Spring is in the air.

This past weekend I celebrated my birthday, and that’s always a time in my life for me to reflect.

Over the course of my life time I have seen many changes with technology. I grew up with a black and white TV that used rabbit ears to receive programming, and a record player that played 33, 45 and even 78’s.  Now people have flat-screen TV’s as big as a wall, iPods, Dolby surround sound system, and more. It’s sometimes hard to image the changes.

We used to spend ours riding our bikes, hiking the side of the Hamilton Escarpment, and playing baseball or something in the park, knowing the one rule we had was to be home by the time the street lights came on.  We didn’t have cell phones to check in every 30 minutes or so, but our parents always seemed to know where we were and what we were up to.  I remember coming home after being somewhere I wasn’t supposed to go and being asked about what I did that day.  I tried to answer as “accurately” as possible without divulging too much, but eventually the questions become so directed that I knew we were caught.

Nowadays if you want to know where most kids are, they’re in front of their TV, computer, or gaming console, or listening to their iPod.  Spending time outside of the house consists of going to the mall and hanging out. Parents can no longer let kids just take off and do their own thing.

Even what adults do is different now.  A couple of decades ago you’d never think of going to dinner with your telephone.  If you were sitting down to a family dinner and the phone rang, you ignored it.  There weren’t answering machines or call display so you would know who to call the moment you had finished wolfing down your meal.  If it was important they would call back; if it wasn’t, you didn’t miss anything.

Today a family dinner consists of children and parents all at the table with their phones sitting in front of them.  People don’t think twice about answering a text message or a call in the middle of a meal.  How about those that go to restaurants and not only use their phones but bring their DS’s with them?  What has happened to conversation at the table? It’s been replaced with modern technology.

Our circle of friends is no longer those within a 10 mile radius where you meet at the local bowling alley or community center.  Our friends extend across the globe.  We think nothing of spending hours talking to a person that we’ve never met in person but who has some common interests.  We look forward to that communication whether it’s by email, messenger, phone, text, or through a gaming console.The world seems like a much smaller place than when I was small.

I have grown to enjoy what life has come to offer us.  I love the ability to spread my wings and meet many diverse people from so many different places. Yet, I miss the simple things of being able to sit and visit with people without the distractions caused by cell phones, gaming devices and iPods. I think this year is a year for me to incorporate days of technology silence into the hectic life of the technical buzz.  I’m going to take time to pull out a board game of Scrabble or Yahtzee instead of just playing online.  I’m going to go out with friends and we’re going to enforce a policy of communication-technology silence.

So if you’re ever in the neighborhood and want to relax and forget about the world of technology, just let me know. I’d love to join you for a visit, or a game, or a relaxing meal, when we can talk to one another instead of “everyone else.”

<3

Ooopy

Executive Director Ooopy [Elaine Beemer]
Creative Director ichigo sage [Andrea Avellan]

Editors

Editor kiki kat [Kiki Lewis]
Editor fatherwags [Richard Wagner]
Editor Surplus Talent [Tim Jones]
Editor Mulderesque [Cynthia Kaye]

Graphics

Executive Designer kwynn [Denise Wynn]
Graphics Dezign Grrl [Zendra MacLeod]

In This Issue

Contributor Coral Toe [Heather Howie]
Contributor Bearhardt [Mark Bradley]
Contributor Kamikaze Sweets  [Sandra Olsansky]

It seems that a thousand websites burst into existence with every tick of the clock. In this deluge of content it can be so easy for really spectacular destinations to fly right past your periphery. That being said, allow me to guide your eyes. This is your guide to web awesomeness for issue 18.

