Should I rename my blog?

Tend to get a lot of stink over the name of my blog, even though its never really been just for female gamers. I post tons of general gaming articles and I do have male readers.

But since my blog is not aimed at female gamers anymore, maybe I should change the name of it and the address.

I'll still leave the old one up for the articles to still be available for reading, but I'll just link the new page at the top of the middle column for people to move over to the new one.

Any ideas for a good blog name? My only thoughts so far were 99 lives and still collecting or Faith in Video Games. Not the best but its a start.

The Truth about the Miss Video Game Pageant

A few months ago I did a story on the Miss Video Game pageant, and at the time I backed the competition and even entered as a contestant. After three months of being a part of the contest, exchanging emails with the people running the contest, and even reading information about the contest from other sources, I've decided to remove myself from the competition completely. I admit that in the beginning I liked the idea of the contest: female gamers from all over the world competing in an online gaming tournament and pageant to become a representative of the female gaming community. However, after being involved in the farce and possible scam that is the Miss Video Game pageant, I can no longer be a part of it, nor stand behind it.

From day one the whole thing has been run unprofessionally and has failed to impress anyone but those too dazzled by the whole idea of winning the chance to be in the public eye. I too was suckered in by the whole idea, but after seeing how many people were questioning the contest's legal specifics, along with the downright suspicious manner in which they were running things, I realized that there was something truly wrong with the pageant.

When the contest first started, the mission statement and front page claimed the contest was a female gaming competition that wanted to showcase female gamers and their talent and to ultimately find a female gamer to be a role model and spokesperson for the gaming industry. However, they also mentioned in the mission statement and in the original front page that the women signing up didn't have to play video games. The official rules stated that anyone who has played ANY electronic game can sign up. So which is it -- do you want gamer girls or not?

How can you have a contest to find a female gamer spokesperson, but not require them to play video games? The people at Miss Video Game claim that they didn't put gaming skills as a requirement for entry, because they didn't want anyone to feel like they couldn't compete if they weren't gamers but wanted to learn about gaming. As a gamer I like to see new gamers join our community, but how can you expect a new gamer to represent a community they have only been a part of for a few days? If this contest was about finding a suitable role model for young gamers, then I'm afraid and offended by what some of these contestants are going to teach the future gamers of the world. Some contestants are posting pictures of themselves in lingerie or less, cheating on their view counts, and swearing in their profiles. Congratulations on setting such wonderful standards for your ideal role model. The rules of MVG even state that any pictures containing nudity or sexual lewdness would be removed, yet any of the pictures that are sexual have not been removed. Exactly what does the company behind MVG consider lewd? I've seen profiles of girls in their lingerie, posing naked but slightly covered by an object, and even one that had their main profile picture as simply just her cleavage. No head shot, just boobs in a bikini.

Getting into the legal issues of Miss Video Game, you find that no one was required to sign any agreements with the company when they entered. Normally when you enter a contest with any company that will possibly end with the contestant either winning a vacation or having their image used for their product or service, the company makes you look over a set of rules and legalities, and then has you sign or check the little box saying you understand all the above stipulations mentioned, and agree to them. MVG had nothing like that before we entered the contest and even the contest rules weren't posted until maybe a month afterwards. When the contest first started, there was a note posted above the application page that stated all entries had to be 18 years and older, but profiles for girls younger than 18 were popping up on the site and not being removed. MVG decided to change their rules and allow for younger entries as long as they had their guardians approval for flying to Montreal with them at their own expense. It's doubtful any of the people were made aware of this, because there were no contest rules available to see until December 5th, which even the site announces in their press section. Again, some clear and definitive rules or stipulations would have made it possible to understand. When the contest first began a judge application box on the Web site was originally used for anyone to apply to judge the final contest in Montreal, but now MVG claims they are bringing industry people on board to judge instead, and the applicant box was jettisoned mid-pageant.

Scrutinizing over the company behind MVG, Miss Video Game Inc., you would find that they weren't even listed on the site at first, until Trina and I from Gaming Angels started looking around for their registered business, which we couldn't find. Of course they weren't registered with something like the Better Business Bureau either. The only information on the site was a Montreal mailing address which has since been removed. I finally asked for a copy of their business license which they begrudgingly forwarded to me. The issue date for the license was November 29, 2006; two months after the contest had already started. In a recent interview Mark Donavon, MVG owner, claimed that the online gaming portion of the contest will be handled by a company from Alberta Canada called Titan Gaming, which also has no information that could be found. I did manage to find the "future website" of Titan Gaming, but there's nothing about the company and no mention of the MVG. Also, when I tried to email the company to find out further information, the email address came back nonexistent.

