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Editor's note: I suppose it's better than having our manhood questioned! -Shoe

At this past Wondercon, I walked the show floor asking convention goers video game and Star Wars-based trivia questions in order to find out just how nerdy these self-proclaimed geeks really are. Luckily, Bitmob's very own Dan "Shoe" Hsu and Demian Linn were awesome enough to let me question them to see just how high their geek flags fly.

Check out how well they did, and let me know in the comments just how well you would've done.

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Editor's note: The whole games-as-Art discussion is on a perpetual low boil at Bitmob, so we haven't gone out of our way to cover the latest Ebert-inspired dust up. But Dennis offers an interesting perspective.... -Demian

Kellee Santiago recently posted (on Kotaku) a response to Roger Ebert's response to her TEDxUSC presentation.

Calling Ebert an "old-media enthusiast" is a bit harsh and rather dismissive. Upon reading Ebert's response to her presentation, I thought perhaps that he was just out of touch with the reality of 21st-century, digital life, but my wife was quick to remind me that Ebert uses social media extensively. He's actually intensely in touch with digital means of communication and digital media, probably because they're the most accessible forms of communication available to him since he lost his voice due to cancer. He is not "an old guy" who is behind the times.

He just doesn't play video games.

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In the United States, a college education can be quite pricey. Luckily, scholarships give students a way to avoid decades of crippling debt while providing access to a worthwhile school. Unfortunately, most college grants come with several ethnic, religious, financial, or gender requirements. Luckily, an exception exists!

For the fourth consecutive year, Penny Arcade co-founders Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins are offering a $10,000 scholarship. Before you get too excited, you should know that the award comes with some fine print. First of all, the minimum GPA requirement is 3.3. Moreover, applicants must have the intention of entering the game industry later down the road.

Beyond the minimum requirements, Mike and Jerry have also asked for a few documents including a cover letter, a school transcript, a photograph, and two letters of recommendation.

If you're a broke student entering or continuing college-level studies, you have until the end of May to prepare the relevant paperwork. You could buy a mountain of video games with $10.000, so get on it [via GamePolitics]!

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Aside from his assurances of sticking around, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto still possesses enough quirk to feasibly lash his house onto a bunch of balloons and leave us all behind.

News Blips:

Mario creator and all-around nice guy Shigeru Miyamoto has no plans to retire anytime soon. Speaking with GamesTM, the longtime Nintendo employee portends a future of continuing to do what he does best, regardless of how many years Father Time tacks on. "When I look around and see how aged cartoonists continue to work on their manga and how movie directors create new movies all the time, I understand that they would never retire," said Miyamoto. "And by the same token, I guess I will still be making games somehow." Super Mario Crochet, anyone?

Blowtooth, a "pervasive" game developed at a British university, explores the visceral thrill of smuggling drugs and other substances through high-security locations. Participants utilize the Bluetooth application on their smart phones to find other suitable devices, which enables the "contraband" (fear not, Internet watchdogs: The smuggled stuff is completely virtual and very fake) to be downloaded onto the unwitting accomplice's phone. After sailing through the security -- such as an airport checkpoint -- with possibly a smug smirk on his face, the player uploads the goods back onto his phone and continues on his merry way. I can totally see someone getting punk'd over this. [GamePolitics]

Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid), the other game developer dynamo from Japan, has left an enigmatic tweet regarding his "confidential" new project. "I'm going to leave my next project to the side while I focus on the 'Confidential Project,'" he wrote. Kojima's initial tweet from the previous week mentioned that his next project "will challenge a certain type of taboo," and would wind up with the director's departure from the industry if things went awry. Thankfully, there seems to be a new new project taking up Kojima's attention, so we get to keep him for a while longer. Are you confused, yet? [VGArabia]

A report by the National Labor Committee reveals the working conditions of a Chinese factory that produces Xbox 360 controllers. Among the numerous criticisms of the factory were an inclination to hire teenage "work-study students" who would be subjected to daily 15-hour shifts. Workers reportedly earn only 52 cents per hour, along with harsh punishments that are exacted for any rule breaking. Microsoft is sending a team of its own investigators to inspect the factory after the publishing of the report. [GamePolitics]

Got any hot news tips? Send 'em over to tips@bitmob.com.

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So far, the articles about Anticipated Games have been plentiful. But we want even more! The community has done a great job covering a wide breadth of games. But some major titles have yet to see coverage!

Our callout continues. You have a week left to write about games scheduled for release in 2010. Pick one that hasn't been covered, or pick one that has and give a different take. Your options are limitless.

Here's what you have to do:

1. Choose one (1) game scheduled for release in 2010.
2. Write an article about that game. Try to keep it concise. About 200-400 words should do it, but you can go longer.
3. Tag it with "Anticipated Games."
4. Submit your article by April 28, 2010.

