The Sunday Papers

Sundays are for finishing off an epic videogame play-by-mail battle, trying to shake a nasty lady gaga obsession and compiling a (particularly enormous) list of the interesting (mostly) games related reading from across the week, without linking to some manner of hastily lobbed up you-tube entry by the alt Lady Gaga. Go!

• Do look past the questionable writing - as all readers of RPS should be more than capable of being - and the EA_SPOUSE-echoing words of the Wives of Rockstar San Diego is an ugly picture of development.
• Actually, talking about EA_Spouse, the lady behind the moniker - among her various work - is still doing regular pieces for the Escapist. This one caught my eye, because it links two of my favourite things. Videogames and Riot Grrrl.
• I was thinking about Erin the other day, after reading Leigh Alexander's piece explaining why Bayonetta is actually a wonderful female role model. That the biggest name in female videogame criticism finds her natural instincts to write apologia for almost anything sexual in games - as brilliant as she is at that - seems an odd warping of the deck. Or, now I think about it some more, perhaps entirely natural. What could be more popular with a generally male readership than a female journalist saying it's all okay?
• Actually, while we're at the Escapist, here's a piece entitled Vaginaphobia. Lots of numbers, lots of examination of imagery and all that. I'm going to write about VVVVV soon, and have a worryingly gynaphobic analysis of one bit in the game. Man!
• And let's run away from matters sexual. Who better to take us there than Adam "Canabalt" Saltsman who explains why game accessibility matters. And he bloody should know.
• The oft-brilliant Matt Jones asks an intriguing alternate angle to the well-ploughed ground of Are Games Art? That is, whether Are Games Design?
• We just finished the RPS game of Solium Infernum, so expect the diary series to start shortly. However, I thought Poisoned Sponge's experiences with the devil-backbiting-game informing the thinking of a recent brush with a somewhat vindictive driver interesting. This happens with me all the time, with all manner of games, from those teenage days when I used to describe particularly beautiful sunsets as having really neat copper shading.
• IGF response's: Chris Park explains why he wasn't surprised not to see AI War in there... and why he's okay with that.
• Denby's article on game worlds features quotes from the Zeno Clash and Pathologic/The Void folk. Reason enough to go read, sez I.
• Actually, since he got called out last week, here's Denby's response to the critique of Post-Script.
• Talking about attacking enemies, here's Alexander Gambotto-Burke urging you to charge your windmills. I fucking hate windmills. Bastards. Also, Alexander appears to have eaten Paul Morley.
• Raph Koster's Metaplace won't be happening. This Eurogamer interview, before it happened but updated to include relevant bits, is an enlightening look at the situation and the MMO in general. A shame, basically.
• And on MMO problems, Shamus Young explains why you can't just have thousands of people in an MMO space. You probably know this, but if you don't, you certainly will after reading this.
• Ready-Up interview Antony Johnson and Rhianna Pratchett on writing and videogames. You've probably read some of Rhi's opinions before, but Antony (DEAD SPACE) may be less familiar. Smart folks, yabbering.
• Over at Gamasutra, CCP Asia on their Chinese Collaboration.
• Here's an interesting idea: Game Design As Government.
• Bruce Sterling's state-of-the-world Q&A Address. I wish I was clever. Sad emoticon.
• Unusual retrospective list. Best board games of the 00s. Stuff to learn. I should play many of these.
• FEAR THE WHEELER!!!!!!!
• I may have linked to How Fucking Romantic - the ongoing comics blog where various lovely indie comics folk are going all the way through Magnetic Field's 69 Love Songs and doing comics about them all - before. But I dug Julia Scheele's latest one a lot, so I'm doing it again.
• Hypemachine's illustrated Top 50 Zeitgeist thing charms with both illustration and contents.
• My first comic of the year comes out next week. S.W.O.R.D. 3. Preview here. I think it's probably my favourite issue
• Amanda Palmer song-blogs her Gaga/Palmer/Madonna. Which is terribly cute, yet devious. However, I also agree those people are brave.

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