MVG Inc. owner Mark Donovan claims he created MVG to give back to the gaming community, since he has long enjoyed gaming himself. That's a nice gesture, but Mark refuses to let people know how he can afford to put on this pageant. He claims that MVG is backed by a privately owned company that wishes to remain anonymous. He has also claimed that the pageant is so well funded that they don't even need to actively pursue sponsors to hold the event, yet they still have a spot on the official Web site for sponsors to sign up. Of course, if there are any sponsors at this point, I don't know, because only one sponsor appeared briefly on the site, and was then removed. Why any company would want to sponsor an event that won't even post them on their site for advertising purposes is beyond me. Every event like this must have some sort of profit motive; the ending goal is to make money off it through sales, advertising, or exposure. Even when a company holds a charity event, they are still advertising their own company and the sponsors involved in it. I don't see any reason why MVG Inc. would wait to promote their sponsors until the actual event, when they have so much traffic going to their site right now for voting. I'd love to know how exactly MVG Inc. is making any profit from this pageant so far. The only thing they were selling was MVG clothing in their Café Press store that was only on the site for a month and then removed.


The whole MVG Web site itself was a mess right from the beginning with the spelling and grammar mistakes, bad links, and horrible load times. For two months it took forever to load and often didn't at all. Finally, three days into the voting, they changed servers and improved things. The voting process requires voters to enter an email address, but on the first day of voting, this feature wasn't working. Also, when the field was fixed, you had to verify your vote by clicking a link in an email that came to your inbox. This was not stated in the email or on the voting page, and most people probably deleted the email, because it was written like an offer to vote in the pageant, instead of a letter asking for verification to submit the vote. How many votes were lost because they weren't clear on the requirements to vote? Many contestants had to redo their profile a few times due to Web site glitches. The site also made profile changes that included new questions and more room for pictures. Further into the contest, they then added the option for Web-cam videos that only allowed for a quick three minute video, which seemed unfair because they promised we would be able to post normal videos on the site to help promote ourselves. For those three minutes they stated they wanted us to answer the same profile questions we did on the site instead of actually using the videos to creatively showcase our personalities in a way that would make us stand out. The reason for that was because they didn't want any lewd material popping up in the videos, or anyone promoting any other businesses, etc. Guarding against lewd videos they'll do, but not lewd profile pictures.

Miss Video Game may just be new at doing all of this, and learning along the way, but honestly with all these mistakes and lack of a credible sponsor backing them, I cannot in good faith promote or be involved with such an event or company. How could anyone be willing to jump on a plane to Montreal and trust these people with their safety after all the information presented about this company and contest? If these people can't even run a Web site, then how good do you think they will be at coordinating a live event? All that I ask of the contestants still involved in the competition is that you keep all these points in mind, and be sure to take care and protect yourselves, because sometimes if something doesn't feel right, it usually isn't.

Bubbles and gang may soon wind up in video game

By BEVERLEY WARE South Shore Bureau

LUNENBURG — Just think, you, too, could be Ricky, honing his horticultural skills, or Bubbles, lovingly caressing a kitty, or Julian with drink in hand and mighty words of advice sputtering from his lips.

Not that you’d want to be — but that’s not the point. The point is, you will be able to once a Lunenburg company has fully developed a video game based on the bizarrely popular Trailer Park Boys.

Trailer Park Boys: The Game is a collaborative effort of the show’s developers, TPB Productions, and HB Studios, which has just been named one of 10 Canadian video game developers to be eligible for up to $2 million in financing to make their games a reality.

The Great Canadian Video Game Competition is being held by Telefilm Canada.

Of 69 submissions from across the country, HB has made the top 10, automatically garnering $50,000 to refine the concept and a business plan for the game.

"The game knocked their socks off," competition spokesman Glen Edwards said of the three judges who viewed the concept.

"They were howling! They were howling!"

