A word of warning to the wary: gaming culture can be a bit rough. Viewing the material in some of these links can cause sleepless nights, strained sensibilities, and a general feeling of anger and/or disgust to those with an aversion to strong language. Consider yourself warned.

On that note:

My attention was brought recently to an article on the Boston Globe’s Web site about gaming addiction. In the article, Dr. Jerald Block reveals that many people he counsels through this “disorder” are somehow more ashamed of spending too much time playing video games than those who come to him for counseling for a pornography addiction. Despite the overwhelming demographic data pointing to the fact that a seriously large portion of our population spends hours each week gaming, it’s somehow more socially acceptable to spend more time looking at pornography, according to the article. Dr. Block is trying to get excessive gaming, Internet usage, and text messaging included in the DSM-V as a psychological disorder. Reading this interview got me thinking about myself and other gamers I know. We’re all so different. Do we have a psychological disorder?

The other day as I was checking out purepwnage.com, between bursts of uncontrolled laughter at the stereotypical antics of Jeremy, the main character, I began to wonder again how much truth was actually in the stereotype his character lampooned. Who is your typical gamer in 2008? Was this elusive creature anything like the “pro gamer” character portrayed by Jarett Cale?  Did they relish “pwning n00bs” with their “leet micro” so much that it became a lifestyle?

I decided to do a little digging on my own. The first article I found was from eMarketer, and it revealed that several studies from various sources revealed the average gamer was somewhere between the ages of 18-49, and was slightly more likely to be male (62% male vs. 38% female). The study did note the more ‘hardcore’ the gamer was, the more likely the gamer was to be male. A statistic I found surprising (though I have no idea why) was that 1 out of every 4 gamers was above the age of 50. Most adults today have lived with this technology for years, as 69% of American “heads of household” play games, the average gamer being 33 years old and having gamed for 12 years (here).

According to various sources online, gamers make better surgeons, are better prepared to manage multinational corporations, are more likely to be qualified for IT positions, and make all-around better employees. Conversely, other online sources suggest that gaming turns children into hardened killers, slows brain development, make us more aggressive, and is probably addictive (check this article for some straight dope on some of these claims). The gamer is either loved or maligned, depending upon who you ask. Being an avid gamer myself, I would tend to agree with those who say the geek shall inherit the earth (I just had to throw that one in there).

So once again, who is your average gamer? It would appear that there isn’t really any such animal anymore. On the “fringe” you’ll find gamers like the pro “Frag Dolls” and the gamers listed in Game Lemons’ 2007 article “Top Ten Hottest Girl Gamers (who are actually gamers).” Since female gamers are actually more prevalent than most people believe, I predict more “female friendly” hardcore game titles are on the horizon (yes, GeekSugar, it will soon happen I’m sure). For all of you hardcore ladies looking for a new MMO, I highly recommend my fave, Eve-Online (yeah, I know I plug them a lot, but I’m obsessed!). It’s gender neutral, highly engaging, and VERY competitive. I introduced my gamer girlfriend to the game, and she is absolutely “addicted.”

Elsewhere on the “fringe,” you’ll find groups of gamers that cater to the gay and lesbian communities. One such site, gaymer.org, provides a place for gay and gay-friendly gamers to get together and get their game on. Gaming seems to be rather prevalent in the gay community, as a survey conducted by Jason Rockwood at www.gaymersurvey.org noted almost as many homosexual gamers as heterosexual, and this particular survey was blog-pimped by IGN.com. Like the “girl gamer,” the “gaymer” isn’t as uncommon as many would tend to believe.

In my search for “Joe Average Gamer,” I did run across a Web site that broke almost every gamer stereotype I’ve ever seen, and for this, I love it. Enter Old Grandma Hardcore, the online matriarch of competitive gaming. As noted in the blog description (the blog is written by her grandson Tim), she is …”the video-game playing queen of her age-bracket and weight class. She will beat any PS2, XBox, GameCube, etc., console game put in front of her, just like she always has. These are her stories. She is absolutely real. She lives in Cleveland.”  This little lady recently screamed through Call of Duty 4 single player on VETERAN’S MODE, albeit probably with a profuse amount of cussing. Grandma, you break the mold, and you’ve won a new fan… errr… reader!

