All this could be yours, Skylander

I’ve personally spent nearly $125 on the Skylanders figurines. Not only are they well-crafted collectibles, but they’re a bit like a narcotic: buy and appreciate one, and then buying more is only a matter of time. It also appears as though others have the same idea, snatching up millions of the figures as soon as they’re available.

The only surefire way to relieve ourselves of the addiction is to remove them from our sites. So, we’ve decided to pass the addiction onto you!

Enter our contest and have a chance to win Skylanders for the Nintendo 3DS, a Portal of Power, and an unopened Boomer figurine. Just leave a comment in this post and up to three others telling us what your addiction is, and use the hashtag #skylanders in the comment, like this:

The contest starts today, Thursday February 2nd, and ends on Sunday night, February 5th, at 11:59PM Pacific Time PDT.

Good Luck!

RULES

• The contest starts today, Thursday February 2nd, and ends on Sunday night, February 5th, at 11:59PM Pacific Time PDT.
• Leave a comment in this post and up to three others telling us what your addiction is, and use the hashtag #skylanders in the comment, for up to 4 chances to win.
• Winner selected by SideQuesting on Monday morning, February 6th, around 10:00AM EDT.
• Winner receives our review copy of Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, an unopened Boomer Skylanders figure, and a 3DS Portal of Power.
• Available to US residents only
• Please see our official Contest Rules for more information.

George RR Martin, Photo by Nick Briggs

Coming up next week we have an interview with one of our favorite authors, George RR Martin. If you follow SideQuesting long enough you’ll realize that A) we’re HUGE fans of A Song of Ice and Fire, and B) we go into some nefarious buildings. Stay out of the buildings and just stick to point A.

We’re sure that you have as many questions, if not more, than we do for Mr Martin, so feel free to drop a few of them in the comments. We’ll try to get to as many as possible.

We’ve got a bunch of codes for Pocket Ninjas for your favorite iOS device (iPod, iPhone, and iPad… it’s universal!) and we’d love to give them away. The problem, though, is that we don’t know how. Maybe we’re just lazy, but we’ll do an ultra-simple Twitter contest instead.

Just tweet the following message:

We’ll choose our six (6!) favorites at COMPLETE RANDOMNESS and each will get a code for the game.

So yeah, help us out!

RULES

• Contest starts today (Friday, January 27th) and runs through Sunday, January 29th at 1:59PM EDT Eastern (10:59AM PDT Pacific).
• Tweet the message above up to once per day, Friday through Sunday, for a total of 3 chances to win.
• Winners selected by SideQuesting on Sunday afternoon, around 2:00PM EDT.
• Available to US residents only
• Please see our official Contest Rules for more information.

No, nobody from SideQuesting is going to Vox Games (that I know of).

At the same time, a new year brings with it a lot of new hope and optimism just the same. At SideQuesting it’s no different. When we first created the site nearly 3 years ago its name reflected writing about games as a sometime-hobby. We wanted an outlet to write, rant, and rave about the games we loved. Since that time the site grew a lot larger than we ever anticipated. We’ve had some incredible articles and features, huge days of eyeballs, and epic events. Many of our writers have gone on to “real” paying writing gigs. And, we’ve made some incredible connections within the industry. It’s been, quite frankly, awesome.

We’ve naturally evolved beyond the original focus of the site. Now, we’d like to get a little of that back.

What does that mean? Well, not much if you like the content that we already deliver. The same features will continue, the same great content, the same people. On a regular basis people ask me about how to break into the industry, and while I haven’t fully broken in myself I can definitely point them in the right direction. What we’re aiming to do now is bring some of that original freedom and passion to new, hungry writers.

Going forward we’re going to be featuring a lot of writers on the site. You may have already recently seen great posts by Jonah Gregory and Mike Suszek, or you might have enjoyed our themed weeks (8-bit Week, JPAG Week, etc) that allowed more voices to be heard. We’re going to be building up SideQuesting to allow for writers to have a chance, to improve, and to get their names out there.  With help from our staff and community, we’ll be editing their work, giving advice, and sharing ideas back and forth. We have a bunch of different ways this is going to be happening, and many will be unveiled over the coming days (after our 2011 GOTY proceedings) so stick around.

We love to play and write about games, and we hope you do too.

Dali

Note: This article is a call for submissions to the Modern Game Player podcast.  Share your thoughts below on the topic, and they will be included in this week’s episode!

How long should a $60 video game be?

I’d wager that it shouldn’t. As in, it shouldn’t matter.

Epic, adventurous games like Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 3 share the the trait of being long to a crippling degree. I get the impression that players enjoy these games as a means to escape from reality, diving into a challenging fantasy world with fewer rules, and for as many hours as possible.

The back cover of the GameCube game Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean boasts the following selling point for players:

“Embark upon an emotional journey across a richly imagined world and detailed character development spanning over 60 hours of gameplay.”

Emotional and fulfilling?

But at what point are we sacrificing our precious time for a piece of media that isn’t fulfilling? Games get frequent praise for their “replay value,” or as Urban Dictionary describes it, the way “a game beckons you to play it again after beating it.” Pressing New Game+ at the title screen is hardly a bad thing, and enjoying an experience over again should be encouraged.

But what about the other side of how games are lengthened? What about the less enjoyable, artificial means of pushing the in-game clock we know as “fetch quests?” The Gaming Wikia page for fetch quests refers to them as “gaming cliches,” and appropriately so. How often do you find yourself carrying virtual items from one location to another in an adventure game to advance the story?

To expand on this, let’s consider other gaming cliches, such as collecting items… often by the hundreds. Chris Davidson wrote an article on BitMob back in September 2009 named “Collectathon: The Rights and Wrongs of Collection in Gaming,” which explores specific examples of how games have treated this tried-and-true gaming cliche.

In recent years, series like Grand Theft Auto and Assassin’s Creed have tasked players with hours of exploration around the in-game terrain to complete a collection of items, with some kind of virtual reward in the form of achievements and “boosts” to assist the player in the game’s campaign. It often takes hours of a player’s time to complete these collections, which Davidson says he avoids when “it requires [him] to tediously look over a guide and check every single collectible location 8 million times because [he] missed flying rat #34 out of 200.”

Back to the point, then: how long should a $60 video game be? Are you happier if you spend $60 on what some might consider to be pointless gaming cliches… when they aren’t enriching?

Time is precious, and games are expensive. For me, I’d sooner cut at least 10 “useless” hours out of my gaming experiences and pay the same amount for a higher quality, albeit shorter experience.