HB spokeswoman Melanie Williams said the initial response has been "enormously gratifying" but, on the other hand, it’s a concept that really can’t lose. "It’s not ‘rocket appliances,’ " she said.

""Controlling Ricky, Julian and Bubbles in a video game! From authentic character commentary to riding around in Julian’s car and interacting freely with shopping carts, it has fun written all over it."

Ms. Williams said the player controls the characters, exploring the eccentric world of Sunnyvale Trailer Park and beyond.

"The game will combine fun and compelling mechanics with the brilliant humour and rich world of Trailer Park Boys," she said.

The show’s creator, Mike Clattenburg, could not be reached for comment but Ms. Williams said he contacted HB to talk about a potential partnership just as company officials were thinking about creating a Trailer Park Boys video game.

Mr. Edwards said the semi-finalists will take their ideas and plans to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in March, where four will make the next cut and receive a further $250,000 to create a prototype of the game.

The winner will be selected at a digital entertainment conference in Vancouver in September.

Five of the other nine finalists are from Ontario, two from Quebec and two from British Columbia.

Ms. Williams said while she hopes HB and TPB win, the competition will ultimately showcase world-class Canadian game developers on the international scene.

( bware@herald.ca)

’The game knocked their socks off. They were howling! They were howling!’

[Via The Herald]

Robert Summa on Destructoid Tonight!

Thanks Ron for the sweet graphic! Check out Rob Summa, Destructoid Editor in Chief on Attack of the Show tonight in The Loop.

Rob is the second Dtoid crew member to appear on the show. I was the first... remember.

Sexy Miss Munn poses for Playboy

Cue the cock tease music. G4TV Attack of the Show's Olivia Munn is Playboy's Babe of the Month for February, and before you get your lube out, she does not appear naked in the magazine.

Olivia's Playboy photo shoot had her posing in several sexy outfits, but not in her birthday suit. I'm sorry fanboys, but you'll just have to keep dreaming about what Olivia's rack looks like in those pirate and wench dreams you have with her every night.

Though it’s nice to see Olivia in her bra and panties, it’s still nothing special. Olivia, if you want to impress your fans by appearing in Playboy, at least show some nipple.

If any of Olivia's ex-boyfriends are reading this, any sex tapes you made with Olivia are worth money to many fanboys out there, and it is your duty as an American to release them. I think I've got $50 for a copy around here somewhere.

Check out February’s issue of Playboy magazine featuring Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Gallactica for Olivia’s photo spread.

IGN.com posts fake press release as news

A prankster Neo Gaffer, RanoL, put up a press release on the Neo Gaf forums announcing that Konami was forming a new internal division, titled “Kojima X Productions”, that was going to be working on a “Triology” of Metal Gear titles for the Xbox 360.

If you check the official Kojima website or the Konami website, you will find no record of this "official press release", so you come to the conclusion that the press release is fake.

Most video game sites did their research and realized it was a fake story but IGN didn’t seem to notice. They actually posted a story about the press release as seened by the above picture. After they noticed their mistake, they quickly took it down but left a page up about it. Check out the real page here.

Behinds the Scenes with Video Games Live: Ep.1

Exclusive to Gametrailers - Check out Behind the Scenes with Video Games Live: Ep.1

Old G4TV Lives in Canada

Over a year ago, G4TV opted to change their station format from an all tech/gaming channel to more of an all guy channel with new programming like that of SpikeTV, in hopes that they would draw in more viewers and advertisers. Little did they realize that by changing formats, G4TV would lose a huge chunk of their loyal viewers that enjoyed the “all tech” format and the channel would end up being a huge joke to gamers. Now G4 only stand for the greatness that was and could have been for thousands of American gamers instead of “For Gamers” which the station’s programming no longer caters to.

Fear not loyal G4 fans, for the idea that G4 once held is still alive and living in Canada. Yes, that’s right. While Comcast decided to give up on an “all tech, all the time” channel, Rogers Media in Canada decided not to change the format of their G4TechTV channel and continued to move on towards a bigger and better tech/gaming channel.

Though most of the cancelled G4 shows could not be saved to run on the Canadian network, some shows and personalities still remain. Remember The Screensavers with Leo Laporte? Well Leo now lives on the Canadian revived version of his first G4TV show, Call for Help, where he and special guests talk about anything tech related and also help viewers with their tech problems via phone and web cam.

Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run, which was known as Judgment Day on G4 in the US, still air on G4TechTV and recently Greedy Productions, the company behind these two great shows signed an exclusive rights deal to air new episodes of the two gaming shows on the channel and any other Rogers Media channels. They will also be handling the production of two other Rogers Media produced shows, Call for Help and Torrent.

Of course, the remaining G4 gaming shows like Attack of the Show, Cheat, X-Play and Cinematech also air in Canada, though we don’t get the Nocturnal Emissions version of Cinematech.

We also have a bunch of Rogers Media produced shows that are exclusive to the Canadian channel like Gadgets and Gizmos, a technology show about the latest gadgets on the market. We also have Tech Books, Medical Intelligence, More Gadgets, Digital Lifestyle, Web Gems and Torrent . Each of these shows cover topics from cool websites to video podcasts to the latest in medical technology.

We also have a spot for anime shows called Anime Current which shows different animes like R.O.D the TV or Gad Guard.

G4TechTV wasn’t the best channel in the beginning and still could use some work as compared to G4 in terms of more of a mainstream format, but with the inclusion of Greedy Productions to the creative process of the network, I think we will see some amazing changes to the programming schedule and the overall format. Possible changes that will prove that an “all tech” channel can and will work, even as a normal free to air channel one day.

See one of the main reasons our G4TechTV didn’t change is because it’s a pay-TV channel where all it's viewers subscribe to it. So unlike a normal network which has to cater to the masses to keep them watching them as opposed to other station like theirs, G4TechTV is a specialty channel that tech people pay to see and if the format of the station were to change to another topic, they would lose a lot of money from the viewers that pay to see shows on tech topics only. It’s good for gamers, because we get to keep our favorite channel always on the same topic, but it’s bad because pay channels tend to suck in the beginning.

1 year ago G4TechTV had the worst and most repetitive commercials that could drive you around the bend. Most had nothing to do with technology and would repeat in every single commercial break. Sometimes the network would even put a commercial on for the very show you were watching. Now the station has numerous main stream commercials and most of them are tech related.

The original programming was and still is sometimes repetitive in that you can watch the same episode of X-Play, Call for Help or Attack of the Show 3 time a day, but it’s better than watching 4 different reality TV shows that you couldn’t care less about, I guess.

So there you go, G4 didn’t just roll over and die; its spirit was just relocated to the great white north.

Viva Pinata 2: Typo or leak?

We all know that GameStop and EB Games are notorious for not checking their promotion items for mistakes before sending them out to stores. Well MagicJames92 discovered that not only do the stores fail to double check their work, but so do the staff behind their free magazines.

The Xbox magazine, which is apparently created by Microsoft and not a 3rd party publisher, posted a picture of Viva Pinata 2, which hasn't been announced as a new title at all. Was this a typo or did someone leak something they weren't supposed to?

More than likely someone just accidently added the two, but we can dream can't we?

The glory days of G4TV remembered

Ask any gamer that watched G4TV before 2005 about the state of the station's programming now and expect him to spit on the ground, set a picture of Kevin Pereira on fire, and then curl up in ball to cry about the good old days.

Basically the station sucks now and like all the other ex-fans of the station, FJR12 misses the great tech shows that once were G4TV. Watch his tribute to the cancelled shows that once held a place near and dear to the hearts of gamers everywhere.

Note that Electric Playground is still part of the G4 lineup, even though FJR12 didn't notice and added it to the montage of cancelled shows. There is still hope, at least until G4 ticks off Tommy and Victor further and they pull Electric Playground from the station like they did Judgement Day.

Trailer for Video Games Live

Tommy Tallarico: the Music Video?

I don't care what anyone has to say bad about Tommy Tallarico of Electric Playground fame, if a fan takes the time to make a song about you and then someone makes that song into a music video; you just rock as a video game host.

Adam and Morgan, where's your song and music video? Huh? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Happy New Year!

I'm a little late in posting this, but Happy New Year and may all your next gen consoles come quickly and work for many years of excellent gaming! Now back to the pepto and advil.

Halo Theme Rocked!

The Halo Theme performed by a group of friends in a living room. Their
band is called Corporeal and that is Dave Verlee on guitar, Hanah
Stuart on violin, Dave Bedell on drum kit and Rob Leu on Bass.