I would say that there’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you like to game, rest assured that you’re among a large group of very diverse people. Gamers are everywhere, and as immersive and advanced as gaming technology is becoming, there are only going to be more of us as time goes on, from every walk of life. As Grandma would say, “Game on, (expletive removed)!”

I wasn’t always an online terror. Many years ago, I was content to kill computer controlled pixels, completely divorced from any “real consequences.” I didn’t know the joy of player-versus-player combat. I had never read the exhilarating “smack talk” on my computer screen from opponents whose real location I could only guess about, or opened an e-mail from a victim threatening eventual revenge in a virtual world.

Eight years ago I responded to a friend’s invitation which would change that forever. Jeff had several computers at his house networked together and a cable connection, a commodity much rarer in 2000 than it is today. It was through him I discovered a treasure that would forever change my gaming world: Battle.net. Jeff introduced me to my first online game. That game was Diablo.

It was a shock at first seeing other players in dungeons flinging spells and arrows at each other. I was a complete n00b, and within moments of my initiation into this strange realm, an online adept was slinging “hacked” gear to me so that I could join him on his murderous player-hunting rampage. Despite the gifts given me by my new online friend, I died: HORRIBLY. I was hooked.

Several weeks later, I found myself again at Jeff’s apartment, this time to be introduced to a game that would capture my attention for well over a year: Diablo II. He and I played on his LAN at first, and for hours, we teamed together to defeat the evil hordes the game generated in randomly spawned environments. The day quickly succumbed to evening, and eventually, it was time for me to leave. I came back for more a few days later.

Within a few weeks, I was online at home, playing Diablo II at my leisure. After getting the expansion, Lord of Destruction, I quickly discovered “hardcore mode,” where character death was permanent, and was again quickly victimized by older denizens due to my inexperience. A few weeks later, after learning a few of their tricks, I had formed an alliance with several other players, and we embarked on our adventures together, finding ways to virtually murder the hapless. This continued for many months until I discovered the beta for Lineage II and continued my online rampage there.

Rumors of the development of Diablo II’s sequel were alive even in 2001, fueled by the hopes of the faithful Diablo players who even then were salivating for the next chapter in the epic story Blizzard had created. Last Saturday Blizzard finally made an announcement that many of us have been awaiting for eight to 10 years.  Diablo III is finally coming!

When I read the announcement, I was elated! As you can see from the cinematic trailer, this new installment in the Diablo universe promises to be every bit as dark and brutal as its predecessors.

Thank you, Blizzard, for introducing me to the wonderful world of PvP. My gaming existence would have been much less colorful without you. Thank you for agreeing to continue the franchise that started me on this journey. What to do now? I think I am going to pick up the Diablo Battle Chest and walk down memory lane to rekindle an old flame. See you online!

When I order the banana split at the local ice cream parlor, I’m under the impression that I’m getting the three scoops of ice cream, sliced banana, hot fudge, chopped nuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top. With my purchase, I expect the works. Some PC- and console-game manufacturers are starting to see my ice cream purchase differently. For a base price, I can get the ice cream and banana. If I want to enhance the banana split, I can purchase additional toppings and customize my frozen treat. The same theory applies to microtransactions.

What started as a hot trend in the Asian PC gaming market has turned into a global gaming movement toward microtransactions invading most mainstream platforms, including XBOX 360, PS3 and the Nintendo’s Wii. Customers are paying a reduced amount for the basic game (or in some cases, getting it free) and are being charged for optional add-on content, such as new levels, weapons or avatar upgrades.

Elder Scrolls: Oblivion was the first game to introduce microtransactions, and customers had trouble understanding why they needed to purchase more game features to prevent characters from dying. While not all games are reliant upon microtransactions for domination, most new games are offering some form of after-purchase special. One subtle microtransaction is to purchase the suped-up “Gold” or “Special Edition” versions of the game, usually with a few extra levels or characters than the original version. Luckily for traditional gamers, some manufacturers, like Blizzard, are trying to buck the trend.

