Op-Ed

This weekend at the Valley Forge Convention Center in Valley Forge, PA, there's a video game convention (which is why I'm here), and anime convention, a Mind, Body, Spirit expo, a wedding, a costume contest (this is Halloween weekend, after all) and the usual hubub you'd expect to find at one of the largest shopping centers on the East Coast.

It is, quite frankly, a one-stop shop for the lunatic fringe.

This morning as I was dealing with the fallout from having been over an hour late arriving in Philadelphia, getting ripped off by a cab driver and discovering, upon my arrival at Valley Forge, that someone along the way had lost my room reservation (note: none of this is unusual), the last person I expected to meet was Bill Kunkel, one of the founding fathers of video game journalism.

The organizers of VGxPO know what's it all about: the games. And the very first thing you see when you walk through the door is a shrine to the pastime we all share. I can't honestly say if every arcade cabinet ever made is in attendance here, but it sure looks that way.

The most-hyped game ever is coming out on November 7th, and having it's Grand Opening (AKA Emergence Day) five days later. It's being praised as the Xbox 360's Halo; a must-have first-person shooter showcasing all that's great and wonderful about next-gen technology, cutting edge graphics and the hottest game engine ever made.

And I don't care.

Just spoke with Red Octane. Rumors about Trogdor the Burninator as a bonus track in Guitar Hero II are confirmed.I just received word from Red Octane. Rumors about Trogdor the Burninator as a bonus track in Guitar Hero II are now confirmed.

The 2006 Machinima Festival opens next weekend in New York City's historic Museum of the Moving image, showcasing the year's best and brightest in the innovative field of in-game cinema.

EA's gangster movie tie-in makes an offer you can't refuse. Literally.

We're in the midst of one of the great periods in gaming: The Christmas Rush.

I've been poking around Second Life a bit lately. Mainly out of curiosity, partly on business and partly because I secretly want to grow up to be just like Jim Rossignol.

Russ travels to Philadelphia for vgXpo. Philadelphia pretends to notice.

Each week we ask a question of our staff and featured writers to learn a little bit about them and gain some insight into where they are coming from.

This week's question is:

Who is your favorite artist?

Another Day Older And A Book Deal

P-p-p-p-peahats! Leevers! GameStop employees! Lookout Link, they're in your internets, h4x0ring your filez!

Bob Ross is one of the most recognizable artists in America, and certainly the most-televised. With his happy demeanor and easy-to-understand instruction style, he'd seem to be the perfect choice of artist after which to model an instructional video game.

According to Reuters, the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress is set to begin investigations into online economies, and possible taxation of virtual worlds.