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Android tattoo girl
Natalie "Kommodore" Thompson just joined the rarified ranks of Zune Guy and the BlackBerry Storm Cankle Man with her very own Android tattoo. While obviously a fan of the brand new mobile OS, she says she did it mostly to show her support of open source in general, and ol' Tux lost out to the more-adorable little green bot (known affectionately around the Engadget HQ as "Marvin"). Add in that shutter shades t-shirt -- for a 100x multiplier -- and we're likely dealing with our very first fit-for-society tattoo nerd. Too bad she only dates robots.
iPhone factory worker is newly Internet famous
Last week you may have caught some photos going around of a cute Foxconn factory worker flashing peace signs. The photos were found on a UK man's brand-new iPhone, and posted at MacRumors. The mystery girl's identity is being protected by Foxconn, and a company spokesman said that her job is not in any danger. Taking pictures with the camera is a normal part of the testing procedure done before the phone is shipped out. As with other Chinese internet celebrities, identities are hard to come by. Second Brother on the Right, who was part of the Olympic torch procession through many countries, is still anonymous. [Via Reuters.]
SOE announces scholarship winner
SOE's Gamers In Real Life (G.I.R.L.) program has found its first scholarship winner. Julia Brasil of San Francisco wins $10,000 scholarship, and a ten week internship at the SOE studio of her choice. The competition, announced last April, was designed to encourage women to enter the games industry. SOE has an interview with Ms. Brasil on the GIRL website, and they must have found it at least a little ironic that her current favorite MMO is not any SOE game, but Age of Conan. Brasil credited online games with teaching her English and helping with her puzzle-solving ability and abstract thinking. Big congrats to Brasil, and we're definitely hoping she goes on to make great games.[Via Gamesindustry.biz]
Women of the Agency
MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John sat down with the female members of SOE's The Agency team to talk about not only their upcoming MMO (which looks hot), but what it's like to work in what John calls a "male-dominated field." While it's true that much of the videogame market is still dominated by men, there has been quite a bit of inroads made in terms of female developers in the MMO genre-- DDO's Senior Producer Kate Paiz jumps to mind, but from NCSoft to Bioware to Linden Labs, there is now quite a bit of female representation on MMO and RPG development teams.Most of the talk centers around "G.I.R.L.," short for "gamers in real life," which is a program set up by Sony to "educate and recruit women in the videogame industry." They do say that they don't feel they've faced many challenges because of their gender, and considering that the gaming audience has changed quite a bit in the past few years, that's not really a surprise. But they have had to make a few woman-specific calls as developers, like making sure a female outfit in The Agency didn't show off a characters' bra line.Interesting read, if only to see how far women have come into the field of videogame development, and yet how much farther there is to go.
SOE announces G.I.R.L. scholarship program
We had the chance to hit up Sony Online Entertainment's soiree at GDC and were privy to their announcement about a scholarship program designed to educate and recruit women into the video game industry: the Gamers In Real Life (G.I.R.L. -- see what they did thar?) scholarship program offers a $10,000 tuition scholarship towards an education at any Art Institutes school where currently enrolled, plus a paid internship at one of SOE's studios in Austin, Denver, San Diego or Seattle. Applications will be accepted beginning April 1, 2008 and ending May 31, 2008, with winners announced on or about June 30, 2008. Entries will be judged by a panel of industry professionals at SOE. The event featured a Q&A session with some of SOE's female production and executive staff including Torrie Dorrell (SVP Global Sales and Marketing), Courtney Simmons (Director of Corporate Communications and PR), Sherry Floyd (Producer, SOE Seattle), Laura Naviaux (Director, Global Brand Marketing), Taina Rodriguez (Publicist), Tracey Seamster (Game Designer), and Heather Sowards (Media Producer). Hit up the gallery for pics of the event and some gratuitous screens from The Agency.%Gallery-16484%
Hello Kitty gets two new Bluetooth headsets
What better to go with your shiny new Hello Kitty-themed phone than -- wait for it -- a Bluetooth headset doused in cuteness? Apparently, a pair of these very devices have managed to surface, and we're sure gals everywhere are clamoring to get their hands, er, ear under one. Granted, we've no idea how well these things would actually work (nor how much they'll cost), but the adorable factor is undeniably through the roof. If you're not already overwhelmed, feel free to check out the other version after the break.[Thanks, Mickel]
Sakura robot skates around, keeps your princess entertained
