GCR: How to choose games to buy your girl at birthdays and holiday shopping

Black Friday and Cyber Monday came and went and all I have to show for it is Just Dance 3 for Kinect. I consider myself a well grounded but hardcore gamer. I deserved Saints Row: The Third or Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at the least. I loved that my boyfriend got me Just Dance 3 but I wanted that game in October. Now is the time for me to be playing some insanely good games.

Fellas, I'm going to give you some tips on how to choose games to buy your Gamer girl so that she won't be pissed when you get her some cheesy E for Easy game during the holidays and birthdays.

1. Know what your girl likes in games. This is probably the most important tip because some men fail to know what it is their girl likes to play aside from borrowing your games.
2. Figure out how much money you have to spend. Nothing like making a list of things you CAN'T AFFORD. 
3. Sit down with your girl and make a Gaming Wish List or look over the available wish list she already has (if you want to surprise her or need to edit). I tend to have 4 wish lists across multiple gaming sites. 
4. Go over holiday sales and deals that fits your budget. Then make a new list for each store you can shop at.
5. Make the shopping day a date if you can. Buy the game, then have Dinner and a Movie. I have done this plenty of times with my boyfriend and it's quite fun.
6. If you're looking for exactly WHAT games to buy your girl, you would have to observe her gaming personality. Does she like to blow stuff up or create stuff? Does she like to customize her ass off or just go with the flow? Does she like using motion controllers or regular controllers? Does she play only when she's upset or when she's feeling blue? These answers would be her Play Habits. I will go into detail about them in a later blog post. 

These tips should be very helpful in your quest to buy games for your betrothed.  If these tips worked for you, drop me a line in the comments. If you want to contribute to this feature, please contact me via the ASK Cutie page.

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Where's the women interviews in gaming magazines?

Bryna Dabby of Women in Games being interviewed at the new Game Design campus

You know what I mostly don't see in popular gaming magazines? Interviews about women in the video game industry. I most certainly see a man in most magazines spilling their guts about their current projects, how they got to their successful point and where they plan to go. As a Black Woman Gamer, I want to see more Black women getting interviews or at least women in the industry. 


There's plenty of women in the industry but you wouldn't know that because of the lack of media and press. Heck, there's even women-based developer studios. So where's the interviews? Do I need to start an organization that gets the press these women deserve? Well as of now I am going to embark on a journey into interviewing these wondrous women myself and putting their press on my blog for all male gamers to see. Its important for female gamers to rise and join the ranks because a young girl can have someone to look up to just like men have their favorite developers they can look up to when they go to college for Interactive media aka Game Design. 

Below: Highlights video from European Women in Games Conference

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GCR: Women Being Put Aside For Games - Van's Version

An article on Gamepro mentioned about a woman (jokingly) tries to sell her husband on Craigslist caught my attention recently. My girlfriend and I had an interesting debate on females bitching to their significant others playing video games. I feel that it does nothing to enhance the relationship between two people if one party feels neglected from the other one's hobby. There should be some kind of agreement or establishment of a schedule between the two parties how to have gaming time in the relationship! It will not make things easier by saying to your lover, "Pick me or the games!" That is complete bollocks and SELFISH to the ultimate degree!

I see guys on facebook posting status like this: "Getting NBA 2k12 looks like my girl gonna be an unhappy for awhile." Or "Looks like many girlfriends gonna be packing their bags when MW3 comes out." It does not have to be that way! Girls, who are not gamers, have some serious issues to me. They have nerve to take their boyfriends out shopping (when they don't want to), see a movie the guy doesn't want to see (like Twilight?) or bring them over to a female friend's house (when they just sit there.) They have nerve to make the guy do that, yet he would play a game to entertain himself... not dragging her to play with him (because she is not into them anyway.) The girl becomes jealous over a damn electronic piece of equipment that takes the attention of the dude for a few mere hours of the day! Is that not the concept of being SELFISH?

Why can't non-female-gamers just try to understand their lover's hobby of playing a game? Try to play a game both of you can play together? Like playing a dance game like "Just Dance" or racing game like "Mario Kart" or play a fun fighting game like "Street Fighter"? Show her how to play the games and master the techniques! If not, then have her go out shopping with her friends while you play games with the fellas? There can be a co-existence of sports, video games and keep a lady happy at the same time. But both parties have to compromise, put aside those egos and resonate some kind of understanding amongst one another. Relationships could be saved!

I respect and love female-gamers. I have the privilege of knowing many of them in my life because they understand and share similar interest with the fellas. They can come over my house, pick a game and its game on! I can have a serious debate on this game versus that game. I do get the occasional lady that says "Call of Duty ain't sh*t" and I flip out on them :)

No one should have to cut things they enjoy to make someone else happy. No one should hold someone's favorite hobby hostage. "If you place a thing in the center of your life that lacks the power to nourish. It will poison everything that you are and destroy you." That is from a musician named Maxi Jazz. I am firm believer of that. No one should should put something or someone that does not add to your overall happiness and enjoying it without limitations.

