Has beating games gone the way of the American arcade? Tom Endo examines the completion conundrum and how developers can solve it.

Games can take us to exotic locales around the world - but why do they always insist on telling their stories from the same stale American, British or Japanese perspectives?

For a medium that so often sends players trekking across continents in heroic quests, videogames don't portray the experience of travel very effectively. Allen Varney imagines how developers could better simulate the globe-trotting lifestyle.

James Cameron's Aliens inspired a generation of developers, but the games industry missed the most groundbreaking aspect of the sci-fi classic: the Fighting Mom.

Videogames have been a useful tool for politicians for decades now, first as a scapegoat and now as a vehicle for reaching an elusive demographic. So why haven't they taken a stand of their own?

Developers are increasingly aware of the disabled in their audiences, but deaf gamers are still being left out in the cold. Robert Ashley looks at how game developers are slowly improving the experience for deaf players.

Handhelds and cell phones may let players game on the go, but developers have yet to realize the possibilities of truly mobile gaming. Spanner speaks with LocoMatrix founder Richard Vahrman about how his cell phone gaming platform is blurring the lines between real-world and game-world.

For a brief period in 2008, indie game designers got a foothold on retail shelves by bundling their games with fashionable T-shirts. Unfortunately, it didn't last. Jared Newman takes a closer look at the failed experiment that was EGP Apparel.

Nintendo may have won a decisive victory against Sega in the 1990s, but for some console warriors the battle rages on. Peter Parrish documents the evolution of the Sonic the Hedgehog fanboy.

Think computer opponents in games are hard now? Wait until A.I. researchers get through with them. Michael Cook examines how the industry and academia are profiting from an open dialogue on artificial intelligence.

What do game development and internal medicine have in common? Not that much, but that didn't stop BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk from making the transition from doctors to game developers.

Think those repetitive bits of throw-away dialogue in videogames are annoying? Imagine how your roommate feels. Wendy Despain analyzes the misguided tradition of the "bark."

Have you ever felt game worlds might be just a little ... whitewashed? Brenda Brathwaite asks the question that all game developers should be asking themselves.

Humor sites on the internet may be a dime a dozen, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for one more. Allen Varney discusses his webcomic research in preparation for launching his own site.

It's hard enough for controversial games to make it onto store shelves in their country of origin, but what happens when the publisher aims for an international release? Mathew McCurley tackles the problem of local censorship in a global industry.

When does World of Warcraft stop being "just a game"?

Jay Barnson loses his LARP virginity.

Playing as a videogame character and dressing up like one might not be as different as you think.

Roller derby: the first full-contact roleplaying game?

Russ Pitts remembers the last time his d20s came out of the bag, and it involves a grown man acting like a kitten.