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Friday, July 4, 2008
First Friday Drinking Game
 It's July, and it's gettin' hot--and we also have the benefit of this month's First Friday Drinking Game falling on the Fourth of July! And by the magic of the internet, I have ninja-posted this article on Friday before your very eyes! Whoooosh! And to go along with all of that Independence Day-partyin', why not throw a little Guitar Hero in there? It goes great with ribs and beer, the likes of which will get your friends pumped up all the more while you rock out for them. Add a little twist to the party with this month's FFDG and your friends will proclaim you the Goddess of Rock before asking to crash on your couch for the night. 1 drink for every bad cover song you play 2 drinks if you couldn't tell the cover song was a cover 1 drink for every blatant corporate advertising you see 2 drinks if said corporate advertisement is on a dancer chick 1 drink if one of your friends tries to break out GH: On Tour 2 drinks if s/he tries to look cool while playing it 1 drink whenever your wrist starts hurting from all the badass jamming (to dull the pain) 1 drink each time Lou kicks your ass 2 drinks each time you attempt Dragonforce's "Through the Fire and the Flames" 1 drink each time one of your friends just then notices the animations were done by that Gorillaz dude 1 drink every time you fail to initiate your Star Power and end up just flinging your guitar around 1 drink for every song that has long periods of time without any guitar-playing 1 drink for each song you play that is sung by a woman (if you don't want to drink much) 1 drink for each song you play that is sung by a man (if you want to get smashed) And finally: Finish your drink for every song you play by a band/artist who isn't white--'cuz there ain't that many in GH Warning: Excessive drinking during gameplay may result in wild guitar domination and impromptu mosh pits. Play with caution! Think I forgot something? Suggest a rule in the comments section! What drinking games do YOU want to play every month? If there is any genre or specific game you want featured in FFDG, drop me a line at PlasmaRit at gmail dot com. Labels: First Friday Drinking Game, Guitar Hero, PlasmaRit
Friday, January 11, 2008
Inevitable Femininity
 I've racked up a lot of hours on Guitar Hero III. Sure, the boss battles are kind of gimmicky and the difficulty curve is nearly vertical, but the walls of chez Plasma have been alive with the sounds of the Rolling Stones and Dragonforce nonetheless. And while I do love Judy Nails in all her pierced and tattooed glory, my consistent partner in rock has been the underappreciated Casey Lynch. Casey has flown under the radar since she was introduced in Guitar Hero II, and the recent news concerning Judy has only buried her further into obscurity. Knowing nothing about her, I decided to check out her profile in GH II:  Casey Lynch - A veteran of the tour circuit, Casey's dirty, low-end growl and ultra-heavy riffs have influenced budding shredders from Maine to Alaska, she's tough, she's brash, and she'll break your heart faster than an E string. Okay, I can get behind that; girl sounds really badass. In GH II, Casey is heralded for her down-and-dirty, heavy-metal style. Sure, she's basically wearing a bra, but nothing about it suggests objectivism (like Judy's torn-in-the-right-places outfit in III); in fact, it's more comparable to a male punk rocker with his shirt off. And then Activision came along. While playing GH III, I read from Casey's profile that she decided to take a more feminine approach to her look. While there is nothing inherently wrong with choosing to be more feminine, it's the way in which her profile worded this change: she is described as "finally discovering her feminine side." Let that sink in. "Finally." She "finally" discovered her feminine side. It's only one word, but it speaks volumes. By including this word, Activision is suggesting to us that because Casey is a woman, it was only a matter of time before she would shed her "dirty," "growly" ways and take on a more feminine persona. Of course, this problem isn't restricted to Guitar Hero; we as a society are still struggling with it. Words such as "feminine" imply that the traits this word labels are not only inherent in women but also those traits that one must possess in order to be acceptable as a woman. To not possess these traits, or to act "masculine," suggests that a woman is not being herself, but trying to be a man. Because femininity is inherent in women, it is an inevitability, and any woman who doesn't conform to it is lying to themselves about who they are. I've written about feminine female characters in video games before. I would like to clarify that I am in no way condemning femininity itself; what I do have a problem with is how femininity is treated as the only proper way for female characters to be, that to be "feminine" is to be "woman-like." I am frustrated over the feminization of Casey Lynch not only because of her unique character in GH II but also because every other woman in the game has received a feminine makeover as well. Activision has erased the individuality among their female characters, reducing them to an indistinguishable blur of ripped jeans, breasts, and leather. Labels: Guitar Hero, PlasmaRit, Stereotypes
Friday, November 16, 2007
We're Not Gonna Take It, Activision
The recent release of Guitar Hero III has unleashed a whirlwind of activity among the feminist gaming blogosphere--the center of the storm being one Ms. Judy Nails. The basic story is this:  Here's Judy as she looked in GH I and II. She's the "alternative" rock guitarist of the group, and she definitely looks the part. While she, Pandora, and Casey all seem to have the same body type (white, thin, large breasts), their styles are very distinct and different. Judy's outfit here is realistic and fun. And then we have GH III:  Judy seems to have been attacked by a bear--just look at her! Her shirt's all torn up and falling off, and you can see her bra, which is oddly pink and doesn't match her shirt at all. Maybe she just threw something on while she was trying to get away. Poor girl. Of course, there's nothing wrong with looking sexy--it's when it's so obviously for men only that it shuts out players like me. In looks, we lose our hardass rocker and get eye candy for men instead. Combine the shredded-in-the-right-places clothing and the infuriating boob physics, Activision has basically slapped a "For Boys Only" sign on Judy.  But Judy's not letting this fashion catastrophe affect her--she can still play some badass rock. I'll continue to play Judy because she's awesome, but that doesn't mean I like what Activision did to her. I'm joining the other gaming bloggers who are calling Activision on their crap; hopefully this won't be a problem in the future.Labels: Guitar Hero, PlasmaRit
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