This past weekend saw game lovers from across the globe converge on the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts for the first ever Penny Arcade Expo East.  PAX has flourished before, but always in the West where North American gaming  finds its brain or heart or whatever organ properly conveys what the West coast is to gaming.  PAX East marked the first time that Easterners could show a little pride in their scenery and show these video game enthusiasts how the other coast celebrates the country’s fastest growing pasttime.

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Yes, 2009 was quite a tumultuous year. It wasn’t quite the explosive year in gaming it was made out to be, but we laughed, we cried, and we broke several controllers. We ran to our favorite gaming forum to complain, and buddy, you know we had plenty to complain about. Similarly, we had plenty to rejoice about, with some of the biggest names in gaming bringing us several adventures we won’t soon forget. In 2010, things are only going to get better, or so we hope. But what of the games we were presented with this in 2009? Which one moved us the way no other could? Which game made us weep with tears of joy at how impossibly beautiful it was? And which one made us revile at the very sight of its hideous character models? Well, faithful Spawn Killer, you’re about to find out. We’re happy to present the first annual Spawn Kill Game of the Year Awards.

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I think we’ve all heard it –  at some point in our lives, we’ve told someone that we play video games.  Their response was either a skeptical look, mocking laughter, or something along the lines of, “Why are you wasting your time with that?”  There may have been rare occassions when they have eagerly chimed in with “Dude, me too,” at which point music probably started playing in your ears and you each got a dreamy look on your faces while you gazed fondly into one another’s eyes.  At least, that’s generally how it goes for me.  Maybe others are slightly more centered in reality.  Finding that kindred spirit, while it may be more common now than it was ten years ago, is still rare enough that the latter situation probably holds true for most people.

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I always remember my mom telling me that whenever I’d throw a fit at a game. I’ve always been pretty hot-headed but sometimes games just screw you over. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. AI programmers are out to get us, that’s a fact. If they weren’t… what’s the point of hiring them? Generally, AI is supposed to have a disposition to live rather than die… but sometimes it’s a little more frustrating than the difficulty title of “normal” lets on.

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It’s official: video games have taken a place in history with the opening of a new video game museum. The National Center for the History of Electronic Games has officially opened in New York at the Strong National Museum of Play.

On display are videogames, consoles, handhelds, and associated memorabilia (a collection of 15,000 items), highlighting the influence of the medium on American life. And, in case you never had the chance, visitors will be able to play some of these cherished historical relics while visiting the museum.

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