 'Gamer Girls' is wrong in itself. They are just gamers, the fact that they game might be surprising when you first learn of it but singling them out purely because they are female is stupid and doesnt move the industry along in any way, shape or form. I will probably get alot of flack for the this post because I am pointing out things about gaming women that I probably have no business doing, because I am not one of them.

Nobility is an interesting thing, I like to think this post is noble in its intent to prompt a discussion on this subject, hopefully to get the ladies who do frequent Giantbomb to have a say on it and make some new gaming friends out of that. More likely, it will be taken as a bit of a sexist rant and ignored by the majority. I guess only time will tell.

One last thing is that my friend that I mentioned at the start of this post also asked me if I had ever encountered any kind of sexism while gaming. I have to say I havent, but then I am not a female so that is slightly a given. I havent encountered any in lobbies or during matches I know feature women as participants, so I am unsure as to how big a problem this is, though I do bet that most of it comes 10 year old american boys who are too stupid to realise that girl they are slaggin off will kick thier ass from here to next wednesday in the game, then come round to thier house and do the same.

So I went to see the film Crank: High Voltage at the weekend, and it was entertaining in a ridiculous, OTT kind of way, but it also had the interesting effect of making me think about games.

The term ‘Popcorn movie’ is relatively new to the medium I believe, and is associated with movies like Crank, Transporter and Shoot em up, films that embrace the kind of stupidity that makes them one thing and one thing only: Fun.

These films do not attempt to do anything other than entertain, giving the viewer brilliant action, comedy, and over the top ridiculousness every couple of minutes, with the rest of the film showing the (probably) absurd storyline. A couple of memorable examples are the way the protagonist of Transporter 2 flips his Audi over to knock a bomb off the underside using a crane, and last bit of Shoot em up where the ‘hero’ shoots a guy three times in the arm, causing him to shoot his colleague.

The reason Crank got me thinking was because this idea of ‘Popcorn Movies’ have started to bleed into gaming, especially, it seems, over the course of the last year or so. Titles such as Ninja Blade, Wanted: Weapons of Fate and Mad World offer this same sense of OTT fun and it seems a deeply story and high production values aren’t a necessity anymore.

These types of games offer game play that requires very little thought to pull off, and are often very short, say 4-5 hours. What they lack in depth however, they more than make up for in sheer balls out over the top and, more often than not, cinematic action. Ninja Blade’s protagonist riding a motorcycle down falling debris and Mad Worlds stylish gore and two such examples of this, and while they raise no bars or set no new standards, they have found a place in many gamers hearts.

And that is the point, they fill a nice little niche in the gaming sector. These games will probably sell quite well, and the developers can have some serious fun creating them, which inevitably will bleed into the final product and produce a better game. The developers know they aren’t tying to reset a genre or set the sales charts alight, just that they want to entertain in a way only games can really provide. Sure the movies I have mentioned allow a similar kind of entertainment, but they are passive experiences and the interactive nature of gaming lets you do a lot more and entertain in different ways.

So I here by coin the term ‘Popcorn Gaming’ to be used to describe such titles, where after beating them you are instantly in a good mood because you know you have been entertained by a title that tries to do nothing else. These games can be as great to watch as to play as well, so get some mates round, hand out the popcorn and get some OTT gaming down your neck!