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What Was Up This Week, 5/18/07

Bonnie Ruberg — Fri, 18 May 2007 13:56:16 +0000

This week we’ve been hit with a smack of post-GDC (we’re talking like two months post) catching up. Two of my interviews from the conference ran on Gamasutra.com, one with Raph Koster, and the other with Clint Hocking. In the first, Raph talks about Club Penguin, his role as a writer, and doom doom doom. In the second, Clint discusses exploration and then admits he’s a girly gamer. I love my tape recorder.

After a lapse, GameCakes.com is also back up and running at a healthy clip (okay, maybe it’s a light jog; after all, it is a site about cake). We’ve seen Rayman cakes, Katamari cakes, Pacman cakes, even cake recipes. Not to mention PS2 cakes, Guitar Hero cakes, and an adorable rendition of Viva Pinata.

Last but not least, we have this week’s “Click Me,” which looks at what exactly constitutes cybersex. Online? Real-life? Orgasm? No orgasm? What “counts” and what doesn’t. Who knows, maybe you’ve been having cybersex without even realizing it…

GDC07: Better Late Than Never

Bonnie Ruberg — Thu, 03 May 2007 21:39:19 +0000

Well, it’s the beginning of May. My theses are officially handed in (hooray!), and now I finally have time to frolic in the sunshine and figure out life. I also have time to talk about the conference I attended two months ago. That’s right, it’s GDC 2007, and it’s better late than never. Hopefully this will be the first in a short series of (much delayed) posts on the topic.

The first thing that always strikes me about games conferences (like, the three I’ve been to) is how weird it is to bridge the gap between online life and meeting in person. Walking around the Moscone Center, wearing badges with names printed in tiny little letters, I felt like everyone around me was someone I knew, I just didn’t know it. In fact, I think I did an amazing job of not meeting people. I only ran into a couple of my fellow Joystiq-ers, and somehow missed both my Gamasutra editors. The people I did find were awesome though (I’ll talk about them more later), and I’m definitely glad I went–even if I felt like I needed a giant sign that said “Hi, I’m Bonnie. Do I know you?”

What does Rayman Raving Rabbids have to do with all this? Absolutely nothing, except that I planned to write this post a month ago at Easter (you know, bunnies, Easter), and you can tell how well that went…

I’m a Sucker for Flashing Lights

Bonnie Ruberg — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 04:17:44 +0000

Last week a delicious Peggle-themed package came in the mail from Popcap, complete with Peggle cards, a Peggle button, and these amazing, flashing Peggle balls–which turn into mini, rubber raves when bounced. Peggle, for those who haven’t yet embarked on the long road to addiction, is a pachinko-based physics game with unicorns and flowers and happiness. Play. The question is, if I didn’t already adore Peggle, and if it hadn’t already been decided I wasn’t reviewing it for The A. V. Club, would this swag sway my rating in Popcap’s favor? Heck no, because I’d be too busy staring at the flashing lights to write the review in the first place.

In non-Peggle related news, my interview with Jane McGonigal from GDC went up today at Gamasutra. Collective intelligence? ARGs in other countries? World without Oil? This and more from “the queen bee of ARGs.”

“Sex, Violence, and Comic Books”

Bonnie Ruberg — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 23:19:48 +0000

Up today at Gamasutra you’ll find “Sex, Violence, and Comic Books,” an interview with writer Gerard Jones from the 2006 Montreal International Games Summit. Social repression, reactionary government policy, and catty high school girls. Confused? Read! The hypno toad commands you.

“Elan Lee’s Alternate Reality”

Bonnie Ruberg — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 13:42:52 +0000

Up yesterday at Gamasutra, here’s “Elan Lee’s Alternate Reality,” an interview of mine with the 42 Entertainment mastermind from the recent Montreal International Games Summit. Crop circles, payphones that ring in the middle of the night, and… young adult fiction? Spooky! Learn the secrets behind these and more ARG mysteries.

Back from Montreal

Bonnie Ruberg — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 23:52:23 +0000

It’s Sunday night, and we’re back from Montreal and the 2006 International Games Summit–which was, P.S., super-fun. Canada says hello. But could someone please tell me who I am again? I’ve been away too long to remember.

Between the conference, the after-parties, the interviews, and the press junket, I’ve seen (and learned) a heck of a lot since Tuesday. If you’re curious about the conference keynotes–almost all excellent–check out Gamasutra’s coverage from both myself and Matthew “Your Accent Rocks” Kumar. Not that anyone calls him that. But his accent does rock.

Anyways, the plan is to post every day this week with some tidbit from Montreal: thoughts on insider studio tours, playing the Wii, Reggie’s sales push, the Arcadia festival, and Quebec as a hot spot for game development.

Now where did I put my life? I could swear I left it right here…

Getting Ready for Montreal

Bonnie Ruberg — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 13:24:58 +0000

The schedule for the 2006 Montreal Games Summit is up, and we’re in the midst of some exciting plans. Scott will be reporting for Joystiq; I’m representing Gamasutra. Neither of us has ever been to Montreal, though we both speak some French–even if Scott won’t admit it–and we live only a couple hundred miles away (Okay, that sounded like a lot less in my head), so we’re psyched. In addition to all the summit festivities, including a host of great talks and a keynote from Reggie himself, we’re planning to squeeze in some time to see the city. Any recommendations? Hope to see some friendly faces!

“How the West Will Be Won”

Bonnie Ruberg — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 12:02:28 +0000

What would you call it if real-time strategy, turn-based gaming, and the wild wild west had a child? Why, Bang! Howdy of course! Check out my Gamasutra interview with Creative Director Michael Bayne for more on the aesthetic, mechanics, and future of the game.

“Big Reality”

Bonnie Ruberg — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 14:15:58 +0000

I blame my recently extracted wisdom teeth (or, I suppose, lack thereof) for this delayed mention of my interview with area/code head Frank Lantz, “Big Reality”, which went up a week or two back at Gamasutra. Big games, urban space as play space, and some exciting plans for future projects. Plus, check out area/code’s new-ish blog, Away from Keyboard. As we speak, I’m using my Jedi mind powers to inspire Scott to update the site. Can you tell I’ve been watching Star Wars while doped up on pain killers?

“The Challenge of Sex”

Bonnie Ruberg — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 19:51:40 +0000

Up, down, up, down, thrust, thrust, thrust. No, it’s not calisthenics, it’s in-game sex. Check out a feature of mine up today at Gamasutra all about the sex in games design challenge that took place at last November’s Montreal Games Summit: “The Challenge of Sex”. In putting the article together, I got to chat with Jason Della Rocca, Heather Kelley, Frank Lantz, Pascal Luben, and Eric Zimmerman. I am not worthy… Seriously though, I’m not.

In other news, my first post went up today at Terra Nova, a little something on sadomasochism in virtual worlds. An interesting debate is (slowly) starting up over there. Come on in and join the fun.