I know that the Will Smith sci-fi vehicle Independence Day is the preferred cultural touchstone today. “Welcome to Earth” jokes, and all that. Somehow Hollywood schlock and Brent Spiner’s worst acting role doesn’t bring to mind independence for me, instead leaving me searching for something more substantial in popular media. Instead I’m reminded of a struggle for independence where the underdogs didn’t win, where they were put down and held with a boot to their throat. I’m referring to the struggle of the Browncoats. The war between the Sino-American Alliance and the border planets was nothing but a backdrop for the sci-fi masterpiece Firefly, but in some ways the messages of that conflict ring true today for game writers.

Those of us writing about games professionally have an unwinnable war on our hands. We're struggling for our independence from the developers and publishers that make games, trying as best we can to investigate and explore rather than just regurgitate and repeat. Despite every games writer being a true gamer in their own right, we also seek to separate ourselves from the consumer perspective to best serve them. The result is a group of journalists who are universally disliked. Hated by publishers for not toeing the line, hated by readers for "obviously" being on the take ... games writing can seem like a no-win situation.

I don't care. I'm still free, and they can't take the sky from me.

I love Disney. Not the company, which is increasingly reaching to foul and loathesome depths in its push to get marketoys into the hands of little girls. Not even the man, though obviously he was a person to respect. I love Disney the gestalt, the overall combination of customer service, ambition, creativity and innovation that lets places like the happiest place on earth exist. Their Walt Disney World resort in particular is fascinating, a microcosm of a country all within the space of a few former swampy marshes.

Particularly engaging is the idea that - in almost every way - Disney is the ultimate MMO developer. Though their forays into the genre have been tentative so far, the house of mouse is poised to be the designer of the happiest places on meta-earth as well.

The normally convivial social activity that is pen and paper gaming has a dark side. Not dark like “murder/suicide pacts in the steam tunnels” dark. Actually not even “if there are girls there I want to do them” dark. But still - dark. I’m referring to the inevitable sand in the swimtrunks that every group has to deal with: The Rules. For some, they’re a bane that needs to be beaten into submission. For others, they’re a means to an end, easy stepping stones along the path to a good story. And for still others they’re a secret lover, the only one that really understands them.

The average gaming group will have a mix of all three of these player-types. Getting them to collaborate, amiably, is an epic-level challenge. With a brand-new edition of Dungeons and Dragons just released I’m gearing up to dive back into the fray. I’ve been organizing games for almost twenty years, and running herd on a group of possibly-surly gamers can get complicated.

Consider this a brief anecdotal guide to being a Game Master (GM). When I’m behind the GM screen, this is how I roll.

(Prederick attended Video Games Live and wrote this report. Enjoy! - Shawn)

On April 26th, Video Games Live made its first appearance in New York City. The brainchild of composer Tommy Tallarico, the show promises to bring music from various video games to life with a live orchestra and crowd participation. Given my track record of being an enormous nerd for video game music, it seemed only fitting to attend.

Video Games Live is predicated on the belief that the music in video games is worthy of recognition for its musical achievement. The notion may not make much weight in the mainstream, but to the crowd on attendance that night, it was true.

Since we first started doing the Conference Call several people have asked us how we put it all together. Saying we do it with a couple of tin cans and some string kind of gets old, so Shawn decided we should do a write up for the front page, and then volunteered me to do it. The bastard! (This article is written by Rob Borges, in case you haven't figured it out yet - Shawn)

So what does it take to get the Conference Call up every week? A crap load of equipment, something interesting to talk about (we hope), and someone insane enough to spend hours editing it all together. That last part would be me, by the way.

So here are the answers to all your questions and possibly more than you really ever wanted to know. Enjoy!

The release of Rare’s Viva Piñata was a wonderful, beautiful fluke. The 360 is a fantastic console, don’t get me wrong, but the purpose of the system is pretty clear. It’s ideally suited for playing console FPS titles, hardcore action games, and other M-rated novelties. The non-sporting E-rated games on Microsoft’s console can be counted with one hand – and most of them are just not very good.

Enter Viva Piñata, a colorful and unique flower against the 360’s dark-grey FPS backdrop. It spoke to both kids and parents, easily winning them over. The parental enthusiasm is understandable: A game their kid could actually play? On the incredibly expensive console they’d just bought?

The game is more than just a digital pacifier, though. Gaming parents, reviewers, and even some trash-talking Halo fanatics all awoke to the realization that the game was good. Really good. Now, with a sequel due out later this year, it worthwhile to consider why the original Viva Piñata is as good as it is and why it was the unheeded harbinger of a gaming revolution.

I like Niko Bellic, and I'm not sure what that says about me. Grand Theft Auto IV's protagonist is kind of a dick, no two ways about it. While he stumbles into a situation far removed from what he was expecting, the demands placed on him soon balloon far beyond a rationale person's tolerance. Not five hours into the game's main storyline you're killing people in cold blood for not much more than a verbal insult.

Still, despite it all, I like Niko. I enjoy his tale in a way that I haven't enjoyed the story in any other GTA title, and that makes me profoundly uncomfortable. GTA is fundamentally about 3 things, and they're all uncomfortable: violence, race, and sex. That these things speak to me is troubling and intriguing, tapping into the basest elements of humanity. It feels like there are three monkeys on my back. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil ... it's so archetypal it's almost silly.

Ready for a peek into my subconscious? Me neither.

"Battlestar Galactica" is important. It's not just a fantastic television show, a landmark series in the history of the medium. It's not just a high water mark for the concept of 'reimagining' older stories. It's important because Ron Moore and the show's production crew absolutely destroy the crufty sameness of what 'sci-fi television is.' The tropes of Star Trek and Star Wars are so familiar, so well-tread, that they're almost played out. Sci-fi TV shows are still being made as if one mediocre show from the 60s is the template for modern storytelling.

In many ways games are operating in the same model.

A year ago I was my 360’s bitch.

That console is tantalizing in ways I’m not sure words can express. I love the curve of the case, the wink of that green, staring eye. Even the software sings to me, with those arched blades and the effortless connectivity. She lets me game without pretense, without effort. Slip a game from the shelf, close the tray, and off we go to fabulous places like Tamriel, Pinata Island, Normandy, or the planet Sera.

I’ve found the pendulum swings both ways. My love for the PC, a love I thought I’d lost, is once again burning bright. I’m trading in 360 games just so that I won’t feel guilty about rebuying them for my new crush. It’s a dirty cycle, the result of sorrow begetting unhealthy actions and self-recrimination.

I wouldn’t change a thing.

A brief update for our 2007 Donation Drive and prize giveaway. We are on our 10th day of the drive, and we've already exceeded the amazing generosity of 2006. We are impossibly grateful, not just because we like money but because as our costs increase you guys step up in amazing ways to help us continue to grow the site. A few notes for those of you who have or are considering contributing:

-- The list of donors eligible for the prize drawing is frequently updated here. If your name is missing, please be sure you submitted the follow-up email linking your paypal donation with your forum name. See the original donation drive post for that info.

-- The donation drive has been extended through Sunday, September 16th.

-- Winners will be announced on the 50th anniversary podcast which goes up late Tuesday. The winner list will also be posted on the front page of the site.

-- Europeans, as well as North Americans, will now be eligible to win the two top prizes. However, we will not be able to ship the other prizes overseas.

Thanks again for your generosity!