While microtransactions are catching on with casual gamers in Asia, Western gamers aren’t buying into the new business model. Most North American and European gamers see the extra charges as an annoyance. For games that rely wholly on add-ons, customers aren’t used to being nickel-and-dimed in order to achieve the best gaming experience when their favorites traditionally have been offered in a nice gaming package. Until manufacturers figure out a happy-medium, perhaps microtransactions need to make like a banana…        

Have you heard of Regina Lewis?  She’s on national TV and radio, and she’s an accomplished writer who does a great job simplifying technology for the masses. She also happens to be AOL’s consumer advisor. 

You might be one of the millions who frequent CNN, ESPN and Google – but you might also be interested in virtual vacations, dining for less, fitness and going green.  These are just a sample of the recent and timely topics on reginalewis.com.

Would you like to know which stores in your area carry the Nintendo Wii or Wii Fit?  I would.  Try the Wii Tracker site, which was mentioned last week.  No need to make dozens of calls or spend time driving around the city with today’s higher fuel prices. 

Were you interested in knowing about Dell’s (PRODUCT) RED Super Bowl commercial?  She had it covered in this entry from February, two days before the big game.

Her site is highly relevant, frequently updated, and allows you to enjoy the best of the Web and technology without having to find it yourself.  Additionally, Regina brings a style to each of her postings that is approachable for novice and advanced computer users – you won’t find technical language here.

I look forward to your comments as I begin developing future topics on simplified personal technology.

I, like everyone else, want what I want.  I sit in an office, stare at a computer all day and type my fingers to the bone.  When I get home, like you, I want my TV and I want it on my terms.  Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know how great a digital video recorder (DVR) is.  They give you the freedom to watch a show while recording another, they provide an onscreen TV guide and best of all allow you to skip commercials.  Now, what if I told you, you may already have the best DVR available in your home right now, and it doesn’t require any fees.  A Vista Media Center PC is just that, and is hands down the best TV viewing experience I have ever encountered.

Microsoft hasn’t exactly just introduced this.  For years they have built this capability into Windows to organize your music, photos and videos.  The Media Center program was written specifically to view these items on your TV.  This is commonly called the “10 Foot Interface.”  With all due respect to your grandmother’s scrapbooking efforts, nothing compares to seeing your home photos and movies elegantly organized and in high definition with your own custom audio.  All of this available, with the press of a button on your remote control.

The Vista Media Center program seamlessly records the TV shows you choose from the onscreen guide.  You can opt to record more than one show at the same time, simply by installing an additional TV tuner.  Many tuners don’t require the PC to be opened, and can even record free, over the air (OTA) high definition shows as well.  Like a traditional DVR, you can watch one show while recording another.  If you don’t want a PC in the living room, a Microsoft XBOX 360 will work just as well.  The XBOX connects to your TV, which in turns connects to your PC in another room (wired or wirelessly). 

The free onscreen guide is built into Media Center

With my beefy hard drive I can record as little or much as I like.  My measly (by today’s standards) 200 Gig hard drive has over 40 hours of HDTV.  Odds are, I’ll delete much of it, but the shows look great.   Browsing and selecting a TV show could not be easier.  A large visual thumbnail of each show scrolls across the TV with a description and the time it was recorded.  Even my three year old can successfully navigate the simplistic menu to drill into the very exact “Thomas and His Friends” that he absolutely has to watch.
 

Selecting a recorded TV show is simple and elegant

In another post, I’ll describe how you can edit the TV show you recorded, and splice it into a home movie.   Also, I’ll go into how you can rip your DVD collection and integrate it into the experience.

The fact of the matter is, I have a three year old.  So I don’t have lazy Sunday evenings to sit and watch reruns of “American Dad.”  However, at least it is still pretty darn easy to watch TV on my own terms.

PC gaming is an expensive hobby. A good video card can cost $400-$800, a good gaming computer can cost as much as 8-10 grand, your average game title can run $40-$50, and some titles (multiplayer, in particular), charge a monthly fee of $10-$20. These costs don’t even include the monthly power bill increase most gamers end up with!

I am like most people: I live on a budget. If I were to buy every game title that sounded fun, I would go broke INSTANTLY. Luckily for me (and others in my predicament), there are plenty of low to no cost options available for the gamer on a budget.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the ones that I’ve tried.