Timebridge

Timebridge is one of those sites that made me stand up and go “Wow”. The service is all about ease of organization for a meeting. When you set up an event with Timebridge you to choose the attendees from your contacts and it does the rest,  polling the selected people with your selected meet time and also letting them suggest a time that might work better for them. When everyone is finished responding, Timebridge will even tell you what time would work for the majority of your group. It takes the endless email chains and date book pong out of the meeting process. What’s more, the people you invite don’t even need to have Timebridge to participate! Try it with your next game night or group meeting and see what a difference it makes. It’s free to sign up at Timebridge.com

Poynt

Poynt is an incredible service available primarily for BlackBerry users but also for Windows Live Messenger and AIM. Cataloging directory listings from all around the country, Poynt allows you to quickly and easily find what you want around you. With your zip code and a few levels of navigation via simple tiered numeric inputs, Poynt will tell you where to shop, eat, and catch a flick wherever you are. It’s fast, easy, and free for the modern gamer on the go! You can get your directions for MSN messenger at MyPoynt.com.  Blackberry users application is at http://m.mypoynt.com

Skitch

Skitch is an all-in-one screen capture, editing, sharing, and hosting solution for Mac users. A fast and free registration gives you access to powerful and simple software that lets you grab any images and tweak them to your liking on the fly. Those images can then be sent to anyone you want or stored right there in your Skitch account for embedding or just showing off to other Skitch users. Go ahead and give it a try at Skitch.com!

Do you have an awesome website that you want featured in a future issue? Email me, Bearhardt@theblueskittle.com and you could see it right here!

Until next month, keep pointing your browsers forward!

This month’s featured community site is, home to a collection of podcasts covering every corner of the gaming world.  We spoke with Adrian Pottinger (aka DJ Krome) about the website and how he hopes to contribute to the gaming community.

The Blue Skittle (TBS): Tell us a little about the AnalogHype website.

Adrian: AnalogHype is the fusion of hip hop culture, anime, and trance inducing video games. Our staff spans the entire globe and all have different backgrounds, which in turn produces unique content that everybody can relate to.

TBS: How long has AnalogHype been around, and why did you decide to start the website/community?

Adrian: Well it’s been about a year now. Originally we started off as a podcast in a videogame section of a hip hop forum. As the podcast grew in popularity we came to the logical conclusion to make a website. There weren’t many sites out that related to us. So why not create a site that we felt represented all of us well?

TBS: How does podcasting contribute to the site?  What podcasts does the site produce, and how are they put together?

Adrian: Podcasting is the heart and soul of AnalogHype. If it wasn’t for podcasting there wouldn’t be an AnalogHype. We have several podcasts; AH Radio, Fanboy Friday, our video podcast: The Trailer Park, and our flagship podcast: Underground Hype. A group of unique personalities from all over the world come together via Skype to chop it up on the latest in the gaming world. It’s a no holds barred, hardcore match of a podcast. I was a DJ for a couple of years (your baby mama’s favorite DJ) so I do the post-production work on majority of the shows.

TBS: Does your site cater to a particular group of gamers (ie xbox vs PC), or do you have community members from all platforms and genres?

We cater to the gamers that will throw a chair at you for calling them a fanboy! Lol well no, we try to stay open to all gamers, even the haters

TBS: What is your ultimate goal for the website?  Where do you see it in the next year or two?

Adrian: We want to be the go to site for original video game related content that you can forward to your co-workers and feel naughty about it. Becoming more than just a website is another goal of ours. Throwing more events and seeing the gamers in there element. We started slowly this year with an event in May at FIU in Miami as well as the Infinite Bits Convention at the Miami Beach Convention Center October 23rd – 25th with Destructoid, SFX-360 and others. You can also see some of our dirty work at the e3 Invasion hosted by AnalogHype, TheBitbag, GamesonSmash and others. The way things are looking, give us another year or two and we should be throwing events in a stadium near you!

So go check out AnalogHype for their latest game reviews, articles, or one of their many podcasts!

by fatherwags (Richard Wagner)

Did you ever wonder why book reviewers worth the ink and paper their reviews are published with don’t provide numerical scores for the books they review? Consider that question while I explain why game reviews are so laughingly flawed.