This is where your opinion comes in. On Modern Game Player, all of us participate in a discussion about how we value games based on their length (or if we should at all).  You’re welcome to join in any way you choose. To help, I’ve set up Twitter, Facebook, and Formspring pages, an email address – moderngameplayer@gmail.com, a Google Voice line (I can’t stress enough, please use this!) at 1-408-MGPLAY1, and the comment section below (and on the topic post on the Modern Game Player site). At the end of next week, I’ll parse through every piece of text and audio I can find, and edit it together into one big podcast. Hosting your own discussion?  Tweet or email the link to me so it gets included!

Recommended talking points:

• Do you care about how long your video game experiences are?
• How “much” do you want out of your games?
• How long should a $60 game be?
• What are your thoughts on the kinds of gaming cliches that pad the length of video games? Are they good or bad?  Do you enjoy the tasks you’re presented?

Questions about Modern Game Player?  Please, read this.

It was July 2010 when I answered a call on the JPAG Facebook Group for individuals to declare their interest in making a video game. “Those interested in design, writing, art or programming; come one, come all.” Eighteen months later, Just Play A Game Studios is working perilously hard on it’s premier game – Spy Babies.

I didn’t personally know any member of the JPAG at the time. I took part in some fundraising events, being pointed in the direction by the Joystiq Podcast hosts. Nobody knew of this lovely Geordie gentleman and I was fine with that. Having just finished the first year of my Computer Science degree with a keen interest in game production, I found myself just about fit for purpose. The very first Skype meeting was held shortly after my story was delivered to the growing group on Facebook.

Meetings were held in a timeslot that shared folk from California to England. Chaired by the lovely Marie Barnes, there were many people and many topics. I can safely say the meetings were the highlight of my week. Sadly, many of the people who were there at the beginning left the project for one reason or another. But, I will keep the moment Ben Pack realised that Just Play A Game Studios held the same initials as the JPAG in fondest memory.

Spy Babies is a recently found propaganda piece created by the Gustavian government in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the Gustavian scientists created the game on a supercomputer, only belatedly realizing they had one of the only supercomputers that could run it in existence and therefore no citizens of Gustavia would ever be able to play the game. It is good news for both the citizens of Gustavia and the JPAG that Just Play A Game Studios has been able to bring Spy Babies to the Xbox 360 for all to enjoy.

Set in an alternate history of the Cold War, you take charge of Ivan Kostyavich, the Gustavian national hero tasked by Gustavia’s intelligence agency to investigate and sabotage a super spy program initiated in the United States itself! Take Ivan on a journey across the US and uncover the secrets of the diabolical Liberty Smith.

Spy Babies is the product of countless hours of tears, laughter and serious hard work from so many people. We can’t wait for people to get their hands on Spy Babies Episode 1, coming soon.

This wouldn’t have been possible without you, JPAG.

Just Play a Game Studio’s staff:

Marie Barnes | Founder; Team Lead; Programmer; Designer – Twitter

Stan Kramer | Co-Founder; Art Lead; Designer; Writer – Twitter

Rob Burgess | Programming Lead - Twitter

When I was 14 I joined a fairly popular .hack// message board, The World BBS. It was my first taste at an actual online community, as the only thing I had used the internet before was looking at porn, chatting on AIM, or figuring out how to download Ruroni Kenshin songs on Napster. It was an amazing experience and despite all of us hiding behind our handles, we quickly began using our real names. Eventually, though, .hack// lost relevancy in the video game and anime world, and everyone sought greener pastures. I’m still friends with a few of the people I met on there, but it’s definitely not the same relationship that we had when we were younger.

I don’t even know how I ended up in the JPAG. My earliest memories are from the beginning of winter 2009. I had just gotten out of an awkward relationship and left a another online community working with anime fan subs. School was rough, friends were scattered about the United States, and my depression was quickly consuming whatever else of me I had left. Some of you might not know — especially because I’m the most fabulous person in the universe — but I suffer from severe depression and anxiety. Combined, this makes it very difficult for me to meet people, and in turn makes me feel broken.

And then I met you. Yes, you. All of you. I found the JPAG somehow, a memory that continues to evade me, and the best years of my life began. Within the first few weeks of my joining, the makings for a JPAG meet up were already underway right here in my backyard: Chicago, Illinois. Immediately, like a swift karate kick to the nuts, my anxiety reignited. Would they like me? Would I like them? Why would they let someone who they barely know into their house? Maybe it was just a plot to sacrifice me to their dark lord of breakfast sandwiches. Either way, I finally made the decision to get in my car and drive down to Randall Smith’s place.

I entered the building and walked up the stairs, right past Randall’s apartment. Behind me a door whirled open and someone said “Are you Cory? Come on in!” In that instant a weight was lifted from my shoulders and I proceeded to have an amazing night of Boom Blox-ery and Rock Banding. I was the youngest person there—19 at the time—but all the drunk, old farts treated me no different than they treated one another. It was my first glimpse at the true kindness of the JPAG. I found my new home.

People posted on the discussion forums every day, spurring often hilarious conversations between everyone. Nothing was off limits. We had discussions ranging from LOST to pubic grooming to why Ben Pack is always wrong. Back then we had a real and visible sense of community. We had fundraisers for things like James’ penis reduction surgery, countless meet ups all over the country (and beyond!), Secret Santas, endless fights and eventual beef squashing. We had our ups and downs, ins and outs, hippity hoppitys, but in the end we would always be that tightly knit JPAG family that I had come to know and love.

Or so I thought. Earlier this year, Facebook changed the way groups were handled, effectively destroying a major part of how the JPAG communicated with one another. At the time, I didn’t really care as I had moved on to Twitter with most of the people I knew from the JPAG, and thus, didn’t really see how much of an impact losing the old JPAG would eventually make. Several months have passed and I’ve felt something lacking. We tried to revitalize things with the Ning, but that that quickly fell through. The new Facebook group isn’t even a fraction as used as the old one was, although there is a fair amount of newer people posting from time to time.

I guess I’m really writing this because I’m afraid of moving on. In my time with the JPAG I’ve met so many of you wonderful humans. Just in the past year I’ve travelled to Boston and Michigan, eaten escargot for the first time—which was really gross but the way—with Ryan Gan, and even got a hug from Bob Ball himself. I could go on and on about the countless memories you have all provided me, but this is already as sappy as it needs to be. I’ve tried finding new communities to join in the event of the JPAG completely dissolving, even one specifically for gay gamers, but nothing held a candle to you, JPAG.

What I really mean to say is this: I don’t know what’s in store for the JPAG, but I do know that I want to stay friends with each and every one of you for as long as humanly possible. Maybe this is just a part of growing up. Maybe the recent Joystiq exodus is a sign for us/me to move on. Maybe I’m just being dramatic and nothing has really changed. Either way, I just hope that whatever happens I can still have the same relationship I have with you folks that I do now.

