Okay, I don’t actually think what I’m about to say will change video game reviews as we know them. However, I would like to come up with a new approach to games. Here’s the deal: I like CrispyGamer.com. I’d like to pitch some regular feature their way, but I want to have a specific idea in mind. What I don’t want to do is one more “sex/gender in games column.” I did that for Joystiq for a year, I do it every day here at Heroine Sheik, and Leigh Alexander does something similar for GameSetWatch. What I’d like to do instead is write about games the way I want to read about them. Now what the heck does that mean?

With no disrespect to my fellow game writers, when I read about video games these days I always feel like there’s something lacking. Straightforward reviews definitely have a use — I know I use them when I’m deciding which games to buy/play — but I don’t think they’re the only way to approach games. I guess what I miss is analysis. Instead of just hearing whether this game is good, I want to hear thoughts on what this game means. Even if that analysis seems silly, I want the reviewer to interact with the title and think up something I might miss.

With that in mind, I’m thinking of something called “The Overanalysis Game.” Basically, you take a newly released title. You play it. Then you write an entertaining but also thoughtful piece analyzing what elements of the game mean. Maybe you call up some people who worked on the game and ask them for their input. Maybe you talk to other people who’ve played it and see how they responded to the same material. What’s important though is you go beyond the “good/bad” review model.

Now let’s see if I can make that game work. Within the next few days, both Fallout 3 and Far Cry 2 should be arriving on my doorstep. My plan: to play one of them over the weekend, and come back next week with a sample column based on some element of the game. Will Crispy Gamer like it? I don’t know. But at least I’ll feel like I’m on my way to doing something about game writing instead of just bitching about it…

Back in March we talked about how great it would be to have a respectable, easy-to-use site for meeting people who like to get it on on the internet. None of this “a/s/l” nonsense, but also no beating around the bush: a proper cybersex matchmaking site.

Well, thanks to some collaboration with Adam Simon and the user-friendliness of Ning.com, that site now exists, at least in its infancy. It’s called Beautiful Stranger, and it works like this: you set up an account (fake names are of course ok), you fill out a profile with your cybersex interests, then you search for like-minded users to message. Alternatively, if you’re feeling proactive, you can set up a forum post or an event stating exactly what you’re craving.

One key thing: as it stands, there’s no cybersex on the site itself. It’s just a means of finding (and weeding out) people you might want to interact with. Whatever method of communication you choose within the system, you can them exchange emails, IM names, etc.

Of course, there are plenty of places to go on the web to find cybersex partners. The point of Beautiful Stranger is to find good cybersex partners without having to commit to an online game or weed through hundreds of IRC or AOL solicitations. Nope, it probably won’t work for a quick fuck. But I for one am sick of bad quick fucks.

As you’ll see, there are only a handful of users signed up on Beautiful Stranger at the moment. That’s because you, Heroine Sheik readers, are the first to hear about it. So go on, poke around, check it out. It may just get you laid.

It’s far and away the question I get asked most often about cybersex: “How do I find intelligent, creative, sexy people to sleep with online?”

Tracking down cybersex partners seems so simple. There are millions of sexually willing men and women roaming that infamous series of tubes known the internet. Just enter a public AOL or MIRC chatroom and you’ll see what I mean. But the fact of the matter is, the loudest, most available cybersex partners are also the worst in bed. They’re inexperienced, inarticulate, and sometimes dangerously young (“a/s/l?” doesn’t exactly constitute a binding oath of truth). Having sex with them and you might as well be a sexbot spitting out cliché lines about throbbing members.

I tried to tackle this tricky topic in a recent Click Me, where I recommended real-life hook-up site Adult Friend Finder as a spot ripe for sexy online encounters. A few readers have already written though to say they’ve had less than thrilling experiences there. Others have recommended role-playing MUDs as substitutes–which, likes some of the more elaborate subcultures in Second Life, are full of people who (lions and tigers and bears) can actually write. But getting involved in a community like that takes a serious time commitment. Besides, what if a cyberer doesn’t want to have to go furry or the like just to get off?

All of which has got me thinking about a cybersex matchmaking service. Specifically, it would be a place where people could set up personals ads that tell a little about themselves, what they’re interested in, and where they like to cyber. Then, interested parties could email them at some discreet address to set up meetings. Similar things have actually happened here on Heroine Sheik (I’m very proud of my little love connections). The question is, does something like this already exist?

Typing related terms into Google turns up tons of results, but very few I’d actually trust. Of course, I’ll do more research before jumping into any sort of project, but first I’m wondering whether any Heroine Sheik readers have ever heard of/used a service like this before? For that matter, if one existed, would you use it? Considering how hard it is to find an online mate who can construct an entire sentence, I know I would!