Considering that gift-giving time is right around the bend, it's no shock to see companies start cranking out gizmos that will perfectly stuff those lonely stockings. On the docket today is the Sakura robot, which dons a pink outfit, totally hip hairdo and a quasi-futuristic skateboard. Apparently, she can belt out a few jokes, school you with several "fun facts and fashion tips" and play back five different songs. Additionally, her board can be remotely controlled, and if you two build up a certain level of trust, you can record "secrets" within that will only be repeated should you insert the requisite key. Sounds like a total blast, eh? Go on, you know your princess is worth the £49.99 ($103) -- and hey, at least this thing won't teach her how to totally ruin her credit.[Via Coolest-Gadgets]
All the World's a Stage: It's not just about sexy butts
All the World's a Stage is a weekly column by David Bowers, investigating the explorative performance art of roleplaying in the World of Warcraft.Roleplaying the opposite sex happens. It is alluring to some, and repulsive to others -- a lot of people do it, while a lot of other people very openly proclaim (as if they know these things) that anyone who does this weird, manipulative, deceitful, and so on.People also tend to come up with various excuses for why they play a character of the opposite sex, as if they need to justify themselves according to their own gender's traditional expectations. Some men say, "if I'm going to have to stare at a characters butt for hours while I play, I'd rather it be a hot and sexy butt," while some women say, "I get all kinds of unwanted attention if I play a girl, and the only way I can get away from it is to play a boy." All that may be true in some cases, but it's hardly the whole story behind opposite-gender roleplaying.First of all, let me just say it here and now: you have every right to create whatever character you want, particularly in an actual roleplaying environment, and particularly if you intend to be faithful to the character you're creating.
Heroic 3-year old arises to save Azeroth [Updated]
juBBjuBB is the proud father of one very charismatic girl who, aside from being absolutely adorable, is also able to play WoW! As he says in his forum post "YOU may have been GANKED by our 3yr old!", Charisma was captivated with her parents gaming activities and started out playing WoW at 1 and a half years old, doing very basic things like running and jumping and chasing bunnies, but since then has actually gotten the hang of some of the basic mechanics of the game. She has learned that you don't want that green bar to get empty or you'll "fall down," as well as the fact that the alliance ("blue") is good and the ugly ones ("red") are bad -- or enemies in PvP anyway. She knows to cap a flag and grind her way up in levels, too apparently.Some people who read this story cry foul. How can a 3 year-old level to 20 "by herself" (as her myspace page claims) without being able to read? Also, it certainly does seem a bit much to say that she can "gank" people. I also doubt that she can play at the same level as, say, the proverbial 12 year-old WoW player could. My bet is that when the father says "level to 20 by herself" he probably means "without doing any quests and with me watching and talking her through things." And when he says "gank," he means "overpower a level 30ish opponent with a level 60ish rogue alt of her parents using very basic play tactics," which, hello gankers everywhere, even a 3 year-old can do by pressing just a few buttons! Good for her, I say, but shame on anyone over 9.But I digress. Playing three to four hours per week maxiumum, juBBjuBB says, is helping Charisma get excited to learn the alphabet and cooperative teamplay. Fatherly love and pride in such progress may be leading him to exaggerate a little bit about her gameplay skill, or maybe leave certain details about it to our own common sense -- but can you blame him? If I had a little kid who showed a strong aptitude in any area, from computers to cartoons, I might need to rein in my superlative praise too. She may or may not be the one heroine destined to be the best gamer in the world, but she's the pride of her father's life, and in his Azerothian sky there's no star shining brighter than her.Update: More from Charisma's father after the jump! You may find it hard to believe...
Dragon Quest, Super Mario, Boy and Girl in Itadaki Street DS
Itadaki Street DS apparently didn't have enough characters to choose from-- the entire Mario and Dragon Quest casts are just too limiting, you know? Besides, nobody can relate to wacky characters like a plumber and a plumber's brother, who is also a plumber. Square Enix has nicely included some characters who will do less to draw players' attention away from the serious business of strategic board game play: "Boy" and "Girl." They look just like we would if we were three feet tall and didn't have noses!We've got some screens of Boy and Girl, and of Itadaki Street in general, after the break. And check the link for character art and a few board layouts.
