Second Life Affair Ends in Divorce

Second Life Affair End in Divorce

Source: CNN

National Videogame Archive

I would like to bring to attention The National Video Game Archive, which was launched this September. As the main website states, The National Video Game Archive is "a joint project between the National Media Museum and Nottingham Trent University, which aims to celebrate that culture and preserve that history for researchers, developers, game fans and the public."

The FAQ on the site further elaborates:

The National Videogame Archive will collect, interpret, make accessible for study and research and, where possible, exhibit videogames and the associated ephemera paraphernalia of videogame cultures. The Archive aims to preserve, analyse and display the products of the global videogame industry by placing the games in their historical, social, political and cultural contexts. This means treating videogames as more than digital code that can be dissected and emulated or as a system of rules or representations. At the heart of the National Videogames Archive is a respect for the material form of the game as well as the boxart, manuals, advertising, marketing and merchandising materials that support it and that give it meaning and context.

Video Games are an important part of our history, and I commend the NVA for their effort to preserve our stories. A joint website, Save the Video Game, offers industry personnel perspectives on video games worth preserving.

Via Gamasutra

I proposed by hacking Chrono Trigger

YouTube video description by TheRealPfhreak:

On October 17th, 2008, I proposed to my (now) Fiancee. Originally I wanted to return to the site of our first date, Mount Baker, near Bellingham Washington. Sadly, there was no discreet way to get her out there. So I turned to the next best thing, digitally recreating the mountain!

But why stop there? I figured I'd try and recreate many of our other favorite memories -- stargazing, dancing, even her favorite song lyrics (from the Princess Bride). I'm a college student who is studying Computer Science, and I wanted to do something unique that used my talents, so I did some research on Rom hacking, as she was playing through Chrono Trigger. (A perennial favorite of mine, I can't wait to buy it for my DS.) I even put in her cat, Cleo!

I had several goals in mind:
First) Keep the area in the context of the original game, the proposal should be a surprise.
Second) Get it done quick! I had the ring, I had the Father's blessing, and you can't sit on either of those for too long. You'll notice some of the NPC collision information is missing (the cat runs through a lot of weird places) and I didn't have time to properly debug every tile.
Third) Place memories that might be poignant enough to remind her of our relationship, while not inadvertently giving away that this was somehow hacked.(See goal #1.)

Overall, it was a resounding success. She had no idea that this wasn't part of the original. She asked, "Hey, are those the Princess Bride lyrics? Do the Japanese really love that movie?" to which I responded, "Yeah! That's probably it! Either that or a bored translator slipping in an easter egg."

When her name appeared on screen (blurred in this video), she glanced over to me (on one knee, with the ring out), wondering, "How did they get my name in this game?" When she saw the ring, she reread the proposal, nodded yes, and said, "You are such a huge nerd! I love this!"

I spent a long time debating whether or not this proposal was awesome or incredibly stupid. Her friends, and my friends helped talk me into it, and it was a huge success!

I built the area by fusing a pre-existing area (Denodoro Mountains) with concepts I had in my mind. Each NPC in the area (save the cat, and the young girl at the beginning) is supposed to be either myself or my fiance.

By TheRealPfhreak. From YouTube. [Story via 1up]

TEAM ROOMBA PRESENTS: More Team Fortress 2 Griefing

Team Roomba was a genius griefing effort by its two members, led by Ryan "Floor_Master" Mannion. This year, Ryan Mannion passed away. For a poetic tribute to his memory, see the Team Roomba website. You can also read an interview with the Team at The Escapist to understand a bit of their philosophy. My Game Story offers its condolences to the family and friends of Ryan Mannion.

By Team Roomba and Ryan "Floor_Master" Mannion.

Fate Illuminate

Fate Illuminate

supplant that twinge of hesitation
momentum steeled in exhalation
that bound beyond horizon's edge

to the dogs throw any scraps of fear
check all pity for your bruising lungs
supplant that twinge of hesitation

saliva bitter, spit out the tar
grit concrete into bleeding pores
for that bound beyond horizon's edge

sinews snap and callous bursts
pontify your leap to fate
supplant that twinge of hesitation

overt exertion, ecstatic motion
a secretion of endorphins blind
that bound beyond horizon's edge

of reason shatter any bastion
reflecting faith in mirror's frame
supplant that twinge of hesitation
that bound beyond horizon's edge

By Finn Haverkamp.

How Rock Band Saved My Marriage

By Rachel Shukert. On Salon [via Next-Gen]

GF TF2

From lavalevel:

For this experiment I got my girlfriend who is by no means a gamer to play Team Fortress 2 and record her reactions.
I had given her the basics of movement and controls earlier and what you are seeing is her first attempts since that.

It turned out to be really interesting to see a player who doesn't have the general gaming know how that we take for granted handle in a frantic and competitive environment.

She was a great sport and I thank her heaps for it! You can also see she is SUPER companionate.

Footage by Simon Cotee. Played by Simon Cottee's girl friend. From lavalevel.net. Also available on GameTrailers