Rock, Paper, Shotgun

I figure it’s time for another regular (i.e. Whenever I remember and/or be bothered to do it) series. It’s Sunday. If you’re reading RPS today, I figure you’re of a more relaxed sedentary bent that the weekday chaos of TRYING TO AVOID WORK. You want something to read with some moral and intellectual fibre. Sadly, you’ve come to RPS, but we’ll try hard to avoid posting links to 80s pop videos.

• You may be aware, Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal has started writing a column for popular novel-cover-treatment magazine Edge. He’s started expanding on them over at Newsweek. The first is The Edge of Reason: Why It Might Be a Good Idea to Incorporate Social Sanction Into Videogames where he’s talking about the idea of societal pressure in gaming social networks and how it may be harnessed. GO THINKING.
• While those following the Kane and Lynched mob are best looking at our previous post, this is interesting. Fellow West Coastians 1UP start a picket outside CNET’s headquarters. More photos on their flickr. The proverbial crazy scenes make me wonder whether I’m going to get to be a Renegade Games Journalist, on the loose, causing trouble. Because that’d be at least something kinda neat to come from this complete clusterfuck.
• Guitarist of the sadly defunct Sleater Kinney Carrie Brownstein had a look at something that’s probably just beyond the range of RPS’ mandate – Rock Band. However, where she’s actually interesting, it applies just as much to Guitar Hero and Frets on Fire. Key quote: “With so much of music blurring the lines between ersatz and authenticity, at least the Rock Band game is a tribute to rock, rather than an affront. In the realm of fakery, I would choose Rock Band over American Idol or over any of the other flimsy truths masquerading as music. With Rock Band, you can play along to Black Sabbath or Nirvana and possibly find new ways of appreciating their artistry by being allowed to perform parallel to it. Rock Band puts you inside the guts of a song.” The last line, specifically, is absolutely the key when it comes to thinking about these games, and I kind of ramble a bit about it over in an old Escapist piece here.
• On the Ebert hates Games note, GAMBIT Game Lab at MIT pick up on the topic and weigh in with their thoughts.
• He’s a tricky one: Who do you prefer between Pink-Sunshine era Fuzzbox and Strawberry Switchblade circa-the-Hit?

We failed you.

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