To be honest, I rarely buy a game without looking at a few reviews from sites where I’ve come to know the reviewers and their biases, and with which, in the past, my tastes and opinions seem to match pretty closely with the scores awarded. Of course, it has taken a considerable amount of time to work out a reliable system, but why should it be such a difficult task to figure out who to trust for information about a game experience and maybe a little bit of advice regarding which games might be worth my $60? Granted, it’s $60 Canadian, which is worth about $4.67 in U.S. dollars these days, but it still seems like a pretty good chunk of change to me.

There are all kinds of reasons why I distrust most reviews available in print or on the Internet, but the most significant problem isn’t journalistic or corporate favouritism, it’s the entire system underlying game reviews. From the relativity of numerical scales, to the presumption of objectivity, to the limited time and diversity of play experience to produce a relevant and timely review, these universal conditions make the act of reviewing games somewhat of an exercise in absurdity.

But aside from, or maybe in addition to, these kinds of obvious problems with game reviews, the real defect is actually in the assumptions that underlie the entire system. These are assumptions that no one ever really thinks or talks about, but which actually have a more significant influence on the validity and reliability of games reviews than some corporate trysts or poorly considered editorial policies.

The major flaw with all current review systems is that they try to assign numbers or, as is the case with the current 1Up network and former E.G.M. magazine, letters, to the complex and subjective experience of a playing a game. This is such a ubiquitous assumption about the best way to communicate evaluative information that most people don’t ever really consider how well a number actually represents a game experience.

Why, then, do people use numbers to rate games? For a number of reasons. One is that we are a culture produced by a long-standing belief in the reliability and impartiality of numbers. You can trace it back to the scientific revolution, when the worldviews of people started to shift away from a spiritual focus in favour of a scientific one. It’s a popular belief that science relies on numerical justification for theories and beliefs rather than emotions. Of course, if this were really the case the arguments between scientists wouldn’t be as heated or as prolonged as they often are. Scientists rely on emotion, intuition, and experience to help develop a hypothesis or theory, but in order for it to gain widespread acceptance, there has to be verifiable, objective, observable, repeatable data—often in the form of numbers—to validate the theory.

Forget that 92% of people over the age of 16 know that statistics are woefully untrustworthy and can be manipulated to say just about anything someone wants them to say; we still trust statistics when we see them because our culture is one that is obsessed with numbers; speed limits, prices, times—numbers rule our lives. They give game reviews an air of objectivity and invite trust, which is likely why they were adopted from film reviews in the early days of the videogame industry.

However, numbers aren’t as reliable as one might think. For example, in a recent edition of one prominent videogame magazine, none of the games reviewed were given less than five out of ten despite the reviews of numerous games lacking even a single positive comment. Numerically, a five out of ten is the middle, and would imply an average or adequate game, but when you look at the scores and compare those with the words, the reviewers were pretty clear that these were sub-standard, poor, and, in some cases terrible, games. Yet they still received a five out of ten. How then do you make sense of a numerical system where even obvious truths about numbers are ignored. If, then, a five out of ten is a horrible game, as was clearly the case in this magazine, what number represents an average game?

A number of months ago the 1Up Network decided to change to a letter grade score when reviewing games, in part, to avoid some of the problems with a numerical system, like the ambiguity of the numbers and the inevitably oversimplified and decontextualized use of game ratings on score aggregating websites. Even so, during a discussion about Mr. Lee’s score for 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand on a recent ListenUp! Podcast (February 27, 2009), Garnett Lee, John Davison, David Ellis, and Patrick Klepek, confronted the ambiguity of even letter grades. They couldn’t agree about whether a “C” or a “D” is a bare pass. They abandoned the discussion before confronting other questions that would have suggested how ridiculous a means for reviewing games any kind of grading scale really is, like if a “C” is a pass, what, then, is a “C-minus?” How much more enjoyable is a game that is given a “B-minus” instead of a “C-plus” or a 7.75 instead of a 7.50?

Anyone who is considering these kinds of fine distinctions regarding a score on a scale, and who is not also a teacher, is at least partly insane. It is the acme of lunacy to think that an entire experience can be distilled down to a letter or a number that will then have universal meaning for everyone.