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GCR: Women Being Put Aside For Games - QT's Opinion

After reading an article about a woman attempting to sell her husband on Craigslist because of him spending too much time playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, I just shook my head. There's too many women complaining about how their men put them aside to play video games. Just input some random hobby other than video games and it will be the same thing - insecurities. What about how men have to put up with your habits and hold-ons? 


Obviously hobbies are fun but can be time consuming. Inviting people to join your hobby solves a few problems - lack of support, communication and quality time. However, there's always someone who doesn't want to join your hobby or vice versa so you have to suggest something else to do or give the person some time on their own. Some women don't want their men playing games for long periods of time. Understandable, but what they need to get is that men don't want them to shop or hang out with their slutty friends for long periods of time. In this case, use time management. Assign allocated time slots for some days. The men can have 3-5 hours of gaming 2-3 days of the week while women get to shop or hang out for the same amount of time. 


Another solution would be to find games to play together, that way you're spending your quality time or find another hobby outside the home to do together. Instead of punishing your partner for enjoying their hobby, find something YOU can do. I understand that too much time is too much time. In this severe case, sign up for couple therapy. A lot of times, people go through intense and emotional situations and don't seek therapy for it. Every person NEEDS therapy or counseling. It helps see things clearer and get through things better.

I have created a website that targets Gamers, providing them with therapeutic resources for a better gaming experience. You can use GameYourTherapy to help you. It's not a professional counseling solution but can give you insights on how gaming can be used as therapy. It also has information about mental health. The website is still new.  

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GCR: First Game For Our First Child - QT Opinion

As a child, my parents introduced me to the first games that would dictate what games I loved and enjoyed for the next few years and possibly my life. After all, a well-rounded gamer is created not born. I was introduced to two games on two systems - Super Mario Bros. NES and Galaga on Atari 7600 followed by the Legend of Zelda and Punch Out! both on NES as well.

I remember playing more platformers, racing, action/adventure and shooter games rather than RPG, fighting, puzzle, and FPS games growing up. Most of my collection now features platformers, racing, action/adventure and RPG so this is why it's important to shape your child into having the best of all gaming and not just on one system and one type of genre.

Spyro using his signature move - Fire Blast.

The first game I will introduce to my child is a Spyro game. Activision released Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure with nothing but awesome reviews. Highest rating I have seen is 8.5. I have always loved Spyro games. It's friendly, funny, challenging and just plain fun. Any kid would have a blast with it, literally.

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GCR: First Game For Our First Child - Van's Opinion

My mom bought me a Nintendo system and it came with "Super Mario Bros." and "Duck Hunt" it was my first system and games as a kid. I learned how to time my jumps, attack enemies and powering up at the expense of always dying and restarting the game. While I may not have understood what exactly was going on in the game, I knew I had to keep going forward till I eventually found the flag. Thinking I beat the game, I end up going to the next level. Eventually I would figure out there is a helluva lot more to the game that I first thought. It made me want to keep playing.

 Sonic the Hedgehog was another game I discovered by accident. I was in a record store which had a demo of the Sonic game. I thought of same idea as Mario, just keep going forward till I beat the game. I was playing all three acts of Green Hill Zone and I beat Robotnik (aka Eggman) and the game shut off. I thought I beat it. One day I went over a friend's house and saw he had a Sega Genesis which I did not own. He had Sonic the Hedgehog game and asked if I beaten it, I said yes. Little did I know there was another zone after Green Hill and lots more to go.

These two games got me into gaming. I would introduce my first child to Mario and Sonic on whichever platform they are on. They are the ones who got it started for me and I would have my first child to do the same. Whether or not he or she shares the same inspiration as me, we would only have to find out. Whether its watching me play or teaching the kid how to play, I would do what I can to make sure he or she would get a chance to experience it on their own.

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Women Being Lead Roles In Male Fantasized Video Games

We all know that women in most countries if not all are looked down upon as an object to be owned, used, violated, beaten and more heinous things. This does not mean most people do or believe that, but it's a male-dominated world. Women do get chances here and there to shine but are taken as face value. 

When it comes to video games, most action-adventure, FPS, or any game with lots of violence have male protagonists. Is it because women are thought not to be so hardcore? Having a baby IS hardcore. If you don't think so Men, try giving birth. It's much easier to pick up an AK47 and shoot whatever is in front of you then to give birth. But men don't think it "looks good". What is it then? Vaginae are the toughest muscle ever created, and the testicles are the weakest yet men call each other "pussies" to put down one another or call gay men 'fags' because they act like women.

Women should have more lead roles in video games, period. The movies Barb Wire, Heavy Metal 2000, Red Sonya, and others with strong women roles are excellent examples of baddasses in heels and guns/swords. Bayonetta was a good game but even when women are given the chance, they are designed to look like Porn Stars. Only the new Lara Croft looks closer to what 'real' women look like in an everyday setting. 