And for those of you who don’t tweet or post as often as you used to: What the fuck is wrong with you? I’m pouring my heart out here and I don’t even get a “Hello.” Assholes.

Visit the JPAG here: Facebook Link  Ning Link

LISTEN HERE!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-jpag-show-live-2011

We all remember the best of Saturday mornings: Cartoons, Lucky Charms, and the JPAG Show.

Yes, that stalwart programme dedicated to a Facebook group of mostly good-looking people who appreciated a podcast put forth by three guys that worked for a video game website was a staple in our weekly audio diets. It was what made the group gel together. Until it became a regular thing, we were just a bunch of misfits looking to find our way through the fog. Since then we’ve become close friends, and look forward to seeing each other as much as humanly possible.

Well, hold on to your butts.

There is a ray of light piercing through the heavens, shining on our gray Winter houses as the wisps of smoke waft into the sky from our electric-powered fireplaces. As that ray flutters through our rooms it settles onto our laptops, illuminating our screens in ways unimaginable. Our eyes, weary from the late nights of gaming during these last few weeks of “holy days”, are suddenly awake. Our ears perk up like Alaskan rabbits hearing the snow crunch in the tundra. And our hearts — oh, our hearts! — are filled with the warmth of voices.

Also: WEJO!

That’s right, folks! A special broadcast of The JPAG Show will be taking place tomorrow, Saturday the 31st, from 2-4 PM EDT (that’s the new “Eastern time” designation). We’re going to do our damndest to run it live without hiccup, so we’re testing the waters on which format it will be. It might be uStream, or Justin.TV, or Google Hangout. It’s unknown yet, guidos and guidettes, but when we figure it out you’d best believe that we’ll be posting it here.

So, come back here in the next 24 hours and we’ll have the information up. And if there is anything you’d like us to cover, feel free to let us know.

OH! And if you’d like us to read your “Thanks Justin, Chris, and Ludwig” messages on the air, leave a comment here in the post.

See ya there!… err, Then!

OH! And check out the previous episodes of the JPAG Show to get you prepped until then:

Click here to the podcast archive/feed.

I didn’t have the best relationship with my grandparents. I’m not even sure why. Can I recall a moment when things switched over from being all warm hugs ‘n kisses, baking cookies, etc.? No I can’t, because it just was always gray. A veil over how we related to each other, perhaps something unspoken.

We lived with my Dad’s parents from just after my brother was born in 1985 to just after I graduated Kindergarten in 1989. My only solid memories of that 4 year span involve sitting in my room: playing with G.I. Joes, staring out my window at night trying to count stars, listening to the nearby trains squeal and crank, pretending a distant radio tower was a secret space ship, and playing games with Mom.

We had the upstairs, my Brother and I shared the same room my Dad’s Aunt had moved out of years ago. My parents room was the same room that my Dad shared with his 4 sisters and brother. At one point there were no less than 8 people living in this tiny home in a little developed area of the Chicago suburbs.

Since most of our things were upstairs, that’s where I stayed. I’d go downstairs for dinner, maybe to watch TV, take a bath and go outside. I did spend a lot of time in the backyard kicking dandelions and trying not to get eaten by the alligator my cousin had convinced me was living behind our garage. But those memories are more fleeting, just small glimpses. The upstairs though, was my home. I’d stand next to my dresser and stare at my plastic tank of sea monkeys dance around for hours. Daydreaming that were I to shrink to their size, they would invite me into their palace for dinner, and maybe they had scaled down versions of GI Joes that I could play with to.

The only other times I’d leave the safe haven of my room, or the upstairs in general, was when my Grandma got a computer. I wish I could remember what brand it was. They placed it on a small desk in the bedroom she shared with my Grandpa, and I passed it almost every day on the way to the bathroom. I had no idea what it could be. Was it a television? I’d see my Grandma sitting there, tapping away. I’m not even sure I was old enough to comprehend what a typewriter was or that this device she had purchased might be some kind of evolution of one. It was a gray box, for all I knew it was magic.

After weeks of walking past it, giving it a quick glance my Grandma finally noticed. “Justin, come here a sec,” she said, “Sit down.” I scooted my small frame onto her lap, while she tapped away at the board that had all the buttons on it. I recognized some of the characters on the buttons, but I wasn’t sure what the buttons did. It just looked like the most elaborate television remote I had ever seen.

I heard the gray box whir slightly and she said, “Let’s play a game.” So I waited anxiously for her to procure Hungry Hungry Hippos, or perhaps Ants In The Pants. Instead I saw the screen of the computer flicker, and in bright, bold type the words “Family Feud” appeared.

We probably only played for 15 minutes or so, and as a kid no older than 5 or 6 I’m not sure how much of a help I was. Needless to say, I had a pretty good time. My Grandma would type in what she thought was an appropriate answer, and I would ask her what it was. She would politely explain it to me while the game measured her answer against those of the “audience”.

We took to playing Family Feud every once in a while, never a regular habit, but definitely something I looked forward to. As our time with the game progressed, the more I began to understand its nuances, and the more I looked forward to learning so that sometime I’d be able to answer those questions as well.

Eventually my parents bought their own house and we moved away. While I was glad that I wouldn’t have to worry about the alligator in the backyard eating me any longer, I was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t get to play Family Feud anymore. We’d visit my Grandparents and sit around, eat food, do all the visiting the family stuff that you’re supposed to do. But Family Feud never really came up again.

You can reach Justin on Twitter here: TheRoostarr

It’s the next game night of the week! Tonight we’ll grab the newest Nintendo portable, hit the couch (or the turlet), and play some rounds of Mario Kart 7.

Time: 10PM EDT – ???

Where: Mario Kart JPAG Room, number 48-2711-3764-4376

Next was Wesley Johnson. Wes is a diabetic and had suffered damage to his gums as a result of his condition; he needed, of all things, a gum transplant operation… MUCH pricier than a broken PS3. New Gums Day was a great success, raising in the region of $3000 towards the cost of the operation, through raffles, giveaways, and a live show all overseen by Randall Smith. Even Randall would later be the subject of another JPAG fundraising venture, again to pay for a loved one’s medical treatment (USA – you GOTS to get on that National Health Service kick).

In early 2010 I was the one needing help. I was working as a substitute teacher at the time, and I was frequently hospitalized by kidney stones and the related treatment. Unable to work, there was just a couple of weeks to go before overdue rent, tax and other bills would have seen me evicted from my home. The JPAG came through for me huge when I needed them most. People were incredible, and I will always owe thanks to everyone who donated and organized the event to keep me in my home.

