There have been a number of incidents in which online predators have used online gaming services such as Xbox Live as a means to facilitate lewd relationships with minors. A newly purposed Texas bill (HB 22) aims to force convicted sex offenders to register their online handles and gaming persona. Depending on how strictly you interpret the bill, this may bar sex offenders from being able to utilize the internet to access commercial social networking sites. Read: Increasing the overall scope for future applications.

While this bill has not passed the Texas House or Senate, the Lone Star state has launched a major campaign to combat online predators. Being a resident of Texas I find it difficult to believe that such resources to police such a proposal exists. However, I do see the need to limit predator access to minors, but is HB 22 the way to go?

[GamerPolitics]

Competition exists in many forms. Whether it be in the workplace, on the field, or online; being competitive forces one to strategize. At its core a strategy focuses on one thing: outsmarting your opponent. Even with a game’s AI on “expert” most computer controlled opponents behave in predictable manners. However, play a human online and the dynamic radically changes. New tactics, new weapon combinations and the inevitable humble pie giveaway.

Humans behave differently and in strategizing we try to calculate our opponent’s next step, placing ourselves in our opponents shoes. It turns out this action of empathizing with our competition causes far greater brain activity than playing with a static/computer controlled opponent.
Read more!

I have a confession to make… I disconnect from online games. I was playing Mario Strikers Charged online the other night and I got pitted against some cheap bastard of a player. He kept doing this shit that I was unable to do anything against and it�guaranteed him goals. So I waited until there were only 5 seconds�left until the match ended�and then I switched off the Wii and disconnected. I know this is wrong to do, but I just have a problem when players online are cheap and exploit flaws in the game constantly. I don’t have a problem losing to somebody who plays fair. But when playing a cheap player, I think to myself�-�’If my opponent is going to cheat me out of�a fair game, then I should cheat them of a victory’.

Many have voiced their disgust over people like me and have called Nintendo out to come up�with with a system which penalizes gamers from disconnecting and I agree they should. You do get gamers who only disconnect simply because they’re losing and this isn’t fair. But I also�think it’s unfair that measures aren’t taken to ensure gamers don’t exploit flaws in games. If Nintendo gave the Wii�a hard drive they could at least patch the game so certain tactics and special abilities couldn’t be exploited. An option�to turn certain features of the game off for ranked matches�would also help make things a bit more balanced.

Disconnected is wrong, but so is being a cheap f**ker. If you’re not going to play fair against J online, then expect to have some message about a connection error come up on your screen.

Have any of you ever disconnected from an online game over something similar? Don’t worry. We don’t hate or judge folk here at Dark Diamond. *pulls out the hating hat and judgement spectacles*

Super Smash Bros. Brawl has been confirmed as being online playable!! *Woot-Woot!!* Nintendo could not afford to release this game without online play. Not unless they wanted daily death threats and Nintendo fanboys making like a John Woo movie in the lobby of their Kyoto HQ.

As with all of Nintendo’s first party online titles, the game will utilize the bastard Friend codes. But players are at least able to somewhat communicate with one another by inputting short messages before a match and then having them be displayed as they taunt. It’s no substitute for voice chat, but it’s better than nothing I guess. *shrugs*

Super Smash bros. Melee was a brilliant game up to this point Brawl looked like it was well on its way to being a better game. But with that said, the next evolution for the series was always for it to be playable online. So if Nintendo were to put the game out with no online play it would’ve fallen short. Gladly we needn’t worry about any of that - because the game is looking fine and it’s online!!

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is going to rock. I can feel it in my toes. I just hope Nintendo don’t shit on European gamers like they always do by releasing the PAL version three months after the North American release. I think I’d actually have a Britney Spears style breakdown if they announced this would not release across Europe until March.

[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]