The debate over “casual” versus “hardcore” players is an old one, but with the increasing popularity of casual games the old rules that defined hardcore as the serious gamers are fast becoming outdated. Will hardcore gaming remain the heart of the industry that drives innovation and creates lasting franchises or will casual gaming overtake it to become the voice of modern gamers? (more…)
By Robyn Fleming
I improvised this fingerless “glove” (they would be more properly called wrist-warmers, I believe) pattern when my heater broke down one winter semester and I had a lot of papers due. I needed something that would help keep my hands warm, but which left me freedom of movement so that I could type. Later, I discovered that these gloves work as well for gamers as they do for students, allowing one to keep toasty while handling a controller, stylus or pencil just as easily as a keyboard and mouse.
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By Andrea Rubenstein
When we think of video games, and by extension video game commercials that feature players, we think of guys. Usually commercials show us gamers who are close to the stereotype: white, geeky, stick-thin guys. This is not so for the Wii, which aggressively targets a broader demographic. The commercials below all feature a range of players outside the stereotype; they are obviously sending the message, “the Wii is for you, and you, and you!” (more…)
By Samara Hayley Steele
Editor’s note: Though Samara was unable to continue her regular series this month, we at Cerise are pleased to publish a poem she has written that deals with the same topic, as an interlude.
I drink it in like communion wine, as though the crisp forest air can purify me, washing away the smog and dirt and grimy memories I left back in the city.
Reality Repackaged
The first rule of LARP is…you don’t talk about LARP
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By Robyn Fleming
I think it was Brandy’s idea, but by the end of the evening both of us were equally enthusiastic about it. We were hanging out, having dinner and chatting at my apartment, and the conversation turned to her recent experiences as a newbie to tabletop roleplaying games. She happened to be playing with more or less the same group of players I had game-mastered a long-running game for a couple of years ago, and we spent quite some time comparing notes on playing styles and telling funny stories from particularly memorable sessions.
One part of the gaming experience that we had very much in common was being the only woman in the group. (more…)
By Robyn Fleming
Mighty Ponygirl’s Feminist Gamers started up right around the same time as Cerise and Iris started to come together, and I’ve followed the blog with considerable interest. I asked Mighty Ponygirl if she’d do an interview with us for this month’s issue, and was thrilled when she agreed. I hope you’ll all find her responses to my questions as interesting as I did.
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