Now I'm a Goombella not only on Gamespot, but also IRL! I'm level 33 on Gamespot and I'm 33 today! (I know. I'm old.)

I woke up to automated birthday e-mails from Wipeoutzone, Cheap Ass Gamer, and Shoryuken. Thanks for the wishes, mailbots!

My awesome wife gave me 3D Dot Game Heroes, which is exactly the kind of game I'm in the mood for right now: some old school narrative adventuring with a cool visual twist. Bring it on, Dotnia!

My relatives gave me cash, which is exactly the kind of stuff I love to have on hand to spend on games. Before I give up buying games for a year in 2011, I plan on stocking up with:

• Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes for PSN
• DJ Hero 2 for PS3
• Maybe the Sly Collection. [I never played these on PS2. Are they worth it?]
• Bioshock 2 for PC
• StarCraft II

I'm pretty sure that, plus all my other games, plus all the free junk available online, will last me through 2011 at least.

***Warning: Grossness Ensues Here***

Speaking of free junk available online: Last night, out of mildly-baffled interest, I downloaded the free edutainment game Privates from E4. It's about a tiny squad of condom-hatted guys(?) who blast viruses, fungi, bacteria, and killer sperm while exploring people's infected… orifices. It's meant to teach about STD's (or STI's, depending on how you acronymize it) in a shocking way that ought to catch teenagers' attention. I'd be curious to know if it has any impact. Will this game encourage any teens who play it to practice safer sex? I have my doubts. I have yet to clear the first level, but the game seems to treat its subject matter too lightly to really hit home. It does play up the gross-out factor, but I wonder if it's enough.

Anyway. I'll keep an eye out for news on this game. It's meant to be released on XBLA before long, but that might not happen considering the game's settings, which, I've said, if you've already forgotten, are the insides of people's bits of the naughty variety.

Ew.

On my bookshelf, I've recently started a section for books about video games. My focus is on non-fiction that explores the culture of video games, rather than on novelizations or strategy guides. It's a small section so far, but it's already got some great books and it's growing. Here's what I've got:

• What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy by James Paul Gee – This is an awesome book that breaks down the many ways we can and do learn from video games.
• Grand Theft Childhood by Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson – A good book with solid research on the effects of violent video games: It's not as bad as the panic-stricken masses think.
• Extra Lives by Tom Bissell – A fantastic, cultured read.
• Playing to Win by David Sirlin – If you really want to know how to win, read this book.
• Okami Official Complete Works by Capcom – Okami has some kick-butt visuals, and they're all compiled in this kick-butt art book.
• Street Fighter: The Complete History by Chris Carle – A nostalgic thrill-ride for those who lived it. An important history lesson for others.
• Guinness World Records 2010: Gamer's Edition by Brady Games – Tons on interesting facts and trivia. Sometimes gets bogged down in industry achievements.
• Unplugged: My Journey into the Dark World of Video Games Addiction by Ryan G. Van Cleave – I've ordered this and it's on the way. A guy's story of his addiction to WoW, which apparently almost cost him his marriage and life! Is WoW really that good?!
• 1,001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die edited by Tony Mott – I've preordered this. It comes out in October. Over 900 pages of must-play video games. Fan-awesome-tastic!

So that's my library so far. What other books should I add to it?

It can be tough when you spend a lot of time and energy trying to beat part of a game, and you just fall short of succeeding. I've been facing this quite a bit lately with two games especially: Patapon 2 and Plants vs. Zombies.

Patapon 2 can be hard. There were times when I would spend 25 minutes fighting a single boss, slowly wearing him down with my last standing Patapon warrior, steadily holding the rhythm just so, and then ultimately getting Patapwnd by a single, unblockable attack and losing all my progress.

And in Plants vs. Zombies, I'm currently trying to get the Endless mode achievements. In Vasebreaker, you have to get to level 15. Last night, I got to level 14, and lost on the last 3 zombies! Now I have to start again from level 1. Ugh. This is about the tenth time I've had to start over. And I, Zombie Endless keeps kicking my butt.