I’m an avid fan of multiplayer online games, and unfortunately, many of the most popular require a monthly fee. One that does NOT (but does require an initial purchase) is Guild Wars, and was the first multiplayer title without a subscription I had played since the Diablo series. Is it any good? I started playing it shortly after release, and still have an account to this day. Though it lacks a persistent world, reminiscent of Diablo II with its instanced adventure areas, the PvP is exciting, and the game is absolutely incredible to look at. The required system specs are also very low, and easily manageable with even 5-6 year old hardware.

A free MMO that’s fairly popular around the office is Silk Road Online. I’ve tried it myself, and was fairly surprised by the high quality of the game. It’s produced by a South Korean company called Joymax, and has a fairly thriving community. It’s your typical Everquest/WoW fantasy MMO based upon the real silk road, the trade route from China to the west, and sports a PvP system similar to Lineage II. Players can buy in game equipment from an item mall in real U.S. dollars, which is how the game developers make money.

Another free MMO that’s caught my attention is Perfect World. This game is absolutely gorgeous, and has a very helpful and active community. This game is heavily based on Chinese mythology and, like Silk Road, offers items for cash in an item mall to support the game. Unlike many MMOs, the grind in this game is quest based, so that your quest rewards provide the bulk of the XP needed for your character to level. When I haven’t been pwning people in Eve-Online, lately I’ve been enjoying this lovely addition to my gaming diet.

For those gamers that aren’t really interested in the MMO experience (yes, I know you exist), Gametap offers free game downloads of older titles. The games offered range from classic arcade games like Joust and Rampage, to titles like Deus Ex, Hitman 2, Myst, and Thief. They offer titles to buy as well, if you find that your budget has a few extra dollars in the entertainment category.

If you’re like me, though, and love a good MMORPG, GameOgre has compiled a fairly extensive list of free MMOs complete with a ratings and reviews system. Looking through them, it doesn’t look like there’s enough time in anyone’s schedule to play them all.

Now there’s almost no excuse. Get out there and GAME!

A lot of us have more than one PC that we leave on for extended periods if not 24/7… All of us know people in our families or even closer in our hearts who suffer from various diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s, Huntington’s and others.

So what’s the connection? A huge project called Folding@Home that uses idle computing power to study the process of amino acids “folding” into proteins. From this research, Stanford University scientists hope to annihilate diseases that kill many humans around the globe.

Currently there are over 120,000 teams consisting of well over 1 million people and a huge number of CPUs, PS3s and ATi graphic cards running this project worldwide in almost 100 countries.

The process requires you to download software (with a very small footprint) to run various projects (called WU or Work Units) while your machine is idle. The client software automatically downloads WUs and, once finished, uploads results back to Stanford’s servers.

The client working on your machine will earn points based on the intensity of work. These points are for no other reason than bragging rights! The point system merely creates a competition within each team and between all teams. The project is fun to watch and addictive — in a good way — at the same time.

If you like to use stability software (like OCCT, Prime95) to test your gaming and over-clocked machines, F@H can really test your machine with its “High Performance SMP” clients.

The team I’m involved with — Team_XPS — was established in July 2007 with fewer than 10 people. Team_XPS was team number 80856 at the time. So the project had grown from nothing in year 2000 to more than 80,000 teams in July 2007. Currently with over 120,000 teams, the project shows a huge recognition as it has grown by an additional 50% in less than a year. Some weeks, there are over 1,000 new teams established.

Team_XPS is currently at the Top_70 Ranking (in points) and still advancing. There are over 150 members, of which about 60 are currently active. When comparing our team to others with 10 to 100 times the number of members, we show our great determination to this project. One member even bought 16 Dell Vostros and an H2C unit to fold with us (we jokingly call it his “Folding Farm”).

Please consider studying up on this project and joining F@H if you can. All you need is a desktop, laptop or PS3 to join. There are varying number of projects that can suit your needs and equipment. More than anything, you will be helping humanity or even someone near and dear to you. If you like you can create your own team, or join any team(s). Again, Team_XPS’ number is 80856 and we will be glad to have anyone Fold with us. Feel free to use the Team_XPS thread stickied at the top of DCF (Dell Community Forums).