Now, I’m rattling my charity tin for a new cause. I’m getting married, and I’m trying to surprise my fiancé Carly by flying her brother and her dad over for the wedding. Thanks to JPAG members and other assorted folks I currently sit at about $400, 12% of our goal, and I have until June. It’s because of the JPAG that I have absolute faith I’ll get there.

It’s a truly humbling feeling, knowing that a group of mostly good-looking people can achieve such things and work together to improve the lives of another person. The JPAG has done a great deal for me. I appreciate everything; I miss the old times of the group and the podcast, but I can’t help shake the feeling that the great days of way back then will come again. I miss you all, and to all of you I will always be grateful (except Mike Suszek, and fans of the N64 controller).

Donations to the fund are being accepted at http://trunc.it/ioq4z
All donators will receive an invitation to the big day on 21/7/12 (except Mike Suszek, and fans of the N64 controller).

Visit the JPAG here: Facebook Link  Ning Link

Is that an exaggeration? Definitely, but hey it’s a hell of a way to start an article for the JPAG Appreciation Week. That being said I do owe them — the JPAG — quite a bit. If you’re reading this you either have no idea who I am (if that’s the case DM me and I can link you to my OKCupid profile), you know me from the JPAG, or you might know me as the world’s tallest Giant Bomb intern.

Most of my face-time on the site didn't include actual face time.

I started at Giant Bomb in the summer of 2011 and will return next summer, and hopefully it will lead to an eventual full-time career in this industry. But I guarantee that without the JPAG I wouldn’t be here.

Flash back to 2008. I was a recent high school graduate with a little interest in journalism and a passion for movies and video games. It was around this time that my friend Evan showed me two websites: 1up.com and Joystiq.com. I never even knew sites like these — focusing on games journalism — existed, nor would I have even considered a career in the trade.

I soon fell in love with the sites (as well as Giant Bomb) but that’s where my interest stopped. I was never a fan of traditional forums because I didn’t like that dudes could just be dicks to each other without any consequences, and so I didn’t participate. I decided to give the Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group a try because it was tied to my Facebook account and forced us to show our real names. So, people couldn’t be so jerky to each other… unless you were Ryan Gan.

What blossomed there for me were several relationships that grew to great online friendships. Hundreds of discussion threads, dozens of photochops, hours of podcasts, a D&D campaign and even three fundraisers were just some of the activities I participated in over the few years that I was in the JPAG. It even went so far as the opportunity to meet a bunch of the JPAG guys (and even Justin McElroy and Chris Grant) at PAX 2010, or very recently getting drunk with JPAG celebrity alcoholic Michael Parikh.

Chris said I couldn't be tall in a picture next to him.

One of the most important things for me that happened through the JPAG was meeting and working with Mike Suszek. Mike had a podcast I listened to for his website The Wiire, and after seeing he was an active member of the JPAG I convinced him to let me write for him. While that dream was short lived it gave me the taste for this industry that I would eventually parlay into an internship with one of my favorite gaming sites.

So here I am, more than 3 years later, even though it feels like it’s been no time at all. And, while the JPAG may not exist in the same way it once did, I formed some great memories and solid relationships with people (like with Michael Bachmann and Russ Walsh, who started the podcast A Fistful of Pixels that you should all be listening to) that I will continue to value for the next couple of weeks at the minimum.

Remember that one time that lady dressed as Pikachu wanted to harvest our organs?

Thank you JPAG.

You can reach Ben Pack on Twitter, causing all manner of devious events.

Bob Ball with unnamed girl in purple (thanks to Calvin Nelson at www.ccniii.com)

I’m Bob Ball, and I’m a voice actor.  I’ve got a hit podcast, ‘PopQuizzical‘.  But I want to take you back a few months – to a dinosaur costume.

A dinosaur costume?

Yes.  It’s a green and yellow carpeted outer garment but that’s not important right now.

Boston: Friday, March 11th, 7:30pm.  It was so hot.  Desperately hot.  Every time I faced away from the crowd, it was to press my face against the mesh of the costume to taste just a little of the sweet, fresh air – just two seconds worth, and then back to the crowd.  A voice actor/dinosaur’s work is never done.

Let’s go back to how this all started.  I had been doing email reads for the Joystiq Podcast for a while, and PAX East was about 2 months away.  I emailed Justin McElroy an idea: instead of having me simply be in the crowd and read an email live, why not surprise the crowd?  I emailed him a picture of a costume that vaguely resembled something you would see at a Flaming Lips Concert.  The email reply was a resounding affirmative.  My evil plan was in motion.

A shot of Bob Ball trying on the dinosaur head at Boston Costume

Fast forward to March 10th, the night before the Joystiq Live show.  My airplane touched down and I was off like the proverbial bullet.  Racing across town in taxis to get to the hotel, check in, unpack a few things then back across town in taxi #2 to get to Boston Costume shop before closing to try on my monkey suit.  Or dinosaur suit.  Whichever.  After trying on and approving the costume, I decided to slow down a bit and  carry the costume to the train station.  Have you ever tried to carry two garbage bags filled with 30 pounds of dinosaur costume 7 blocks to a train station?  Me neither.  Four blocks later and I was hailing taxi #3.

Back at the hotel I fully tried on the costume with the appropriate clothing.  Dread was starting to set in as I realized that this monster suit I donned was indeed a monster in itself.  The feet were easily 3 times the size of my own foot, and all of the dance moves I had been practicing were going to be nearly impossible.  And that was before I tried on the dino-feet.  But I was still excited.

The following day saw the opening of PAX East 2011 and for me the morning was a blur of shaking developer hands and saying hi to Joystiq listeners.  The afternoon came with a Joystiq planning meeting for the show that night.  I edited videos together as they mapped out the rest of the show.  In the final minutes in the hotel room before leaving for the convention center, I suited up in the dino costume.  You would have thought I just walked into a comedy club with the amount of riotous laughter that met me as I walked out of the bathroom.  Everyone was pleased with the costume.

I rode in a taxi van with Griffin McElroy and Andrew Yoon (who is now at ShackNews.com).  Griffin took some taxi confessional video, questioning me to how I arrived at this obvious low point in my life.  I believe my joking reply was “poor decision making skills”.

Will this dinosaur eat Griffin McElroy? Probably not – he's all gristle. (Thanks to Jason MacDow)

The two of them helped me out of the taxi and through the crowds to the Wyvern Theater.  We were stopped several times for photos and hugs – you’d be surprised how many people want a picture with a random dinosaur.  I guess that doesn’t surprise me.  I mean really, how many dinosaurs do I see on a daily basis?

