You've been a game publisher, retailer, and developer, but we've save the best (and perhaps the easiest) for last in our "What Will You Do?" series. Gamers. You can probably identify, and while heading out to your local retailer at midnight on a weekday might not make you feel particularly powerful, you're a part of the most influential group when it comes to what all three of those other groups do. If you don't buy it, it won't sell. Your voice has more power than any marketing team in the business. Change may come slow when you're part of such a large and distinguished group, but it will come, and your buying and playing habits determine which direction said change takes. What will you, the gamer, do to make 2010 a better year than 2009?

Press start to continue.

Infinite Bits is definitely a consumer-oriented video game event. It's about the community and the gamers, rather than big-name publishers showing off their wares. It's about breaking records and friendly competition, with guests like Pac-Man champ Billy Mitchell and Twin Galaxies' Walter Day. Our favorite extreme console modder Benjamin Heckendorn will be there. They've even got concerts from chiptune artists Starscream and goatslacker, as well as video game cover band Random Encounter. It's basically a bunch of gamers getting together to have fun, play games, and buy stuff for an entire weekend, which sounds just fine to me.

Infinite Bits runs from October 23rd to the 25th at the Miami Mart Hotel and Convention Center, with tickets running you $30 for a weekend pass, or $35 at the door. I'd highly recommend ordering tickets beforehand, as wandering about Miami with cash in your hand is an invitation to get shot. Well, more shot than you'd normally be just wandering about Miami without it.

Infinit Bits [Official Website]

The Adult Videogame Market in the US: Tapping Into the New Diversity of Video-Game Players is a pricey consumer analysis put together by Packaged Facts. I don’t have three grand to drop on buying the full study, but the summary says some interesting things.

My favorite is the brief on the Consumer Profile section. Little pearls of wisdom such as New Car Loans More Common and Frozen Dinners Part of Gamer Lifestyle make me proud of the life I live and the Stouffers potpies in my fridge.

Here’s some more tidbits:

Leisure and Entertainment Choices
Videogamers Work Out
Gamers More Active than Other Adults
Videogamers Still Read Books
Video-Game Players More Likely to Go to the Movies

Shopping Patterns
Video-Game Players Like to Shop
Videogamers Go to Malls More Often
Convenience Stores Popular among Videogamers
Incentive Offers Capture Attention of Videogamers
Videogamers Far More Likely to Make Online Purchase

Hit the link above for the full summary.

The BBC is reporting some dramatic new findings in the search for the root cause of premature ejaculation. A possible genetic link has been found that could make some men more prone to the condition.

A study of 200 Dutch men found that many who shared a gene linked to low serotonin levels were, shall we say, prone to uncorking their wine before it had properly matured.

Paula Hall, a sexual psychotherapist for relationship counsellors Relate,pointed out that this may show itself in other areas of the men's lives.

"These men have very quick reflexes," said Hall, "They may be excellent at playing tennis or computer games, for example."

Thanks for that Paula.

This tip comes courtesy of reader Hugh who claims not to know how he found himself reading about this. Ok, Hugh, whatever.

Premature ejaculation gene found [BBC News - thanks a bunch, Hugh]

We’re confident that we can work with the ESA to make this right. There are important meetings ahead that we think will be substantive and be productive in finding the right path forward.

Let’s invite the community. With the right planning, involving our biggest fans in E3 would bring back some of the raw passion the event has lost.

A stance sure to be popular with fans, but how to make it work without hampering access to the publishers for members of the press? I suppose it could be solved by keeping the meeting rooms we had this year, and adding a centralized show floor where the publishers can set up their fancy kiosks. Gamers can access the show floor proper, press still has easy access to their private showings and meetings, and in case we need a little fan reaction to the new games we've got an absolute sea of people to pull aside and give the old man-on-the-street treatment. As Crecente said earlier this week, reporting nirvana.

It sounds like a winning combination to me, though frankly it sounds like several of the other game conventions that have sprouted up during the decline of E3 over the past few years. Bring the life back to the show without making it just another show - now that's the challenge.