What I struggle with when these kinds of things happen isn't rage. I think I've got that under reasonable control. What I struggle with when I lose is trying not to feel like I've just wasted my time. Whether I've won or lost, I still got to play the game and have fun while doing so, right? Losing just means that I get that much more playtime out of the game when I try again, right?

Right. I'll just keep telling myself that... :)

Post 100. Awesome. A special entry is needed to mark this occasion, so I guess I'll reveal, a few months early, my plan for next year: In 2011, I am not going to buy any games. For the whole year. At all. Even if it's on Steam for ninety-nine cents.

Why am I going to do this? I've figured out 5 reasons:

1. to finally get around to playing some of the great free games out there
2. to continue to enjoy the games I already own
3. to allow some time for the new games I want to grow old and drop in price in 2012
4. to save some cash in 2011
5. to have something to blog about
6. just to see if I can

I'll set myself some rules when I do this. For example, when I say I will play free games, I mean legitimately free. No piracy. Also, I will not ask for games for my birthday, Christmas, or Father's Day. Either I already own it, or it costs no money to play. I haven't enitrely decided if I'm going to cut out peripherals like controllers or 3D TVs as well. I guess I'll wait and see how hardcore I feel in December.

This isn't a protest. I'm not trying to prove that I don't need games or anything. I will be playing plenty of games next year. I just want to see how I handle a year without buying any new ones.

So, yeah. That's my plan. A pointless thing to do, I know, but I seem to thrive on this kind of stuff. So why not?

• I now have an XBox gamertag and 20 points, and I've never even played an Xbox 360! For this, I have a Games for Windows Live account with Tinker and Game Room (all free) to thank. Woo Hoo!

• I also got Half-Life 2 for under $3.50 during Steam's summer sale. Nice!

• PS3 trophies are starting to show up on Raptr and GameSpot Fuse! Looks like there are a few glitches with implementation, but they should get sorted out soon enough. Woo Hoo again!

• Plants vs. Zombies continues to be awesome.

• I'm about to go on summer holiday, which means 3 weeks without PS3 or PC games. Will only have my PSP to get me through. Guess I could use a gaming detox. I wish there were more games out there to get me excited about owning a PSP. Where's Plants vs. Zombies PSP or Puzzle Quest 2 PSP or Okami PSP or Critter Crunch PSP or another WipEout for PSP?

• Playstation Plus? I think I'll pass. Great value, yes, but with the limited amount of game time I feel that I have, I would like to choose my games rather than have them chosen for me. Still, for gamers with lots of time, I think it's a pretty great and exciting deal.

• The Canadian Playstation Store now has videos. As a promotion, us Canadians will get a voucher for a free copy of... Charlie's Angels?! Okay... It was a good movie... when it came out... 10 years ago... but hey, free is free. So, thanks!

• My next blog post will be my 100th!

ZOM[bie]G. Every ounce of brainpower I have that isn't currently occupied by my job or by being a good dad is consumed by the awesome Plants vs. Zombies. What a fantastic game. Funny. Requires thought. Not too easy, not too hard. Lots of fun modes and content. Only $9.99 on Steam (currently $6.99 during Steam's summer sale). I can't stop thinking about what level I want to complete next and I can't get the music by Laura Shigihara out of my head. Another gaming masterpiece. I just can't keep up with them all. I've said it before: What an exciting time to be a gamer!

Speaking of Steam's summer sale, I've finally gotten around to buying the original Half-Life. For $1.99. Half-Life originally came out around the time that my interest in FPSs for PC was starting to wane, so I never played it back in the day. I tried a demo, but having come from playing games like Doom and Duke Nukem 3D on my Gravis Gamepad, I wasn't yet accustomed to or enamoured with free-look. (Having to aim horizontally AND vertically while being attacked!? Why make it so complicated!?) But at last, I feel that I need to go back and see for myself what makes Gordon Freeman so great. (He did win Gamespot's Greatest Game Hero competition after all.) In this case, my aversion to games centred around firearms is being overridden by my interest in highly-acclaimed, groundbreaking games. :)

Quit Coffee Month update: I've done it. I've quit drinking coffee. Today's my first workday without coffee. No cravings (yet). No headaches (yet). Of course, the black tea I'm now drinking is helping me through. :) Still, in recognition of my achievement, here is my trophy: No More Grinding (BRONZE TROPHY): Stop drinking coffee within a month.