We made our way up to outside the Wyvern Theater, and the line was already pretty long.  With no one in line knowing who I was, I mingled about and made a general nuisance of myself.  This was an opportunity to do some improv acting as a humanistic dinosaur, which is not something that I envisioned doing as a voice actor, but still sounded super fun.

There was one girl who became an unfortunate victim of my whimsy.  She was merely walking by the Joystiq Live! line.  She was sporting a Yoshi backpack, and I decided to treat that backpack as if it were my baby dinosaur.  I followed and stopped her, and proceeded to pet and hug the backpack.  I let the backpack go a couple of different times, but then I just started following her all over again.  Oddly, it’s like she didn’t know where she was going because she doubled back through that packed hallway a couple more times, which only added to my character’s want to chase this baby dinosaur backpack.  I can only hope that someday she feels comfortable enough to wear that backpack in public again.  I cannot promise that a costumed dinosaur won’t do that to her again.  Wink.

When the doors opened, I walked in with the rest of the Joystiq team.  Here’s the set up: almost everyone with Joystiq was at the pre-planning meeting.  Meaning: not everyone with Joystiq knows I’m the one in the dinosaur suit.  Will hilarity ensue?  Perhaps… 

The show starts, and I begin to do some general milling about through the crowd.  I knocked off hats, played with pony tails, picked up the phone and held it to head (which was at the end of an improbably long neck), and in general did whatever an entertaining dinosaur would have done.

The one thing that no one at the costume store tells you about?  Heat.  The inside of that dinosaur suit must have reached about 120 degrees Fahrenheit (about 49 degrees Celsius).  With very little airflow in that suit, every time I faced away from the crowd was a chance to press my face against the mesh built into the neck of the dinosaur and grab a couple of quick puffs of cool, sweet air – then turn back to entertain the crowd.

After running through just about all of the things I could do and not disrupt the show entirely, I decided to help myself to some water.  I found the water cooler at the corner of the room and filled up a cup with water.  I was going to be reading an email later on anyway, so I sat the cup up on the stage at the table where I would eventually be seated.  It got a couple of chuckles, and that’s al it took.  I was filling up multiple water cups and putting them on the stage for myself, garnering more and more laughter each time.  My intent was to build a pyramid of water filled cups, but I wanted to drink this water later – not just have it spill everywhere.  Practicality won out over comedy.  So, three cups of water on the table later I was desperate to have them for myself.  But I would have to wait a bit longer.

Soon after that, People came up to microphones to ask questions, and I milled about some more.  I couldn’t hear very well inside the suit (I know, shocking, right?) but I did hear one comment that was derogatorily directed at the dinosaur.  I heard lots of “oooohs” as if people were looking for some sort of dino-smackdown to occur.  Look, I’m a pacifist.  But the actor in me realized that this dinosaur is a carnivore, so I began to go towards the microphone the little cretin was asking questions from.  Little problem – there are large 40 inch monitors between me and the cretin.  I tried to squeeze through the small path beside the monitor, but if you’ve seen the dino costume you realize that I was not very nimble inside of it.  The monitor began to TIP OVER.  I, along with several other helpful people, righted it so it never really fell over.  However the Joystiq writer in charge of security had decided that this dinosaur had caused enough trouble.  Security would have to get involved.

It is, at this time, I refer you to earlier in our story when I said that almost everyone had been at the planning meeting.  The security director?  Not at that meeting.  And didn’t know that I was in the suit.  He just thought I was some weird cosplayer that had wandered in and wasn’t causing too much trouble so I was left alone to entertain.  Disregard the fact that I had been on the stage, behind the curtain, throwing merchandise into the air, trying to steal the sound guy’s wallet, knocking off people’s hats and in general being the personification of a little slice of chaos.  Now I had tipped over a monitor and electronics violence would not be tolerated.  Not even from a fuzzy dinosaur.

It was at this time that someone finally leaned over to him and said, “Hey, it’s ok.  It’s Bob in the suit.”  Whoever whispered those words saved the rest of the show.  Can you picture a dinosaur being carted off in cuffs while the Chris, Justin and Ludwig looked on in horror?  I can hear it in my head now in a quaint South African accent, “Umm, sirs, don’t arrest our dinosaur.  He’s just about to read our email.”

Eventually there was a big reveal, I drank a lot of water (those cups of water I poured came in very handy) and read an email.  After that I was tasked to give out swag to the audience, and I proceeded to chuck a plush toy into the rafters at the convention center.  What can I say?  I’ve got a strong arm.  I nearly played college ball – at least that’s what my PR department keeps telling people.

I got a chance to meet several of you after the event, either while I was in costume or throughout the weekend after I showered and smelled much, much better.  I had a fantastic time that weekend, and I still thrilled to know that such a big hearted group invited me in as one of their own.  I’ll always be glad to be a member of the JPAG.

Happy new year, and hey, have you listened to my new podcast ‘PopQuizzical‘?

It’s available on iTunes or surf on over to PopQuizzical.com.

Wanna see the whole ‘Joystiq LIVE!’ show?  Go here:

http://bit.ly/joystiqlive2011

–

Bob Ball is a Seattle based voice actor and host of the internet darling quiz show, PopQuizzical, available on iTunes and online at PopQuizzical.com.

It’s the first of a few JPAG Game Nights this week! We’ll kick it off with some Modern Warfare 3 for the Xbox 360. Grab a beverage of choice (hint: it MUST be beer), play with some old friends, and maybe make some new ones as well.

Time: 9PM EDT – ???

Where: Xbox Live

Who: Find me, Gamertag: Kewlrats

Did you know that there are OTHER podcasts on iTunes besides those that your masterful crew at SideQuesting creates? Yeah, it came as a shock to us as well. That’s why we launched OPP in hopes to share some of these shows with you, especially the good ones.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t ask the question about why the Joystiq Podcast ended its run. Thankfully, JPAGger Mike Suszek did just that on his latest episode of Modern Game Player, speaking to Chris Grant on the subject.

What’s it about?

MGPlayer is a content-specific podcast. That is, it focuses on one topic associated with games each week. The topic is given some lite “inside baseball” treatment, as things get more in-depth than just casual conversation. Suszek takes calls, tweets, and comments from readers & listeners and directly infuses them into the show, and includes guests to speak on the subject.

The latest episode, just the second of the show’s existence, focuses on video game podcasts. Why do we listen to podcasts? Why do we create them? Suszek’s guest this week is Joystiq’s Editor-in-Chief Chris Grant, who is on the show to chat about how and why the Joystiq Podcast came to end. Grant talks about the the negativity that came with the show’s change, and how the team’s focus wasn’t just to make a “good” show but the best of its kind, and how that altered what was delivered. Suszek & Grant even touch on the issues of the change in leadership at AOL and how the unknowns of big changeover affected the show.