E3 - Go Big or Go Home [Peter Moore's Offical Blog via GI.biz]

I hope you all enjoy looking through these galleries as much as I enjoyed putting them together!
(Just a head's up: I have added ALL of your photos - at least all the people who sent me their country - but you may not see them on the main gallery page, as it will only display the first fifty. But don't worry! Click through the gallery, and you'll find your photo!)

To check out the desks and gaming setups of big names in gaming like David Jaffe, Sid Meier, and Penny Arcade's "Gabe" and "Tycho", visit the original gallery: Work and Play: A Peek Inside the Lives of Gaming's Greatest (with updates always being added, including new photos this week from Tommy Tallarico and Ted Brown, Lead Level Designer for Buzz Monkey Software.).

NORTH AMERICA

EUROPE

ASIA

OCEANIA

SOUTH AMERICA

Who said that he was fine with his son playing Bioshock because it might lead him to “think and have him challenge his ideas”?

Also being marketed towards paintball enthusiasts and the night club industry, Headshot is trying to get a whole audience of hipsters to stay awake on a 100mg of Guarana garnished with a set of non-Atkins ingredients. It's like taking tea leaves and shoving them into a Heath bar and then just waiting around for the heart attack. I'll stick with the equally potent Girl Scout cookies, thanks. Kim Phu

"Headshot," Energy Bar For Gamers, Now Available [Game|Life]

Uncommon Loot Lets You "Power Up" with the
Launch of The Headshot Bar©
The First of its kind, Headshot bar uses Guarana to give gamers, paintballers, and young adults an energy boost like never before

Plainfield, IN, June 11, 2007—Young adults have a lot of options these days on choosing how they will get their energy boost. With the energy drink industry saturated with all sorts of choices, teens need something truly new and innovative to take their game to the next level.

Enter The Headshot Guarana Infused Energy Bar©.

The Headshot Guarana Infused Energy bar (better known as "Headshot"), is the new and innovative energy bar from Uncommon Loot, Inc. Its unique chewy, chocolately, toffee flavor and its 100mg of Guarana make it a perfect pick-me-up for the generation that plays well into the night.

What Makes Headshot Different:
· Guarana: The guarana berry is a highly caffeinated berry native to the Amazonian rainforest. This natural caffeine is believed to be gentle on your system and less likely to produce headaches that are more common with other sources of caffeine.
· Rice Crisp: The candy bar market has a lot of choices. Uncommon Loot is all about bringing something new and unique to the industry. Rice crisp was chosen because of its consistency, texture, and health benefits.
· Toffee Flavor: The bold toffee flavor is very evident as soon as you open the wrapper. It will keep you coming back for more.

Marketing Avenues:

· Gaming Industry: Initial distribution of Headshot will be through PC and console gaming centers around the country. LanLizards Game Cafe President Jonathan Zook (Mishawaka, IN) says, "The combination of chocolate, toffee and chewy crisps makes this a deliciously irresistable snack, and the punch of caffeine makes it that much more desirable." The tournament and competition atmosphere of gaming centers truly make them the perfect locations to launch Headshot. We also plan to sponsor LAN parties and eSporting events.

· Paintball / Airsoft Industry: This industry is trying very hard to get its own niche in the world and we plan on helping it. Their competitions are held on a worldwide stage. And our plan is to be there with them side by side.

· Night Club Industry: Currently there is nothing on the market other than beverages that have kept this market awake. Now Headshot and the flavors following it will be front and center to help bring more profit streams to night clubs, and to keep their customers awake through the night.

For additional product information, as well as individual purchasing, wholesale purchasing, and fundraising purchasing options, please visit: www.UncommonLoot.com

Samples and marketing materials for press review and usage are available by contacting Uncommon Loot at press@uncommonloot.com

About Uncommon Loot
Uncommon Loot exclusively produces the Headshot candy bar out of their Plainfield, Indiana offices. The founders of Uncommon Loot have a solid insight into the PC and console gaming mindset through their years of running a PC Gaming center (also located in Plainfield) called Mission Control.

ABC's Hit Reality Show 'Wife Swap" Seeks Gamers for Season 4 [Gamertag Radio]

They just announced that Gas Powered Games partnered up with them to make a brand new original RPG for the PC.

The game will be unveiled in a few weeks, says Sega of America president Simon Jeffrey.

