Lorne Lanning, creator of Oddworld, in an interview with Wired:

I wanted to drive inspiring characters who felt low, like I did, who was in deep crisis, but by just sticking to it, they could prevail through a way that was almost entirely empathetic and not aggressive. We didn’t want the stereotypical musclebound hero with a gun. I was never a big Schwarzenegger or action fan. It never inspired me.

…

Stranger was a tough character with a different kind of dilemma. The reason he doesn’t like guns is because his whole life he’s been sought after and had to disguise himself. That was inspired by Malcolm X. He was an amazing figure and in the movie Spike Lee does this scene where he’s in prison and straightening his hair with acid. This older guy schools him and say that’s not him, he’s trying to be something he’s not. That’s a pivotal moment, where a strong, brilliant character feels so overwhelmed that he tries to be something else, but when he accepts who he is he becomes something amazing.

Worth reblogging Lanning’s stance on education through media.

Ben Kuchera, ladies and gentlemen:

Games that, through their very design, seek to give players a level playing field are rare, and should be celebrated by inviting everyone who wants to play to compete. To take such a well-designed and welcoming game and force segregation due to the outdated ideas of your organization is not just wrong, it’s offensive. It spits on the spirit of the game and the hard work done to avoid that sort of outmoded thought on competition.

I’ll mention my post on misogyny but it’s worth jumping straight to Polygon’s ’Where are the women in eSports?’

Update: The IeSF has reversed its decision.

Blizzard:

One of our goals with eSports is to ensure that there’s a vibrant and also inclusive community around our games. We do not allow the use of our games in tournaments that do not support this, and are working with our partners to ensure they share the same goal.

Worth relinking to Humanity in Hearthstone.

David Gaider, Dragon Age series writer:

Dorian is gay—he is, in fact, the first fully gay character I’ve had the opportunity to write. It added an interesting dimension to his back story, considering he comes from a place where “perfection” is the face that every mage puts on and anything that smacks of deviancy is shameful and meant to be hidden.

…

I suppose this aspect of Dorian will make him controversial in some corners, but I was glad to include it. It made writing Dorian a very personal experience for me, and I’m hopeful that will make him seem like a fully realized character to fans in the end.

I spent last weekend attending a same-sex wedding. Amongst the 150 or so attendees, not a soul spoke ill will or against the act of love. If anything, there was a palpable aura of support for the newly weds. Those I had assumed would turn their nose up to the ceremony watched with vivacious smiles, tears and cheering. The attendees soaked in the ceremony with deep admiration for a couple who had spent 7+ years braving potential criticism, backlash and rejection from their own bloodlines for challenging tradition.

While I was out of town for the wedding, San Francisco was holding its Pride Celebration. While I could not attend, I was very proud to be part of an attending organization who actively (and prominently!) showed their support for those who continue to live in fear, are ignored and cast aside by the mainstream.

Be it two people in marriage; hundreds at work; thousands in school; or millions participating in sports, games and global events; communal bonding is a wonder. To feel included, acknowledged and represented in a community is even more special.

Björn Jeffery, Toca Boca:

Making apps for children: it’s not a perfect science, it’s more like art. This is sort of shaping kids’ memories of them growing up. That’s a big responsibility. That’s something we should be taking very seriously.

A big responsibility indeed.

‘App: The Human Story’ looks to be an extremely compelling, promising and well crafted documentary about the history and future of apps. The roster isn’t half bad either.

Excerpt from “Console Wars” by Blake J. Harris:

Uemura’s Super Famicom dazzled on numerous fronts. The new console could generate 32,768 unique colors (the Genesis had 512) and eight channels of audio (the Genesis had six), and it could retail for 25,000 yen (about $250). Yet despite his best efforts, Uemura was unable to incorporate backward compatibility without greatly increasing the price (by about $75). Yamauchi discussed this issue with his son-in-law, Minoru Arakawa, who harbored plans to soon release a U.S. version of the system. Arakawa pointed out that compact discs had recently begun to replace cassette tapes and vinyl records without causing much of a stir. Perhaps modern consumers were becoming savvy enough to realize that new technology tended to make previous iterations obsolete. They concluded that Nintendo was strong enough to deal with the possible backlash and couldn’t afford to hold off on a 16-bit system any longer.

I’m having too much fun with this book. An entertaining David and Goliath story for the modern era, chock-full of video game nostalgia and fantastic trivia that went right over the heads of my generation. Not to mention plenty of “history repeats itself” moments.