Into this vortex of psychosis, I humbly suggest a saner and more useful system for reviewing games. My vision of an ideal game review is simple: words describe the experience, with reviewers clearly outlining the biases influencing, and limitations on, their knowledge and experience of the game.

First, aside from playing the game itself, words are the next best means of communication available to us when trying to evoke, capture, or express what it’s like to play a game. I don’t feel in numbers, nor do I think in numbers. I, like most people, think in images and words, so when a review uses images and words to share the feelings generated from playing a game, it’s far more effective at expressing the amount of enjoyment provided. If someone were to choose even a single word to review a game, how much more meaningful would that single word be than a single number? Imagine I told you that my review of Fallout 3 is that it’s “empowering.” Now compare that to me telling you that Fallout 3 is a 9. Imagine how lost you would be not knowing what that 9 is marked out of, or not knowing what other games I’ve given a 9 to, or not knowing how to convert that 9 from the metric to the Imperial system. Yet with the word “empowering,” you would know that it makes you feel powerful, which is something you can understand and use to decide whether that feeling is worth your money. The word has meaning but the number is meaningless. That’s not to say that knowing the other games I have called “empowering” wouldn’t also be helpful, but the word still captures an essential aspect of the game experience that “9” can never do.

Second, hearing from reviewers with varying levels of experience with the genre of the game being reviewed, with the franchise of the game being reviewed, and with games similar to the game being reviewed, would provide a broad range of experiences that would appeal to different types of players or consumers. Consider the conflict over the quality of the recent Halo Wars game. Experienced real-time-strategy (RTS) players and those who primarily play RTS’s on computer have complained that the game has been so dumbed down that it’s no longer fun or challenging. On the other hand, many people who haven’t played many RTS’s or who have only played them only on console rave about how much fun Halo Wars is because it’s so easy to pick up and play. Ideally, reviews would be selected so that they represent a variety of experience levels with a genre or a franchise so that people with similar experiences could better understand what they are likely to think about the game. If I’m a hardcore PC RTS player, I know I won’t like Halo Wars because the reviewer who has won StarCraft tournaments in South Korea says that it sucks; if I’ve never played an RTS before but I like the Halo franchise, I know I will likely enjoy the game because the reviewer who has only played first-person shooters enjoyed it.

Another reason the ideal game review would have multiple reviewers is because having more than one opinion provides the opportunity for a more balanced, complete, and accurate representation of a subjective experience. Instead of one person playing through a game with the sole responsibility of speaking authoritatively to everyone who will play the game, we need to learn a lesson from post-modern literary theory: Even if there is a single, absolute truth, we, as subjective and limited human beings, have no way to access it, so the best we can do is to recognize and consider multiple provisional, subjective, and limited truths in order to piece together some version of truth that we find acceptable. The more eyes looking at a game, the more hands playing it, the more minds writing about it, the more complete and accurate is the account of said game.

Third, instead of providing random and irrelevant information about the reviewers the way so many magazines and websites do (five favourite soup restaurants, games currently being played, hated things, etc.), provide significant and relevant information that will help us, as readers and consumers, evaluate the reliability and authority of the reviewers. For example, if a review is being posted for a Resident Evil (RE) game, it would be nice to know how many of the other games in the franchise the reviewers have played, and what they thought of them. It’s not that the perceptions of a rabid RE fanboy/girl are irrelevant and should be ignored when considering a review, it’s just that I would like to know what kinds of pre-existing attitudes and ideas may be at work behind the words that appear in the review. Or, if one of the reviewers of RE5 is a die-hard first-person shooter fan, that’s important information to have as I read the paragraphs ranting about the atrocious and archaic controls—especially as I compare that to another review, from someone who has never really played Western developed first-person shooters but has extensive experience with Japanese developed survival horror franchises, and who  describes the controls as solid.