Cover as many games as you wish, but make sure you submit a new article for each game you want to write about.

If you are stumped, check out the original callout post for some ideas!

And don't forget community member Chris Hoadley's on-going "This or That" writing challenge!

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Welcome to the Bitmob Community Jukebox! The Jukebox is a weekly column focused around gathering tunes from the community and celebrating video game music.

This week is a whopper for Square-Enix -- nearly a third of the songs come from the company formerly known as Squaresoft. The Legend of Zelda also has a strong presence courtesy of community members Jimmy Flores and Bryan Glynn, and a few strange selections from titles like Spore and Mr. Driller crept on to the list.. Also, make sure sure to check out the first-ever song of the week from a game I've never played, seen, or even heard of. It's pretty awesome.

Want to share some euphonious love with the community? Hit the jump to find out how to drop me a line.

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Does anyone who's playing the Starcraft 2 beta feel like it deserves an Adults-Only rating?

News Blips:

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Editor's note: How much are you willing to pay for convenience in games? For some cute costumes or a few extra levels? Brendon examines his own threshold for buying downloadable content and wonders whether we should take a concerted stand against DLC. -Brett

On April 15, Blizzard added the Celestial Steed to its World of Warcraft online store, setting off a firestorm of message board comments.

For $25, WoW players can now be the proud owners of a flying star pony. The Celestial Steed will be accessible to all characters, present and future, on the purchasing account until the end of the world (of Warcraft). It scales with riding ability, which has historically been a trait reserved for expensive, rare, or otherwise hard-to-get mounts. It is your Mount of Forever, provided you’re willing to cough up the cash.

A few hours after launch, the download queue stood at 100,000 and change.

For every ten people buying one, there’s at least one player complaining about it.

It feeds on the addiction of mentally unstable fans, those critics say. They contend it marks a troubling turn for Blizzard, who has been slowly introducing paid conveniences over the past few years but said it would draw the line at anything that would directly impact gameplay.

It’s also too expensive. Some critics want it but simply can’t afford it.

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In this episode, the Internet's ubiquitous funnyman/former Super Friend Seanbaby joins Bitmob's own Dan Hsu, Demian Linn, and Brett Bates to celebrate the Mobcast's 50th episode. The group discusses their favorite and least favorite games, frustrating experiences, great moments in video game history, gaming-related birthday memories, and which titles from the past and present will the crew still be enjoying in 2060. 

Have a community topic you want to hear the crew discuss? E-mail your suggestions to letters@bitmob.com, subject: Mobcast.

Zune Link (must use Internet Explorer)

Direct Download (right click save as)

Subscribe via RSS

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Editor's note: A nerdy twist on a classic set up: Who would you want to make your perfect game? I like Chase's approach here, because I feel that the industry -- and games journalism -- needs to spotlight the talent behind the keyboards much more so than they do currently. -Rob

Since the dawn of time, humanity has entertained a little conversation starter. In it, you name three individuals you would like to invite to dinner. Some people restrict it to the living only and others allow anyone; really, it’s up to you what rules you want to follow.

My list has always consisted of Benjamin Franklin, Paul McCartney, and Conan O’Brien. But since this is Bitmob, let’s tweak the game a little.

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Okay, so not really. But according this commercial from the '80s, he might as well be. Chef Boyardee had a line of Pac-Man-themed pastas that came with meatballs, without meatballs, and in chicken flavor. Just see for yourself [via The Retroist]:

I recently had a can of Chef Boyardee pasta. Man, I used to be able to eat that stuff without a problem. I gagged on its contents due to the cloy sauce. I can only imagine what this tie-in food product was like. 

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If you thought April is a historically light month for video games, you would be wrong. There are some major anniversaries coming up this week. This installment of This Week in Video Game History gives us an opportunity to celebrate a classic game that is still very relevant, curse gamers for avoiding two fantastic titles, and confirm that arcade cabinets are perfect for a show about nothing.

April 18

1994 -- Super Metroid is released in North America. Usually, I will list the first worldwide appearance of a game, but the Metroid series has had a very unique relationship with North American audiences. Of the many noted Nintendo franchises, Metroid seems to be one of the few that is more popular in North America than Japan. This game, however, stands on its own, and has become one of the highest regarded games of all time. The heart of Super Metroid is still beating strong, inspiring modern releases like Shadow Complex. For more, head over to Area 5 to see a great discussion about the game by notable journalists (including Hsu).

2006 -- Final Fantasy 11 makes the leap to the next-gen with its Xbox 360 release. Two days later, it hits store shelves in Japan, but no one noticed.

2006 -- HD-DVD makes its North American debut. Again, no one noticed.

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