Sega of America was number ten for market share last year, up from number 14 in 2005 and number 16 in 2004.

On to the announcements:

First up is Happy Tree Friends, a download only game for PC and XBLA. It's Itchy and Scratchy meets the Lemmings. Yes, it has that happy meets horror feel and look of the fantastic web animation.

They're showing a clip now. In it two bunnies are enjoying a meel when a commando bunny jumps in and starts killing them with straws and ketchup and mustard bottles. Classic. And lots of blood.

The next game they are announcing is Ghost Squad. Ghost Squad will be going exclusive to the Wii. Oh, and it will be playable here today.

The game appears to be a first person shooter with knives and gomes. Oh and it's going to use a light gun. HOLY SHIT a LIGHT GUN.

You can unlock 25 tactical weapons and it looks an awful lot like Time Crisis.

Next up is Universal War. It was already announced for the PC, today they're saying it's also coming to the Xbox 360.

The demo they are showing seems to be showing snippets of giant robots, helicopters and other vehicles attacking each other.

Ah, now to updates.

Talking Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.Games. Besically, they just said they're really excited... aren't we all.

OK, talking Marvel, specifically Iron Man and Hulk. They're talking about the Iron Man movie right now... and they said the director is interested in working with Sega on the game.

Both games will be coming out next Spring.

OK, on to the hands on previews. See ya later. Check back for my impressions later on today.

Update - They just announced Condemned 2 Bloodshot for the 360 and PS3 - That is all.

Pretty much 1up, only 5400 miles to the upper right.

The site will support skins, such as the GRAW2 skin already available for users to decorate their customizable home page. They are also seeking to work with developers to integrate info from MMOs and other online games into the site.

Eurogamer has a handy getting started guide for Eurogamers here, which walks you through the process of adding to your game collection, adding friends, etc.

I'd sign up and poke about, but unfortunately I am not in Europe, and they're quite picky over there I hear. It's all up to you now, Kim Phu. You're our only hope. Michael Fahey

Eurogamers
Eurogamer Network launches new community website [GamesIndustry.biz]

Apparently I'm a cryptic and rabid misogynist and my thinly-veiled attempt at getting female writers to work for Kotaku was all about how there are no female bloggers out there and why I hate women. (Note to self, make sure my wife doesn't read this, she'd kick my ass.)

But despite the fact that I have a penis and write about gaming, something good came out of that post. In my caveman like attempts at prodding talented, strong-voiced women into writing more vocally about gaming I have stirred the ire of several feminist gaming writers who recently banded together to launch the IRIS Network a group, which will strive to bring women's perspectives into the mainstream.

I'm very happy to see that, along with the dozens of women who have emailed me to either apply for the job opening or thank me for inspiring them to start their own blogs, this network is getting off the ground.

A diversity of opinion and perspective can only help the industry. And once more, sorry for the penis. Brian Crecente

The Iris Network: Women Gamers' Forum Launch [Guilded Lilies]

GGE is currently in the beta testing stages, slowly inviting more and more gamers to come connect, create, and maybe even win some cool beta contest swag. They've now officially extended the invitation to Kotaku readers, apparently having run out of civilized, well-behaved candidates. If you hit the link below you'll hit the home page with referral code kotakugg already filled in. Sign up and start building your presence. I just hope they are prepared for you people. Oh, and be sure to add KotakuFahey to your friend list, or I will be very sad. Michael Fahey

The Great Games Experiment Kotaku Sign-Up

Analysts at TNS Worldpanel Entertainment have released research indicating that over the past four years the number of female and older gamers is on the rise. Old codgers (here interpreted as over 45) buying games for personal use has risen over 40%, while the female figure (rawr) is up 67%. They didn't say how many women over the age of 45 were buying games for themselves, which just goes to show I should be a market analyst, since they obviously didn't follow through here. Slackers.