Of course, not even this simple system is all that simple. The idea of organizations and writers being transparent with their readers about their biases is easier said than done. Removing a longstanding staple of film reviews, and subsequently of game reviews—numbers—would  be met with much anger, no matter how much more informative the resulting reviews might be. Not to mention that the costs of these kinds of reviews would make it prohibitive for print publications, particularly if game publishers respond negatively when they can no longer cite simple scores in the advertisements they place in those print publications.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I refer to reviews from several websites and magazines, but that’s only in an attempt to re-create the kind of review system I’m suggesting here. Even when I do this patching together of reviews from various trusted sources, I’m still provided with a ridiculous number that is supposed to encapsulate and represent everything stated in a several hundred word review. As most intelligent game reviewers note, you can’t just look at the number – you need to read the words to understand why a particular score is given. But if that’s the case, if the number doesn’t adequately replace all of the words, then why use a number at all?

As ridiculous as the current review format is, there are reasons to be hopeful that the games industry can move beyond this bizarre obsession with numbers. With the increasing prominence of online reviews where more words don’t result in more cost; with an increasingly discerning, demanding, and mature audience; and with the rise of independent and enthusiast-driven websites, there exists the possibility for this kind of review format—one that more accurately expresses the relative quality of a given game for a variety of different types of gamers by using words to describe its quality, rather than a number.

Returning to the initial question I asked: “Did you ever wonder why book reviewers worth the ink and paper their reviews are published with don’t provide numerical scores for the books they review?” The answer is simple: people who understand art and literature understand that numbers don’t adequately capture a human experience, and when attempting to express the emotional response to, or the entertainment value of, a piece of art, words are the most effective method of communication we have. That’s why they use words to communicate ideas and experiences rather than numbers; that’s why writers of literature do the same. The borrowing of a convention initially and misguidedly adopted by film critics, and the inability to recognize a most basic truth—that numbers are an utterly inadequate means of expressing human experience—are why game reviews are so laughingly flawed despite the emphasis placed upon them within the videogame industry.

by Kamikaze Sweets  [Sandra Olsansky]

Say goodbye to the winter blues, and hello to some good eats and drinks from The Blue Skittle staff…

Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip with Blue Tortilla Chips

Serves: However many people can get some before it’s gone.

Ingredients:

1 jar (12oz / 340mL) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

1 pkg (300g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

2 large garlic cloves, pressed

½ cup each sour cream and mayonnaise

¾ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Direction:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

In a bowl, combine artichokes, spinach, garlic, sour cream, mayonnaise and cheese; mix well.

Place mixture in a small baking dish, spreading evenly. Bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with blue corn tortilla chips.

Chicken Cordon Blue

Submitted by Dezign Grrl

Prep: 10 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 small, boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

6 Tbsp. (½ of pouch) Shake N Bake extra crispy seasoned coating mix.

2 cups instant rice, uncooked (optional)

⅔ cup (½ of 10 ¾ oz. can) condensed cream of celery soup

¼ cup milk

1 cup Kraft shredded cheddar & Monterey jack cheese

4-5 Slices of ham (sandwich slices)

Green onion add to sauce (Add to taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat chicken with coating mix as directed on package; place in greased 13×9-inch dish. Discard any remaining coating mix.

Fry chicken on stove top for a few min then fold with a slice of ham. (Optional, this is just a little something I do.)

Bake 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (170ºF). Meanwhile, cook rice as directed on package.

Beat soup and milk with wire whisk until well blended. Pour evenly over chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Add green onion. Bake an additional 5 min. or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Serve with rice.

Blueberry Crisp

Submitted by Ooopy

“How about a favourite of mine from when I was a kid. Easy as anything to make…and warm and yummy in the tummy” ~ Ooopy

Serves: 5-6

Preheat oven 350°F

Grease an 8 inch square baking dish

Arrange in 3 ¼ cups of fresh blueberries in baking dish

Depending on my mood I prepare either one of the following toppings:

Topping 1

Cream together:

⅓ cup butter

1 ¼ cup of lightly packed brown sugar

Combine the following ingredients then add to the above, and stir until crumbly:

¾ cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Topping 2

Combine until crumbly:

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup flour

½ cup rolled oats

3 Tablespoons butter

Sprinkle topping of choice over blueberries. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm. (Optionally serve with vanilla ice cream.)