What’s it sound like?

The show is produced very well, mixing talk and music without any weird transitions. Mike breaks up the interview with Chris by injecting voice mails, Tweets, and comments relevant to what the two are chatting about at that moment. Mike’s audio comes in clear, but Chris was coming in a bit “tinny” due to the inefficiencies of Skype.

In Conclusion…

Modern Game Player is a great addition to a podcast field that is drowning in the “dudebros chat about the news” genre. The focus on one subject is common, but the angle taken is enjoyable and fresh. Give it a listen if you’re looking for something a little more intellectual when compared to dick jokes on [insert top gaming podcasts here].

For more info, find Modern Game Player on the website or through the iTunes feed.

It’s finally here! The end of the world JPAG Appreciation Week! And while we are still looking for content to fill out the week, we thought we’d post a schedule of what’s going down to keep you informed. These are the (tentative) events around this week!

Tuesday, Dec 27th

• JPAG Game Night: Modern Warfare 3 (Xbox 360) – 9PM EDT

Wednesday, Dec 28th

• SUPER JPAG Tiny Chat – 10PM EDT

Thursday, Dec 29th

• JPAG Game Night: Mario Kart 7 (3DS) – 10PM EDT

Friday, Dec 30th

• JPAG Podcast Live Show – 3PM-5PM EDT

Saturday, Dec 31st

• JPAG Lonely Hearts New Years Eve Tiny Chat – TBD

Sunday, Jan 1st 2012

• JPAG Game Night: Game TBD – 9PM EDT

Monday, Jan 2nd 2012

• TBD

And don’t forget: This is the JPAG Facebook Page. Visit it all week!

It’s 2011. We’ve occupied streets, asked our phones where to find risque items, and survived countless natural disasters. So much has happened, but one thing has remained stable: We love to buy stuff.

Hence the need for another truly awesome, epic last minute gift guide from Team SideQuesting (2010′s is here).

The list that follows includes gadgets, gear, fashion, and objects that we desire, all priced at under $30 to go easy on your budgets. Now break out the debit cards and let’s get to saving the economy!

Netflix monthly membership ($7.99/Month)

Erron Kelly: Everybody loves Netflix. Drop a tenner on your favorite person and shower them in quality content.

Red Vines Red Original Licorice Twists, 64-Ounce Tub ($18)

Jenna Pitcher:  Ultimate holiday sustenance for extended gaming stretches. (Being an Aussie, I would floor spin with joy if I got this as a gift.)

SanDisk Cruzer 16 GB Cruzer USB 2.0 Flash Drive ($16.33)

Lewis Garcia: Everyone needs to carry certain files and documents from one place to another.

Whiskey Stones ($21.95)

Aaron Kirchhoff: Put hair on your chest without watering down your drink.

Reamde: A Novel ($20)

Matt Wetzel: Neal Stephenson is one of the best Sci Fi authors of our generation, and his latest work continues his legacy of amazing, engrossing thrill rides, that once they get going, don’t stop till the last page.

GIVEAWAY RULES

• Contest starts today (Tuesday, December 20th) and running through Sunday, Dec 25th at 11:59PM EDT Eastern (8:59PM PDT Pacific).
• Leave a comment on this post up to once per day, Tuesday through to Sunday, for a total of 6 chances to win.
• Winner selected by SideQuesting on Monday morning, December 26th, around 12:00AM EDT.
• Available to US residents only
• Please see our official Contest Rules for more information.

The final regular season standings

It’s been a long, injury-prone year but the regular season came to a close this week in the first ever SideQuesting Fantasy Football League.

We’ve made it to the playoffs, and the four remaining teams are ready to go! Here’s the matchup for Round 1:

Blueberry Muffin Tops. Secret Santa. Dead Space Girl’s head. Episode Zero. Meetups. Official unofficial official t-shirts. X Spaceghost.  Poyawd casts. Bob Muthatruckin’ Ball in a DINOSAUR SUIT.

These, and more, were legendary memes that proliferated through my favorite Facebook group of all time, the JPAG (Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group). What started as a small gathering of fans of Joystiq.com’s staple podcast grew to well over 3000 members over the years. It spawned friendships, marriages, contests, get-togethers, and podcasts of its own. At first it wasn’t even promoted by the show, instead growing by word of mouth. At times it even eclipsed the show it was based on (that epic Christmas podcast is still a vivid, happy memory around these parts). It became a huge family, replete with drunk uncles (we’re looking at you, Russ).

For us at SideQuesting, it was where we all met. SideQuesting was founded by me, Yaniv (the skin-wearer), and Ryan, all of which were active members of the group. As SideQuesting grew, we kept adding more and more like-minded JPAG members to the staff. Call it inmates hiring inmates, I guess. It’s worked, and well, to the point where we consider the JPAG to be a tremendous breeding ground of creative and enjoyable people. Also: really fuckin’ attractive, too.

When Facebook changed it’s layout and aborted many things that we built as a community, and the Joystiq Podcast came to a grinding halt at about the same time, we tried several options to keep things going. Ning, Twitter, NEW Facebook groups… but it just didn’t work. Then, Steven came to me a couple months back with a rough idea of getting the JPAG engaged again somehow. Granted, it was just an idea, but it sparked a fire in us that kept us going. I’d suddenly found myself being a bit more active in (what remained of) the group, and started missing the old days of oddball conversations and strange Photochops of our favorite hosts.

Well, it took a couple months to come up with a “real” direction for the idea, but here it is. Since SQ is made up of JPAG members, and owe everything to it for getting us into games, we’re hosting a “JPAG Appreciation Week” the week between Christmas (Dec 25th) and New Year’s Day. We’d love to get as many people involved as possible, showing love for the group in just about any way possible. Here’s the plan, and what we’re asking for:

- If you’ve ever had an itch to write about games, and you’re a JPAG member, we’re going to offer you our outlet for the week. Have a topic? Want to share a story? Have a rant about how Tall Sonic is superior to Fat Sonic? Want to review a game on your shelf? This is the place for you. Our esteemed staff will work with you to edit your posts, and we’ll give you full credit & promote your work. Keep the swearing to a minimum, and no hateful posts, please.

- We’re looking for people to write articles ABOUT the JPAG, too. Memories, good/bad things about the community, etc.

- Artist? Designer? Want to help make a t-shirt, poster, song, etc for the JPAG? We want to get that going, too.

- We’ll be doing prizes and giveaways aimed towards JPAG members only. If you’d like to donate something, or have an idea for a contest, let us know.