I can only see these numbers rising as Nintendo's Wii continues to make good on its promise of appealing to non-standard gamers and those of us who have been gaming for a good 30 years now march inevitably towards death. Yeah, I'm a hoot at birthday parties. Michael Fahey

Huge growth in numbers of female and older gamers [GamesIndustry.Biz]

Hands. They're our tools. We use them to shoot, drive, jump and talk. UK photographer/journo Jon Jordan has a Flickr gallery up of gamers' hands. A fascinating and insightful look at an aspect of gaming that's often overlooked. Brian Ashcraft

Video Game Paws [GameSetWatch]

Bunching your face up into a ball, fine. Leaving your mouth gapping open, passable. But doing strange crap with your tongue? No thanks. Some photographer took photos of people playing video games "to reveal a hidden part of their character." Neat, in a creepy way. Brian Ashcraft

Looks At These Faces [Mr Toldedano via Wonderland]

There was a little bit of a stink last week at the W.

Walking around Sony's evening reception at the W Hotel last week, I couldn't help but notice that the place was about half empty

It didn't take long to figure out why: Electronic Arts.

Several sources dished the dirt.

When people starting checking in Wednesday to the hotel they were given a flyer telling them about a little event Electronic Arts was having to promote their Playstation 3 games.

So what, I asked?

They did this without talking to Sony and scheduled it during a time that conflicted with one of Sony's events. Sony, which had spent oodles of money to fly in game writers and put them up in a very expensive hotel, had just footed the bill for an EA publicity party. They weren't too happy.

Apparently Ubisoft also had a little event, but didn't think to get the hotel staff to help them promote it. Brian Crecente

(Gawker paid for my trip to Gamers' Day and the hotel stay.)

We piss and moan continually about bad game press from the mainstream, and the attention paid by a worried and misled public to the Insane Jackasses, but even our most stringent objections often fail to consider the long-term societal ramifications of the villification of gaming.

Gamasutra has a thoughtful and motivational article on this very subject, underscoring the seriousness of our persecution:

This kind of association is a difficult problem to tackle. The implicit idea being conveyed - that games are to be understood by an older generation as part of a set of inherently bad things for their children - isn't something that can be easily dispelled now that it has set in. The vilification of games will cloud proper discussion of their nature and potential, as well as tainting future attempts to use interactive technologies in a positive manner.

The piece wraps up with the question we all ask: how would the public understand games "if everyone were familiar with Guitar Hero, Buzz, Animal Crossing, Psychonauts, Lego Star Wars, Ico and Civilisation IV". Eliza Gauger

[Gamasutra]

What a collection of jackasses. Jack Thompson rants; Adam Sessler, coked out of his mind, issues blustery straw man retorts and screams at the top of his lungs. Mark Friedler says that the real source of all society's evil is this dang hip-hop music that kids today are listening to, yet at least remains calm and collected.

A lot of other sites are saying that Thompson was destroyed by Sessler and Friedler. I couldn't disagree more, unless you de facto think that people who agree with you argue well. This sort of interview, if viewed by a neutral party, would come across looking like a win for Thompson. Sessler's behavior is frankly an embarrassment; Friedler remains cool, but he doesn't escalate the argument to the larger issues.

Here are some of them: Do Jack Thompson's much referenced "irrefutable" psychological and scientific studies hold up? Why does Thompson discount psychological studies that contradict his claim? Exactly how are violent games more disruptive psychologically to children than violent movies, books or television shows? Why should we take Thompson's arguments seriously when every new form of media — from novels to rock and roll, from jazz to games — has always had a figure like Thompson, quickly forgotten by history, claiming the corruption of America's youth and pointing to scientific studies of the time to back their claim? Yet, in all of these cases, the world has become richer, not poorer, for the corruption. What sort of precedent would outlawing violent games set in regards to our First Amendment rights? And isn't the logical conclusion of outlawing one form of artistic expression total censorship of all forms?

Exactly what is it going to take for someone to put Jack Thompson up against an articulate, level-headed gamer? Not that I'm looking for the job: I'd probably just call him a cunt. Florian Eckhardt

I'm not sure any of you are gamer enough to be reading this. I've discovered a simple test to ensure that what I say here will not go over your wee heads. Says Aeropause:

So you think you're a gamer? Well if so you might want to take this 50 question quiz to see if you can cut it out here in the hard and gritty world of game writing where the streets are cold and the women even colder.

You heard the man. Get testin'. Post your results and grind your stinking triumph into the sad faces of your gamer brethren. Eliza Gauger

Ultimate Gamer Quiz [BitPit, via Aeropause]