Shiny Shiny girl chooses PSP
The debate about whether or not PSP appeals to girls continues. Shiny Shiny, a popular gadgets website targeted towards girls, has an interesting take on the DS versus PSP debacle. Kimberly, a blogger on the site, admits to having a DS bias. Like one CNET editor stated, the stylus controls were attractive: "I liked the idea of the stylus and touchscreen." However, the honeymoon was over quite quickly: "[The DS] offered familiar, but interesting challenges ... for about a month."Why the sudden change of heart? Apparently, she got her hands on a PSP, and found using a more conventional control scheme with PSP made gaming much easier: "I found the PSP's games and controls to be much more intuitive than the Nintendo DS Lite." Kimberly had to constantly refer to the instruction manuals in DS games to understand the controls, while PSP offered a more familiar environment. Like we predicted, DS fans that actually give PSP a try will find that much of the bias against the system is unfounded."The PSP's ability to do more might account for its poor battery life compared to the DS Lite. In this episode of gadgetry smackdown, I concede the battle to my buddy/nemesis and will go get myself a PSP"
SXSW: Getting Girls Into The Game: Designing and Marketing Games for Female Players
Boyfriends aren't the only ones facing dilemmas. Publishers and developers have been struggling to develop games that appeal to women, because they represent a huge demographic who haven't traditionally been associated with the video game market, and that translates to lost dollars. But how do you begin to approach making a game for girls, or is it even a mistake to set out to do that from the beginning, rather than just making a game that's fun?The panel first asked the question, "What constitutes a female gamer?" Jame Pinckard said, "Women aren't just this monolithic block of 'gamers', they all want different types of games. Just because a Barbie video is made for a 12 year old girl, doesn't mean a 26 year woman has to play it." Sheri Graner Ray took it a step further, adding "There is no definition of a female gamer, and trying to tack a label to them does a disservice. The female gamer is simply a female who plays games. She's just a diverse as any other market out there."
Female game shoppers persuaded by freebies, determines survey
Attention would-be game marketers: According to the "Customer Focus Tech Savvy" survey, Gen-Y females are suckers for the ol' special offer -- who isn't? Thirty-two percent of participating females, born between 1977 and 1994*, agreed that "special offers like free items or discounts" are the most important factor in deciding where to purchase video games. Not surprisingly, "parents" and "adults" (the other vague statistical categories polled) agreed.Retailer owners may also take solace in the discovery that almost no one surveyed thought herself attracted to helpful staff or demo kiosks. Just stick with the swag and pimply-faced dimwits.*Range used by survey; official Generation Y range varies: "there is no precise consensus as to which birth years constitute Generation Y. For instance, while the periodical American Demographics typically uses 1976 to demarcate the start of Generation Y, the demographers Howe and Strauss have consistently used 'the High School class of 2000,' or those born in 1982 as their demarcation" [Wikipedia].