- We’ll do Tinychat sessions and game nights each day of the week.

- We’d love to do a live episode of the JPAG Show to cap off the week. Let us know if you’re interested, or if you’re willing to run it. Randall, maybe?

- We’re going to post everything FIRST on the JPAG group on Facebook, and then on SideQuesting & Twitter. Why on SideQuesting and not just the Facebook group? Well, the group has sort of died and more people are getting their JPAG-related info elsewhere, so any extra forward-facing exposure is helpful and encouraged.

- If you run a website that started because of the JPAG, please let us know. We have ideas about how to spill this over onto other JPAG sites as well.

That’s it. Email us at sidequesting at gmail dot com and let us know if you’re interested in writing, creating art, donating a prize or two, whatever.

Go to the JPAG here: JPAG on Facebook

*Again, this is aimed at the JPAG first and foremost.

Turntable Tuesday is back! Join us tonight starting at 9:30PM EDT for a great night as the SideQuesting staff and a few of our friends hop into the mix on Turntable.FM and play some good tunes while we work & play. If you’re a night owl like us, you’ll be just starting your evening of playing games, studying, or doing work, and having music in the background is a must. It’s even better when you can participate via chat, or even deejay yourself. And heck, we’ll be giving away a few prizes tonight in the Turntable chat, so you’ll want to stick around.

Let us know in the comments what you’d like to hear. Chip tunes? Hip hop? D&B? Christmas music?

Click Here to Join Us!

This week on The Lonely Tardis – the world’s favorite Doctor Who podcast — we’re discussing the Second Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton, in the 5-part episode “The Mind Robber”. As we explained two weeks ago or so, this is the second Doctor found on Netflix. You can CLICK HERE to watch! It stars the new Doctor, a sidekick named Jaime, and a very sexy Zoe in a sparkly cat suit beating up on a strange muscle-head named “Karkus”.

Here’s the all-important synopsis on Netflix:

To save Doctor Who (Patrick Troughton) and his fearless crew, the TARDIS time-traveling machine sends the lot of them to an unknown dimension, where anything they can dream up is possible. But a land with no boundaries — populated by unicorns, Minotaurs and Medusa — proves dangerously unforgiving.

We’ll be recording the show VERY SOON, so if you’d like to be a contestant on it (with either Shaun or Steven playing for you) please let us know and leave a comment in this post or on the last podcast.

SideQuesting's VGA Chat 2011

It’s that time of year again! Eggnog, mistletoe, and chestnuts… all sponsored by Mountain Dew! We mean, of course, the VGAs are back. Yes, we don’t really care who wins, but there are some nice reveals through the night to set up 2012′s gaming. That’s why we host our chat on Twitter, using our official hashtag: #vgachat

Last year we had a blast, so we’re upping the ante this year. Lewis will be manning the SideQuesting account, Eric and I will be throwing in a few jabs, and John will be joining us again, this time representing our buds at Thrifty Nerd… and we’re going to get pretty crazy. That’s right: OFFICIAL VGA DRINKING GAME. Feel free to join us on Twitter or right here.

Here are our rules (so far) for beer:

• Chug any time someone mentions that something is “sponsored by” anything.
• Chug any time gamers’ rights are brought up.
• Chug each time a celebrity makes a forced gaming joke.
• Take a sip any time the host is dumbfounded (we don’t want alcohol poisoning).
• Take a sip for every game that is premiered.
• Chug any time there is a crowd shot of a gaming personality.

Some rules for shots:

• Take a shot after an award is glazed over.
• Take a shot if Felicia Day shows up.
• Take a shot if Felica Day mentions Warcraft.
• Take a shot if you are utterly disgusted by what is going on.
• Take a shot if/whenever the Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 rivalry is mentioned.
• Take a shot for any internet meme used.

(ED. Note: I (Eric) will be updating these rules throughout the day with any suggestions. So comment below if you have any rules you would like to see)

List:

GAME OF THE YEAR

• Batman: Arkham City
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
• Portal 2
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

STUDIO OF THE YEAR

• Bethesda Game Studios
• Naughty Dog
• Rocksteady Studios
• Valve

BEST XBOX 360 GAME

• Batman: Arkham City
• Forza Motorsport 4
• Gears of War 3
• Portal 2

BEST PS3 GAME

• inFAMOUS 2
• Killzone 3
• LittleBigPlanet 2
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

BEST Wii GAME

• Disney’s Epic Mickey
• Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
• Lost in Shadow
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

BEST PC GAME

• Battlefield 3
• Minecraft
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
• Portal 2

BEST HANDHELD/MOBILE GAME

• Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
• Infinity Blade
• Super Mario 3D Land
• Jetpack Joyride

BEST SHOOTER

• Battlefield 3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Gears of War 3
• Rage

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME

• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
• Batman: Arkham City
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

BEST RPG

• Dark Souls
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Dragon Age II
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

BEST MULTI-PLAYER

• Battlefield 3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Gears of War 3
• Portal 2

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME

• Fight Night Champion
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters
• Top Spin 4
• Virtua Tennis 4

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME

• FIFA Soccer 12
• NBA 2K12
• NHL 12
• MLB ’11: The Show

BEST DRIVING GAME

• DiRT 3
• Driver: San Francisco
• Forza Motorsport 4
• Need For Speed: The Run

BEST FIGHTING GAME

• The King of Fighters XIII
• Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
• Mortal Kombat
• WWE All Stars

BEST MOTION GAME

• Child of Eden
• Dance Central 2
• The Gunstringer
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

• Bastion
• Minecraft
• Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP
• The Binding of Isaac

BEST ADAPTED VIDEO GAME

• Back to the Future: The Game
• Batman: Arkham City
• Captain America: Super Soldier
• LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

BEST SONG IN A GAME

• “Build that Wall (Zia’s Theme)” by Darren Korb – Bastion
• “Exile Vilify” by The National – Portal 2
• “I’m Not Calling You a Liar” by Florence + the Machine – Dragon Age II
• “Setting Sail, Coming Home (End Theme)” by Darren Korb – Bastion
• “Want You Gone” by Jonathan Coulton – Portal 2

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• Bastion
• Batman: Arkham City
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Portal 2

BEST GRAPHICS

• Batman: Arkham City
• LA Noire
• Rage
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE

• J.K. Simmons as Cave Johnson – Portal 2
• Mark Hamill as The Joker – Batman: Arkham City
• Nolan North as Nathan Drake – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Stephen Merchant as Wheatley – Portal 2

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE

• Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Ellen McLain as GLaDOS – Portal 2
• Emily Rose as Elena Fisher – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Tara Strong as Harley Quinn – Batman: Arkham City

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME

• Bastion
• Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
• Stacking
• Trenched

BEST DLC

• Fallout: New Vegas – Old World Blues
• Mass Effect 2: Arrival
• Mortal Kombat: Freddy Krueger
• Portal 2 Peer Review

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

• BioShock: Infinite
• Diablo III
• Halo 4
• Mass Effect 3
• The Last Guardian

Win all of these games!