The Blue Skittle

Submitted by kiki kat

Fill a shaker with ice and add:

2 oz Vodka (top shelf always preferred)

½ oz Blue Curacao

½ oz Tuaca

A dash of sweetened lime juice

Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

]]> http://www.theblueskittle.com/index.php/2009/04/11/gamers-can-cook/feed/ http://www.theblueskittle.com/index.php/2009/04/11/the-other-me-trixie360/ http://www.theblueskittle.com/index.php/2009/04/11/the-other-me-trixie360/#comments Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:00:48 +0000 kiki http://www.theblueskittle.com/?p=237 It’s difficult to group the average gamer into a common stereotype, since gamers are so diverse. Today’s gamer may be the mother of five standing in line in front of you at the grocery store or the swimmer up at five a.m. each morning for practice. For some people, gaming takes on a life of its own, separate from any day-to-day activities people find themselves involved with, while others have made a career out of gaming. But one thing gamers have in common, besides their love of games, is that they have a wide variety of interests and hobbies. Videogames aren’t what made them who they are; they are just an important part of their already full lives. Welcome to “The Other Me.” Each month we will take a look at some of the more interesting hobbies and activities people find themselves doing when they aren’t gaming. This would include things such as flying airplanes, playing paintball, volunteer work, collecting coins, or even amassing the largest matchbook collection ever. So if you have a hobby or interest you want to share, send an email to kiki@theblueskittle.com.

by Kiki Lewis [kiki kat]

I have known our next profiled victim for numerous years now as I convinced her to include my son in one of her world famous Gamer Spotlights, threatened to “own her n00b ass” in arcade games on Xbox, eagerly joined her in the first batch of Xbox Gamer chiX (XGX), joined the Xbox Ambassador program she created, and eventually moved to a new state to work for her for a absolutely wonderful five months.  I am talking about the one and only Trixie360, otherwise known in real life as Christa.  Without her I doubt I would have become so engrossed in the Xbox community.  She has a way about her that pulls people into the Xbox community and keeps them there.  But the main reason I am happy to write this profile on her is that I consider her a real life friend (and neighbor)!

Christa grew up in Bellevue, Washington but traveled around during the summers living the hotel life since her parents were musicians.  She also has a younger brother who met his fiancée playing Asheron’s Call.  After dropping out of three colleges, Christa is only 15 credits short of a Bachelor of Arts degree. After the first time she dropped out, she dropped into New York City ‘to be a writer’. And as most aspiring writers do she worked a wide variety of jobs from nanny to an apprentice film editor to receptionist, finally as an office manager during the four year stint.  But she still wasn’t ‘a writer’.

The second time she dropped out of college was to take a full-time position for her first job in the games industry… as a writer!  After several years working at Sierra On-Line they asked her to move to Los Angeles since her department was merging and she declined.  The was a fortunate decision for the Xbox Community because she took a contract job at Microsofts Xbox division writing documentation on the brand new Xbox LIVE service.  After only three months of working there they hired her on full time and on July 1st she will have been there for seven years!

Enough of me talking about Christa… let’s hear what she has to say!

Name: Christa
Gamertag: Trixie360

“The Xbox Community Manager”

Easiest way to describe my job is to think of Xbox LIVE as a ship with 17 million passengers….and I’m the Cruise Director. I don’t drive the ship, or swab the decks; it’s my job to make sure everyone has a good time, meets cool people, stays safe, and plays nice. I get to think of fun activities for them to do, and introduce them to people that I think they would like and get along with. To this end I’ve created a fair number of Xbox LIVE programs: Music Monday, Family Game Night, Ladies Night, Co-Op Night (in partnership with BA Penguin from Co-optimus), Frag Doll Friday (with Ubisoft), Xbox All-Nighter, Community Playdate, and Arcade Afternooon. I also manage what my boss calls social programs: Xbox GamerchiX (co-founded by DirtyDiva and PMS Kitty) and Xbox Ambassadors. I have a weekly show on Inside Xbox called “Community Close-Up” and I run the Community ‘channel’ on Xbox.com.

