[You can check out previous installments of this series at Overdoing It: Sequelmania and Overdoing It: Boobies]

I think we can all agree that the vast majority of people that call themselves “gamers” would doubtless own a PS3, Xbox 360, or both. With the introduction of these consoles came a brand new feature that has undoubtedly become something of a viral sensation: trophies and achievements.

Whether it’s pumping hundreds of hours into your 360 in order to reach that coveted 100,000 GamerScore, or searching for the last hidden item that will grant you yet another Platinum trophy, games are now giving players the opportunity to showcase their (forgive me) prowess in the gaming arena.

So when did we decide that it was okay for gaming to become a job?

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In respect to the Academy Award nominees, I’ve decided to roll out the red carpet and match our favorite video games to an Oscar nominated film.  With an array of AAA games gracing our consoles and PCs, and the high quality production of films hitting the big screen, there’s no shortage of film to game counter-parts.

While actual film to video game adaptations have never gone over well, these selections will surely give audiences of both outlets something to cheer about.  So join me after the break as we look at the nominations. Read more… »

The independent game market has exploded over the last few years, largely due to more accessible means of distribution, such as Xbox LIVE and the Playstation Network. In fact, many of the games developed for these platforms owe their huge success to the exposure garnered from their IGF wins.

Even still, the Independent Games Festival goes significantly unnoticed by the gaming community at large, despite numbers continually growing for the San Francisco based event. In fact, this year’s IGF is the largest to date and with good reason: the entries for this year are simply amazing in design, concept, and execution.

If you haven’t been following the nominations and news that have peppered gaming websites since this January, read on to learn more about the five finalists that will likely be gracing your console of choice soon enough.

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I’m not a fan of wireless controllers. Oh, I agree that they are convenient. There is no risk of living room traffic tripping over the cord and either disconnecting the controller or yanking the console itself off the stand. Want to play a game from the bathroom using a series of angled mirrors to view the TV set down the hall? Go nuts.

We can probably agree that the first controller to get wireless “right” was the GameCube’s WaveBird. I remember picking one up on a whim at Walmart and loving it instantly. It was so reliable! Sure, it felt a bit lifeless with force feedback removed, but the battery life was great!

Those tiny concessions were only the start of my misgivings.

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I am not a father. The possibility of my becoming a father is still up in the air; it seems a distant prospect, like a future that belongs to someone who isn’t quite me. Perhaps I will become that person one day, and perhaps I will not.

My experiences playing the father have come in two recent games: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and Bioshock 2, both of which are games centered heavily on the idea of what it means to be a father, and how parenthood might relate to the people that our children become.

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There is no denying that the Halo series has become a video game cultural phenomenon that has helped define an entire generation of life-long gamers. Because of this, Microsoft has never been content to keep the Halo brand contained within the confines of just gaming. They have branched out, creating everything from toys, to clothing, books, and even their own line of Mountain Dew drinks.

It’s only natural then that their next big venture would be to bring the series to the small screen, in the form of a collection of seven animated short stories called Halo Legends.  Created by five of the top animation studios in Japan, this collection provides a glimpse into the Halo universe as never experienced before.

The question is, does Halo Legends compliment the games in a way that warrants it being in every Halo fan’s collection, or is it simply another attempt to milk the brand? Read more… »

A quick search on the internet for “video game addiction” brings up many results for clinics and organisations claiming treatment for the problem. The website for On-Line Gamers Anonymous even has its own 12-steps and (somewhat dubious) list of addictive games.

Video game addiction is not listed as an official condition by the American Medical Association, however, intense debate is underway about whether it should be included. Why should you care about this? Can video game addiction possibly be as bad as alcohol, gambling, or drug addictions?

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World of Warcraft used to be my game of choice. “Vanilla WoW” as they called it, brought me some of the best video game experiences I have had. Nothing quite like killing Ragnaros for the first time with a group of 39 other people you have never actually met. Experiences like this, the friends I made, and the elite group one was part of for having purples is what kept me playing. Then, Blizzard decided to give the game the “kiss of death” as I see it: accessibility.

Accessibility – or “catering to the casuals” as I call it – is slowly having an impact on the video game industry’s biggest titles. While change can be a good thing, accessibility seems to be exponentially finding its way to the forefront of video game designers’ minds. Is this a good or bad thing? Read more… »

As an adolescent, I was a child who lived in two distinctly different worlds. I loved to play Dungeons and Dragons and video games with a small group of friends, and I was on the football team as well. I loved the competition and teamwork of sports, but I also loved the imagination and strategy of gaming.

When my teammates inevitably found out about my gaming habits, they were quite thorough with their mockery. It was one of those crossroads moments in my life. I chose to spend time with the nerds who at least accepted my jockness over the jocks who chose to close their minds completely to the joys of my nerdiness.

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The idea of games as art has been a discussion point within the industry for a while now. We’ve had researchers claim that games are as valuable as books in terms of literary value, while Tale of Tales, developer of The Path, has outright stated that they believe that “games are not art”, and are “largely a waste of time”.

This last sentiment was expressed at the Art History Of Games conference last week. On the face of it, this is a remarkably bold statement for the developer of a number of games considered as close to literal translations of art. In fact, it seems to fly in the face of statements they have made in past interviews, where they claimed that The Path was created as a work of art. It would seem, then, that they’ve had a bit of a change of heart. So are games art? More importantly, what exactly do we mean by ‘art’?

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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, and knowing that most of you will probably be curled up in a ball sobbing relentlessly into your pillows, I thought it was high time that I unleashed the secrets of getting a girl into gaming.

You may already have a girlfriend, or you may have a terrified teenager shackled to your washing machine in the basement. Either way, here are some handy tips to get the old ball and chain to start enjoying video games.

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In 1989, a movie was released that promised to be the ultimate film about the gamer. A movie where Fred Savage and his mentally impaired brother would fight against the powers that be (their parents) to become the video game champions of the world.

Where Nintendo would shamelessly flaunt every product they had, and at the end launch the most anticipated game of the late eighties. Where 10-year-old kids were able to travel across the country alone without ringing any bells. Where the Power Glove was king.

This movie was The Wizard, and I’m here to tell you how much it rocked. Please note, there are spoilers. Awesome spoilers.

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