[UPDATE: Congrats to "Fox" on winning the contest! He wrote that Battlefield 3 was his favorite PS3 game of the year.]

We know you loved last week’s contest. Over 400 entries in just 7 days is EPIC. That’s why Blockbuster wants to continue the epicness and give you MORE awesome stuff, this time for the PS3 owners who visit the site!

How awesome? Try 3 AMAZING GAMES to one lucky person! The games are: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the Playstation 3, and Gears of War 3 for the Xbox 360!

You want more awesome? Oh yeah: THEY’RE ALL SIGNED BY THE DEVELOPERS. Yeah, pretty awesome.

So why is Blockbuster doing this for you? Because they’ve extended their equally awesome promotion, whereby you order a game from the following list from them and get a full month of rentals of games and movies for free — for new Blockbuster members. Already a member? It’s all good. They’ll give you a $5 gift card in return. But the deal only lasts through to the end of the year, so GET ON IT!

Games in the promotion:

• Batman: Arkham City
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Gears of War 3
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
• Uncharted 3
• Battlefield 3
• Modern Warfare 3

And how do you win? Leave a comment, of course! In your comment, tell us what your favorite PS3 game of this year was [we'll honor all comments that came before our snafu earlier. OOPS!]. You can enter once per day for SEVEN DAYS, starting today (December 6th, Tuesday) and running through Monday, Dec 12th at 11:59PM EDT Eastern (8:59PM PDT Pacific). Open to US residents only.

That’s all! Good luck, and get to commenting!

MEGA!

Special thanks to Blockbuster for providing the games! Please please PLEASE check out their promotion above, which lasts through the end of the year. Every show of support helps us bring you great contests and prizes!

 RULES

• Contest starts today (Tuesday, December 6th) and running through Monday, Dec 12th at 11:59PM EDT Eastern (8:59PM PDT Pacific).
• Leave a comment on this post up to once per day, Tuesday through to Monday, for a total of 7 chances to win.
• Winner selected by SideQuesting on Tuesday morning, December 12th, around 12:00AM EDT.
• Available to US residents only
• Please see our official Contest Rules for more information.

Good Luck, and have fun!

Help fund the first issue of PXL magazine through Kickstarter

The slow death of print magazines became ever more apparent to me the other day when I took a look at my dwindling monthly subscriptions. I wasn’t cancelling any, but my tabletop pile of unread issues wasn’t growing by much either. Transitioning more to digital news consumption, whether it’s through my RSS reader or iPad apps, has become more of the norm for me — and for millions of other Americans.

Perhaps that’s why some of my favorite gaming magazines are facing challenging issues. We’ve recently lost Gamepro’s storied print magazine, and Future’s “Official” magazines are a weird state of flux.

I couldn’t help but throw a fist pump, then, when I saw that some of my favorite writers and Editors were banding together to create a new digital magazine for tablets. The team behind PXL is setting its sights on delivering a fresh approach to delivery of information about the industry, focusing more on fun and enjoyment rather than deep industry sales figures analysis, and they’re using technology to their advantage. The magazine will be released monthly at only 99 cents per issue, but the news within each ish will be delivered weekly to remain up-to-date and relevant. That way you’ll not only be reading the mag for its great features, but also coming back to it far more often than once a month.

The magazine is being planned and developed for iPads and Android tablets, but as with any new endeavor the team needs our help. They’ve created a Kickstarter campaign to get the funding needed for this first issue, which they hope to have ready and available by the first week of February. In case you haven’t checked your calendar yet today, that’s about 8 weeks away. In other words, get on over to the Kickstarter page and help fund this great project. The group is offering Founders Club acknowledgement, t-shirts, artwork, and more for different levels of donation, starting at just $1.

Click here to go to the Kickstarter page, and help spread the word!

Want to follow the team? Just go to twitter.com/pxlmag or facebook.com/pxlmag and keep up to date.

Rick makes the shocking choice

Disclaimer: This post will be full of spoilers. Stop reading here if you haven’t watched the mid-season finale yet.

When the Walking Dead mid-season finale finished airing this past Sunday night, we were left with as many questions as we had answers. One of the major plot lines guiding this season was completed, but the spiderweb of repercussions that emitted out of it left the survivors in an emotional vortex of chaos. Shane has realized that standing still leads to death, Carl nearly died, Glenn found love, and a new group of survivors was met.

The reaction to the finale was just as interesting as what took place. We asked our friends on Twitter to tell us what they felt, and several themes bubbled up to the surface quickly.

The finale did (or didn’t) live up to expectations

Many people (like me) loved the finale for several reasons, mostly because of the drama and tension that finally seemed to come back to the show.

But, there were others that didn’t feel the same way. Many were perhaps hoping for more of a cliffhanger to leave us on the edge until the show’s return.

Team Shane v Team Rick 

There are definitely two “camps” forming within our group of survivors: those that agree with the more passive Rick, and those that lean towards the “actions speak greater than words” mentality of Shane. Shane has especially become more of a focus on the show, becoming the antagonist to Rick, even though they are long-time friends. He seems to signify all that is wrong with the new zombie-filled world, where survival is more important than civility.

Viewers of the show are also taking sides. Is Shane doing more evil than good to the survivors? His methods, although rough, seem to lead to results quicker than those of Rick’s.

There are still issues with his character, that will hopefully be resolved in the second half of the season.

Daytime Zombie Drama

There’s one thing to be said about the season thus far that everyone can agree on: it seemed to drag on. Perhaps it was to develop characters or the camp schism, or to introduce Herschel properly, or to build up to some earth-shattering revelation; whatever it was, it didn’t seem to work as well as we had hoped, at least when compared to Season 1.

Thankfully, the second half should be better.

Whatever the case, the season wasn’t a loss by any means. It was shot beautifully, featuring cities, a giant farm, and lush forests. Strong themes referenced religion and morals moreso than in the first season. There have been a few epic scenes already, such as the herd or the bombing of Atlanta.

Here’s hoping the second half, starting in February, gets back a little more of the tension that was missing so far.

Check out our Random Battle podcast (just 30 minutes!) focusing on mid-season finale.

Also have a look at some great Walking Dead gear that can tide you over until the show’s return.