Click here for additional info. To monitor the performance of Team_XPS, check out these links:

folding.extremeoverclocking.com: http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=80856

kakaostats.com: http://kakaostats.com/t.php?col=11&t=80856

Drop in and say hello if you need assistance with the project.

A recent lunch conversation turned to my recently purchased Wii Fit.  I get a ton of questions every time I mention that we have one, so I thought I’d review it here on Your Blog.  First let me say that my family has fallen head over heels for the Wii.  My couch potato daughter even loves it.  So when the Fit was previewed, I decided we should get it. 

It comes with a balance board as the input gadget and allows you to do a whole range of new exercises and games.  It has a virtual personal trainer and four game types: Yoga, Balance Games, Strength Training and Aerobics.  The yoga is really interesting and challenging because not only do you do the poses, but it tracks your balance and shows you a visual graph of your movement during the pose.  The balance meter brings a whole new dimension to the “usual” yoga.  Wiifanboy does an awesome lengthy review of the yoga features if you want more.

The Wii Fit site has a neat demo of the balance indicator.  The balance games are awesome.  They take all sorts of challenges and use them to help you better understand how you use posture and balance in every task.  The snow skiing is challenging for us self-proclaimed speed demons… but I’m getting there. 

If you think you have balance, try the table tilt.  That one beats me down every time.  The strength training is well done and surprisingly challenging for a weightless setup.  The aerobics is also addictive.  They have done a nice job in masking the workout in fun games.  So you ask… how well does it work?  Well for us it is still too early to tell, but to watch the true test follow Mark as he tries to use it to “take the chubby out of a man.”

Overall my family loves it and is totally addicted.  Interestingly enough my 13-year-old daughter is now a yoga guru … who would have known!

There were some of you out there who probably thought never in a million years would Alienware become part of Dell and, of all things, end up blogging on a regular basis.  But as part of the Dell family, it was natural for us to participate in the Dell Community so — Ta-Da!

Being part of Dell is actually great.  We’ve got access to a lot of things we didn’t before, and with Dell’s backing, Alienware plans on taking PC Gaming to a whole new level. What that means for fans is that, in the months to come, we’ll have some pretty exciting things to share – especially where it counts: the products. If you think that what Alienware has done so far is amazing, just wait until you get a look at what we’ve been working on now that we’ve had the chance to collaborate with teams at Dell.

We’ll also be showing up here on Your Blog on a pretty consistent basis, along with Gaming Guy John Blain, to give you a heads up on what’s going on in the PC gaming world — as well as share some of the fun yet informative videos we are doing with Alien Network.   There is so much to talk about, the PC gaming industry is getting lots of buzz these days from Intel, NVIDIA, the PCGA and a host of others, and let’s not forget the top anticipated PC games for 2008, such as Fallout 3 and WOW: Lich King. Who better to give you a first look than Alienware, right?

This is going to be the start of something great.

While reading the Eve-Online forums recently, I ran across a link to a wonderful video called Clear Skies, which was “filmed” entirely within Eve-Online and Halflife 2. While it bended the backstory of Eve-Online a little, it was nonetheless a very impressive and very humorous example of machinima, a.k.a. films produced using realtime 3D engines such as those found in video games. I encourage anyone to download the film and check it out. I’m not just saying that because I’m an Eve-Online fanatic, I’m saying it because it’s just plain GOOD. For those who are still unconvinced, here is the trailer:

I started playing Eve-Online because of an unfulfilled Firefly fetish (since it was canned after season 1), and those of you familiar with that show will likely see some similarities in Clear Skies. They both have the feel of a western in space, and both center around the underdog crew of a spaceship trying to make a living in a hyper-capitalist environment. I can only hope the creator, Ian Chisholm, can find the time to make more episodes for everyone’s amusement. As this 32-page thread on the Eve forums attests, his creation is very popular.

There are a few popular examples of machinima out there (Red vs. Blue, Star Trek: Borg War, etc.), and even an example of machinima on television (Portal, the TV series). The thing that really makes these shows stand out is that films like this can be produced with a PC, a video game, and a little creativity. As gaming engines become more sophisticated, I am sure machinima will become more popular and more prevalent. Does anyone have any favorites they care to share?