Are You A Video Game Hoarder?

Today in Speak-Up on Kotaku, commenter Floppy McWiggle wonders if keeping large amounts of video games around the house is hoarding or just love. I spent the weekend building a custom entertainment center for my TV and consoles. I swear it took all weekend, but it was very worth it. This brings me to my…

Some People Would Rather Not Call Video Games ‘Video Games’

Susan Orlean has written wonderfully about an orchid thief and sundry other topics, but she’s avoided video games. Hadn’t played one since Pac-Man. Somehow, she got a Kinect. She likes it for what it’s not. (Hint: What it actually is.) In a December piece for the New Yorker, she describes her brave dip into video…

What Good Is A Computer Processor That Does Bad Math?

One of the core functions of a computer processor is to perform the basic arithmetical functions of the system. Why would we want a processor that gets those basic calculations wrong? Carnegie Mellon’s Joseph Bates has the answer. Your standard computer processor is on the larger side and consumes a fair amount of power, but…

The Illustrated Guide To MineCraft

In the spirit of the new year and all things gaming, I bring to you the Illustrated Guide to MineCraft. This is an instruction booklet meant to capture the spirit of the gaming manuals of old. The intent here is more artistic and for storytelling purposes, as opposed to a technical manual. As such, much…

How About A TV With Built-In Tetris?

With today’s smart television sets capable of packing multiple internet applications directly on the hardware, why not just install games directly on the TV? That’s what Oberon Media is doing with Tetris. Casual gaming company Oberon Media is teaming up with The Tetris Company, LLC to install the world’s most highly-recognized puzzle game on connected…

The Wii Is Also For Burlesque Dancers

The Wii is for your grandma and my nephew. It’s for rugby players and talk show hosts. It’s also for burlesque dancers, according to this Wii commercial. Nothing wrong with that. Just… an unexpected angle, Nintendo. Nintendo Real Stories – Wii – Burlesque [Vimeo]

Were Vector Graphics Ever This Exciting?

Oh for the days when video game advertising consisted of nothing more than people looking so excited their faces were about to explode. Check out the full Vectrex ad at Josborn’s Flickr page Gameface is a photographic celebration of the people who make, play and love video games.

Minecraft Manual Gallery

OnLive Gets Built Into Cheap Electronics

Why spend $99 on OnLive’s Microconsole TV adapter when you can buy an inexpensive Blu-ray player with the streaming game service built right in? OnLive teams up with bargain electronics manufacturer VIZIO to bring streaming games to the masses. Today’s televisions and Blu-ray players are shipping with a ton of internet services built into their…

Rock Band Developer Sold For The Price Of A Copy Of Rock Band 3

A copy of the disc-only version of Rock Band 3 currently sells for $49.99 at GameStop. According to The Wall Street Journal’s sources, that’s exactly how much investment group Columbus Nova paid to take Harmonix off Viacom’s hands. MTV parent company Viacom revealed plans to offload the creators of Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance…

The DS Is The Nation’s Best-Selling Game System Of All Time, Sort Of

With more than 47 million Nintendo DS handhelds sold in the United States since the portable’s launch in 2004, Nintendo is calling the DS the country’s best-selling gaming system of all time. Does it really count? There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Nintendo DS is one of the most successful gaming platforms of…

At Long Last, The Masters Come To Video Games

Over the steady march of a dozen years’ progress, video games have brought us to all the sacred places in sports, awarded all their cherished trophies, and shared all their greatest traditions, except for one, A Tradition Unlike Any Other. This year, more than three years in the making – under unbelievable secrecy – EA…

Stunning Pictures Only a Gamer’s Eye Could Have Captured

Trey Ratcliff runs the most popular travel photo blogs in the world, he is also the first person to have an HDR picture hang in the Smithsonian. His photos may feel familiar to gamers, perhaps because Ratcliff himself is one. This short video shows off just a few of Ratcliff’s amazing, stunning images, each of…

Problem: We Don’t Shoot Green Things Enough

Exploding red barrels are a video game cliché. The people making the video game Bulletstorm wanted exploding barrels in their game, but they dreamed to make their barrels green. Then they woke up. Well, before they woke up, they put green barrels in their game. And they tested their game on real human beings. Here’s…

Talk Amongst Yourselves

You are looking at Kotaku’s official forum. Join in. Talk about video games all you want! If you’d like to be immortalized on the site, submit an image for Talk Amongst Yourselves at #TAYpics. Congratulations to reader DiamondSea for today’s.

Capcom to Delight at The Consumer Electronics Show

Nowadays video games are, at best, a means to an end at the Consumer Electronics Show. They are used to highlight television fidelity, or 7.1 surround sound or 3D. But there’s still one company that puts games first: Capcom. This year the developer appears to be the only purely software company making an appearance at…

What The Hell Are Vervain Leaves?

To: Brian From: Luke You may drink tea. If you do, this will bore you to death. But if you don’t, this is my nightly ritual. Leaves, mugs, submarines. Here’s what you missed: Will Call of Duty Get A ‘Second Tier’ Of Online Multiplayer? The Elder Scrolls Fans Give Morrowind A Makeover Review: Back To…

This Game Artist Can Sure Make A Pretty Comic

Artist Daniel Lieske has worked on games like PC action RPG title Sacred. When he’s not being told to draw skimpy girls in metal bras, though, he can come up with stuff that looks a lot better. Employed by day by Ascaron Entertainment, in Germany, by night he lets his imagination off the hook. Lieske…

Whatever You Do, Keep Your 3DS Straight At All Times

The fancy no-glasses 3D tech Nintendo’s latest handheld is packing comes with a few caveats, one of which is the fact you have to try and keep from having the thing shake while you’re playing it. Because the 3DS’ effects are only workable if you’re in a viewing “sweet spot”, you’ve been reminded that any…

What Is “Avatar Kinect”?

Some photos snapped from behind the scenes at the setup for this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas hint Microsoft will be showing something called “Avatar Kinect”. What is it? Provided, that is, these shots show anything other than a new marketing slogan? Your guess is as good as ours, since it won’t be…