Sony marketing asks you to "Find Me"
I've been looking for days to find a direct-feed version of Sony's new commercial, entitled "Find Me." Unfortunately, I couldn't. "Find Me" is part of Sony's newly revamped PSP marketing plan. It tells the touching story of a man who must find a girl through a Memory Stick loaded with clues in photo and video form. A hard-to-get girl that plays with a PSP must be worth the effort of running around the city. The ad can be seen on shows like Family Guy, The Daily Show, and Sports Center."The PSP system has already been established as a popular gaming handheld, but it was designed to do so much more -- from playing music and videos to sharing photos and accessing the Internet," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing, SCEA. "These marketing initiatives deliver the broader PSP brand message and offer PSP owners the entertainment experience they're thirsting for from a content perspective."[Via GameDaily]
Girl in Austin not sure about PS3, waits in line for fun
This video just sort of makes you stare at the screen with your jaw gaping open and go, "What the?!" A girl in South Austin who knows nothing about gaming at all "heard that this was going to be good," and has decided to wait in line at a Best Buy for a PS3. The reporter asks "What do people do for a living in order to come out here and camp out?" Casey's extremely truthful reply, "I don't do anything, honestly ... I'm just doing it for the thrill. Something to get out of my usual ... you know." We have a feeling she was about to say "boring life." The reporter accurately goes on to identify her as a girl, proving that there is still some top-notch news reporting going on out there, folks. She then goes on to say, "Us girls don't really fit into this environment with all this gaming." This is about as bad as the "math is hard!" Barbie doll, which we suspect the reporter probably owns and has propped up on her makeup mirror. Any female gamers out there care to issue some rebuttal smackdown to this reporter wannabe? Casey says all the guys in line have been really nice to her (mm hmm) by helping her set her tent up and take it down, and that friends have been bringing her blankets, gloves, and a beanie because it's cold out there. We wonder what she showed up in line with.Anyhow, Casey, we truly hope this is everything you want it to be. If it's not, eBay can help you turned those failed dreams into some bling. We have a sneaky suspicion that's really what she's doing in line anyhow. Let's do the math: does nothing + heard it was good + not a gamer = look for this console to be listed at about 8:37AM central time on Friday."Those waiting in line cannot pitch tents until the store closes at 9PM ..." We can guarantee that there's some tent-pitching going on in that line. We're at less than 24 to go, and it's fanboys on high alert! Plus look, a girl![Thanks, Collin]
Finding love with Finder Love
You guys loved Soft Skin English School Little Sexy Girl... a lot (our traffic reports tell us so). So, I bring you Finder Love, Capcom's entry into the PSP naked women scene. The gameplay seems intense: you have to take pictures of the girls when their hearts align, as if it were a music game. But wait! It appears even more gameplay comes in the form of mini-games, including... yes, you guessed it right: rock paper scissors. Awesome!Because the video isn't really safe for work, it's presented after the cut. Nothing to stop all the fanboy fighting and bring peace and love to everyone like nudity. YAY!!!(For those interested, you can import the game here. Shh... don't tell your wife!)
9 year old girl hates Loco Roco, flaming ensues
Through our comments section, I've learned that Joystiq (and this site as well) hates the PSP, Sony, you, and your mother. They recently posted a news story about a Loco Roco review posted by a nine year old girl (daughter of the author of The Xbox 360 Uncloaked). Here's an excerpt:"This game is for younger kids such as five- or six-year-olds. Older kids might not like it. The music is for two- or three-year-olds. It gets annoying with the baby singing. If you beat the level, you get a prize. I haven't beaten the whole level yet so I don't know what the prize is. I'd give this game a one out of four star rating."What I find absolutely hilarious is how this "kiddie" game seems to appeal to us adults more than this little kid. Even more hilarious are the fanboys flaming the girl on the site:Wow, that "review" was mediocre. The game is for all ages, just because some people are too shallow to look past certain things like music or graphics doesn't mean it's "for" any certain age range. - EdwardYou know what really deserved 1 out of 4 stars? This review... Why do you have a 9 year old review video games? Is it because it (Loco Roco) looks kiddy? Or does everybody think video games in general are kiddy? Well, they're not. - Slamming If it's such a baby game, why couldn't she beat the first level? - Captin Shmit Remember folks, it's always really cool to pick on a little girl on the internet.
Who sings the Loco Roco song?
The super-happy music of Loco Roco is enough to brighten anyone's day. But don't you want to know who's responsible for the sweet, childish vocals in the background? Well, now you can! This video shows you the adorable girl who's spent her life singing commercial jingles. I'm impressed that she could memorize and sing a completely made-up language!
Soft Skin English School Little Sexy Girl
It's late at night, so the more risque Fanboy stuff starts getting posted. This amazing video shows you footage from Soft Skin English School Little Sexy Girl, a program that teaches you English. Or tries to. By showing you near-naked girls. There's a hilarious mini-game, where you play rock paper scissors, and every time you win, the girl takes an article of clothing off. You won't see naughty bits, but this is absolutely not safe for work. So, the video is after the cut.*Picture completely unrelated. Well, it shows you yet another inappropriate English program for a portable device.
Life of a SOCOM Player: females FTW!
This video is described simply as such: "This is the life of a Socom: FTB Player."That's all you really need. It captures the life of one girl (yes, gaming girls do exist!) and her obsession with SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo. Watch as this pretty professionally made video makes fun of suburban female life, full servers, and lag. Any more details would spoil the fun, so start watching!