Women are beautiful. They give birth to babies. Some aren't so beautiful but that's just in the eyes of the beholder. Then these babies grow up to be some of the scum of the Earth and disrespectful to women who look like their moms. All because Women aren't being portrayed as the MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE in media, video games and in culture. 

If it has to start with Big Breasted women in games, then let it start there. At least they will have lead roles. Let women go GTA-style on an ex-boyfriend.  Let women SNIPE those sluts trying to take their man from behind their back. Let women save the day in a platformer game like Mario goes after Peach. For once, I wanna see Peach get her fucking dress dirty and save her man. Stop making women too timid and give them some weapons to cause havoc! Look at Metroid. How much balls did she bust? 

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Catwoman in Batman: Arkham City Vs Sexism

Within the first 30 minutes of playing Batman: Arkham City, you get to meet and save Catwoman from a world of pain. Her captors are of course criminals that have no home training. You hear the words "bitch" a few times. So, would Catwoman represent the sexism portrayed in the game or is it just being over thought?

Well first of all, upon viewing Catwoman, you can see the skin tight body suit with it zipped down the middle more than enough to see and cop a feel of her breasts. As long as I've known the character Catwoman, she has always used her sexuality as an advantage. But she is a woman and should be treated as such. But look at the world she is living in right now. Violence has overtook Gotham and it's overun with inmates and enemies of Batman - vicious haters of peace and love. So rightfully will you come across sexist pigs and assholes that deserve a quick kick in the groin. 


But maybe the point is why she had to be drawn that way? Well it's obvious a man created the character, the images and the current 3D model we see before us. Who do you know in real life that looks like that? With perfect breasts and a hourglass shape that uses a whip and meows to get what she wants? Maybe in your dreams but that's it. 

I can compare this to ladies that work in the porn industry. Females that are in porn scenes are dolled up. They don't even look like that when they are at home. They sell fantasies. So when women are drawn with perfect bodies to the standards of men, then it's just being sold based on men fantasies. 


Gamers should have characters they can fantasize about. As a female, I have lots of picks of men to fantasize about in games. Look at Batman's body of glory. His biceps only are ridiculously huge. You know what else I think is huge? Well I'm not saying...So before people go jumping in a heated argument about how their kids are exposed to such distaste, why not look at MTV first and other reality shows and see what DISTASTE really is and how it's raising your kids. 

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Resistance 3 Is a Recipe for Sex

I purchased the Resistance 3 PS Move Pack knowing I will have all sorts of fun with it. Accessories really make the game experience better. I should know, I have a Nintendo Wii. Though setting up the PS Move with the Playstation 3 took longer than I though, trying to figure out how to work the Sharp Shooter took even longer. But with plenty of time to spare, I got my first run in with Resistance 3. 


I actually wanted to play with my boyfriend but he didn't have his PS Controller. He is also fickle with playing my newly purchased games for some reason. Apparently he likes to WATCH me play games especially if I'm moving my body.


You really have to move with the Sharp Shooter. The sharp shooter and PS Move is designed to get that integration feel with the game. That means when you want the character to perry to the left or right, you also have to perry to the left or right. So I was moving all about not noticing my boyfriend getting a hard on. Let's just say I only played an hour of that game that day. 


He told me that it's just something about the way I hold the gun and how I reload by cocking the pump-action grip. I did that quite a few times killing Chimeras. I went all hard on 'em. So he went all hard on me. 


Women really should get more enjoyment out of using accessories because men do like a good show. It's not often they see their girl camping out in FPS games. It turns them all the way on. Therefore I'm really looking forward to getting more FPS and BED action with the Sharp Shooter. Perhaps when I get Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3.

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Making Just Dance Series Your Sex Game

Perhaps I was a little bossy when I told my boyfriend of 5+ years that I would love to see him dancing with me in Just Dance 2. You see, he doesn't like to dance or at least ONLY dances to Latin music. So I let it go. Fortunately for me, I seduced him with my awesome techniques while playing Just Dance and Just Dance 2 on my Wii. 


He felt kinda bad for not letting me see him dancing so he popped in Just Dance 2 and chose a song. Don't remember what song it was but he was "learning" how to move to Hip-Hop music. As I entered my bedroom, I saw him shakin' his hips and moving left to right, arms in the air, really getting down and hot with it. I couldn't help but fantasize him in black jeans, a midnight blue shirt, a pair of shades on with his hair slick back like in grease. I told him to turn the game off so I could give him his "final lesson". 


Just Dance is not only a fun game to play and with others but can also be used for an exercise program and for sex. Like looking at strippers? Then look no further. Just pop in Just Dance 3 on the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 and give or receive your own personal strip show. If you're good enough, you don't even have to look at the screen. Just look directly into their eyes and touch the highly sensitive parts. You'll be screwing in no time. 


Who says motion games were boring? They are improving sex lives! 

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