Creative
Frustrating
Sisyphean

I got a job as a part-time Assistant Editor at Sierra On-Line’s quarterly in-house magazine. I really wasn’t very interested in videogames since I outgrew the Atari 2600. I’d played King’s Quest 2 on my brother’s computer. I got the gig because John Williams (brother of game legend Ken) liked the snarky editorials I wrote for my college newspaper. He wanted attitude, and he got it!  Right now I am struggling just to stay in place with the recent and tragic loss of half of Team Trixie, so my big plans (and believe me I had some doozies!) are on hold while I rock back and forth in my empty office weeping quietly.

Favorite snack food/drink: Diet Coke

Time Commitment: Eight to nine hours a day in the office, two to three more at home on weekdays. Weekends I spend six to eight hours working.

Future Plans: I want to be a novelist.

Injuries while gaming: Not yet, though I have partied myself sick at many gaming events.

Most Exciting Moment: Front page of the LA Times business section, baby!

Most Embarrassing Moment: Getting recognized when I’m out with my kids. It’s flattering of course, but half the time I look like a freakin’ scrub and once we’ve done the “are you Trixie360?” “Yes” there’s an awkward moment where I’m not sure how to proceed. If they say they like my show then I say thanks of course, but then I feel dumb and want to put them at ease and start asking questions about what their gamertag is or what they’re playing and really, where do you go from there?

Real Life and Gaming Interaction/Overlap: Everywhere. I met my husband through my job (he was a Trixie stalker). We got more wedding presents from the Xbox LIVE community than we did from family members. Apparently his family hates me already.

Number of times you wish you never got involved in the gaming community: How many times a DAY, or how many times overall?

Gaming community associations: I’m a Facebook and Twitter addict. But it’s all kinda Xbox-related. I did just join LibraryThing, but immediately created a book club for GamerchiX.

Words used only in the Xbox Community:
Trixiedust
Trixillation
Wrath of Trixie

Gaming preferences: Xbox 360 is my every day go-to machine. The whole family digs it. As you know I’m a Zuma girl. I use it to wind down at the end of the day. Sometimes when I’ve got the house to myself I’ll listen to the Saturday night opera on classic KING FM and have a Zuma marathon…see how many times in a row I can beat it. And I also like Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Scene It. I don’t much care for shooting or sports. As for other consoles, I do enjoy my DS. I got the ice blue one recently and gave my pink one to my husband. He’s a Marine, so no one makes fun of his pink DS.

Joke: God is in the Garden of Eden giving stuff to Adam and Eve. God says, “I’ve got two things left in the goodie bag… who wants it?” Adam says “Well I was created first and you have made me superior to Eve. I will go first, as is my right.” God reaches into the bag and hands something to Adam. “Ah, the ability to pee standing up,” he says. “Have fun with that.”

God peers into the bag and says, “I’m sorry Eve, all I’ve got left is multiple orgasms.”

In January, I was lucky enough to travel to Vegas and get out of the cold of Toronto to attend CES and work at the Tritton Technology Booth with my gaming teammate Horhay123 from KRA.  It was wonderful to spend time with my friends from Tritton, who I initially met two years ago at CES and with whom I have, over the years, built a wonderful friendship. By being at the booth all weekend I was able to meet people from new communities and meet up with some friends from past events.  To me, meeting all the members of the gaming community was what made CES special.  It was great to introduce old friends to new friends.   I can’t explain how much it means to me to visit with various members of websites like Sarcastic Gamer, Gamertag Radio, 10k.com, The BitBag, GamesonSmash, GamingAngels, and GirlGamer.  And watching friendships start between people from different communities and websites was equally priceless, as our common passion for video games brought us together.  That’s what community is about.

In the month of February some sites are focusing on the “loving” side of gaming or what’s up and coming.  Feeling the love from the communities at CES, I decide to look around to see what people are doing.  This month we highlight members from various communities; we have Peterocc talking about GTR’s Community Vibes Party in Miami, Zach talking about his charity and event in Michigan, and Jeff Gilbert and his program to bring joy into seniors’ lives by playing videogames.    Fatherwags entertains us with his article, “Escape into Tedium”, and we take a closer look at the art of Lucas in our gamer profile “The Other Me”.

