Op-Ed

"Two of Clubs on the Turn - no help there." I said to myself, as the dealer flipped over the fourth. I was nearly two grand in the hole, and I needed a big win to get back in the game. The only problem being that I had nothing in my hand, and the Flop (and now the Turn) hadn't helped matters.

Am I hardcore gamer? I play video games perhaps as few as ten hours a week, but still think of myself as a hardcore gamer. It's because I spend $100 or more a month buying games and game related products. And my philosophy is that "purchase is participation."

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:

What was your favorite educational game growing up? This doesn't have to be a videogame, for the old-timers in the audience!

So we're going to be in Austin, Texas September 6th, 7th and 8th for AGC, as you may know. What you don't know is that we're going to be doing some drinking. OK, so that's probably not news either.

Ringing Phones, Clawing Hands and A Game I Can't Stop Playing

Bad Day LA is Not the Development Out-Sourcing Poster Child You're Looking For

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:

Describe a Tom Clancy-like game you'd create. What's it named? What would the plot be?

How is it that every weekend I go home with Grand Plans to play lots of games and, like my workdays, I end up doing Stuff that gets in the way of attaining my goals? You know what I mean ... at work, you plan to 1) Finish the planning document you've been trying to finish, 2) Finalize the design parameters of that new project that just came down the pipe, and 3) Write a proposal for a new feature to be added to the content network of which you are in charge. But, in reality, you ... answer dozens of emails, take a few phone calls and have a couple of meetings. At least, that's how my days go.

Bethesda Executive Producer Speaks on the Dissolution of E3

Analyst makes prediction, blogosphere makes headlines, terrorists win.

The Floundering Media Giant Takes Another Stab at the Game Space

The boys at Gamesindustry.biz picked up on word that mega-billionaire Carl Icahn bought 1.1 percent, or 800,000 shares, of Take-Two's stock. (You can read our News Room report on it here.) This is a big deal. Why? Pull up a chair; the Joester is here to educate.

Capcom's zombie-infested survival-horror game is enchanting, addicting fun, in spite of a handful of half-baked design decisions.

I remember the days we were brainstorming ideas for the current editorial calendar. We were going through our Seekrit Process of Editorial Calendar Making, with the obligatory calls for scotch and cigars, as well as a whiteboard in my office covered with scrawled ... words, if you can call them that, which likely made sense only to those in the room.

The Austin Games Conference that is. On September 6, a whole boatload of us will be truckin' south and west to speak, be spoken to, meet and greet other attendees of AGC.