I'm sure there's a better name for that trophy. Suggestions? [Note: I just found out that Tales of Vesperia actually has an achievement called 'No More Grinding.' Go figure.]

Here's a dose of gamer kung fu! Just in time for those about to dive into StarCraft II!

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/change-the-way-you-think-to-get-better-at-games/a-20100623102639680048

Before this year's E3, I made a list of the top 10 things I would like to hear announced, ranging from the reasonable to the improbable. A few of these wishes were sparked by pre-E3 rumours. Let's see how many of my wishes came true.

1. Super Street Fighter IV DLC Characters announced: NOPE
2. Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown for PS3: NOPE
3. Another WipEout HD Expansion: NOPE
4. Dante's Inferno 2 announced: NOPE
5. Shadow of the Colossus HD for PS3: NOPE
6. Okami for PS3: NOPE
7. PS2 games library available on PSN: NOPE
8. PSP titles playable on PS3: NOPE
9. Trophies for PSP: NOPE
10. PSP2: NOPE

So, my wishlist was entirely shut out this year. Crud. I realize that some things on this list are unlikely to ever appear. Others will probably appear in time… Maybe at the next Tokyo Game Show?

So, what did I get out of E3 this year? Shivers from watching the Portal 2 trailer. And, I guess that's good enough. :)

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Joystiq reports that a partial artist list for DJ Hero 2 has been revealed at E3. According to the list, Daft Punk is back for more DJ Hero rollin' and scratchin'! At this point, it didn't specify whether Daft Punk would return as selectable DJs, or whether only their music, mixed by someone else, would be featured, or whether they themselves would provide mixes, but it really doesn't matter. As long as Daft Punk is somehow connected to DJ Hero 2, it already makes the game tons more awesome.

Other notable electronic names on the list:

• Deadmau5 (gameplay footage shows he's a selectable DJ, with big foam mouse head intact)
• Justice
• The Prodigy
• Chemical Brothers

I thought I read somewhere else that MSTRKRFT would be included too. It would also be awesome if they included Boys Noize and A-Trak.

Here's a link to the list, in case you're more interested in artists like Lady Gaga ;) or Kanye West :D :

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/15/partial-dj-hero-2-artist-list-revealed-at-activision-event/

Robot Rock!

I just watched a pretty wild talk by game designer and PhD researcher Jane McGonigal who has plans to enable gamers to change the real world.

Drawing examples predominantly from World of WarCraft, she claims that gamers generally possess four characteristics that give them great potential to be agents of change:

1. Urgent Optimism to dive into huge challenges without hesitation
2. Social Fabric where trust and bonds of cooperation are built rapidly through play
3. Blissful Productivity because, in our games, we work hard and we enjoy it, and
4. we desire Epic Meaning to be attributed to our actions

She goes on to talk about three online games she has worked on that pilot her ideas for how games can start to blend over into changing the real world. I haven't tried them yet, but I am intrigued and I will definitely give them a look:

1. World Without Oil (this link doesn't appear to be working at the time of writing)
2. Super Struct
3. Evoke

Here's a link to the 20-minute talk by Jane McGonigal on TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design): http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html

After watching the talk, I'm not 100% convinced by her ideas, but I sure would like to be. I plan to give the games a try and I will keep a close eye on Jane's work in the future. (Oh, and here's a link to her website: http://www.avantgame.com/)

This reminds me, in a similar-but-different way, of the online quiz game Free Rice. Every correct answer you provide results in 10 grains of rice being donated through the United Nations World Food Program. (Yes, 10 grains is nothing, but consider the fact that, with all play on the site combined to date, almost eighty billion (80,000,000,000) grains of rice have been donated.)

Here's a link: Free Rice

Playing games and changing the world for the better = Awesome.