So if you need a little pick-me-up to help you out of your winter funk, or if you want to see what’s happening in a few of the world’s of gaming communities, or if you just need something to read while on the bus, we have you covered. And thanks for sharing a bit of the TBS community; we hope you’ll feel at home!

Executive Director Ooopy [Elaine Beemer]
Creative Director ichigo sage [Andrea Avellan]

Editors

Editor kiki kat [Kiki Lewis]
Editor fatherwags [Richard Wagner]
Editor Surplus Talent [Tim Jones]
Editor Mulderesque [Cynthia Kaye]

Graphics

Executive Designer kwynn [Denise Wynn]
Graphics Dezign Grrl [Zendra MacLeod]

In This Issue

Contributor Coral Toe [Heather Howe]
Contributor Koolaye [Nicole Naipo]

This month TBS would like to spotlight a non-web based community of gamers, the Salt Lake Community College Video Game Club.  This group of gamers has chosen to bring a little joy and activity into the lives of local senior citizens, by introducing them to gaming via the Nintendo Wii.  The group gets together at local retirement communities, gets them involved in Wii games such as bowling, and then provides them with a donated Wii for their very own.  We spoke with Jeff Gilbert, the president of the SLCC VGC to find out more about his club, and their community service events.

TBS: Tell us a little about the SLCC VGC.  How long has
it been around, how did it get started and how many people participate?

Jeff: The SLCC VGC officially started January 2008.   The idea for a campus video game club began when I noticed how many people at my college were wearing video game paraphernalia.  I also took note of how many friends I had who were avid gamers/college students.  So I went to club rush with my Nintendo Wii and a sign up sheet to recruit perspective members.  My table turned out to be quite popular and I recruited well over the required number of people to found an official club under the College Student Govt.

TBS: As a video game club - what do you do?  Do you meet at specific
times to play video games, do you play together online, do you attend gaming
events?

Jeff: The VGC meets on Fridays from 5pm to 8pm to hold short meetings to plan events, projects, etc. and play video games.  Most of us can’t find the time to meet up online as we’re pretty busy with school.  Also, we’re poor college students…Maybe we should raffle off some live accounts!  Our club was at GEEX 08′ (Gaming & Electronics Expo) We ran a booth featuring NES games.  The VGC also creates and promotes gaming events at the college for the students and the community at large.

TBS: What made you decide to do community service events?  How long
have you been doing these events, and what types of events have you done in
the past?

Jeff: To be an official club of Salt Lake Community College, clubs must perform one community service event each semester.  I didn’t want my service projects to be boring, so I placed a lot of emphasis in doing something big as well as fun for those participating. The first semester all we could do was to take my own Wii to a retirement home and play with the residents for an evening.  Once we got the club rolling I was able to find a sponsor, our local Internet service provider, X mission, and then we were able to give Wiis away.  We gave our first Wii away last November.  Our next giveaway should be sometime in late February.

TBS: What has your experience been when reaching out to bring video
gaming to seniors?

Jeff: Seniors really get into the Wii.  Also, they will own you on Wii Bowling. Wiis are a fun and exciting way for older generations to interact with and experience the benefits of new technology. Wiis have also been shown to promote well being by assisting in speeding up rehabilitation times and assisting with postponing the onset of alzheimer’s disease.  Some of the comments I received from participants were that they were able to enjoy some of their past hobbies that they could no longer participate in through the Wii (Sports such as bowling, darts, golf, etc).

If you are interested in starting a video game club at your campus, Jeff invites you to contact him.  In addition, his club takes an active interest in the role of video games in society: “If there is enough interest throughout the college community as well as the community at large, gamers can band together to begin to address several of the common misconceptions about video games.”  Overall it is nice to see gamers promoting our hobby in a light that shows the good side of this ever-growing pastime!