David Mullich tells the story.

Like a foamy, flaccid force of nature, she came tumbling into my life. No discernable shape, fluffy, mildly offensive. But somehow, some way—like a tapeworm—she burrowed herself deep into my existence. I know she'll be mine forever. She is indispensible, an irreplaceable part of my world. 2012 has been a big year for…

Fact: Many of the most important moments in my life have been marked by Antonio Carlos Jobim's wonderful song, The Girl from Ipanema. That song seems to drift through my best moments.

If you live in Japan you may have noticed that you're not able to read or even see this right now. In fact, you're probably reading a very similar Kotaku, except entirely in Japanese.

Back in November, our sister site in Australia delivered a gripping three-part read on one anonymous gamer's decision to walk away from World of Warcraft - and then re-enter, this time with a powerleveled character. The surrender of his dignity begins, as so many things do these days, by whipping out a credit card…