The Sunday Papers

Sundays are for bloodily bursting from the guts of an enormous Kieron-eating monster because not even death itself can stop me from compiling a weekly list of interesting (mostly) game related reading from across the week while trying to avoid linking to a pop-song. I am your Games Journalist Mesisah. [Do we edit this, or is it funnier just to leave it? - The Rest Of RPS]

• Quinns doesn't just write for us, mores the pity. Here's a piece he did on the joy of being confused for Eurogamer - as in, when you go Off The Map. Secondly, here's his regular column for Game Set Watch. This time, it's on Red Orchestra.
• Actually, while we're over at Game Set Watch, Lewis wrote about how games should be easier. Leigh Alexander has threatened a counter-point already. I personally think games should be at the exact difficulty where it's just too hard for John and not too hard for me, because that'll amp up bragging rights enormously.
• You know Alice & Kev, the Sims homelessness tale by Roburky. If you haven't read it for a while, it's reaching something of an emotional climax right now.
• Have videogames reached the Jukebox age?
• Mark Stephen Meadows and Peter Ludlow write about a virtual life and an actual death.
• EA filing against EDGE games' paper makes fascinating reading.
• BoingBoing off-shoot Offworld has only updated a single post since Teutonic Theory Titan Margaret Robertson's column on why Halo makes her want to lay down and die - except, y'know - in a good way. Is this it for one of the best games blogs on the Internet?
• The Reticule on the incredi-ancient proto-Deus Ex Doom-period-game Strife.
• I admit, I've never watched any of the Guild, but the Wired profile of Felicia Day is fascinating reading, and speaks to a lot of problems of... well, the sort of world RPS is in, in its small way.
• Perseus 9 was the first to point at this New Scientist article which notes that gamers get a testosterone surge when they beat the shit out of a stranger - which they don't actually get when beating a friend. It's the sort of thing which makes a lot of sense, the more you think about it. Though doesn't explain why sulkiness abounds when playing board games with friends. Well, because all my friends are bastards.
• Christian Donlan's Eurogamer preview on The Secret World is some of the best coverage of the game I've seen so far.
• I've been in communication with a chap on this games criticism module this week. I'm linking to the week-by-week breakdown of what they cover, because I think the suggested reading is interesting. I mean, clearly, I disagree with a lot of it but that turned the question into what would I include if I was forced into running a similar course. Any ideas, people?
• Following on from QT3 posting a link to the Greg Costikyan piece on randomness, this essay by Mark Rosewater on randomness in Magic turned up. Interesting stuff again.
• Charlie Brooker on why Mac owners are tedious bullying wankers, basically (Though the new Microsoft adverts are sinister beyond belief).
• Simon Parkin writes about why the genius-yet-disappointing DS game Scribblenauts really is a game for kids. As in, in a good way. As in, it'll improve the game enormously if you play it with one.
• Splendid futurist James Casico teases his presentation at the Singularity Summit - the splendidly titled Emma-Goldman-referencing "If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want to be Part of Your Singularity" - with the following essay on the concept of the Singularity. Strong stuff.
• It was my birthday this week. BUT HOW COME NO-ONE EVER TOLD ME I'M EXACTLY THE SAME AGE AS THE APACHE AH-64 ATTACK CHOPPER!?!?!?
• Have we violated our contract with Giant Squid?
• Been catching up with Felix Da Housecat this week, hence We All Want To Be Prince has got much play.

Failed.